Azure AI Agents Persistent Dotnet
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The Azure AI Agents Persistent SDK for .NET provides a comprehensive interface for building and managing AI agents. It enables developers to handle the full lifecycle of agentic workflows, including agent creation, thread management, message handling, and execution runs. The SDK supports advanced features such as function calling, file search via vector stores, code interpretation, and integration with external data sources like Bing, Azure AI Search, and Microsoft Fabric.
What it does
- Provides CRUD operations for managing AI agents and their configurations.
- Manages conversation threads and message history for persistent interactions.
- Supports streaming responses for real-time user experiences.
- Enables function calling to execute custom logic during agent runs.
- Integrates with vector stores and file search for RAG-based workflows.
- Facilitates execution of code interpreters and external tool integrations.
When to use it
- When building .NET applications that require stateful, persistent AI agents.
- When you need to integrate custom tools or functions into an AI agent's workflow.
- When implementing RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation) using Azure AI Search or local files.
- When you need granular control over agent execution, polling, and status management.
Advantages
- Native .NET support with asynchronous programming patterns.
- Comprehensive control over agent state and thread lifecycle.
- Extensive support for diverse tool types including Bing and Microsoft Fabric.
- Built-in streaming capabilities for responsive UI integration.
Usage examples
- “How do I create a new persistent agent in .NET using the Azure AI Agents SDK?”
- The agent provides a code snippet using PersistentAgentsClient.Administration.CreateAgentAsync, demonstrating how to define the model, instructions, and tools.
- “Show me how to handle function calling in an agent run.”
- The agent explains the polling loop, checking for RunStatus.RequiresAction, executing the local function, and submitting the output back to the run.
- “How can I stream responses from an agent run?”
- The agent provides an example using CreateRunStreamingAsync and iterating through the StreamingUpdate collection to handle content chunks.
Install
Download the skill as a ZIP:
https://autogineer.com/agent-skills/microsoft/azure-ai-agents-persistent-dotnet/downloadUnzip it into the cross-client skills folder of your project:
mkdir -p .agents/skills && unzip azure-ai-agents-persistent-dotnet.zip -d .agents/skills
Documentation by Microsoft
Azure.AI.Agents.Persistent (.NET)
Low-level SDK for creating and managing persistent AI agents with threads, messages, runs, and tools.
Installation
dotnet add package Azure.AI.Agents.Persistent --prerelease
dotnet add package Azure.IdentityCurrent Versions: Stable v1.1.0, Preview v1.2.0-beta.8
Environment Variables
PROJECT_ENDPOINT=https://<resource>.services.ai.azure.com/api/projects/<project> # Required: Azure AI project endpoint
MODEL_DEPLOYMENT_NAME=gpt-4o-mini # Required: model deployment name
AZURE_BING_CONNECTION_ID=<bing-connection-resource-id> # Required: Bing connection resource ID
AZURE_AI_SEARCH_CONNECTION_ID=<search-connection-resource-id> # Required: Azure AI Search connection resource ID
AZURE_TOKEN_CREDENTIALS=prod # Required only if DefaultAzureCredential is used in productionAuthentication
using Azure.AI.Agents.Persistent;
using Azure.Identity;
var projectEndpoint = Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("PROJECT_ENDPOINT");
// Local dev: DefaultAzureCredential. Production: set AZURE_TOKEN_CREDENTIALS=prod or AZURE_TOKEN_CREDENTIALS=<specific_credential>
var credential = new DefaultAzureCredential(
DefaultAzureCredential.DefaultEnvironmentVariableName
);
// Or use a specific credential directly in production:
// See https://learn.microsoft.com/dotnet/api/overview/azure/identity-readme?view=azure-dotnet#credential-classes
// var credential = new ManagedIdentityCredential();
PersistentAgentsClient client = new(projectEndpoint, credential);Client Hierarchy
PersistentAgentsClient
├── Administration → Agent CRUD operations
├── Threads → Thread management
├── Messages → Message operations
├── Runs → Run execution and streaming
├── Files → File upload/download
└── VectorStores → Vector store managementCore Workflow
1. Create Agent
var modelDeploymentName = Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("MODEL_DEPLOYMENT_NAME");
PersistentAgent agent = await client.Administration.CreateAgentAsync(
model: modelDeploymentName,
name: "Math Tutor",
instructions: "You are a personal math tutor. Write and run code to answer math questions.",
tools: [new CodeInterpreterToolDefinition()]
);2. Create Thread and Message
// Create thread
PersistentAgentThread thread = await client.Threads.CreateThreadAsync();
// Create message
await client.Messages.CreateMessageAsync(
thread.Id,
MessageRole.User,
"I need to solve the equation `3x + 11 = 14`. Can you help me?"
