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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/teams/ui.dialogs-task-modules-ts.md

ui.dialogs-task-modules-ts

purpose

Dialog/task module flows: opening, submitting, and chaining dialogs in Teams bots using the Teams AI Library v2.

rules

  1. Handle dialog open requests with app.on('dialog.open', handler). This fires when Teams invokes task/fetch. The handler must return a response with task.type: 'continue' containing a card, or task.type: 'message' containing text. learn.microsoft.com -- Task modules

  2. Handle dialog submissions with app.on('dialog.submit', handler). This fires when the user submits the form inside the task module (task/submit). Form data is available in activity.value.data. learn.microsoft.com -- Task modules

  3. To open a dialog with an Adaptive Card, return { status: 200, body: { task: { type: 'continue', value: { title, card } } } } where card is an object with contentType: 'application/vnd.microsoft.card.adaptive' and content containing the card JSON. learn.microsoft.com -- Task modules

  4. To close a dialog with a text message, return { status: 200, body: { task: { type: 'message', value: 'Success message' } } } from the submit handler. This displays the message and closes the dialog. learn.microsoft.com -- Task modules

  5. To chain dialogs (open a new dialog after submission), return a continue response from the submit handler with a new card. This replaces the current dialog content without closing it. learn.microsoft.com -- Task modules

  6. Control dialog dimensions with width and height properties in the value object. Accepted values are 'small', 'medium', 'large', or pixel values (e.g., 500). Default is 'medium'. learn.microsoft.com -- Task module size

  7. Trigger a dialog from a message by sending an Adaptive Card with Action.Submit containing { msteams: { type: 'task/fetch' } } in its data, or by adding the bot to the manifest with taskInfo commands. learn.microsoft.com -- Invoke task modules

  8. The dialog.open route maps to task/fetch and dialog.submit maps to task/submit in the Teams invoke system. Both are invoke routes that require a structured return value, not a simple send() call. github.com/microsoft/teams.ts

  9. Form input IDs in the Adaptive Card become keys in activity.value.data. For example, Input.Text with id: 'email' appears as activity.value.data.email in the submit handler. learn.microsoft.com -- Adaptive Card inputs

  10. Always validate submitted data server-side. Users can tamper with the JSON payload sent by the dialog. Use schema validation before processing form data. learn.microsoft.com -- Task modules security

patterns

Opening a dialog with an Adaptive Card form
import { App } from '@microsoft/teams.apps';
import { ConsoleLogger } from '@microsoft/teams.common';
import { DevtoolsPlugin } from '@microsoft/teams.dev';

const app = new App({
  logger: new ConsoleLogger('dialog-bot'),
  plugins: [new DevtoolsPlugin()],
});

// Open a dialog when task/fetch is invoked
app.on('dialog.open', async () => {
  return {
    status: 200,
    body: {
      task: {
        type: 'continue',
        value: {
          title: 'Submit Feedback',
          width: 'medium',
          height: 'medium',
          card: {
            contentType: 'application/vnd.microsoft.card.adaptive',
            content: {
              type: 'AdaptiveCard',
              version: '1.5',
              body: [
                {
                  type: 'TextBlock',
                  text: 'Submit your feedback',
                  weight: 'Bolder',
                  size: 'Large',
                },
                {
                  type: 'Input.Text',
                  id: 'userName',
                  label: 'Your name',
                  isRequired: true,
                  errorMessage: 'Name is required',
                },
                {
                  type: 'Input.ChoiceSet',
                  id: 'rating',
                  label: 'Rating',
                  style: 'compact',
                  value: '3',
                  choices: [
                    { title: '1 - Poor', value: '1' },
                    { title: '2 - Fair', value: '2' },
                    { title: '3 - Good', value: '3' },
                    { title: '4 - Great', value: '4' },
                    { title: '5 - Excellent', value: '5' },
                  ],
                },
                {
                  type: 'Input.Text',
                  id: 'comments',
                  label: 'Comments',
                  isMultiline: true,
                  placeholder: 'Tell us more...',
                },
              ],
              actions: [
                {
                  type: 'Action.Submit',
                  title: 'Submit',
                },
              ],
            },
          },
        },
      },
    },
  };
});

