// news
News
The latest news, updates and insights from the .NET ecosystem — written by developers, for developers.
A WinUI Agent Plugin for GitHub Copilot and Claude Code
Microsoft released agent skills for WinUI development — scaffold, build, run, test, iterate, all with GitHub Copilot CLI or Claude Code. The key innovation: purpose-built tools that ground the agent in WinUI-specific facts.
VS Code 1.121: Pin Favorite Models, Terminal Output Compression, Agent SSH
VS Code 1.121 adds model favorites, expanded terminal tool output compression for test runners and build tools, idle-silence timer for background terminals, and keyboard-interactive SSH in agent host.
VS Code 1.120: Password Prompts, Context Size Picker, GitHub Metadata in Agent Host
VS Code 1.120 is a focused release for Copilot users: secure password prompt handling, model context size picker, GitHub PR metadata in agent sessions, and session archive management.
Agent Skills in Visual Studio: Teach Copilot How Your Team Actually Works
Visual Studio now supports Agent Skills — reusable instruction sets that teach Copilot your team's specific workflows, coding standards, and conventions. Define once, apply automatically.
MAESTRO, Defense-in-Depth, and Why SQL Server Is Now a Security Boundary for AI
Agentic AI introduces threats traditional STRIDE models weren't designed for. Here's how Microsoft SQL maps to the MAESTRO framework to provide a governed execution boundary.
NL2SQL Is the SQL Injection of the Agentic Age
Before you let an agent query your database with natural language, read this. NL2SQL looks simple until you think through schema completeness, indeterminism, and what SQL MCP Server actually solves.
Microsoft Foundry April 2026: Foundry Local GA, GPT-5.5, CodeAct with Hyperlight
April's Foundry recap is heavy: Foundry Local hits GA, GPT-5.5 arrives, Agent Framework gets OpenTelemetry tracing, CodeAct runs Python in Hyperlight micro-VMs, and the Agent Monitoring Dashboard lands.
The Handoff Pattern: When One Agent Isn't Enough
Microsoft Agent Framework's Handoff orchestration pattern lets agents decide who handles the next turn — without losing conversation context or breaking topology rules.
Durable Workflows in Microsoft Agent Framework: From In-Memory to Azure Functions
MAF's workflow programming model now supports durable execution backed by Durable Task — here's how to build composable agent workflows that survive process restarts and scale across Azure Functions.
Your Local MAF Agent Just Got a Production Home
Foundry Hosted Agents gives your Microsoft Agent Framework agent identity, scaling, session persistence, and zero-extra-wiring observability. Here's what that looks like in practice.
Building Agents Is the Easy Part — Running Them Safely Is the Hard Part
Microsoft Agent Framework and Agent Governance Toolkit pair up to enforce runtime policy, govern tool calls, and provide Merkle-chained audit logs — without touching your agent prompts.
Foundry Local 1.1: Real-Time Transcription, Embeddings, and the Responses API
Foundry Local 1.1 adds live microphone transcription, text embeddings, and Responses API support — all running locally with no cloud dependency, no network latency, no per-token cost.
dotnet new WinUI: Create Windows Apps Without Touching Visual Studio
WinUI project templates now work from dotnet new — blank apps, NavigationView patterns, and more. VS Code support, no Visual Studio required, with Fluent Design defaults baked in.
.NET 11 Finally Fixes the Process API
System.Diagnostics.Process gets its biggest update in years. RunAndCaptureTextAsync, KillOnParentExit, SafeProcessHandle APIs, and full control over standard handle redirection — no more deadlock boilerplate.
.NET 11 Preview 4: MCP Server Template, Runtime-Async Libraries, Process API
.NET 11 Preview 4 is out. Here are the highlights that caught my eye: the MCP Server template shipping in the SDK, runtime libraries compiled with runtime-async, dotnet watch for mobile, and a major Process API expansion.
Cosmos DB Shell Is in Public Preview — And It Has an MCP Server Built In
Azure Cosmos DB Shell is a new open-source CLI that exposes database commands as MCP tools. Your AI agents can navigate containers, run queries, and manage data using the same interface you use.
How Copilot Studio Migrated to .NET 10 WebAssembly and Got 20% Faster
.NET 10 WASM improvements aren't just for new projects. Here's what Copilot Studio measured after upgrading from .NET 8: automatic fingerprinting, WasmStripILAfterAOT by default, and real execution performance numbers.
Azure SQL Can Generate Embeddings Now — In Pure T-SQL, No App Layer Needed
AI_GENERATE_EMBEDDINGS and CREATE EXTERNAL MODEL are now GA in Azure SQL Database and Managed Instance. RAG pipelines built entirely in T-SQL, no data movement required.
Stop Hammering a Struggling Dependency: Retry Patterns for Azure Functions + Service Bus
Exponential backoff and circuit breaker patterns are now natively supported for Service Bus-triggered Azure Functions — here's how they work and why you want both.
