Agent Store vs Building Your Own

Agent Store — your AI app store

Simple explanation

Think of the Agent Store like your phone’s app store.

When you need a weather app, you don’t build one from scratch — you download one that works. The Agent Store works the same way: before building a custom agent, check if someone has already built what you need.

Microsoft provides agents like Researcher (deep research), Analyst (data analysis), and Prompt Coach (better prompting). Your organisation might also publish internal agents — like “IT Helpdesk” or “Sales Playbook.”

Build your own only when no existing agent fits your specific need.

When to use the Agent Store

Situation	Use Agent Store	Build Your Own
Need general research help	✅
Need data analysis and visualisation	✅
Need answers about YOUR company policies		✅
Need an agent scoped to YOUR SharePoint site		✅
Need a writing or prompting coach	✅
Need consistent team-wide answers from specific docs		✅
Want to try AI capabilities quickly	✅

The decision framework

Ask yourself these questions:

Does an existing agent already do what I need? → Check the Agent Store first
Do I need it scoped to my organisation’s data? → Probably build your own
Do I need custom instructions or tone? → Build your own
Is this a one-time need? → Try the Agent Store before building anything
Will my whole team use this? → Build and share (if Agent Store doesn’t have it)

Real-world: Dana's agent decision

Dana at Oakfield Healthcare needed an agent that could answer new hire questions about company policies.

Step 1 — Check Agent Store: Dana searched for “HR” and “onboarding” agents. She found a few generic HR assistants, but none knew about Oakfield’s specific policies, dress code, or leave procedures.

Step 2 — Decision: Since Dana needs an agent scoped to Oakfield’s HR SharePoint site with specific instructions about tone and scope, she decided to build her own.

Separately, when Dana needed help with a data analysis task, she found the Analyst agent in the store — no need to build that.

The pattern: Generic tasks → Agent Store. Organisation-specific tasks → Build your own.

Key Microsoft-built agents

Agent	What It Does	Best For
Researcher	In-depth research using web + work data	Market research, competitive analysis, topic deep-dives
Analyst	Data analysis and visualisation	Sales trends, financial analysis, data-driven insights
Prompt Coach	Helps you write better prompts	Learning prompt techniques, refining your prompting skills

🎬 Video walkthrough

Flashcards

Question

What is the Agent Store in Microsoft 365?

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Answer

A marketplace for discovering pre-built agents — including Microsoft-built agents (Researcher, Analyst), third-party agents, and custom agents published by colleagues in your organisation. Always check here before building from scratch.

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Question

When should you build a custom agent instead of using the Agent Store?

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Answer

When you need an agent scoped to your organisation's specific data (SharePoint sites, internal docs), with custom instructions or tone, or for a workflow that no existing agent covers. Build when generic agents don't fit your specific needs.

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Knowledge Check

Jordan at Peak Solutions wants an agent that can quickly research competitor products and market trends. What should he try FIRST?

Knowledge Check

Ava at BrightLoop wants an agent that answers questions about the agency's brand guidelines, tone of voice document, and content calendar — all stored on a specific SharePoint site. What should Ava do?

Next up: You’ve decided to build. Let’s walk through creating your first agent — step by step, no coding required.