Build an AI agent in the Copilot you already have

My last article about building your first AI agent received over 400 likes and more than 2,000 comments.

When I asked the audience at ITU which AI tools they use, 50 out of 95 answered Copilot. And if you do not have a paid Copilot licence, you most likely have the free Copilot Chat that comes with Microsoft 365. So the next step was obvious: can the Document Agent be built there?

I have dug into what the free version actually offers in October 2026. The answer is: you can build the agent. You cannot schedule it, and you cannot give it a public website. With one adjustment, it works anyway, and that adjustment is the entire reason for this guide.

You get the same case as before, the Document Agent, adapted to Copilot step by step. And at the end, a look at Microsoft's September 25 announcement, because it changes the picture within a few months.

Why Copilot Chat

Three numbers behind the guide.

There is room for both the agent's rules and the entire document. This is the adjustment that makes the Document Agent work in the free version.

Model 1. Why the Document Agent can be built in free Copilot Chat.

1. First: which Copilot do you have?

Microsoft has at least three things called Copilot, and that confuses everyone. This guide is about Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat: the version you sign into with your work account, included in your Microsoft 365 subscription without an additional licence. Microsoft now calls it Copilot Chat (Basic). With the paid licence, it says Premium.

Find it at m365.cloud.microsoft, in the Copilot app or in Teams. If you see a shield icon or text about enterprise data protection, you are in the right place.

Principle: That shield is the free version's best argument. When you sign in with your work account, your prompts and responses are not used to train models. You do not get that by default in free ChatGPT and Claude, where you need to remember to turn it off yourself.

2. The free version gives you the agent, but not the files

Copilot Chat (Basic) in October 2026

Without a licence and without IT enabling pay-as-you-go.

Included — free right now:

• Your own agent in Agent Builder with a name, instructions of up to 8,000 characters and starter prompts.
• Up to four public web pages as knowledge, plus a code interpreter and image generator.
• Files uploaded directly in chat, but only a few at a time.
• Save responses in Copilot Pages and share them with colleagues.

Missing — requires a licence or pay-as-you-go:

• Uploaded files, SharePoint or OneDrive as knowledge for the agent.
• Scheduled prompts that run automatically every morning.
• A feature that publishes an app or website online with its own link.
• Researcher, Analyst and Notebooks (require a premium licence).

The first limitation seems to kill the entire case. This is where the adjustment comes in.

Model 2. What the free version can and cannot do.

The Document Agent depends on one document, and it cannot receive it as a file.

3. The adjustment: put the document in the instructions

A Copilot agent's instructions may contain 8,000 characters. Fjordby Municipality's staff handbook, which I used at ITU, contains 3,755 characters. There is room for both the agent's rules and the entire document.

Instead of uploading the handbook, paste it at the bottom of the instructions under a clear heading. The agent answers only from that text. It can quote the clause verbatim and say when the answer is not there. Just like Claude and ChatGPT in the last guide I shared.

Two limitations

The document must be short: a staff handbook, policy or procedure, not an entire collective agreement. And when it changes, you must update the instructions yourself. Both are fine for a first agent. For an agent the whole organisation will use, they are reasons to ask IT to enable pay-as-you-go so the agent can read from SharePoint.

4. The guide: build it yourself in 30–45 minutes

The same recipe as before. The timings are realistic for a first-time builder. You need a work account with Copilot Chat and a short document you know well. Start with a fictional or public document. The handbook is in the appendix.

Step 1 · Fill in an Agent Canvas (5 minutes)

The framework is tool-neutral, so it is the same as before, minus scheduling:

Table 1. Agent Canvas for the Fjordby Document Agent.

If you cannot define the boundaries, you are not ready to build.

Step 2 · Create the agent (2 minutes)

1. Open Copilot Chat, find Agents in the left menu and select Create agent.

2. You land on Describe, where you can tell Copilot in ordinary words what the agent should do. Skip it and go to Configure. There you control the instructions yourself, which is the whole point of this guide.

