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Teams App Developer

MicrosoftOfficialPublished by Microsoft

  • Skill
  • Tool integration
  • Software development
  • MIT
  • Medium risk

From the author

Builds, tests, and deploys Microsoft 365 apps and agents for Teams and Copilot. Includes sub-skills for project creation, local testing, cloud deployment, troubleshooting, and Slack-to-Teams migration. USE FOR: Teams agent, bot, tab, message extension, Declarative Agents, Custom Engine Agents, local testing, Agents Playground, Azure resource provision, remote deployment, Slack to Teams migration, cross-platform bot development, Block Kit to Adaptive Cards conversion. DO NOT USE FOR: general web development, non-bot/non-Teams projects.
— the description by Microsoft

AutoGineer summary

Written by AutoGineer from the skill’s own files, not by the author

The teams-app-developer skill provides a structured framework for managing the lifecycle of Microsoft 365 agents and Teams applications. It leverages the ATK CLI to handle project scaffolding, local testing via the Agents Playground, cloud provisioning on Azure, and troubleshooting. The skill includes specialized guidance for migrating Slack bots to Teams, including converting Block Kit UI to Adaptive Cards, and provides access to an extensive library of micro-expert documentation for cross-platform development.

What it does

  • Scaffolds new Microsoft 365 agents and Teams applications from templates.
  • Facilitates local testing using the Agents Playground or Teams-specific environments.
  • Automates Azure resource provisioning and cloud deployment workflows.
  • Provides diagnostic procedures for common authentication and configuration errors.
  • Supports migration of Slack bots to the Teams platform.
  • Manages project configuration and environment variables for ATK-based projects.

When to use it

  • When starting a new Teams app, bot, or Declarative Agent project.
  • When you need to test an agent locally before deploying to the cloud.
  • When migrating existing Slack bots to the Microsoft Teams ecosystem.
  • When troubleshooting deployment or authentication issues in a Teams project.
  • When you need to provision Azure infrastructure for a Teams application.

Advantages

  • Streamlines the development lifecycle with standardized CLI commands.
  • Reduces development time by offering a local testing playground.
  • Provides expert-level guidance for complex cross-platform migrations.
  • Ensures consistent configuration management across development environments.
  • Includes robust error-handling protocols for common platform-specific pitfalls.

Usage examples

“Create a new Teams bot project using the default template.”
The agent will initialize a new project folder, configure the necessary YAML files, and guide you through the initial setup using the ATK CLI.
“How do I migrate my Slack bot to Microsoft Teams?”
The agent will initiate the slack-to-teams workflow, providing access to cross-platform bridging experts and guidance on converting UI components.
“My Teams bot is returning a 401 error, how do I fix it?”
The agent will trigger the troubleshooting workflow, checking your environment variables, tunnel status, and authentication configuration.

Install

  1. Download the skill as a ZIP:

    https://mp-staging.autogineer.com/agent-skills/microsoft/teams-app-developer/download
  2. Unzip it into the cross-client skills folder of your project:

    mkdir -p .agents/skills && unzip teams-app-developer.zip -d .agents/skills

Documentation by Microsoft

Microsoft 365 Agents Toolkit Skill

Build Microsoft 365 agents and Teams apps using the ATK CLI.

AI Behavior Guidelines

  1. Testing Strategy: Recommend Agents Playground first (faster, no M365 needed). Use Teams workflow only if user explicitly requests it.

  2. Environment Variables: NEVER hardcode secrets or make up placeholder values. Always ask users for real values.

  3. Error Handling: Read error messages carefully. Check env/.env.local, .localConfigs, and atk auth list. Common pitfalls:

    • AADSTS7000229 → aadApp/create missing generateServicePrincipal: true in YAML — add it and re-provision

    • Missing TENANT_ID in .localConfigs → SDK uses wrong token authority → 401 from Bot Connector

    • 401 persists after auth fix → devtunnel URL may be blacklisted — create a fresh tunnel

    • See troubleshoot/troubleshoot.md for full diagnostic steps

  4. Long-Running Commands — WAIT for completion:

    • atk new, atk provision, atk deploy can take several minutes

    • Always wait for completion before running the next step (timeout 120000ms+)

  5. Local Service Startup — Hangs terminal (expected):

    • npm run dev, npm start, python app.py, devtunnel host, etc. will hang — the process keeps running indefinitely

    • ALWAYS run as a background process (isBackground=true) — NEVER use isBackground=false for these commands

    • Do NOT wait for it to "finish" — verify startup by checking output for "listening on port" or tunnel URL

    • If errors appear, read logs, diagnose, fix, restart

    • Use a NEW terminal to launch Agents Playground or open Teams sideloading URL

  6. Monitor App Logs: Periodically check background terminal output for runtime errors. If the app crashes, read the error, fix the root cause, and restart.

