How-To: Chat Completion Agent

Warning

The Semantic Kernel Agent Framework is in preview and is subject to change.

Overview

In this sample, we will explore configuring a plugin to access GitHub API and provide templatized instructions to a Chat Completion Agent to answer questions about a GitHub repository. The approach will be broken down step-by-step to high-light the key parts of the coding process. As part of the task, the agent will provide document citations within the response.

Streaming will be used to deliver the agent's responses. This will provide real-time updates as the task progresses.

Getting Started

Before proceeding with feature coding, make sure your development environment is fully set up and configured.

Start by creating a Console project. Then, include the following package references to ensure all required dependencies are available.

To add package dependencies from the command-line use the dotnet command:

dotnet add package Azure.Identity
dotnet add package Microsoft.Extensions.Configuration
dotnet add package Microsoft.Extensions.Configuration.Binder
dotnet add package Microsoft.Extensions.Configuration.UserSecrets
dotnet add package Microsoft.Extensions.Configuration.EnvironmentVariables
dotnet add package Microsoft.SemanticKernel.Connectors.AzureOpenAI
dotnet add package Microsoft.SemanticKernel.Agents.Core --prerelease

If managing NuGet packages in Visual Studio, ensure Include prerelease is checked.

The project file (.csproj) should contain the following PackageReference definitions:

  <ItemGroup>
    <PackageReference Include="Azure.Identity" Version="<stable>" />
    <PackageReference Include="Microsoft.Extensions.Configuration" Version="<stable>" />
    <PackageReference Include="Microsoft.Extensions.Configuration.Binder" Version="<stable>" />
    <PackageReference Include="Microsoft.Extensions.Configuration.UserSecrets" Version="<stable>" />
    <PackageReference Include="Microsoft.Extensions.Configuration.EnvironmentVariables" Version="<stable>" />
    <PackageReference Include="Microsoft.SemanticKernel.Agents.Core" Version="<latest>" />
    <PackageReference Include="Microsoft.SemanticKernel.Connectors.AzureOpenAI" Version="<latest>" />
  </ItemGroup>

The Agent Framework is experimental and requires warning suppression. This may addressed in as a property in the project file (.csproj):

  <PropertyGroup>
    <NoWarn>$(NoWarn);CA2007;IDE1006;SKEXP0001;SKEXP0110;OPENAI001</NoWarn>
  </PropertyGroup>

Additionally, copy the GitHub plug-in and models (GitHubPlugin.cs and GitHubModels.cs) from Semantic Kernel LearnResources Project. Add these files in your project folder.

Start by creating a folder that will hold your script (.py file) and the sample resources. Include the following imports at the top of your .py file:

import asyncio
import os
import sys
from datetime import datetime

from semantic_kernel.agents import ChatCompletionAgent
from semantic_kernel.connectors.ai.function_choice_behavior import FunctionChoiceBehavior
from semantic_kernel.connectors.ai.open_ai import AzureChatCompletion
from semantic_kernel.contents.chat_history import ChatHistory
from semantic_kernel.contents.chat_message_content import ChatMessageContent
from semantic_kernel.contents.utils.author_role import AuthorRole
from semantic_kernel.kernel import Kernel

# Adjust the sys.path so we can use the GitHubPlugin and GitHubSettings classes
# This is so we can run the code from the samples/learn_resources/agent_docs directory
# If you are running code from your own project, you may not need need to do this.
sys.path.append(os.path.abspath(os.path.join(os.path.dirname(__file__), "..")))

from plugins.GithubPlugin.github import GitHubPlugin, GitHubSettings  # noqa: E402

Additionally, copy the GitHub plug-in and models (github.py) from Semantic Kernel LearnResources Project. Add these files in your project folder.

Agents are currently unavailable in Java.

Configuration

This sample requires configuration setting in order to connect to remote services. You will need to define settings for either Open AI or Azure Open AI and also for GitHub.

Note: For information on GitHub Personal Access Tokens, see: Managing your personal access tokens.