);3. Run Agent (Polling)
// Create run
ThreadRun run = await client.Runs.CreateRunAsync(
thread.Id,
agent.Id,
additionalInstructions: "Please address the user as Jane Doe."
);
// Poll for completion
do
{
await Task.Delay(TimeSpan.FromMilliseconds(500));
run = await client.Runs.GetRunAsync(thread.Id, run.Id);
}
while (run.Status == RunStatus.Queued || run.Status == RunStatus.InProgress);
// Retrieve messages
await foreach (PersistentThreadMessage message in client.Messages.GetMessagesAsync(
threadId: thread.Id,
order: ListSortOrder.Ascending))
{
Console.Write($"{message.Role}: ");
foreach (MessageContent content in message.ContentItems)
{
if (content is MessageTextContent textContent)
Console.WriteLine(textContent.Text);
}
}4. Streaming Response
AsyncCollectionResult<StreamingUpdate> stream = client.Runs.CreateRunStreamingAsync(
thread.Id,
agent.Id
);
await foreach (StreamingUpdate update in stream)
{
if (update.UpdateKind == StreamingUpdateReason.RunCreated)
{
Console.WriteLine("--- Run started! ---");
}
else if (update is MessageContentUpdate contentUpdate)
{
Console.Write(contentUpdate.Text);
}
else if (update.UpdateKind == StreamingUpdateReason.RunCompleted)
{
Console.WriteLine("\n--- Run completed! ---");
}
}5. Function Calling
// Define function tool
FunctionToolDefinition weatherTool = new(
name: "getCurrentWeather",
description: "Gets the current weather at a location.",
parameters: BinaryData.FromObjectAsJson(new
{
Type = "object",
Properties = new
{
Location = new { Type = "string", Description = "City and state, e.g. San Francisco, CA" },
Unit = new { Type = "string", Enum = new[] { "c", "f" } }
},
Required = new[] { "location" }
}, new JsonSerializerOptions { PropertyNamingPolicy = JsonNamingPolicy.CamelCase })
);
// Create agent with function
PersistentAgent agent = await client.Administration.CreateAgentAsync(
model: modelDeploymentName,
name: "Weather Bot",
instructions: "You are a weather bot.",
tools: [weatherTool]
);
// Handle function calls during polling
do
{
await Task.Delay(500);
run = await client.Runs.GetRunAsync(thread.Id, run.Id);
if (run.Status == RunStatus.RequiresAction
&& run.RequiredAction is SubmitToolOutputsAction submitAction)
{
List<ToolOutput> outputs = [];
foreach (RequiredToolCall toolCall in submitAction.ToolCalls)
{
if (toolCall is RequiredFunctionToolCall funcCall)
{
// Execute function and get result
string result = ExecuteFunction(funcCall.Name, funcCall.Arguments);
outputs.Add(new ToolOutput(toolCall, result));
}
}
run = await client.Runs.SubmitToolOutputsToRunAsync(run, outputs, toolApprovals: null);
}
}
while (run.Status == RunStatus.Queued || run.Status == RunStatus.InProgress);6. File Search with Vector Store
// Upload file
PersistentAgentFileInfo file = await client.Files.UploadFileAsync(
filePath: "document.txt",
purpose: PersistentAgentFilePurpose.Agents
);
// Create vector store
PersistentAgentsVectorStore vectorStore = await client.VectorStores.CreateVectorStoreAsync(
fileIds: [file.Id],
name: "my_vector_store"
);
// Create file search resource
FileSearchToolResource fileSearchResource = new();
fileSearchResource.VectorStoreIds.Add(vectorStore.Id);
// Create agent with file search
PersistentAgent agent = await client.Administration.CreateAgentAsync(
model: modelDeploymentName,
name: "Document Assistant",
instructions: "You help users find information in documents.",
tools: [new FileSearchToolDefinition()],
toolResources: new ToolResources { FileSearch = fileSearchResource }
);7. Bing Grounding
var bingConnectionId = Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("AZURE_BING_CONNECTION_ID");
BingGroundingToolDefinition bingTool = new(
new BingGroundingSearchToolParameters(
[new BingGroundingSearchConfiguration(bingConnectionId)]
)
);
PersistentAgent agent = await client.Administration.CreateAgentAsync(
model: modelDeploymentName,
name: "Search Agent",
instructions: "Use Bing to answer questions about current events.",
tools: [bingTool]
);8. Azure AI Search
AzureAISearchToolResource searchResource = new(
connectionId: searchConnectionId,
indexName: "my_index",
topK: 5,
filter: "category eq 'documentation'",
queryType: AzureAISearchQueryType.Simple
);
PersistentAgent agent = await client.Administration.CreateAgentAsync(
model: modelDeploymentName,
name: "Search Agent",
instructions: "Search the documentation index to answer questions.",
tools: [new AzureAISearchToolDefinition()],
toolResources: new ToolResources { AzureAISearch = searchResource }