Your AI Agent Has an Identity Problem (And Here's the Template That Solves It)
A new azd template from Curity and Microsoft shows how to build AI agents that use short-lived OAuth tokens with fine-grained scopes — so agents can never see data they shouldn't.
Private Endpoints, VNets, NSGs — Aspire Handles the Networking Now
Aspire's new Azure enterprise networking support lets you model VNets, private endpoints, NAT gateways, NSGs, and Network Security Perimeters directly in your AppHost — no infrastructure drift required.
Aspire 13.3: Kubernetes Support, Browser Logs, and the Aspireify Skill
Five weeks after 13.2, Aspire 13.3 lands with 45 new features including first-class AKS deployment, an AI-assisted onboarding skill, browser log capture, and structured command results.
VS Code 1.119: OpenTelemetry for Agent Sessions, Browser Integration, and Security
VS Code 1.119 (May 2026) adds OpenTelemetry tracing for agent sessions, browser tab sharing for agents, trust & security improvements, and a 1.119.1 security patch.
Visual Studio 2026 April Update: Cloud Agent, Custom Agents, and Debugger Agent
Visual Studio 2026 (18.5) April update brings cloud agent integration, user-level custom agents, C++ code tools GA, and a Debugger Agent that validates fixes against live runtime behavior.
SDK-Style Support for Extension Projects in Visual Studio
Visual Studio 18.5 brings officially supported SDK-style project format to VSSDK-based extensions, cutting build times by up to 75% and reducing project files to ~20 lines.
LangChain + Azure Cosmos DB for Agentic Apps and RAG
langchain-azure-cosmosdb is a new Python package that consolidates vector search, chat history, agent state checkpointing, semantic caching, and long-term memory into a single Azure Cosmos DB for NoSQL backend.
Governing MCP Tool Calls in .NET with the Agent Governance Toolkit
The Agent Governance Toolkit is a .NET 8+ package for scanning MCP tool definitions for threats, enforcing YAML-based policy, and sanitizing tool output — covering OWASP MCP Top 10.
Fixing All-or-Nothing Batch Processing in Azure Service Bus
Azure Functions now supports per-message settlement for Service Bus triggers, letting you complete, abandon, dead-letter, or defer each message independently in a batch.
Azure Data Studio Is Retired: Move Your Azure SQL Workflow to VS Code
Azure Data Studio retired February 6 2025, with support ending February 28 2026. Here is the complete migration path to VS Code with the MSSQL extension.
Azure Developer CLI (azd) April 2026 Updates
azd shipped five releases in April 2026, headlined by multi-language hook support for Python, JavaScript, TypeScript, and .NET — plus azd update public preview, AI quota preflight checks, and more.
Combining API Versioning with OpenAPI in .NET 10
Asp.Versioning v10 is the first release to officially support both .NET 10 and Microsoft.AspNetCore.OpenApi, generating separate OpenAPI documents per API version out of the box.
Building an AI-Powered Conference App with .NET's Composable Stack
Microsoft built ConferencePulse — a live conference Blazor app — by composing Microsoft.Extensions.AI, DataIngestion, VectorData, MCP, and Agent Framework together. Here's how the pieces fit.
Microsoft Agent Framework Part 3: From Tools to Workflows — The Building Blocks Click Into Place
Part 3 of the .NET AI building blocks series covers the Microsoft Agent Framework — from single agents with tools to multi-agent workflows with memory. Here's what actually matters.
Removing the Monkey Work of Migration with Agentic Platform Engineering
Git-Ape walks through migrating a real AWS Terraform deployment to Azure Bicep — extracting deployment intent and remapping architecture rather than doing a 1:1 syntax conversion.
SQL MCP Server on Azure App Service — No Containers Required
The SQL MCP Server can now run on Azure App Service without Docker or Kubernetes. Here's what that means for .NET developers building AI agents that talk to SQL databases.
WinApp VS Code Extension: Run, Debug, and Package Windows Apps Without Leaving the Editor
The WinApp VS Code extension brings the full Windows App Development CLI into VS Code — run, debug with package identity, package, and sign Windows apps (WPF, WinUI, .NET, C++) without touching Visual Studio.
A2A v1 Is Here: Cross-Platform Agent Communication in Microsoft Agent Framework for .NET
The A2A Protocol v1.0 has shipped and the Microsoft Agent Framework .NET packages are updated to match — stable interoperability for connecting and exposing AI agents across providers.
Azure DevOps MCP Server April Update: WIQL Queries, PAT Auth, and Experimental MCP Apps
The Azure DevOps MCP Server gets WIQL-powered work item queries, Personal Access Token authentication, MCP annotations, and an experimental MCP Apps feature that packages common workflows into reusable tools.