  7. Telemetry Tagging: Before running any atk CLI commands, set the session environment variable so all CLI invocations are tagged as skill-initiated:

    export ATK_CLI_SKILL=true

    Run this once at the start of the session. All subsequent atk commands in the same terminal will inherit it.

ATK CLI Setup

atk --version  # Must be > 1.1.5-beta

If ATK is not found or version is too old:

npm i -g @microsoft/m365agentstoolkit-cli@beta

CLI Global Options

OptionMeaningRecommendation
-iInteractive modeAlways use -i false in automation to avoid hanging
-fProject folderDefault to be current directory, used when specifying a custom folder. When scaffolding a new project, this is the parent folder where the project folder will be created under.
-hCommand helpUse atk <command> -h for quick syntax checks

Sub-Skills

Sub-SkillWhen to UseReference
create-projectScaffold new project from template, choose template, atk newcreate-project/create-project.md
test-playgroundTest locally with Agents Playground, agentsplayground, quick testingtest-playground/test-playground.md
test-teamsRun on Teams, devtunnel, sideload, Teams testing, test in Copilottest-teams/test-teams.md
provision-deployProvision Azure resources, deploy to cloud, atk provision, atk deployprovision-deploy/provision-deploy.md
troubleshootFix errors, 401, port conflicts, YAML errors, stale botstroubleshoot/troubleshoot.md
slack-to-teamsMigrate Slack bot to Teams, cross-platform bridging, Block Kit to Adaptive Cardsslack-to-teams/SKILL.md

MANDATORY: Before executing any workflow, read the corresponding sub-skill document.

Shared References

  • manifest-and-yaml.md — Project files, YAML config, env vars, .localConfigs flow

  • commands.md — ATK CLI commands: package, validate, share, collaborate

  • templates.md — Complete template catalog with language support

  • experts/ — 100+ micro-expert files: Teams SDK, Slack SDK, cross-platform bridging, deploy, AI models, security, language conversion

  • docs/ — Platform comparison guides: UI, messaging, identity, infrastructure, feature gaps

Workflow Chains

Match user intent to the smallest valid workflow.

User IntentWorkflow (read in order)
Build new app from scratchcreate-project → test-playground
Test existing project locallytest-playground (recommended) or test-teams
Deploy to Azureprovision-deploy
Fix broken bottroubleshoot → re-test
Migrate Slack bot to Teamsslack-to-teams

MANDATORY: Before executing any slack-to-teams workflow, read slack-to-teams/SKILL.md first. The sub-skill contains a routed expert system with 100+ micro-expert files for cross-platform bot development.

ATK Project Context Resolution

Resolve config values only when missing. If a value is already known in the session, reuse it.

Step 1: Detect ATK Project

If m365agentstoolkit*.yml exists in the current folder, treat it as an ATK project and parse configuration.

Step 2: Resolve Common Configuration

Resolve variables referenced in m365agentstoolkit*.yml. Common variables: AZURE_OPENAI_API_KEY AZURE_OPENAI_ENDPOINT AZURE_OPENAI_DEPLOYMENT_NAME

Step 3: Collect Missing Values

If required values are missing, ask the user for only the missing ones.

Refer to manifest-and-yaml.md for full config-file details.

Files

experts/bridge/shortcuts-extensions-ts.md

shortcuts-extensions-ts

purpose

Bridges Slack shortcuts (global and message) and Teams message extensions / compose extensions for cross-platform bots targeting Slack, Teams, or both.

rules

  1. Slack global shortcuts → Teams action-based compose extensions with context: ['compose', 'commandBox']. Slack global shortcuts appear in the lightning bolt menu and don't reference a specific message. In Teams, the equivalent is a compose extension with fetchTask: true and action context targeting the compose box and command bar. learn.microsoft.com -- Action-based extensions

  2. Slack message shortcuts → Teams action-based extensions with context: ['message']. Slack message shortcuts appear in the message context menu (⋮ → More actions). In Teams, action-based extensions with context: ['message'] appear in the message overflow menu (... → More actions). The target message content is available in the invoke payload. learn.microsoft.com -- Message context

