Preview Foundry feature that orchestrates agents and logic in a fixed, declarative order, supporting variables, if/else branches and human-in-the-loop steps. Workflows are being retired on 1 December 2026 and Agent Framework replaces them.
Also called workflow.
Read more: Microsoft Learn
In the Ultra Transcenders books
Each book explains Foundry workflows in context, with comparison tables and the common traps.
Terms in this definition
- Declarative
Describing the result wanted (as Terraform configurations and Bicep files do) and letting tooling work out the steps. Microsoft favours this over imperative scripting.
- Microsoft Agent Framework
Open-source SDK that succeeds AutoGen and Semantic Kernel. It is used to build agents and graph-based multi-agent workflows, with support for tools, memory, session state and human-in-the-loop steps.
Related terms
- Apache Airflow job
A code-first Fabric Data Factory item for orchestrating work as Python DAGs on managed Apache Airflow, offering starter or custom pools, autoscaling and syncing DAGs from Git. It succeeds Workflow Orchestration Manager in Azure Data Factory and sits alongside pipelines as their code-based counterpart.
- Ask a question node
Workflow step in Microsoft Foundry that prompts the user, waits for an answer and keeps it in a variable like Local.Var01 so later conditions can test it.
- Azure Logic Apps
Microsoft's low-code option for automating processes and joining up applications, data and services. Each workflow is drawn on a visual canvas: it starts when something happens, then performs steps using any of hundreds of ready-made connectors, and a step may hand work to Azure Functions.
- CMMI process
Built-in Boards process suited to organisations needing formal, auditable change management. Its work item types include Change Request, Risk, Review, Issue and Requirement, and the default workflow lacks Removed.
- Dependency review
Shows, within a pull request, which dependencies changed and which carry known vulnerabilities. A workflow action enforces it and fails by default when vulnerable packages appear; private repositories require GHAS or GitHub Code Security.
- Gitflow
The branch-and-pull-request workflow used in Microsoft's subscription vending example: each request gets its own branch and a single parameter file for the new subscription. Merging the pull request into main starts the deployment pipeline.
- GITHUB_TOKEN
A token generated automatically for each workflow and limited to that workflow's repository; its rights can be narrowed with the permissions key. It plays the role the build service identity plays in Azure Pipelines.
- Group chat (workflow pattern)
An orchestration pattern for multiple agents where control moves from agent to agent dynamically, in contrast to a fixed sequential workflow.