3. Name the agent Fjordby Document Agent and add a short description, for example: Answers staff handbook questions with a clause and quotation.

Step 3 · Let AI write the agent's instructions (5 minutes)

Run this meta-prompt in an ordinary Copilot chat. It is the same as before, with one addition about length to leave room for the document. The original Danish prompt is preserved below for use with the Danish fictional handbook:

Du er ekspert i at skrive systeminstruktioner til AI-agenter. Skriv en præcis og robust instruktion til en dokumentassistent, der svarer på spørgsmål om regler og politikker ud fra et dokument, der står nederst i instruktionen under overskriften KILDE. Agentens formål: at give medarbejdere og ledere et kort, korrekt svar med henvisning til den paragraf, svaret bygger på, og at sige tydeligt, når svaret ikke står i KILDE. Instruktionen skal: definere rolle og afgrænsning; kun bruge teksten under KILDE og aldrig almen viden, websøgning eller lovgivning uden for den; citere den relevante paragraf ordret; skelne mellem det, dokumentet siger, og det, en leder eller HR skal afgøre; aldrig godkende, afvise eller anbefale en konkret ansøgning; svare i et fast format (Svar kort, Kilde, Citat, Det står ikke i håndbogen, Hvem beslutter); og holde en neutral, venlig tone. Skriv i anden person, i klare punkter. Instruktionen må højst fylde 3.500 tegn.

Read the result. Paste it into Instructions under Configure.

Step 4 · Give it its knowledge (3 minutes)

1. Add a blank line below the instructions, then the heading KILDE, and paste the entire handbook from the appendix. Check that the total stays below 8,000 characters.

2. Under Knowledge: add no web pages, and disable web search if your tenant offers that option. Otherwise the agent might supplement its response from the web, and traceability is lost.

3. Under Capabilities, you can leave the code interpreter enabled. You will need it in step 7.

Step 5 · Test with three questions (10 minutes)

Use the test panel on the right before creating the agent. Ask the same three types of questions as the audience at ITU. Use the Danish questions with the Danish handbook:

1. Må jeg bruge en AI-assistent til at skrive et svar til en borger? Expected: clause 5.3 verbatim, with approval left to a human.

2. Må jeg arbejde fra Italien i to uger i oktober? Expected: clause 3.4 reproduced, with the decision left to the manager and HR.

3. Hvad er reglerne for barsel? Expected: Not in the handbook, with a reference to clause 1.2 and HR.

Also ask it to approve something: Kan du godkende min hjemmearbejdsaftale? It must say no.

Extra Copilot test: Ask about something on the web but not in the handbook. For example: Hvor mange feriedage har jeg ret til efter ferieloven? The agent must stick to clause 4.1, not start explaining Danish holiday law. If it does, tighten the instructions and test again.

Step 6 · Starter prompts instead of scheduling (5 minutes)

I need to be honest here. The part of the last article where the agent wrote the Rule of the Day every morning at 07:00 cannot be done in the free version. Scheduled prompts require a Copilot licence.

The closest alternative is starter prompts: the ready-made questions displayed as buttons when someone opens the agent. Add these three under Starter prompts, in Danish to match the handbook:

Dagens regel: Vælg én paragraf fra håndbogen, som medarbejdere ofte spørger om, og forklar den på tre linjer med paragrafnummer og ordret citat.

Hul-rapport: List tre emner, som medarbejdere erfaringsmæssigt spørger om, men som håndbogen ikke dækker, og hvem man så skal spørge.

Hjemmearbejde: Hvad siger håndbogen om hjemmearbejde?

The gap report is my favourite. It turns the agent's strongest feature, knowing what it does not know, into a list of what your handbook lacks. Its most useful tasks are one click away. The agent works only when someone clicks, so it is still a well-mannered chatbot. But quite a good one.

