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Power Platform Community / Forums / Copilot Studio / Copilot Studio Agent d...
Copilot Studio
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Copilot Studio Agent does not use SharePoint knowledge (always fallback)

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Posted on by 6

Description:

I created an agent in Copilot Studio and added SharePoint files as a knowledge source. Although the access seems to occur (visible in Activity), the agent does not use the content.

 

Setup & Context:

  • Copilot Studio, Sandbox environment (all settings left at default)

  • Created a workforce and added me as the admin of it to this environment

  • Environment has access to Dataverse, Copilot functionalities are enabled

  • Agent embedded in a Solution

  • Tested in Studio test panel

  • Publishing to Teams or Copilot → error: “Agent does not exist”

  • Generative Answers enabled, Maximum Moderation.

  • SharePoint explicitly added as knowledge source

  • Roles: Admin in both SharePoint and the environment

  • No special DLP/policy settings configured

  • Files: 3 total (Word + PDF, ~1 MB combined, OCR-processed, with clear headings)

 

Problem flow:


  1. Added individual SharePoint files as knowledge sources

  2. Waited one day (in case of delayed indexing)

  3. Started the agent and asked simple, very specific questions

  4. Activity shows each file being checked in sequence

  5. Result: always fallback text, no debug information shown


  6.  

Already tried:


  • Asked both general and very specific questions → always fallback

  • Verified files: accessible, text-based, properly structured

  • No policies or permission restrictions found

  • Also tried site link vs. individual file links

  • Website URL works fine


  •  

Own ideas / possible causes:


  • Could this behavior be related to the Sandbox environment? Are there limitations for SharePoint as a knowledge source?

  • The publishing error (“Agent does not exist”) might share the same root cause (environment or solution misconfiguration).

  • Potential knowledge indexing issue: Activity shows file access, but contents are not integrated into the response process.

  • Could there be limitations when adding individual files instead of a library as the knowledge source?


  •  

Question:

  • Why does the agent not use SharePoint contents, even though Activity shows access?

  • Is the publishing error (“Agent does not exist”) related to the same issue?

  • Are there known restrictions for SharePoint files in sandbox environments or when adding files individually?


I hope you can assist me with this. I've spent hours trying to solve it and haven't found any documentation or solution yet.
 
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I have the same question (1)
  • chiaraalina Profile Picture
    1,183 on at

    Hi

    Thanks for the detailed information.

    A few quick follow-up questions and suggestions that might help narrow things down:

     

    Let me know if it helped!

  • chrisbeckmann Profile Picture
    6 on at
    Hey @chiaraalina,

    thanks for your quick reply, here are my notes on your questions:
     
    1. Did you use an entire SharePoint library as a knowledge source?
    A: I utilize a SharePoint Team for the entire organization, where the complete file structure is mapped out in Documents. Within a sub-folder, I created a knowledge base for a specific agent and explored two options while adding the knowledge to the agent: explicitly selecting and naming the files, and selecting the entire knowledge folder.
     
    2. What are the file sizes you're using? If your tenant has Microsoft 365 Copilot licenses, the file size limit is 200 MB. Without that license, the limit drops to 7 MB.
    A: The file size is about 1MB. I have a Microsoft 365 Copilot License.
     
    3. Have you tested with a different SharePoint library just to rule out file-specific or indexing issues?
    A: Yes, the issue spans across different agents with various knowledge sources and folders.

    4. Did you verify that your files are in a supported format? Supported types are listed here:https://learn.microsoft.com/en-
    us/microsoft-copilot-studio/nlu-boost-node#supported-content
    A: Sure, the file format is .docx and .pdf. In some .docx is Markdown-Text, because it isn't available yet, unfortunately. 
     
    5. Also worth reviewing the known SharePoint limitations in Copilot Studio:
    A: Thanks for this resource! I checked every point, but none are relevant to my case.
     
    What I have also tested now: I exported the solution and imported it into the default environment. The problem exists here as well, but for some reason, it also shows me the correct debug information in this environment, as seen in the second screenshot.
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