// Handle the dialog form submission
app.on('dialog.submit', async ({ activity }) => {
  const formData = activity.value.data;
  const { userName, rating, comments } = formData;

  // Validate and process
  console.log(`Feedback from ${userName}: ${rating}/5 - ${comments}`);

  // Close dialog with a message
  return {
    status: 200,
    body: {
      task: {
        type: 'message',
        value: `Thanks ${userName}! Your feedback (${rating}/5) has been recorded.`,
      },
    },
  };
});

app.start(3978);
Chaining dialogs (multi-step form)
import { App } from '@microsoft/teams.apps';

const app = new App();

// Step 1: Open initial dialog
app.on('dialog.open', async () => {
  return {
    status: 200,
    body: {
      task: {
        type: 'continue',
        value: {
          title: 'Step 1: Basic Info',
          width: 'medium',
          height: 'small',
          card: {
            contentType: 'application/vnd.microsoft.card.adaptive',
            content: {
              type: 'AdaptiveCard',
              version: '1.5',
              body: [
                { type: 'TextBlock', text: 'Step 1 of 2', weight: 'Bolder' },
                {
                  type: 'Input.Text',
                  id: 'projectName',
                  label: 'Project name',
                  isRequired: true,
                },
                {
                  type: 'Input.ChoiceSet',
                  id: 'projectType',
                  label: 'Type',
                  choices: [
                    { title: 'Feature', value: 'feature' },
                    { title: 'Bug Fix', value: 'bugfix' },
                    { title: 'Research', value: 'research' },
                  ],
                },
              ],
              actions: [
                {
                  type: 'Action.Submit',
                  title: 'Next',
                  data: { step: 'step1' },
                },
              ],
            },
          },
        },
      },
    },
  };
});

// Handle submissions -- route by step
app.on('dialog.submit', async ({ activity, send }) => {
  const data = activity.value.data;

  if (data.step === 'step1') {
    // Chain to step 2: return a continue response with a new card
    return {
      status: 200,
      body: {
        task: {
          type: 'continue',
          value: {
            title: 'Step 2: Details',
            width: 'medium',
            height: 'medium',
            card: {
              contentType: 'application/vnd.microsoft.card.adaptive',
              content: {
                type: 'AdaptiveCard',
                version: '1.5',
                body: [
                  { type: 'TextBlock', text: `Project: ${data.projectName}`, weight: 'Bolder' },
                  { type: 'TextBlock', text: 'Step 2 of 2' },
                  {
                    type: 'Input.Text',
                    id: 'description',
                    label: 'Description',
                    isMultiline: true,
                    isRequired: true,
                  },
                  {
                    type: 'Input.Date',
                    id: 'dueDate',
                    label: 'Due date',
                  },
                ],
                actions: [
                  {
                    type: 'Action.Submit',
                    title: 'Create',
                    data: {
                      step: 'step2',
                      projectName: data.projectName,
                      projectType: data.projectType,
                    },
                  },
                ],
              },
            },
          },
        },
      },
    };
  }

  if (data.step === 'step2') {
    // Final step: process all data and close
    await send(`Project "${data.projectName}" (${data.projectType}) created! Due: ${data.dueDate || 'No date set'}`);

    return {
      status: 200,
      body: {
        task: {
          type: 'message',
          value: 'Project created successfully!',
        },
      },
    };
  }

  return { status: 200, body: { task: { type: 'message', value: 'Unknown step.' } } };
});

app.start(3978);
Triggering a dialog from an Adaptive Card
import { App } from '@microsoft/teams.apps';

const app = new App();