Step 7 · Pages instead of a website (10 minutes)

Copilot does not have a button that publishes an app online. However, the free version has Copilot Pages, and that goes a long way.

1. Ask the agent for the gap report: the topics employees ask about that the handbook does not cover.

2. Below the response, find Edit in Pages. Sometimes it is hidden in the three-dot menu.

3. Find your saved pages under Library, or type / in the prompt field.

Now you have a page you can edit, expand with more responses and share with colleagues through a link. They can work on it with you simultaneously. The page is internal. It is a living document inside your Microsoft 365, which is often what HR actually needs.

Cannot see the button?

Your IT department may have disabled Pages. Pages is based on Loop, controlled by a policy in the Microsoft 365 Apps admin centre. Ask IT before concluding your Copilot cannot do it.

If you still want the Regelopslag app from before, try asking the agent to build it with the code interpreter and provide a single HTML file for download. We use the app prompt from the previous article.

Run the app prompt. Replace colours and wording to suit you, and add your own clauses at the end. The original Danish prompt is preserved so its wording and source quotations match the handbook:

Byg "Regelopslag", en lille enkeltside-webapp i én fil (HTML, CSS og JavaScript), uden eksterne kald og uden backend. Byg det hele i ét hug, stil ingen opklarende spørgsmål.

UDSEENDE: Roligt og professionelt. Mørkeblå baggrund 142245, tekst i off-white F4F1EA, sekundær tekst B8C0D0, én accentfarve 3A6EA5 til knapper og markeringer. Overskrifter i en serif (Georgia), brødtekst i systemets sans-serif. Kort med afrundede hjørner. Ingen emojis, ingen ikoner fra eksterne biblioteker.

LAYOUT: Øverst et ordmærke "Regelopslag" og en pille "v0.1 demo". Overskrift: "Spørg håndbogen. Få paragraffen." Undertekst: "Appen svarer kun ud fra håndbogens tekst. Står svaret ikke der, siger den det." Et stort tekstfelt med håndbogens tekst (forudfyldt, se nedenfor), et lille felt til et spørgsmål, og en knap "Slå op". Under det et resultatkort.

FUNKTION: Analysér teksten lokalt i browseren, uden AI-kald. Del håndbogsteksten i paragraffer på linjer, der begynder med "§" eller et nummer som "3.4". Find de paragraffer, hvor flest af spørgsmålets ord (over tre bogstaver) optræder. Vis den bedste paragraf som SVAR med paragrafnummer og ordret citat, og de to næste som "Se også". Findes der ingen paragraf med mindst to ordmatch, vis "Det står ikke i håndbogen. Kontakt HR eller din tillidsrepræsentant." Vis altid en linje "Hvem beslutter: din leder og HR. Appen oplyser, den godkender ikke."

TRE KNAPPER MED FÆRDIGE SPØRGSMÅL under søgefeltet, så man kan se det virke uden at skrive: "Arbejde fra udlandet", "AI-assistent til borgersvar", "Barsel". Den tredje skal ramme "det står ikke i håndbogen"-svaret.

REGLER: Opfind aldrig data. Mangler et felt, skriv "ikke angivet". Alt på dansk. FORUDFYLD det store tekstfelt med håndbogens paragraffer om hjemmearbejde, arbejde fra udlandet og brug af AI-værktøjer, ordret fra KILDE i agentens instruktion. Lever den som HTML-fil.

Test the three buttons. If parental leave does not produce the refusal, ask AI to adjust the matching. Open the file in your browser and share it with colleagues. It does not publish itself online.

Step 8 · Share the agent (5 minutes)

Click Create. You can now choose who to share the agent with: just you, selected colleagues or the whole organisation, depending on what IT allows. Start with two or three colleagues. Ask them to pose the question they most often ask HR, and see whether the agent handles it.

Total time: approximately 30–45 minutes.

5. The three tools side by side

Step by step, comparing free Copilot Chat with the paid Claude and ChatGPT plans:

Table 2. The Document Agent in three tools.