);9. Cleanup
await client.Threads.DeleteThreadAsync(thread.Id);
await client.Administration.DeleteAgentAsync(agent.Id);
await client.VectorStores.DeleteVectorStoreAsync(vectorStore.Id);
await client.Files.DeleteFileAsync(file.Id);Available Tools
| Tool | Class | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Code Interpreter | CodeInterpreterToolDefinition | Execute Python code, generate visualizations |
| File Search | FileSearchToolDefinition | Search uploaded files via vector stores |
| Function Calling | FunctionToolDefinition | Call custom functions |
| Bing Grounding | BingGroundingToolDefinition | Web search via Bing |
| Azure AI Search | AzureAISearchToolDefinition | Search Azure AI Search indexes |
| OpenAPI | OpenApiToolDefinition | Call external APIs via OpenAPI spec |
| Azure Functions | AzureFunctionToolDefinition | Invoke Azure Functions |
| MCP | MCPToolDefinition | Model Context Protocol tools |
| SharePoint | SharepointToolDefinition | Access SharePoint content |
| Microsoft Fabric | MicrosoftFabricToolDefinition | Access Fabric data |
Streaming Update Types
| Update Type | Description |
|---|---|
StreamingUpdateReason.RunCreated | Run started |
StreamingUpdateReason.RunInProgress | Run processing |
StreamingUpdateReason.RunCompleted | Run finished |
StreamingUpdateReason.RunFailed | Run errored |
MessageContentUpdate | Text content chunk |
RunStepUpdate | Step status change |
Key Types Reference
| Type | Purpose |
|---|---|
PersistentAgentsClient | Main entry point |
PersistentAgent | Agent with model, instructions, tools |
PersistentAgentThread | Conversation thread |
PersistentThreadMessage | Message in thread |
ThreadRun | Execution of agent against thread |
RunStatus | Queued, InProgress, RequiresAction, Completed, Failed |
ToolResources | Combined tool resources |
ToolOutput | Function call response |
Best Practices
Always dispose clients — Use
usingstatements or explicit disposalPoll with appropriate delays — 500ms recommended between status checks
Clean up resources — Delete threads and agents when done
Handle all run statuses — Check for
RequiresAction,Failed,CancelledUse streaming for real-time UX — Better user experience than polling
Store IDs not objects — Reference agents/threads by ID
Use async methods — All operations should be async
Error Handling
using Azure;
try
{
var agent = await client.Administration.CreateAgentAsync(...);
}
catch (RequestFailedException ex) when (ex.Status == 404)
{
Console.WriteLine("Resource not found");
}
catch (RequestFailedException ex)
{
Console.WriteLine($"Error: {ex.Status} - {ex.ErrorCode}: {ex.Message}");
}Related SDKs
| SDK | Purpose | Install |
|---|---|---|
Azure.AI.Agents.Persistent | Low-level agents (this SDK) | dotnet add package Azure.AI.Agents.Persistent |
Azure.AI.Projects | High-level project client | dotnet add package Azure.AI.Projects |
Reference Links
Files
- ATTRIBUTION.mdAdded by AutoGineer1010 B
- LICENSELicence file added by AutoGineer1.1 KiB
- SKILL.md11.6 KiB
LICENSE
MIT License
Copyright (c) Microsoft Corporation.
Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy
of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal
in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights
to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell
copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is
furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:
The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all
copies or substantial portions of the Software.
THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR
IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY,
FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE
AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER
LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM,
OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE
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Attribution and licence
- Created by
- Microsoft
- Publisher
- Microsoft (Official)
- Source
- microsoft/skills · .github/plugins/azure-sdk-dotnet/skills/azure-ai-agents-persistent-dotnet · commit 0696600
- Licence
- MIT License (redistribution allowed)
- LICENSE (added by AutoGineer from LICENSE)
- ATTRIBUTION.md (written by AutoGineer)
- Synced
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Download ZIP
The ZIP holds the skill’s files, its licence files and an ATTRIBUTION.md. Download azure-ai-agents-persistent-dotnet.zip