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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/slack/runtime.slash-commands-ts.md

runtime.slash-commands-ts

purpose

Slack slash command registration, payload handling, and response patterns in Bolt TypeScript apps.

rules

  1. Register slash command handlers with app.command('/command-name', handler). The command string must include the leading / and match the command configured in the Slack app dashboard. slack.dev/bolt-js/concepts/commands

  2. The handler context includes command (the full payload), ack, say, respond, and client. The command object contains: text (everything after the command), trigger_id, response_url, user_id, user_name, channel_id, channel_name, team_id, team_domain, and enterprise_id. api.slack.com/interactivity/slash-commands

  3. Always call await ack() within 3 seconds. Optionally pass a string or { text, blocks } to ack() for an immediate ephemeral response visible only to the invoking user. api.slack.com/interactivity/slash-commands#responding_to_commands

  4. The default response type for ack(text) and respond() is ephemeral (visible only to the user). To make a response visible to the entire channel, set response_type: "in_channel" in the respond() payload. api.slack.com/interactivity/slash-commands#responding_to_commands

  5. Use respond() (backed by response_url) for follow-up messages after ack(). The response_url is valid for 30 minutes and supports up to 5 responses. Each call can set replace_original, delete_original, or response_type. api.slack.com/interactivity/responding

  6. Use trigger_id from the command payload to open modals with client.views.open(). The trigger ID expires in 3 seconds, so call ack() and client.views.open() early in the handler. api.slack.com/surfaces/modals#opening

  7. Use say() to post a visible message to the channel where the command was invoked. Unlike respond(), messages from say() are always visible to everyone and appear as normal bot messages (not ephemeral). slack.dev/bolt-js/concepts/commands

  8. Parse the command.text string yourself for sub-commands or arguments. Bolt does not provide built-in argument parsing. Use text.split(/\s+/) or a command-parsing library for complex argument structures. api.slack.com/interactivity/slash-commands

  9. Slash commands require the commands scope in the bot's OAuth configuration. Each command must be registered in the Slack app dashboard under "Slash Commands" with a request URL pointing to your app's endpoint. api.slack.com/interactivity/slash-commands#creating_commands

  10. Commands invoked in DMs with the bot have channel_id set to the DM channel and channel_name set to "directmessage". Always handle both channel and DM contexts in your command logic. api.slack.com/interactivity/slash-commands

patterns

Basic command with ephemeral ack and in-channel follow-up
import { App } from "@slack/bolt";

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

app.command("/status", async ({ ack, command, respond }) => {
  // Immediate ephemeral acknowledgement
  await ack("Checking status...");

  // Simulate async lookup
  const status = await getSystemStatus();

  // Follow-up visible to entire channel
  await respond({
    response_type: "in_channel",
    text: `System status: ${status.summary}`,
    blocks: [
      {
        type: "section",
        text: {
          type: "mrkdwn",
          text: `*System Status* (requested by <@${command.user_id}>)`,
        },
      },
      { type: "divider" },
      {
        type: "section",
        fields: [
          { type: "mrkdwn", text: `*API:* ${status.api}` },
          { type: "mrkdwn", text: `*Database:* ${status.db}` },
          { type: "mrkdwn", text: `*Queue:* ${status.queue}` },
          { type: "mrkdwn", text: `*Uptime:* ${status.uptime}` },
        ],
      },
    ],
  });
});

async function getSystemStatus() {
  return {
    summary: "All systems operational",
    api: ":white_check_mark: Healthy",
    db: ":white_check_mark: Healthy",
    queue: ":warning: Degraded",
    uptime: "14d 6h",
  };
}
Command that opens a modal using trigger_id
import { App } from "@slack/bolt";

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

app.command("/ticket", async ({ ack, command, client }) => {
  // ack with no visible response -- modal provides the UI
  await ack();

  // Open a modal using the trigger_id (must happen within 3 seconds)
  await client.views.open({
    trigger_id: command.trigger_id,
    view: {
      type: "modal",
      callback_id: "ticket_create_modal",
      title: { type: "plain_text", text: "Create Ticket" },
      submit: { type: "plain_text", text: "Create" },
      close: { type: "plain_text", text: "Cancel" },
      // Pre-fill with command text if provided
      private_metadata: JSON.stringify({ channel: command.channel_id }),
      blocks: [
        {
          type: "input",
          block_id: "title_block",
          label: { type: "plain_text", text: "Title" },
          element: {
            type: "plain_text_input",
            action_id: "title_input",
            initial_value: command.text || "",
            placeholder: { type: "plain_text", text: "Describe the issue" },
          },
        },
        {
          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" },
            ],
          },
        },
      ],
    },
  });
});