// Send a card with a button that triggers dialog.open
app.on('message', async ({ send }) => {
  await send({
    type: 'message',
    attachments: [{
      contentType: 'application/vnd.microsoft.card.adaptive',
      content: {
        type: 'AdaptiveCard',
        version: '1.5',
        body: [
          {
            type: 'TextBlock',
            text: 'Click the button below to open a form dialog.',
            wrap: true,
          },
        ],
        actions: [
          {
            type: 'Action.Submit',
            title: 'Open Form',
            data: {
              msteams: { type: 'task/fetch' },
            },
          },
        ],
      },
    }],
  });
});

// The dialog.open handler fires when the button is clicked
app.on('dialog.open', async () => {
  return {
    status: 200,
    body: {
      task: {
        type: 'continue',
        value: {
          title: 'My Form',
          card: {
            contentType: 'application/vnd.microsoft.card.adaptive',
            content: {
              type: 'AdaptiveCard',
              version: '1.5',
              body: [
                { type: 'Input.Text', id: 'name', label: 'Enter your name' },
              ],
              actions: [
                { type: 'Action.Submit', title: 'Submit' },
              ],
            },
          },
        },
      },
    },
  };
});

app.on('dialog.submit', async ({ activity }) => {
  return {
    status: 200,
    body: {
      task: { type: 'message', value: `Hello, ${activity.value.data.name}!` },
    },
  };
});

app.start(3978);

pitfalls

  • Wrong response structure: dialog.open and dialog.submit are invoke handlers that must return { status: 200, body: { task: { ... } } }. Using await send() instead of returning the response results in an empty dialog.

  • Missing card contentType wrapper: The card in the task value must include contentType: 'application/vnd.microsoft.card.adaptive' and content. Passing raw card JSON without the wrapper results in a blank dialog.

  • Not routing multi-step dialogs: When chaining dialogs, the submit handler fires for every step. Without a routing key (e.g., data.step), you cannot distinguish which step was submitted.

  • Forgetting to pass data between steps: When chaining, data from step 1 is not automatically available in step 2. Include previous step data in the Action.Submit data object to carry it forward.

  • Dialog not opening: Ensure the triggering card action includes data: { msteams: { type: 'task/fetch' } } for Action.Submit, or that the manifest defines a command with taskInfo. Without this, Teams does not invoke dialog.open.

  • Form data not appearing: Input element id values become keys in activity.value.data. If id is missing on an input, its value is not submitted.

  • Size not taking effect: The width and height properties must be in the value object alongside title and card. Placing them at the wrong nesting level is silently ignored.

  • Returning undefined: If the handler returns undefined or nothing, Teams shows a generic error. Always return a valid task response.

references

instructions

This expert covers dialog/task module flows in Microsoft Teams bots built with the Teams AI Library v2 (@microsoft/teams.ts) in TypeScript. Use it when you need to:

  • Open a dialog with an Adaptive Card form via app.on('dialog.open', ...)

  • Process form submissions via app.on('dialog.submit', ...)

  • Return continue (card) or message (text) task responses

  • Chain multiple dialog steps (multi-step wizard)

  • Trigger dialogs from Adaptive Card buttons using msteams: { type: 'task/fetch' }

  • Control dialog dimensions with width and height

Pair with ui.adaptive-cards-ts.md for card construction details and runtime.routing-handlers-ts.md for handler registration context. Pair with ui.adaptive-cards-ts.md for card construction inside task modules, and runtime.routing-handlers-ts.md for dialog.open/dialog.submit route registration.

research

Deep Research prompt:

"Write a micro expert on Teams Task Modules (dialogs) using Teams SDK v2 in TypeScript. Cover app.on('dialog.open') return payload structure, app.on('dialog.submit') handling, embedding Adaptive Card forms in dialogs, multi-step dialog patterns with chaining, triggering dialogs from card actions, dialog dimensions, and common failure modes. Include 2-3 canonical TypeScript code 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