# Open AI
dotnet user-secrets set "OpenAISettings:ApiKey" "<api-key>"
dotnet user-secrets set "OpenAISettings:ChatModel" "gpt-4o"

# Azure Open AI
dotnet user-secrets set "AzureOpenAISettings:ApiKey" "<api-key>" # Not required if using token-credential
dotnet user-secrets set "AzureOpenAISettings:Endpoint" "<model-endpoint>"
dotnet user-secrets set "AzureOpenAISettings:ChatModelDeployment" "gpt-4o"

# GitHub
dotnet user-secrets set "GitHubSettings:BaseUrl" "https://api.github.com"
dotnet user-secrets set "GitHubSettings:Token" "<personal access token>"

The following class is used in all of the Agent examples. Be sure to include it in your project to ensure proper functionality. This class serves as a foundational component for the examples that follow.

using System.Reflection;
using Microsoft.Extensions.Configuration;

namespace AgentsSample;

public class Settings
{
    private readonly IConfigurationRoot configRoot;

    private AzureOpenAISettings azureOpenAI;
    private OpenAISettings openAI;

    public AzureOpenAISettings AzureOpenAI => this.azureOpenAI ??= this.GetSettings<Settings.AzureOpenAISettings>();
    public OpenAISettings OpenAI => this.openAI ??= this.GetSettings<Settings.OpenAISettings>();

    public class OpenAISettings
    {
        public string ChatModel { get; set; } = string.Empty;
        public string ApiKey { get; set; } = string.Empty;
    }

    public class AzureOpenAISettings
    {
        public string ChatModelDeployment { get; set; } = string.Empty;
        public string Endpoint { get; set; } = string.Empty;
        public string ApiKey { get; set; } = string.Empty;
    }

    public TSettings GetSettings<TSettings>() =>
        this.configRoot.GetRequiredSection(typeof(TSettings).Name).Get<TSettings>()!;

    public Settings()
    {
        this.configRoot =
            new ConfigurationBuilder()
                .AddEnvironmentVariables()
                .AddUserSecrets(Assembly.GetExecutingAssembly(), optional: true)
                .Build();
    }
}

The quickest way to get started with the proper configuration to run the sample code is to create a .env file at the root of your project (where your script is run).

Configure the following settings in your .env file for either Azure OpenAI or OpenAI:

AZURE_OPENAI_API_KEY="..."
AZURE_OPENAI_ENDPOINT="https://..."
AZURE_OPENAI_CHAT_DEPLOYMENT_NAME="..."
AZURE_OPENAI_API_VERSION="..."

OPENAI_API_KEY="sk-..."
OPENAI_ORG_ID=""
OPENAI_CHAT_MODEL_ID=""

Once configured, the respective AI service classes will pick up the required variables and use them during instantiation.

Agents are currently unavailable in Java.

Coding

The coding process for this sample involves:

1. Setup - Initializing settings and the plug-in.
2. Agent Definition - Create the Chat Completion Agent with templatized instructions and plug-in.
3. The Chat Loop - Write the loop that drives user / agent interaction.

The full example code is provided in the Final section. Refer to that section for the complete implementation.

Setup

Prior to creating a Chat Completion Agent, the configuration settings, plugins, and Kernel must be initialized.

Initialize the Settings class referenced in the previous Configuration section.

Settings settings = new();

Agents are currently unavailable in Java.

Initialize the plug-in using its settings.

Here, a message is displaying to indicate progress.

Console.WriteLine("Initialize plugins...");
GitHubSettings githubSettings = settings.GetSettings<GitHubSettings>();
GitHubPlugin githubPlugin = new(githubSettings);

gh_settings = GitHubSettings(
    token="<PAT value>"
)
kernel.add_plugin(GitHubPlugin(settings=gh_settings), plugin_name="github")

Agents are currently unavailable in Java.

Now initialize a Kernel instance with an IChatCompletionService and the GitHubPlugin previously created.

Console.WriteLine("Creating kernel...");
IKernelBuilder builder = Kernel.CreateBuilder();

builder.AddAzureOpenAIChatCompletion(
    settings.AzureOpenAI.ChatModelDeployment,
    settings.AzureOpenAI.Endpoint,
    new AzureCliCredential());

builder.Plugins.AddFromObject(githubPlugin);

Kernel kernel = builder.Build();

kernel = Kernel()

# Add the AzureChatCompletion AI Service to the Kernel
service_id = "agent"
kernel.add_service(AzureChatCompletion(service_id=service_id))

settings = kernel.get_prompt_execution_settings_from_service_id(service_id=service_id)
# Configure the function choice behavior to auto invoke kernel functions
settings.function_choice_behavior = FunctionChoiceBehavior.Auto()

Agents are currently unavailable in Java.

Agent Definition

Finally we are ready to instantiate a Chat Completion Agent with its Instructions, associated Kernel, and the default Arguments and Execution Settings. In this case, we desire to have the any plugin functions automatically executed.