  3. Slack trigger_id + views.open() → Teams fetchTask: true + task module. Slack shortcuts use the trigger_id to open a modal. Teams action-based extensions use fetchTask: true in the manifest, which causes Teams to invoke the bot's message.ext.open handler to fetch the task module (dialog) content. No trigger_id needed. learn.microsoft.com -- Task module from extension

  4. Slack shortcut.message (target message in message shortcuts) → Teams activity.value.messagePayload. When a message shortcut is invoked in Slack, the message object is in shortcut.message. In Teams, the message that was acted upon is in activity.value.messagePayload with id, body.content, from, createdDateTime, and attachments. learn.microsoft.com -- Message payload

  5. Manifest composeExtensions[].commands[] with type: "action" is required. Unlike Slack where shortcuts are configured in the app dashboard, Teams requires each action command to be declared in the manifest JSON with its title, description, parameters, and context array. Without this, the extension never appears. learn.microsoft.com -- Manifest schema

  6. Slack app.shortcut('callback_id') → Teams handler routing via activity.value.commandId. Slack routes shortcuts by callback_id. Teams invokes the same message.ext.open handler for all action commands — differentiate by checking activity.value.commandId against the command id in the manifest. learn.microsoft.com -- Handle action

  7. Task module response replaces Slack modal view return. Slack's views.open() returns a view object with blocks. Teams' message.ext.open handler returns a task module response containing either an Adaptive Card or an iframe URL. The Adaptive Card path is closest to Slack's modal behavior. learn.microsoft.com -- Task modules

  8. Slack view_submission → Teams message.ext.submit. When the user submits the task module form, Teams invokes the message.ext.submit handler (or composeExtension/submitAction activity). The form data is in activity.value.data. The handler can return a card to insert into the compose box, send a message, or show another task module. learn.microsoft.com -- Handle submit

  9. No "fire and forget" shortcuts in Teams. Slack global shortcuts can trigger background actions without showing a modal (just ack() + do work). Teams action-based extensions always show a task module if fetchTask: true. To mimic fire-and-forget, return a minimal confirmation card from the task module and process in the background. learn.microsoft.com -- Action commands

  10. Teams action extensions can insert cards into the compose box. Slack shortcuts post messages via say() or respond(). Teams action extensions can return a card that gets inserted into the user's compose box for them to review and send. This is a UX improvement — the user controls when the message is posted. Return { composeExtension: { type: 'result', attachments: [...] } } from the submit handler. learn.microsoft.com -- Respond to submit

  11. Reverse direction (Teams → Slack): For Teams → Slack, map compose extensions to app.shortcut with global_shortcut or message_shortcut type. Action-based extensions with context: ['compose', 'commandBox'] map to Slack global shortcuts; extensions with context: ['message'] map to Slack message shortcuts. Task module forms become Slack modals opened via views.open() with a trigger_id. The message.ext.submit handler maps to a Slack view_submission handler.

patterns

Message shortcut → action-based message extension

Slack (before):

import { App } from "@slack/bolt";

const app = new App({
  token: process.env.SLACK_BOT_TOKEN!,
  signingSecret: process.env.SLACK_SIGNING_SECRET!,
});

// Message shortcut — appears in message context menu
app.shortcut("create_ticket_from_message", async ({ ack, shortcut, client }) => {
  await ack();

  const message = (shortcut as any).message;
  await client.views.open({
    trigger_id: shortcut.trigger_id,
    view: {
      type: "modal",
      callback_id: "ticket_from_message",
      title: { type: "plain_text", text: "Create Ticket" },
      submit: { type: "plain_text", text: "Create" },
      blocks: [
        {
          type: "input",
          block_id: "title_block",
          label: { type: "plain_text", text: "Ticket Title" },
          element: {
            type: "plain_text_input",
            action_id: "title_input",
            initial_value: message.text?.substring(0, 100) ?? "",
          },
        },
        {
          type: "input",
          block_id: "priority_block",
          label: { type: "plain_text", text: "Priority" },
          element: {
            type: "static_select",
            action_id: "priority_select",
            options: [
              { text: { type: "plain_text", text: "High" }, value: "high" },
              { text: { type: "plain_text", text: "Medium" }, value: "medium" },
              { text: { type: "plain_text", text: "Low" }, value: "low" },
            ],
          },
        },
      ],
      private_metadata: JSON.stringify({
        channel: message.channel,
        messageTs: message.ts,
      }),
    },
  });
});

app.view("ticket_from_message", async ({ ack, view, client }) => {
  await ack();
  const title = view.state.values.title_block.title_input.value!;
  const priority = view.state.values.priority_block.priority_select.selected_option?.value;
  const meta = JSON.parse(view.private_metadata);
  await client.chat.postMessage({
    channel: meta.channel,
    text: `Ticket created: *${title}* [${priority}]`,
    thread_ts: meta.messageTs,
  });
});

