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

Download the skill as a ZIP:
https://mp-staging.autogineer.com/agent-skills/microsoft/teams-app-developer/download

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

Testing Strategy: Recommend Agents Playground first (faster, no M365 needed). Use Teams workflow only if user explicitly requests it.
Environment Variables: NEVER hardcode secrets or make up placeholder values. Always ask users for real values.
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
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+)
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
Monitor App Logs: Periodically check background terminal output for runtime errors. If the app crashes, read the error, fix the root cause, and restart.
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

Option	Meaning	Recommendation
`-i`	Interactive mode	Always use `-i false` in automation to avoid hanging
`-f`	Project folder	Default 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.
`-h`	Command help	Use `atk <command> -h` for quick syntax checks

Sub-Skills

Sub-Skill	When to Use	Reference
create-project	Scaffold new project from template, choose template, `atk new`	create-project/create-project.md
test-playground	Test locally with Agents Playground, `agentsplayground`, quick testing	test-playground/test-playground.md
test-teams	Run on Teams, devtunnel, sideload, Teams testing, test in Copilot	test-teams/test-teams.md
provision-deploy	Provision Azure resources, deploy to cloud, `atk provision`, `atk deploy`	provision-deploy/provision-deploy.md
troubleshoot	Fix errors, 401, port conflicts, YAML errors, stale bots	troubleshoot/troubleshoot.md
slack-to-teams	Migrate Slack bot to Teams, cross-platform bridging, Block Kit to Adaptive Cards	slack-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 Intent	Workflow (read in order)
Build new app from scratch	create-project → test-playground
Test existing project locally	test-playground (recommended) or test-teams
Deploy to Azure	provision-deploy
Fix broken bot	troubleshoot → re-test
Migrate Slack bot to Teams	slack-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

ATTRIBUTION.mdAdded by AutoGineer906 B
LICENSELicence file added by AutoGineer1.1 KiB
SKILL.md7.6 KiB
create-project/create-project.md8.1 KiB
docs/README.md2.8 KiB
docs/advanced-features.md7.0 KiB
docs/feature-gaps.md46.3 KiB
docs/files-and-links.md4.2 KiB
docs/identity-and-auth.md4.3 KiB
docs/infrastructure.md6.7 KiB
docs/interactive-responses.md4.4 KiB
docs/messaging-and-commands.md4.5 KiB
docs/middleware-and-handlers.md4.4 KiB
docs/ui-components.md6.9 KiB
docs/workflows.md14.4 KiB
experts/README.md8.6 KiB
experts/_expert-ts.md2.2 KiB
experts/analyzer.md14.0 KiB
experts/bridge/app-distribution-packaging-ts.md14.2 KiB
experts/bridge/channel-ops-graph-ts.md15.4 KiB
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experts/bridge/cross-platform-advisor-ts.md36.4 KiB
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experts/bridge/events-activities-ts.md22.4 KiB
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experts/bridge/identity-oauth-bridge-ts.md19.8 KiB
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experts/bridge/infra-compute-ts.md14.6 KiB
experts/bridge/infra-observability-ts.md14.0 KiB
experts/bridge/infra-secrets-config-ts.md13.2 KiB
experts/bridge/infra-storage-ts.md14.3 KiB
experts/bridge/interactive-responses-ts.md19.6 KiB
experts/bridge/link-unfurl-preview-ts.md17.1 KiB
experts/bridge/middleware-handlers-ts.md15.4 KiB
experts/bridge/python-cross-platform.md9.3 KiB
experts/bridge/rate-limiting-resilience-ts.md17.6 KiB
experts/bridge/rest-only-integration-ts.md8.4 KiB
experts/bridge/scheduling-deferred-send-ts.md17.8 KiB
experts/bridge/shortcuts-extensions-ts.md17.5 KiB
experts/bridge/transport-socketmode-https-ts.md14.3 KiB
experts/bridge/ui-app-home-personal-tab-ts.md14.5 KiB
experts/bridge/ui-block-kit-adaptive-cards-ts.md21.5 KiB
experts/bridge/ui-legacy-attachments-cards-ts.md11.2 KiB
experts/bridge/ui-modals-dialogs-ts.md21.4 KiB
experts/bridge/workflow.composable-platform-ts.md13.7 KiB
experts/bridge/workflows-automation-ts.md14.3 KiB
experts/builder.md11.1 KiB
experts/convert/bulk-conversion-strategy-ts.md12.8 KiB
experts/convert/dependency-mapping-ts.md8.3 KiB
experts/convert/index.md3.5 KiB
experts/convert/java-to-ts-ts.md20.6 KiB
experts/convert/js-to-ts-ts.md6.2 KiB
experts/convert/json-serialization-ts.md11.0 KiB
experts/convert/kotlin-to-ts-ts.md11.2 KiB
experts/convert/ruby-to-ts-ts.md9.7 KiB
experts/convert/type-mapping-ts.md10.1 KiB
experts/deploy/aws-bot-deploy-ts.md14.6 KiB
experts/deploy/aws-cli-reference-ts.md52.4 KiB
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experts/models/anthropic-ts.md7.8 KiB
experts/models/bedrock-ts.md9.9 KiB
experts/models/foundry-cloud-ts.md8.1 KiB
experts/models/foundry-local-ts.md10.6 KiB
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experts/slack/cli.local-dev-deploy.md8.4 KiB
experts/slack/cli.manifest-triggers.md9.9 KiB
experts/slack/index.md8.9 KiB
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experts/slack/runtime.socket-mode-ts.md9.5 KiB
experts/slack/ui.block-kit-ts.md11.5 KiB
experts/slack/ui.modals-lifecycle-ts.md13.3 KiB
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experts/teams/a2a.client-basics-ts.md9.7 KiB
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experts/teams/ai.chatprompt-basics-ts.md8.1 KiB
experts/teams/ai.citations-feedback-ts.md6.9 KiB
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experts/teams/ai.model-setup-ts.md6.6 KiB
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experts/teams/ui.message-extensions-ts.md15.6 KiB
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experts/slack/cli.local-dev-deploy.md

