15.2 Add Existing Agents to a Solution

Microsoft Certified: AI Agent Builder Associate AB-620

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1 Introduction & Exam Overview

1.1 Current Exam Facts 1.2 Candidate Profile & Prerequisites 1.3 Skills Map & Study Strategy

2 Plan Integration, Identity & Channels

2.1 Plan Integration with Enterprise Systems 2.2 Plan Identity Strategy 2.3 Plan Channels and Deployment

3 Responsible AI, Security & Reuse

3.1 Plan Responsible AI Strategy 3.2 Security and Governance Considerations 3.3 Plan Reusable Agent Components 3.4 Design Agents for Internal or External Audiences

4 Agent Flows Fundamentals

4.1 Create an Agent Flow 4.2 Human-in-the-Loop Agent Flows 4.3 Configure Actions and Connectors in Flows

5 Agent Flow Monitoring & Resilience

5.1 Monitor Agent Flows 5.2 Input and Output Parameters 5.3 Error Handling in Agent Flows

6 Topics Configuration Core

6.1 Add Agent Flows to a Topic 6.2 Configure Agent Response Formatting 6.3 Add Tools to a Topic

7 Advanced Topic Responses

7.1 Custom Prompts for Advanced Responses 7.2 Custom Knowledge Sources for Advanced Responses 7.3 API and Send HTTP Request Responses

8 Generative Answers, Cards & Variables

8.1 Configure the Generative Answers Node 8.2 Configure Adaptive Cards 8.3 Manage Variables

9 Enterprise Knowledge Sources

9.1 Connect to Copilot Connectors 9.2 Connect to Power Platform Connectors 9.3 Connect to Azure AI Search

10 Add Tools to Agents

10.1 Configure and Monitor Computer Use 10.2 Configure MCP Tools 10.3 Tools via Existing Custom Connectors 10.4 Add REST APIs to an Agent

11 Multi-Agent Collaboration

11.1 Design Multi-Agent Solutions 11.2 Integrate a Foundry Agent 11.3 Integrate an Existing Copilot Studio Agent

12 Fabric Data Agents & A2A

12.1 Integrate a Fabric Data Agent 12.2 Multi-Agent Solutions with A2A Protocol

13 Integrate Agents with Azure

13.1 Generative Answers with Azure AI Search & Foundry 13.2 Foundry Model Catalog for Custom Prompts 13.3 Monitor Agents with Application Insights

14 Evaluate Agent Performance

14.1 Create a Test Set 14.2 Choose an Evaluation Method 14.3 Review Test Results

15 Application Lifecycle Management

15.1 Create a Solution 15.2 Add Existing Agents to a Solution 15.3 Create and Use Environment Variables 15.4 Power Platform Pipelines for Agents

15.2 Add Existing Agents to a Solution

Key Takeaways Explain This Topic AI

Add existing agents with Solutions → Add existing → Agent, then run Add required objects so topics, flows, and other dependencies travel with the package.

Agent dependencies commonly include topics, agent flows, connection references, environment variables, knowledge-related components, custom connectors, and child or connected agents.

Missing dependencies are the top cause of import failures—download the import log and add required objects rather than guessing.

Removing an agent from a solution does not automatically remove its child components; clean components deliberately and never delete topics only from the solution explorer as a substitute for UI authoring.

Custom connectors often must import before the agent solution that references them; reconfigure authentication after import and publish before sharing.

Last updated: August 2026

From “agent exists” to “agent is portable”

Many teams create a useful agent first and discover ALM later. AB-620 explicitly tests add existing agents to a solution : open a custom unmanaged solution, pull the agent in, pull required objects , then export. Packaging is incomplete if you only add the agent row and leave topics, flows, or environment variables behind.

Prerequisites and access

Work in the development environment that already contains the agent.

Use a custom unmanaged solution (section 15.1)—not a managed package you are trying to re-export.

Hold at least System Customizer (or equivalent solution privileges).

Know that solution explorer rights mirror Power Apps solution rights for the same user.

Step-by-step: add an existing agent

Open Solutions in Copilot Studio.

Open (or create) your custom unmanaged solution.

Select Add existing → Agent → Agent again (UI may nest the component type).

In Add existing agents , select the agent(s) to package → Add .

With the agent selected under Objects → Agents , open … → Advanced → Add required objects .

Review the objects list: topics, workflows/flows, environment variables, connection references, and other dependencies should appear.

Export only after required objects succeed and a smoke test still works in Dev.

If you later author new topics, tools, or flows on the agent, run Add required objects again before the next export. New components do not magically attach to the solution container.