The last row explains why the free version is a better starting point than many think. You still must not put personal data into an agent just because the shield is there. But this is the tool your IT department has already approved.

6. Microsoft is closing the gap, and it costs

On September 25, Microsoft presented a new Copilot with three tabs: Home, Code and Autopilot. Code lets you describe an app, dashboard or tracker in ordinary words and have Copilot build it, running inside your tenant. Autopilot is an agent with its own identity, memory and workspace that keeps working when you do not.

This is Microsoft's answer to Claude artifacts, ChatGPT Sites and scheduled tasks. Exactly what is missing in today's free version.

But it is not free. Code and Autopilot require a paid licence and additionally use consumption-based billing. They roll out gradually through Microsoft's Frontier programme; Autopilot is in closed preview, and Microsoft has not yet disclosed the cost of a run.

Build your first agent with what you have now. The craft transfers when the tool improves.

7. When everyone can build an agent, someone must know where they are

A free agent is still an agent. When every employee can build and share one, numbers grow faster than anyone can track. The two questions from before still apply, and Copilot adds a third:

1. Access: Does the agent have access to something you would not give a new intern on their first day?

2. Detection: Who notices if the agent does something it should not?

3. Overview: Who in your organisation can see which agents are shared with everyone? Ask IT. The answer tells you whether you have things under control.

Monday morning: Open Copilot Chat, choose one short document you know well, and build the agent around it. Test it with the parental-leave question before sharing it with anyone.

Appendix: Staff handbook, Fjordby Municipality (fictional)

Copy the original Danish text below from Personalehåndbog through clause 8 into KILDE in step 4. It is kept in Danish so the prompts and verbatim quotations remain consistent.

Personalehåndbog

Fjordby Kommune (fiktiv) · udgave 2, september 2026 · gælder for administrative medarbejdere

Demomateriale til Dokument-agenten. Organisationen og alle regler er opfundet til undervisningsbrug og afspejler ikke gældende ret eller nogen reel overenskomst.

§ 1 Formål og gyldighed

1.1 Håndbogen samler de lokale regler for administrative medarbejdere i Fjordby Kommune. Den supplerer din ansættelseskontrakt og din overenskomst. Ved uoverensstemmelse gælder overenskomsten.

1.2 Spørgsmål om løn, pension, barsel og opsigelse besvares ikke i denne håndbog. Kontakt HR eller din tillidsrepræsentant.

§ 2 Arbejdstid

2.1 Den ugentlige arbejdstid er 37 timer inklusive betalt frokostpause på 29 minutter.

2.2 Flekstid kan lægges mellem 07.00 og 18.00 på hverdage. Kernetiden er 09.30 til 14.30, hvor du som udgangspunkt skal være til rådighed.

2.3 Flekssaldoen må højst være plus 20 eller minus 20 timer ved månedens udgang. Overskydende timer afvikles efter aftale med din leder inden for tre måneder.

§ 3 Hjemmearbejde

3.1 Du kan arbejde hjemme op til to dage om ugen efter aftale med din leder. Aftalen skrives i skabelonen "Aftale om hjemmearbejde" og gennemgås én gang om året.

3.2 Teams med daglig borgerkontakt planlægger hjemmearbejde, så der altid er mindst halvdelen af teamet fysisk til stede i åbningstiden.

3.3 Arbejder du hjemme fast mindst én dag om ugen, stiller kommunen skærm, tastatur, mus og kontorstol til rådighed. Udstyret bestilles gennem din leder og tilbageleveres ved fratrædelse.

3.4 Arbejde fra udlandet kræver skriftlig godkendelse fra både din leder og HR i hvert enkelt tilfælde. Der kan højst godkendes 10 arbejdsdage om året. Under arbejde fra udlandet må du ikke have adgang til fagsystemer med personoplysninger.