Console.WriteLine("Defining agent...");
ChatCompletionAgent agent =
    new()
    {
        Name = "SampleAssistantAgent",
        Instructions =
            """
            You are an agent designed to query and retrieve information from a single GitHub repository in a read-only manner.
            You are also able to access the profile of the active user.

            Use the current date and time to provide up-to-date details or time-sensitive responses.

            The repository you are querying is a public repository with the following name: {{$repository}}

            The current date and time is: {{$now}}. 
            """,
        Kernel = kernel,
        Arguments =
            new KernelArguments(new AzureOpenAIPromptExecutionSettings() { FunctionChoiceBehavior = FunctionChoiceBehavior.Auto() })
            {
                { "repository", "microsoft/semantic-kernel" }
            }
    };

Console.WriteLine("Ready!");

agent = ChatCompletionAgent(
    service_id="agent",
    kernel=kernel,
    name="SampleAssistantAgent",
    instructions=f"""
        You are an agent designed to query and retrieve information from a single GitHub repository in a read-only 
        manner.
        You are also able to access the profile of the active user.

        Use the current date and time to provide up-to-date details or time-sensitive responses.

        The repository you are querying is a public repository with the following name: microsoft/semantic-kernel

        The current date and time is: {current_time}. 
        """,
    execution_settings=settings,
)

Agents are currently unavailable in Java.

The Chat Loop

At last, we are able to coordinate the interaction between the user and the Agent. Start by creating a Chat History object to maintain the conversation state and creating an empty loop.

ChatHistory history = [];
bool isComplete = false;
do
{
    // processing logic here
} while (!isComplete);

history = ChatHistory()
is_complete: bool = False
while not is_complete:
    # processing logic here

Agents are currently unavailable in Java.

Now let's capture user input within the previous loop. In this case, empty input will be ignored and the term EXIT will signal that the conversation is completed. Valid input will be added to the Chat History as a User message.

Console.WriteLine();
Console.Write("> ");
string input = Console.ReadLine();
if (string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(input))
{
    continue;
}
if (input.Trim().Equals("EXIT", StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase))
{
    isComplete = true;
    break;
}

history.Add(new ChatMessageContent(AuthorRole.User, input));

Console.WriteLine();

user_input = input("User:> ")
if not user_input:
    continue

if user_input.lower() == "exit":
    is_complete = True
    break

history.add_message(ChatMessageContent(role=AuthorRole.USER, content=user_input))

Agents are currently unavailable in Java.

To generate a Agent response to user input, invoke the agent using Arguments to provide the final template parameter that specifies the current date and time.

The Agent response is then then displayed to the user.

DateTime now = DateTime.Now;
KernelArguments arguments =
    new()
    {
        { "now", $"{now.ToShortDateString()} {now.ToShortTimeString()}" }
    };
await foreach (ChatMessageContent response in agent.InvokeAsync(history, arguments))
{
    Console.WriteLine($"{response.Content}");
}

Coming soon

Agents are currently unavailable in Java.

Final

Bringing all the steps together, we have the final code for this example. The complete implementation is provided below.

Try using these suggested inputs:

1. What is my username?
2. Describe the repo.
3. Describe the newest issue created in the repo.
4. List the top 10 issues closed within the last week.
5. How were these issues labeled?
6. List the 5 most recently opened issues with the "Agents" label

using System;
using System.Threading.Tasks;
using Azure.Identity;
using Microsoft.SemanticKernel;
using Microsoft.SemanticKernel.Agents;
using Microsoft.SemanticKernel.ChatCompletion;
using Microsoft.SemanticKernel.Connectors.AzureOpenAI;
using Plugins;

namespace AgentsSample;

public static class Program
{
    public static async Task Main()
    {
        // Load configuration from environment variables or user secrets.
        Settings settings = new();

        Console.WriteLine("Initialize plugins...");
        GitHubSettings githubSettings = settings.GetSettings<GitHubSettings>();
        GitHubPlugin githubPlugin = new(githubSettings);

        Console.WriteLine("Creating kernel...");
        IKernelBuilder builder = Kernel.CreateBuilder();

        builder.AddAzureOpenAIChatCompletion(
            settings.AzureOpenAI.ChatModelDeployment,
            settings.AzureOpenAI.Endpoint,
            new AzureCliCredential());

        builder.Plugins.AddFromObject(githubPlugin);

        Kernel kernel = builder.Build();

        Console.WriteLine("Defining agent...");
        ChatCompletionAgent agent =
            new()
            {
                Name = "SampleAssistantAgent",
                Instructions =
                        """
                        You are an agent designed to query and retrieve information from a single GitHub repository in a read-only manner.
                        You are also able to access the profile of the active user.