Dependency map for Copilot Studio agents

Think of the agent as a root component with a tree of dependents:

Dependency area Examples that must travel with the solution
Conversational design Custom topics, some generative/orchestration configuration, adaptive card usages
Automation Agent flows / Power Automate cloud flows called from topics
Connectivity Connection references for connectors; custom connector definitions (order matters)
Configuration Environment variables (URLs, site IDs, feature flags, channel name suffixes)

Knowledge tooling Components representing linked knowledge sources or related Dataverse assets when stored as solution objects

Multi-agent Child agents or references to other Copilot Studio agents when packaged as components
Reusable packs Agent component collections and their required objects

Not every property is portable. Microsoft documents that topic-level and node-level comments do not export, and some identity/runtime properties (conversation IDs, environment IDs, certain channel details, icons) may be empty after import. Plan post-import setup time.

Missing dependency failures (and how to fix them)

When import fails, the UI offers a download log (XML) describing missing components. Typical root causes:

Symptom Likely cause Fix

Import fails listing missing components Required objects never added in Dev In unmanaged solution: Add required objects ; re-export

Flow fails after import Flow dependencies or connection references incomplete Add required objects on workflows; recreate connections in target

Custom connector errors Connector imported after agent or missing Import custom connectors first , then agent solution

Environment variable blank/wrong Variable not in solution or wrong current value Add env vars; set values per environment during import/pipeline

Topic name with period Documented export restriction for periods in topic names Rename topics to remove . before export

Partial agent after “success” Components left only in Default solution Re-add agent + required objects; verify Objects pane

Important packaging warning: Removing an agent from a solution does not remove its components from that solution. Remove leftover topics, flows, and variables deliberately. Conversely, do not delete unmanaged agent topics directly from the solution explorer as a shortcut—edit through the Copilot Studio authoring UI. Direct solution-level surgery can corrupt export/import.

Classic chatbots, skills, and special cases

For classic chatbot skills scenarios, documentation sometimes instructs removing a skill environment variable’s current value from the solution before export so target environments supply their own value. The modern agent pattern is similar in spirit: ship the definition of environment variables and connection references, not production secrets hard-coded as if they were universal.

If the agent uses component collections , adding new components to a collection requires updating every unmanaged solution that references the collection—again with Add required objects on the collection.

Large agents (for example very high topic counts) may need the classic export experience for reliability. That is an operational detail, but it shows up when exam stems mention failed export on large solutions.

After import: the steps people forget

Open the imported agent from the solution Agents list (opens Copilot Studio).

Recreate or reselect connections for connection references.

Set environment variable current values for that environment.

Reconfigure user authentication as needed for the target environment.

Validate knowledge sources and tool endpoints against test data—not production write systems on first try.

Publish the agent; unpublished imports are not ready to share.

Allow time for assets such as icons to appear consistently (can lag).

Upgrade vs update of an existing managed agent follows standard Power Platform solution upgrade rules. If a hotfix created an unmanaged layer in production, inspect solution layers and remove the unmanaged layer when the managed upgrade should win.

Scenario — Fabrikam support agent trapped in Default

Fabrikam’s support agent grew for six months in the Default solution with ServiceNow knowledge, a custom connector for order status, three agent flows, and two child agents. The release manager creates Fab Support Agents unmanaged solution, Add existing the parent agent, runs Add required objects twice after discovering missing flows, separately ensures the custom connector is solution-aware, and exports managed to Test. Import fails once because a new topic added that morning was not required-objected—after a third pass, import succeeds, connections are re-authenticated, and evaluation runs. That sequence is the exam story for “add existing agents.”

Decision guide for AB-620 stems

Scenario signal Best action
Agent only in Default, need ALM Custom solution + Add existing + required objects
Export worked but Test import fails Download log; fix missing dependencies in Dev; re-export
Custom connector + agent package Connector (and refs) first, then agent solution

Maker deleted agent from solution but topics remain Manually clean components; understand remove-agent behavior

Production hotfix blocks upgrade Inspect layers; remove unmanaged layer after proper fix is in managed package

Multi-agent parent/child design Ensure connected/child components are included or their solutions are installed in dependency order

Anti-patterns
Exporting without Add required objects “because the agent chats fine in Dev.”

Treating the Default solution as the permanent home and selectively exporting random components.

Hand-editing solution XML to “fix” dependencies without understanding Dataverse relationships.

Assuming multi-agent A2A or Foundry integrations package every remote agent definition into one zip—remote systems may remain external configuration.

Skipping post-import authentication and publish, then blaming “broken ALM.”
AB-620 takeaway

Adding an existing agent is a dependency assembly task, not a single checkbox. Use Add existing , repeatedly Add required objects , respect connector import order, fix failures from the import log , and complete connection, environment variable, auth, and publish steps in each target environment. Portable agents are complete solutions—not orphan agent records.