How to Create a Copilot Agent That References a Microsoft List?

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Posted on by DR-27101332-0 Microsoft Employee

I'd like to create an agent that references a Microsoft List, but am running into a dead end because the List is not public. The list is used by a small team and access is limited. How can I overcome this Copilot limitation?

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trice602 16,053 Super User 2026 Season 1 on at

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Hi,

Here are three possible ways to resolve this.

Enable Authentication with Azure Active Directory (AAD): Ensure that the Copilot environment can authenticate users with Azure Active Directory. This way, only authorized users can access the Copilot and view data from the Microsoft List. You’ll need to configure AAD permissions to allow Copilot to access the List data on behalf of authenticated users.

Embed as a Custom Connector in Power Platform: Use Power Automate or Power Apps with custom connectors to interact with the Microsoft List securely. You can create a flow that retrieves data from the list based on the user’s identity, ensuring data access is restricted to the appropriate team members.

Consider Data Export Alternatives: If direct access isn’t feasible, another option is to set up a flow that periodically exports data from the Microsoft List to a secure, temporary storage location accessible to the Copilot agent. This approach keeps the List private while allowing Copilot to work with the data it needs.

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TuongDoan 573 Moderator on at

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1. If the list is not available to the public, you should keep it that way.
2. Copilot Agent doesn't support SharePoint Lists as a knowledge source; it only allows SharePoint Sites as a source.
3. Copilot Agent will return data accessible to the requesting user. If the requesting user has access to the list in the site you provided to Copilot, it will return answers based on data in that list.

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Vinoth Selvam 1,592 Super User 2025 Season 1 on at

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Hi DR-27101332-0,

As mentioned below by trice, i would suggest the below workarounds,

Use Power Automate or Power Apps with custom connectors to interact with the Microsoft List securely. You can create a flow that retrieves data from the list based on the user’s identity, ensuring data access is restricted to the appropriate team members.

If direct access isn’t feasible, another option is to set up a flow that periodically exports data from the Microsoft List to a secure, temporary storage location accessible to the Copilot agent. This approach keeps the List private while allowing Copilot to work with the data it needs.

Thanks.

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SaiRT14 1,990 Super User 2025 Season 1 on at

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check below steps:

Try App Registration in Azure AD if possible.

Use Power Automate as a bridge to relay list data securely.

Store data in Dataverse if you want Copilot to access without permissions on the original list.

Leverage SharePoint REST API if custom code fits your needs.

More details:

Ensure the app registration has the necessary permissions to read the list in SharePoint, specifically the Sites.Read.All and Lists.Read.All permissions.

use Power Automate to act as an intermediary between the Microsoft List and your Copilot bot

Steps in Power Automate:

Trigger the Flow: Set the flow to trigger on demand (e.g., through a HTTP request).

Fetch Data: Use the Get Items action in Power Automate to retrieve items from the Microsoft List.

Send Data to Copilot: Structure the retrieved data as JSON and return it to the bot.

let me know if you need help, Thanks.

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