Teams (after):

import { App } from "@microsoft/teams.apps";
import { ConsoleLogger } from "@microsoft/teams.common";

const app = new App({
  logger: new ConsoleLogger("my-bot", { level: "info" }),
});

// message.ext.open — returns task module (replaces views.open with trigger_id)
app.on("message.ext.open" as any, async ({ activity }) => {
  const commandId = activity.value?.commandId;

  if (commandId === "createTicketFromMessage") {
    // Target message content (replaces shortcut.message)
    const messagePayload = activity.value?.messagePayload;
    const messageText = messagePayload?.body?.content ?? "";

    return {
      status: 200,
      body: {
        task: {
          type: "continue",
          value: {
            title: "Create Ticket",
            card: {
              contentType: "application/vnd.microsoft.card.adaptive",
              content: {
                type: "AdaptiveCard",
                version: "1.5",
                body: [
                  {
                    type: "Input.Text",
                    id: "ticketTitle",
                    label: "Ticket Title",
                    value: messageText.substring(0, 100),
                    isRequired: true,
                  },
                  {
                    type: "Input.ChoiceSet",
                    id: "priority",
                    label: "Priority",
                    value: "medium",
                    choices: [
                      { title: "High", value: "high" },
                      { title: "Medium", value: "medium" },
                      { title: "Low", value: "low" },
                    ],
                  },
                ],
                actions: [{
                  type: "Action.Submit",
                  title: "Create",
                }],
              },
            },
          },
        },
      },
    };
  }
});

// message.ext.submit — handle form submission (replaces app.view handler)
app.on("message.ext.submit" as any, async ({ activity, send }) => {
  const data = activity.value?.data;
  if (data) {
    const title = data.ticketTitle;
    const priority = data.priority;

    // Send confirmation to the conversation
    await send(`Ticket created: **${title}** [${priority}]`);
  }
  return { status: 200, body: {} };
});

app.start(3978);

Manifest for the message action extension:

{
  "composeExtensions": [
    {
      "botId": "${{BOT_ID}}",
      "commands": [
        {
          "id": "createTicketFromMessage",
          "type": "action",
          "title": "Create Ticket",
          "description": "Create a ticket from this message",
          "context": ["message"],
          "fetchTask": true
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}
Global shortcut → compose extension

Slack (before):

import { App } from "@slack/bolt";

const app = new App({
  token: process.env.SLACK_BOT_TOKEN!,
  signingSecret: process.env.SLACK_SIGNING_SECRET!,
});

// Global shortcut — appears in the ⚡ menu
app.shortcut("quick_note", async ({ ack, shortcut, client }) => {
  await ack();
  await client.views.open({
    trigger_id: shortcut.trigger_id,
    view: {
      type: "modal",
      callback_id: "quick_note_modal",
      title: { type: "plain_text", text: "Quick Note" },
      submit: { type: "plain_text", text: "Save" },
      blocks: [
        {
          type: "input",
          block_id: "note_block",
          label: { type: "plain_text", text: "Note" },
          element: {
            type: "plain_text_input",
            action_id: "note_input",
            multiline: true,
          },
        },
      ],
    },
  });
});

app.view("quick_note_modal", async ({ ack, view }) => {
  const note = view.state.values.note_block.note_input.value!;
  await ack();
  await saveNote(note);
});

Teams (after):

import { App } from "@microsoft/teams.apps";
import { ConsoleLogger } from "@microsoft/teams.common";

const app = new App({
  logger: new ConsoleLogger("my-bot", { level: "info" }),
});

app.on("message.ext.open" as any, async ({ activity }) => {
  if (activity.value?.commandId === "quickNote") {
    return {
      status: 200,
      body: {
        task: {
          type: "continue",
          value: {
            title: "Quick Note",
            card: {
              contentType: "application/vnd.microsoft.card.adaptive",
              content: {
                type: "AdaptiveCard",
                version: "1.5",
                body: [{
                  type: "Input.Text",
                  id: "noteText",
                  label: "Note",
                  isMultiline: true,
                  isRequired: true,
                }],
                actions: [{ type: "Action.Submit", title: "Save" }],
              },
            },
          },
        },
      },
    };
  }
});

app.on("message.ext.submit" as any, async ({ activity }) => {
  const note = activity.value?.data?.noteText;
  if (note) {
    await saveNote(note);
  }
  // Return empty to close the task module
  return { status: 200, body: {} };
});

async function saveNote(note: string) { /* persist note */ }

app.start(3978);

