Copilot Studio agent does not show progress while processing the response

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Posted on by YM-27122000-0

In both the Teams channel or 365 channel, the Copilot Studio agents stop showing the progress indicator while processing the responses. Users think it does not work, does not respond. Please fix this, show the progress indicator until the response is displayed

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11manish 3,333 on at

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This behavior should be raised through Microsoft feedback channels or a support ticket, as maintaining the progress indicator throughout processing would significantly improve the usability and perceived reliability of Copilot Studio agents in both Teams and Microsoft 365 channels, especially for enterprise and production deployments.

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Vish WR 3,748 on at

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@YM-27122000-0

This could be known Teams behaviour rather than a Copilot Studio bug. The typing indicator in Teams only shows for a few seconds and then disappears automatically regardless of whether the agent is still processing. Teams does not keep it visible for the full duration of a response.

There is a workaround. Copilot Studio has a built-in activity node that lets you send a typing event from within your topic. You can add a "Send a typing activity" node at key points in your topic flow (especially before any long-running actions or generative AI calls) to re-trigger the indicator periodically. This keeps users informed that something is happening.

To add it, go into your topic in the authoring canvas, add a node, choose "Send an event or activity", and set the type to Typing.

For longer operations, adding this before each major step (like a connector call or knowledge search) makes a noticeable difference to the user experience.

Reference: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-copilot-studio/authoring-send-event-activities

This could be a valid product feedback item.

Vishnu WR

LinkedIn - My Tech Space

Please ✅ Does this answer your question if my post helped you solve your issue. This will help others find it more readily. It also closes the item. If the content was useful in other ways, please consider answering Yes to Was this reply helpful? or give it a Like ♥

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Valantis 6,735 on at

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Hi @YM-27122000-0,

this is Teams behaviour, not a Copilot Studio bug. Teams shows the typing dots for a few seconds then drops them automatically, it doesn't keep them up for the whole processing time on its own.

Fix: add a "Send an event or activity" node set to Typing before any long step in your topic (knowledge search, connector call, generative answer), so it keeps re-triggering the indicator.

One important detail Microsoft's own guidance flags: don't send typing more often than once every 3 seconds, sending it too frequently can actually stop it from rendering at all. So space these out, one before each major step is enough, not a tight loop.

Docs: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-copilot-studio/authoring-send-event-activities

Best regards,

Valantis

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Haque 3,653 on at

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Hi @YM-27122000-0,

Could you please verify agent and channel configuration streaming responses? Some channel integrations or versions may not fully support streaming, causing the indicator to disappear prematurely.

Usually, long-running or complex responses may cause the UI to stop showing progress if the agent does not send intermediate updates. We can optimize agent flows to send periodic status updates or partial responses if possible to see how it behaves.

Note: If native progress indicators are unreliable, we can consider adding explicit “typing...” or “processing...” messages in the agent’s conversational flow to reassure users as a fallback or custom progress indicator.

I am sure some clues I tried to give. If these clues help to resolve the issue brought you by here, please don't forget to check the box Does this answer your question? At the same time, I am pretty sure you have liked the response!

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RaghavMishra 261 on at

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Hi @YM-27122000-0,

Why the indicator disappears

The progress/typing indicator is sent as a typing activity, and each channel (Teams, Microsoft 365) decides how long to display it. It isn't held for the full duration of a long-running response, which is why it can appear to stop while the agent is still working.

Workaround in Copilot Studio

You can re-trigger the indicator from within your topic using an activity node:

In the authoring canvas, add a node and choose Send an event or activity.

Use the Invoke activity node and set the activity Type to Typing. As Microsoft documents it, this "sends a typing activity, which the channel can choose to pick up and show a typing indicator on the client."

Place this node before each long-running step (generative answers, connector/HTTP calls, or knowledge searches) so the indicator is refreshed periodically during processing.

Because channels control display behavior, this is the supported way to keep users informed rather than a setting that forces the indicator to stay on continuously.

Reference

Send an event or activity - Microsoft Copilot Studio

Found this helpful? Please mark ✅ "Does this answer your question?" so others searching for the same issue can find it quickly. A 👍 on "Was this reply helpful?" or a ♥ Like is also much appreciated!

Raghav Mishra - LinkedIn | PowerAI Labs

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Valantis 6,735 on at

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Hi @YM-27122000-0,

Just wanted to check in and see if everything is working now. If you still need any help, feel free to let me know.

Also, if the issue is resolved, it would be great if you could mark the answer as solved so others with the same question can find it easily.

Thanks and have a great day!

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