cli.local-dev-deploy

purpose

Local development with slack run, production deployment with slack deploy, activity monitoring, and the SDK hooks system that powers both workflows.

rules

slack run starts a local development server. Installs a development version of the app to the workspace, starts the local bot process, and tunnels traffic from Slack to your machine. Code changes trigger automatic rebuilds via file watching.
slack run uses Socket Mode under the hood. The CLI creates a WebSocket tunnel — no public URL or ngrok needed. Your bot receives events over the socket connection and responds locally.
The dev app is separate from the deployed app. slack run creates a development app installation (suffixed with (dev) in Slack). It has its own app ID, separate from the production slack deploy installation.
--cleanup uninstalls the dev app on exit. By default the dev app persists between sessions. Use slack run --cleanup to automatically uninstall when you stop the dev server. Useful for keeping workspaces tidy.
slack deploy pushes code to Slack's hosted infrastructure. Packages your app code, uploads it to Slack's platform, and installs or updates the production app in the target workspace. The app runs on Slack's managed Deno/Node/Python runtime.
Always validate before deploying. slack deploy runs manifest validation automatically, but run slack manifest validate separately during development to catch issues early.
slack activity streams real-time app logs. Shows function executions, errors, and system events. Use --level debug for verbose output, --level info for standard, or --level error for errors only. Essential for debugging deployed apps.
Activity log levels control verbosity. Levels: debug (all output including SDK internals), info (function starts/completions), warn (non-fatal issues), error (failures only). Default is info.
Hooks power the CLI's lifecycle commands. The .slack/cli-config.json defines hooks (get-manifest, build, start, deploy, validate) that the CLI calls during run and deploy. The SDK sets these up — you typically don't edit them.
slack run supports --activity-level to control log verbosity during local development. Combines the run server with activity monitoring in one terminal.
Deployment targets the active workspace. Use --team to specify which workspace receives the deployment. Without it, the CLI uses the default authenticated workspace.
slack deploy is idempotent for updates. Running it again re-deploys with the latest code. The app ID stays the same — existing triggers and installations are preserved.

patterns

Pattern 1: Local development workflow

# Start local dev server (creates dev app, watches for changes)
slack run

# With activity level for debugging
slack run --activity-level debug

# Auto-cleanup dev app when stopping (Ctrl+C)
slack run --cleanup

# Target a specific workspace
slack run --team T0123456789

# Typical terminal output:
# ⚡ App is running in development mode
# Connected, awaiting events
#   my-bot (dev) A0123456789  T0123456789
#   SDK: deno-slack-sdk 2.x
#   Visit https://app.slack.com/client/T0123456789 to use your app