3.5 Møder med borgere afholdes ikke fra hjemmearbejdspladsen, medmindre borgeren selv har bedt om et videomøde.

§ 4 Ferie og fridage

4.1 Du har fem ugers ferie og fem feriefridage om året efter gældende regler.

4.2 Hovedferie på mindst tre sammenhængende uger i perioden maj til september planlægges i ferieplanen senest den 1. marts. Øvrig ferie aftales med din leder med mindst fire ugers varsel.

4.3 Mellem jul og nytår holder administrationen lukket. Dagenes dækkes af ferie eller feriefridage.

§ 5 It-sikkerhed og brug af AI-værktøjer

5.1 Du må kun bruge de it-værktøjer, kommunen har godkendt. Listen over godkendte værktøjer findes på intranettet under "Godkendte værktøjer" og opdateres af it-afdelingen.

5.2 Personoplysninger, fortrolige sager og interne dokumenter må aldrig indtastes i AI-værktøjer, der ikke står på listen over godkendte værktøjer. Det gælder også gratis- og privatkonti.

5.3 Godkendte AI-værktøjer må bruges til udkast, opsummering og oversættelse. Et menneske skal altid læse og godkende teksten, før den sendes til en borger eller lægges på en sag.

5.4 Har du brugt et AI-værktøj til at skrive en tekst, der indgår i en afgørelse, noterer du det i sagen.

5.5 Mistanke om brud på datasikkerheden meldes straks til it-afdelingen og databeskyttelsesrådgiveren.

§ 6 Kompetenceudvikling

6.1 Du har ret til tre dages kompetenceudvikling om året inden for arbejdstiden. Kurser aftales med din leder ved den årlige udviklingssamtale.

6.2 Kommunen udbyder hvert halvår et internt kursus i sikker brug af AI-værktøjer. Kurset er obligatorisk for alle, der bruger godkendte AI-værktøjer i sagsbehandling.

§ 7 Sygdom og fravær

7.1 Sygdom meldes til din leder inden 08.30 på første sygedag via telefon eller kommunens fraværssystem.

7.2 Ved sygdom ud over 14 dage indkalder din leder til en omsorgssamtale.

§ 8 Ikrafttræden

8.1 Håndbogen gælder fra 1. september 2026 og erstatter udgave 1 fra januar 2024.

Ændringer besluttes i samarbejdsudvalget og varsles med mindst en måned.

Sources

The guide is based on the following sources, reviewed in October 2026:

• Mentimeter results, AI-agenter i praksis, ITU, September 22, 2026 (own data).
• Microsoft Learn: Agent capabilities and licensing models.
• Microsoft Learn: Build agents in Agent Builder.
• Microsoft Learn: Add knowledge sources in Agent Builder.
• Microsoft Learn: Copilot Chat FAQ.
• Microsoft Support: How Copilot Chat works with and without a license · support.microsoft.com.
• Microsoft Support: Schedule your most used Copilot prompts · support.microsoft.com.
• Microsoft Support: FAQ about Copilot Pages · support.microsoft.com.
• Microsoft: Introducing the new Copilot with Home, Code and Autopilot, September 25, 2026 · blogs.microsoft.com.
• Empowering.cloud: The new Copilot explained · empowering.cloud.
• Fortune, September 25, 2026: Microsoft unveils Copilot super app · fortune.com.
• Previous guide: Build your first AI agent in under an hour.

All demo material in this guide (Fjordby Municipality and its staff handbook) is fictional and invented for teaching. It does not reflect applicable law or any real collective agreement. Microsoft frequently changes what free Copilot Chat includes, and your IT department may have enabled or disabled features. What you see may therefore differ from this guide. This is general practical guidance, not legal or compliance advice, and I am not a lawyer or compliance specialist. Do not use it as the sole basis for a decision. Always involve your own compliance or legal team and your DPO, and confirm dates and status against primary sources (EUR-Lex, the European Commission, the Danish Data Protection Agency). Status as of October 2026.