                        Use the current date and time to provide up-to-date details or time-sensitive responses.

                        The repository you are querying is a public repository with the following name: {{$repository}}

                        The current date and time is: {{$now}}. 
                        """,
                Kernel = kernel,
                Arguments =
                    new KernelArguments(new AzureOpenAIPromptExecutionSettings() { FunctionChoiceBehavior = FunctionChoiceBehavior.Auto() })
                    {
                        { "repository", "microsoft/semantic-kernel" }
                    }
            };

        Console.WriteLine("Ready!");

        ChatHistory history = [];
        bool isComplete = false;
        do
        {
            Console.WriteLine();
            Console.Write("> ");
            string input = Console.ReadLine();
            if (string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(input))
            {
                continue;
            }
            if (input.Trim().Equals("EXIT", StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase))
            {
                isComplete = true;
                break;
            }

            history.Add(new ChatMessageContent(AuthorRole.User, input));

            Console.WriteLine();

            DateTime now = DateTime.Now;
            KernelArguments arguments =
                new()
                {
                    { "now", $"{now.ToShortDateString()} {now.ToShortTimeString()}" }
                };
            await foreach (ChatMessageContent response in agent.InvokeAsync(history, arguments))
            {
                // Display response.
                Console.WriteLine($"{response.Content}");
            }

        } while (!isComplete);
    }
}

import asyncio
import os
import sys
from datetime import datetime

from semantic_kernel.agents import ChatCompletionAgent
from semantic_kernel.connectors.ai.function_choice_behavior import FunctionChoiceBehavior
from semantic_kernel.connectors.ai.open_ai import AzureChatCompletion
from semantic_kernel.contents.chat_history import ChatHistory
from semantic_kernel.contents.chat_message_content import ChatMessageContent
from semantic_kernel.contents.utils.author_role import AuthorRole
from semantic_kernel.kernel import Kernel

# Adjust the sys.path so we can use the GitHubPlugin and GitHubSettings classes
# This is so we can run the code from the samples/learn_resources/agent_docs directory
# If you are running code from your own project, you may not need need to do this.
sys.path.append(os.path.abspath(os.path.join(os.path.dirname(__file__), "..")))

from plugins.GithubPlugin.github import GitHubPlugin, GitHubSettings  # noqa: E402

###################################################################
# The following sample demonstrates how to create a simple,       #
# ChatCompletionAgent to use a GitHub plugin to interact          #
# with the GitHub API.                                            #
###################################################################


async def main():
    kernel = Kernel()

    # Add the AzureChatCompletion AI Service to the Kernel
    service_id = "agent"
    kernel.add_service(AzureChatCompletion(service_id=service_id))

    settings = kernel.get_prompt_execution_settings_from_service_id(service_id=service_id)
    # Configure the function choice behavior to auto invoke kernel functions
    settings.function_choice_behavior = FunctionChoiceBehavior.Auto()

    # Set your GitHub Personal Access Token (PAT) value here
    gh_settings = GitHubSettings(token="<PAT value>")
    kernel.add_plugin(plugin=GitHubPlugin(gh_settings), plugin_name="GithubPlugin")

    current_time = datetime.now().isoformat()

    # Create the agent
    agent = ChatCompletionAgent(
        service_id="agent",
        kernel=kernel,
        name="SampleAssistantAgent",
        instructions=f"""
            You are an agent designed to query and retrieve information from a single GitHub repository in a read-only 
            manner.
            You are also able to access the profile of the active user.

            Use the current date and time to provide up-to-date details or time-sensitive responses.

            The repository you are querying is a public repository with the following name: microsoft/semantic-kernel

            The current date and time is: {current_time}. 
            """,
        execution_settings=settings,
    )

    history = ChatHistory()
    is_complete: bool = False
    while not is_complete:
        user_input = input("User:> ")
        if not user_input:
            continue

        if user_input.lower() == "exit":
            is_complete = True
            break

        history.add_message(ChatMessageContent(role=AuthorRole.USER, content=user_input))

        async for response in agent.invoke(history=history):
            print(f"{response.content}")


if __name__ == "__main__":
    asyncio.run(main())

Agents are currently unavailable in Java.

How-To: Open AI Assistant Agent Code Interpreter