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