Files
Benjamin Taylor e1f88ebc12 refactor(examples): split the Channel out of the host, drop its HTTP server
Addresses review feedback that channel-host.mts is doing too much.

Two changes, both scoped to the starters:

1. Channel construction moves to a new `channels.mts` beside `agent.ts` —
   name resolution, `createChannel`, and the `onMessage` handler. That is
   also the file to edit to customise a Channel (commands, reactions,
   onMention), which previously meant editing the host.

   The per-framework agent import moves with it, so `channel-host.mts` is now
   byte-identical in all 15 starters rather than 13 + 2.

2. The host no longer stands up an HTTP server. Its comment claimed the
   server was what "keeps the lifecycle-owning process alive"; that is false.
   An open undici WebSocket holds the event loop on its own — verified with a
   standalone repro where a process with no HTTP server and no timers of its
   own stayed up indefinitely on a single WebSocket connection. The server was
   therefore serving a second, uncalled copy of the runtime API on port 8300
   for no reason.

   With the server gone, `createCopilotNodeListener` was the wrong factory —
   it builds a request listener purely for its activation side effect. The
   host now uses `createCopilotRuntimeHandler` + `ready()`, which is the
   documented long-running-host pattern (see fetch-handler.ts). This also
   drops `node:http`, `basePath`, and the CHANNEL_PORT env var.

Behaviour is unchanged: same Channel, same agent, same status reporting, and
the same non-zero exit on activation failure.

Verified: 14/14 starters with a `typecheck:channel` script pass; mastra has no
such script by design (166dc94691) and its pre-existing Mastra `Memory` type
error is byte-identical before and after. `npm run channel` exercised on both
failure paths — missing channels.json, and missing INTELLIGENCE_API_KEY with a
name supplied — confirming the new `./channels.mjs` specifier resolves under
tsx as well as tsc. `parity:check` output identical to the pre-change baseline.

Refs #6315

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
2026-08-02 12:41:46 -05:00

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CopilotKit <> Microsoft Agent Framework (Python)

This is a starter template for building CopilotKit experiences using the Microsoft Agent Framework. It ships with a Next.js UI and a FastAPI server that exposes a Microsoft Agent Framework agent over the AG-UI protocol, so you can study and customize both sides of the stack.

Prerequisites

  • OpenAI or Azure OpenAI credentials (for the Microsoft Agent Framework agent)
  • Python 3.12+
  • uv
  • Node.js 20+
  • Any of the following package managers:

Getting Started

  1. Install dependencies using your preferred package manager:

    # Using npm (default)
    npm install
    
    # Using pnpm
    pnpm install
    
    # Using yarn
    yarn install
    
    # Using bun
    bun install
    

    Note: This automatically sets up the Python environment as well.

    If you have manual issues, you can run:

    npm run install:agent
    
  2. Set up your agent credentials. The backend automatically uses Azure when the Azure env vars below are present; otherwise it falls back to OpenAI. Create a .env file inside the agent folder with one of the following configurations:

    OpenAI

    OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-...your-openai-key-here...
    OPENAI_CHAT_MODEL_ID=gpt-4o-mini
    

    Azure OpenAI

    AZURE_OPENAI_ENDPOINT=https://your-resource.openai.azure.com/
    AZURE_OPENAI_CHAT_DEPLOYMENT_NAME=gpt-4o-mini
    # If you are not relying on az login:
    # AZURE_OPENAI_API_KEY=...
    
  3. Start the development server:

    # Using npm (default)
    npm run dev
    
    # Using pnpm
    pnpm dev
    
    # Using yarn
    yarn dev
    
    # Using bun
    bun run dev
    

    This will start both the UI and the Microsoft Agent Framework server concurrently.

Running a Channel

channel-host.mts mounts the same agent as an Intelligence Channel (Slack, Teams). It requires INTELLIGENCE_API_KEY and a declared Channel in .copilotkit/channels.json – set both up with copilotkit init or copilotkit channels add, which write that file and the credentials your .env needs, then:

npm run channel

The host reads which Channel to hold from .copilotkit/channels.json. If a project declares more than one, set INTELLIGENCE_CHANNEL_NAME to pick one.

The host holds no provider credentials and exposes no provider endpoint – Intelligence owns the provider edge – so the same file works for every provider.

The Channel itself is declared in channels.mts – that is where to add commands, reactions, or an onMention handler. channel-host.mts only owns the process lifetime, and is byte-identical in every starter.

Once startup finishes, the log reports the truth per Channel:

  • Channel "<name>" is online. – the session is up and can send.
  • Channel "<name>" is declared but no provider is attached yet. – a normal waiting state, not a failure. Run copilotkit channels status to see what setup remains.

Neither message proves the provider app is installed, reachable, or that anyone can message it – verify that separately (invite the bot, then message it) before treating the Channel as working.

Available Scripts

The following scripts can also be run using your preferred package manager:

  • dev – Starts both UI and agent servers in development mode
  • dev:debug – Starts development servers with debug logging enabled
  • dev:ui – Starts only the Next.js UI server
  • dev:agent – Starts only the Microsoft Agent Framework server
  • build – Builds the Next.js application for production
  • start – Starts the production server
  • lint – Runs ESLint for code linting
  • install:agent – Installs Python dependencies for the agent
  • channel – Holds an Intelligence Channel open (see "Running a Channel" above)
  • typecheck:channel – Type-checks the channel host on its own tsconfig.channel.json

Documentation

The main UI component is in src/app/page.tsx. You can:

  • Modify the theme colors and styling
  • Add new frontend actions
  • Customize the CopilotKit sidebar appearance

📚 Documentation

Contributing

Feel free to submit issues and enhancement requests! This starter is designed to be easily extensible.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License – see the LICENSE file for details.

Troubleshooting

Agent Connection Issues

If you see "I'm having trouble connecting to my tools", make sure:

  1. The Microsoft Agent Framework agent is running on port 8000
  2. Your OpenAI/Azure credentials are set correctly
  3. Both servers started successfully

Python Dependencies

If you encounter Python import errors:

cd agent
uv sync
uv run src/main.py

CopilotKit Intelligence & Threads (Optional)

CopilotKit Intelligence adds durable thread history and cross-session memory to your agent. It requires a COPILOTKIT_LICENSE_TOKEN and a running local Intelligence stack (Docker Desktop + a local Intelligence repo checkout).

Prerequisites

  • Docker Desktop running
  • A COPILOTKIT_LICENSE_TOKEN (obtain from CopilotKit Cloud)
  • The Intelligence repo cloned locally. The docker-compose.intelligence.yml defaults to a sibling directory at ../../../Intelligence relative to this starter; override with the INTELLIGENCE_REPO env var if your checkout is elsewhere.

Start the intelligence stack

# From inside this starter directory:
docker compose -f docker-compose.intelligence.yml up -d --wait

First run builds the intelligence image from source (may take several minutes).

Verify the stack is healthy

docker compose -f docker-compose.intelligence.yml ps

All three services (postgres, redis, intelligence) should show healthy.

Set environment variables

Add the following to your .env file:

COPILOTKIT_LICENSE_TOKEN=your-license-token-here
INTELLIGENCE_API_URL=http://localhost:4205
INTELLIGENCE_GATEWAY_WS_URL=ws://localhost:4405

Then start the dev server as usual (npm run dev). Thread history and memory features are activated automatically when COPILOTKIT_LICENSE_TOKEN is set.

Stop / reset

# Stop without removing data:
docker compose -f docker-compose.intelligence.yml down

# Full reset (removes postgres + redis volumes):
docker compose -f docker-compose.intelligence.yml down -v