Manifest for compose/commandBox action:

{
  "composeExtensions": [
    {
      "botId": "${{BOT_ID}}",
      "commands": [
        {
          "id": "quickNote",
          "type": "action",
          "title": "Quick Note",
          "description": "Save a quick note",
          "context": ["compose", "commandBox"],
          "fetchTask": true
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}
Shortcut mapping table
Slack PatternTeams EquivalentNotes
app.shortcut('callback_id') (global)message.ext.open + commandId checkCompose extension action
app.shortcut('callback_id') (message)message.ext.open + commandId checkcontext: ['message'] in manifest
shortcut.trigger_id + views.open()fetchTask: true → return task moduleNo trigger_id needed
shortcut.messageactivity.value.messagePayloadTarget message content
callback_id routingactivity.value.commandId routingDifferent field name
view_submission handlermessage.ext.submit handlerForm data in activity.value.data
ack() + background workReturn minimal card + async workNo fire-and-forget
say() / respond() after shortcutsend() or return compose cardCan insert into compose box

pitfalls

  • Missing composeExtensions commands in manifest: Each shortcut must have a corresponding command entry in the manifest with type: "action". Without it, the action never appears in Teams' UI.

  • Forgetting fetchTask: true: Without this flag, Teams won't invoke the message.ext.open handler. Instead, it expects parameters defined in the manifest and skips the task module entirely.

  • context array determines placement: Omitting the context array or using wrong values means the action appears in unexpected places or not at all. Use ['message'] for message shortcuts, ['compose', 'commandBox'] for global shortcuts.

  • messagePayload HTML content: The target message body in activity.value.messagePayload.body.content may be HTML-formatted (not plain text). Parse or strip HTML before using as form default values.

  • No background-only shortcuts: Slack allows shortcuts that just ack() and do work silently. Teams action extensions always present a task module. Wrap background actions in a minimal "Processing..." → "Done" card flow.

  • Submit handler must return within 3 seconds: Like all invoke activities, the message.ext.submit handler must respond quickly. Long-running operations should return immediately and process asynchronously.

references

instructions

Use this expert when adding cross-platform support in either direction for shortcuts and message/compose extensions. It covers: Slack global shortcuts bridged to Teams compose extensions, Slack message shortcuts bridged to Teams action-based extensions with context: ['message'], trigger_id vs fetchTask: true, target message access via messagePayload, task module form flows bridged to Slack modals, and reverse mapping from Teams extensions to Slack shortcuts. Pair with ../teams/ui.message-extensions-ts.md for general message extension patterns, ../teams/ui.dialogs-task-modules-ts.md for task module details, and ui-modals-dialogs-ts.md for modal-to-dialog conversion.

research

Deep Research prompt:

"Write a micro expert for bridging Slack shortcuts (global shortcuts and message shortcuts) and Microsoft Teams action-based message extensions in either direction. Cover: manifest composeExtensions command config with context arrays, fetchTask: true for task module invocation, trigger_id elimination, message payload access for message shortcuts, view_submission to message.ext.submit, the lack of fire-and-forget shortcuts in Teams, compose box card insertion, and reverse mapping from Teams compose/action extensions back to Slack shortcuts. Include TypeScript code examples and a mapping table."

Requirements and compatibility

Works with: Claude Code, Claude apps, OpenAI Codex, GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Gemini CLI, Kiro, OpenCode, Goose, Amp, Roo Code, JetBrains Junie, Factory Droid, Devin (ex-Windsurf), Mistral Vibe, OpenHands, Letta

“Works with” means the tool reads the open Agent Skills format; a skill written for one tool may use features others lack.

Needs: Needs an API key, Needs Python, Needs Node.js

Security

What our scanner noticed· Medium risk

  • Possible data-exfiltration endpoints
  • Instructions that use the network
  • Downloads piped into a shell

A static scan is not a guarantee. Skills are third-party content: review a skill before you let an agent use it.

Attribution and licence

Published by
Microsoft
Publisher
Microsoft (Official)
Source
microsoft/skills · .github/plugins/microsoft-365-agents-toolkit/skills/teams-app-developer · commit 0696600
Licence
MIT License (redistribution allowed)
  • LICENSE (added by AutoGineer from LICENSE)
  • ATTRIBUTION.md (written by AutoGineer)
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Download ZIP

The ZIP holds the skill’s files, its licence files and an ATTRIBUTION.md. Download teams-app-developer.zip