// Handle the modal submission
app.view("ticket_create_modal", async ({ ack, view, client }) => {
  const vals = view.state.values;
  const title = vals.title_block.title_input.value!;
  const priority = vals.priority_block.priority_select.selected_option!.value;
  const meta = JSON.parse(view.private_metadata || "{}");

  if (title.length < 3) {
    await ack({
      response_action: "errors",
      errors: { title_block: "Title must be at least 3 characters." },
    });
    return;
  }

  await ack();

  await client.chat.postMessage({
    channel: meta.channel || "#tickets",
    text: `New ticket: ${title} [${priority}]`,
  });
});
Command with sub-command argument parsing
import { App } from "@slack/bolt";

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

app.command("/config", async ({ ack, command, respond }) => {
  await ack();

  const args = command.text.trim().split(/\s+/);
  const subCommand = args[0]?.toLowerCase();

  switch (subCommand) {
    case "get": {
      const key = args[1];
      if (!key) {
        await respond("Usage: `/config get <key>`");
        return;
      }
      const value = await getConfigValue(key);
      await respond(`\`${key}\` = \`${value ?? "not set"}\``);
      break;
    }
    case "set": {
      const key = args[1];
      const value = args.slice(2).join(" ");
      if (!key || !value) {
        await respond("Usage: `/config set <key> <value>`");
        return;
      }
      await setConfigValue(key, value);
      await respond({
        response_type: "in_channel",
        text: `Configuration updated: \`${key}\` = \`${value}\``,
      });
      break;
    }
    case "list": {
      const all = await listConfigValues();
      const formatted = all.map((c) => `\`${c.key}\` = \`${c.value}\``).join("\n");
      await respond(formatted || "No configuration values set.");
      break;
    }
    default:
      await respond("Unknown sub-command. Available: `get`, `set`, `list`");
  }
});

async function getConfigValue(key: string): Promise<string | null> {
  return "example-value";
}
async function setConfigValue(key: string, value: string): Promise<void> {}
async function listConfigValues(): Promise<{ key: string; value: string }[]> {
  return [{ key: "region", value: "us-east-1" }];
}

pitfalls

  • Forgetting await ack(): Every command handler must acknowledge. Missing it causes a "This command didn't work" error for the user after 3 seconds.

  • Doing slow work before ack(): API calls, database queries, or any I/O before ack() risks the 3-second timeout. Always ack first.

  • Assuming command.text is non-empty: Users can invoke /command with no arguments. Always handle the empty string case for command.text.

  • Ephemeral vs in-channel confusion: The default ack(text) response and respond() responses are ephemeral. Users often expect channel-visible responses. Explicitly set response_type: "in_channel" when the response should be public.

  • response_url expiry: The URL from command.response_url expires after 30 minutes and supports at most 5 responses. For longer-lived interactions, switch to client.chat.postMessage().

  • Stale trigger_id: If you ack, then do 2+ seconds of work, then try client.views.open(), the trigger_id may have expired. Open modals immediately after ack.

  • Command not registered in dashboard: app.command('/foo') in code does nothing if /foo is not configured in the Slack app's "Slash Commands" settings. Both code and dashboard must agree.

  • Missing commands scope: The bot must have the commands OAuth scope or slash command registration fails silently.

references

instructions

This expert covers Slack slash command implementation in Bolt TypeScript. Use it when you need to: register command handlers with app.command(); understand the command payload properties (text, trigger_id, response_url, user_id, channel_id); implement ack() with immediate ephemeral responses; choose between ephemeral and in-channel response types; use respond() for follow-up messages via response_url; open modals from commands using trigger_id and client.views.open(); parse command arguments and implement sub-commands; and understand the dashboard configuration requirements for slash commands. Pair with runtime.ack-rules-ts.md for command ack timing, and ui.block-kit-ts.md when commands open modals or send Block Kit messages.

research

Deep Research prompt:

"Write a micro expert on Slack slash commands in Bolt TypeScript. Cover app.command() registration, the command payload shape (text, trigger_id, response_url, user_id, channel_id), ack() with text/blocks, ephemeral vs in_channel response_type, respond() usage and limitations, opening modals from commands, sub-command argument parsing, and dashboard configuration requirements. Provide 2-3 canonical TypeScript examples."

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