Pattern 2: Production deployment

# Deploy to Slack's hosted platform
slack deploy

# Target a specific workspace
slack deploy --team T0123456789

# Typical deployment output:
# 📦 Packaging my-bot...
# 🔐 Validating manifest...
# ✅ my-bot deployed to workspace MyWorkspace
#    App ID: A0123456789
#    Dashboard: https://api.slack.com/apps/A0123456789

# After deploying, create triggers for users to interact with the app
slack trigger create --trigger-def triggers/greeting_trigger.ts

Pattern 3: Activity monitoring

# Stream live activity logs for deployed app
slack activity

# Filter by log level
slack activity --level debug     # Everything
slack activity --level info      # Function starts/completions
slack activity --level error     # Errors only

# Target a specific app
slack activity --app A0123456789

# Target a specific workspace
slack activity --team T0123456789

# Tail mode (follows new logs, Ctrl+C to stop)
# This is the default behavior — activity streams continuously

Pattern 4: Hooks system (cli-config.json)

// .slack/cli-config.json — hooks executed by the CLI
{
  "hooks": {
    "get-manifest": "deno run -q --config=deno.jsonc --allow-read --allow-net jsr:@anthropic/slack-cli-hooks/mod.ts --manifest",
    "build": "deno run -q --config=deno.jsonc --allow-read --allow-net jsr:@anthropic/slack-cli-hooks/mod.ts --build",
    "start": "deno run -q --config=deno.jsonc --allow-read --allow-net jsr:@anthropic/slack-cli-hooks/mod.ts --start",
    "deploy": "deno run -q --config=deno.jsonc --allow-read --allow-net jsr:@anthropic/slack-cli-hooks/mod.ts --deploy",
    "validate": "deno run -q --config=deno.jsonc --allow-read --allow-net jsr:@anthropic/slack-cli-hooks/mod.ts --validate"
  }
}

Hook execution flow:

  slack run:
    1. get-manifest  → reads manifest.ts, returns JSON manifest
    2. build         → compiles/bundles the app code
    3. start         → starts the local dev server
    (file change detected → re-runs build + restart)

  slack deploy:
    1. get-manifest  → reads manifest.ts, returns JSON manifest
    2. validate      → checks manifest against Slack schema
    3. build         → compiles/bundles the app code
    4. deploy        → packages and uploads to Slack platform

pitfalls

Forgetting to create triggers after deploy — slack deploy installs the app but users can't interact with it until you create triggers (slack trigger create). The dev app from slack run may auto-create triggers, but production requires explicit setup.
Confusing dev app with deployed app — slack run and slack deploy create separate app installations. Triggers, datastores, and configs are independent between them.
Running slack run without auth — The CLI needs an active login. Run slack auth login first if you see auth errors.
Deploying untested code — Always slack run and test locally before slack deploy. Deployed apps are immediately live.
Ignoring activity logs — Deployed functions fail silently from the user's perspective. Monitor slack activity after deploying to catch runtime errors.
Not specifying --team with multiple workspaces — Deploys to the default workspace, which may not be your intended target.
Editing hooks manually — The SDK scaffolding sets up hooks correctly. Manual edits to .slack/cli-config.json can break the build/deploy pipeline.
Expecting ngrok for local dev — slack run uses Socket Mode (WebSocket), not HTTP tunneling. No public URL is needed or created.

references

instructions

Do a web search for:

"Slack CLI slack run local development Socket Mode 2025"
"Slack CLI slack deploy hosted platform production"
"Slack CLI activity logs monitoring debugging"

Pair with:

cli.getting-started.md — project setup before running or deploying
cli.manifest-triggers.md — triggers must be created after deployment
runtime.socket-mode-ts.md — Socket Mode concepts used by slack run
cli.app-management.md — app install/uninstall lifecycle

research

Deep Research prompt:

"Write a micro expert on Slack CLI local development and deployment. Cover slack run (local dev server, Socket Mode tunnel, file watching, hot reload, --cleanup, --activity-level), slack deploy (packaging, uploading to Slack platform, idempotent updates), slack activity (log streaming, --level debug/info/warn/error), the hooks system in cli-config.json (get-manifest, build, start, deploy, validate), dev app vs deployed app separation, and deployment workflow (validate → build → deploy → create triggers). Include canonical patterns for: local dev workflow, production deployment, activity monitoring, hooks configuration."

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)

Synced

2026-11-08

AutoGineer is not affiliated with or endorsed by Microsoft.

Download ZIP

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