The Microsoft Agent Framework is Microsoft's MIT-licensed agent framework for Python and .NET. It is the consolidation of two earlier Microsoft projects: AutoGen (multi-agent conversations, from Microsoft Research) and Semantic Kernel (the enterprise orchestration SDK). Both remain supported with bug and security fixes, but Microsoft has said most new investment now goes to the Agent Framework; Semantic Kernel 1.x carries a support commitment of at least one year past the framework's general availability. It reached 1.0 in April 2026. Multi-agent work uses graph-based workflows that compose agents into sequential, concurrent, handoff, and group-chat patterns. It is model-agnostic through first-party service connectors (Microsoft Foundry, Azure OpenAI, OpenAI, Anthropic Claude, Amazon Bedrock, Google Gemini, Ollama), with native MCP and A2A support. For open-source AI, the Agent Framework is the Microsoft entry in the fully-open vendor-SDK pattern, and it resolves a real source of confusion: AutoGen is no longer the current Microsoft agent framework. Teams starting fresh are pointed here rather than at AutoGen or Semantic Kernel.
The Stack · Agents · Open source
Microsoft Agent Framework
Microsoft's open agent framework consolidating AutoGen and Semantic Kernel; MIT, Python and .NET, model-agnostic via connectors, native MCP and A2A, graph-based orchestration. 1.0 GA April 2026.
Sources
- Microsoft Agent Framework 1.0 (GA, 2026-04-03) https://devblogs.microsoft.com/agent-framework/microsoft-agent-framework-version-1-0/
- Introducing Microsoft Agent Framework (2025-10-01) https://devblogs.microsoft.com/foundry/introducing-microsoft-agent-framework-the-open-source-engine-for-agentic-ai-apps/
- Semantic Kernel and Microsoft Agent Framework (relationship) https://devblogs.microsoft.com/semantic-kernel/semantic-kernel-and-microsoft-agent-framework/
- microsoft/agent-framework LICENSE (MIT) https://raw.githubusercontent.com/microsoft/agent-framework/main/LICENSE
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