Develop agents and applications using agentic programming tools
Microsoft Learn
Last updated March 6, 2026
This learning path moves from using an AI assistant to building with one: across four modules it covers creating custom agents and AI-enabled applications with agentic programming tools. You configure GitHub Copilot in Visual Studio Code with instruction files, prompt files, and custom agents that can hand off multi-step tasks; learn spec-driven development with the GitHub Spec Kit for both new and existing projects; and build AI-enabled apps with embedded agents using the GitHub Copilot SDK. The exercises are worked in C#, so the techniques are applied to real code.
What you'll learn
- Configuring custom Copilot agents with instruction and prompt files
- Chaining agents with handoffs for multi-step tasks
- Spec-driven development with the GitHub Spec Kit for new and existing apps
- Building AI-enabled apps with embedded agents via the GitHub Copilot SDK
- Applying agentic programming techniques to real C# projects
Frequently asked questions about Develop agents and applications using agentic programming tools
Who is Develop agents and applications using agentic programming tools for?
Experienced developers who want to build their own custom agents and AI-enabled applications with GitHub's agentic programming tools.
Is Develop agents and applications using agentic programming tools free?
Yes — Develop agents and applications using agentic programming tools is completely free to take.
What are the prerequisites for Develop agents and applications using agentic programming tools?
An active GitHub Copilot subscription (a limited free tier exists, but you need a Copilot-enabled GitHub account) and around a year of coding experience; some C# and Visual Studio Code familiarity recommended.
Do you need to code for Develop agents and applications using agentic programming tools?
Yes — Develop agents and applications using agentic programming tools involves hands-on coding.
Why we suggest this course
For developers ready to go beyond prompting Copilot and start shaping it — building custom agents, defining workflows, and embedding agents into their own applications — this path covers the configuration, methodology, and software development kit (SDK) that make that possible. The spec-driven development modules add a disciplined "intent-first" way to steer agent-generated code. One thing to know: it requires an active GitHub Copilot subscription (a limited free tier exists, but you need a Copilot-enabled GitHub account) and assumes around a year of coding experience, with some C# and Visual Studio Code familiarity recommended.