SQL Server 2025 as Your Agent-Ready Database: Security, Backup, and MCP in One Engine
The final part of the Polyglot Tax series tackles the hard production problems: unified Row-Level Security across relational, JSON, graph, and vector data — plus cryptographic audit trails and MCP integration that make SQL Server 2025 genuinely agent-ready.
.NET 10 Ships with Ubuntu 26.04 LTS — Here's What's New
Ubuntu 26.04 LTS (Resolute Raccoon) launched today with .NET 10 as a first-class supported toolchain. Native AOT, chiseled containers, Linux 7.0 — here's what you need to know.
Azure MCP Server Is Now a .mcpb — Install It Without Any Runtime
The Azure MCP Server is now available as an MCP Bundle (.mcpb) — download it, drag it into Claude Desktop, and you're done. No Node.js, Python, or .NET runtime required.
Azure SDK April 2026: AI Foundry 2.0 and What .NET Developers Should Know
The April 2026 Azure SDK release ships Azure.AI.Projects 2.0.0 stable with significant breaking changes, critical Cosmos DB security fixes, and a wave of new Provisioning libraries for .NET.
CodeAct in Agent Framework: How to Cut Your Agent's Latency in Half
CodeAct collapses multi-step tool chains into a single sandboxed code block — cutting latency by 52% and token usage by 64%. Here's what it means for your agents and when to reach for it.
GPT-5.5 Is Here and It's Coming to Azure Foundry — What .NET Developers Need to Know
GPT-5.5 is generally available in Microsoft Foundry. Here's the progression from GPT-5 to 5.5, what's actually improved, and how to start using it in your agents today.
VS Code 1.118: Copilot CLI Gets Session Names, Model Badges, and TypeScript 7.0 Nightly Opt-In
Visual Studio Code 1.118 is a focused release centered on Copilot CLI improvements — session naming, model badges, auto model selection, and a new option to opt into TypeScript 7.0 nightlies.
Where Does Your Agent Remember Things? A Practical Guide to Chat History Storage
Service-managed or client-managed? Linear or forking? The architectural decision that shapes what your AI agent can actually do — with code examples in C# and Python.
Aspire 13.2 Gets Bun, Better Containers, and Less Debugging Friction
Aspire 13.2 adds first-class Bun support for Vite apps, fixes Yarn reliability, and ships container improvements that make local dev behavior honest. Here's what actually changed and why it matters.
68 Minutes a Day Re-Explaining Code to Copilot? There's a Fix for That
Context rot is real — your AI agent drifts after 30 turns, and you're paying the compaction tax every hour. auto-memory gives GitHub Copilot CLI surgical recall without burning thousands of tokens.
azd Hooks in Python, TypeScript, and .NET: Stop Fighting Shell Scripts
The Azure Developer CLI now lets you write hooks in Python, JavaScript, TypeScript, or .NET. No more context-switching to Bash just to run a migration script.
Foundry Toolboxes: One Endpoint for All Your Agent Tools
Microsoft Foundry just launched Toolboxes in public preview — a way to curate, manage, and expose AI agent tools through a single MCP-compatible endpoint without re-wiring everything per agent.
Windows App Dev CLI v0.3: F5 from the Terminal and UI Automation for Agents
Windows App Development CLI v0.3 ships winapp run for terminal-based debug launches, winapp ui for UI automation, and a new NuGet package that makes dotnet run work with packaged apps.
Patch This Now: .NET 10.0.7 OOB Security Update for ASP.NET Core Data Protection
.NET 10.0.7 is an out-of-band release fixing a security vulnerability in Microsoft.AspNetCore.DataProtection — the managed authenticated encryptor was computing HMAC over the wrong bytes, leading to potential elevation of privilege. Update immediately.
azd + GitHub Copilot: AI-Powered Project Setup and Smarter Error Fixes
The Azure Developer CLI now integrates with GitHub Copilot to scaffold your project and fix deployment errors — all without leaving the terminal.
Writing Node.js Native Addons in C# with .NET Native AOT
The C# Dev Kit team replaced C++ Node.js addons with .NET Native AOT — and the result is cleaner, safer, and only needs the .NET SDK.
VS Code 1.117: Agents Are Getting Their Own Git Branches and I'm Here For It
VS Code 1.117 ships worktree isolation for agent sessions, persistent Autopilot mode, and subagent support. The agentic coding workflow just got way more real.
Foundry's RFT Just Got Cheaper and Smarter — Here's What Changed
Microsoft Foundry shipped three RFT updates this month: global training for o4-mini, new GPT-4.1 model graders, and a best practices guide that'll save you hours of debugging.
Your AI Experiments on Azure Are Burning Money — Here's How to Fix That
AI workloads on Azure can get expensive fast. Let's talk about what actually works for keeping costs under control without slowing down your development.
Docker Sandbox Lets Copilot Agents Refactor Your Code Without Risking Your Machine
Docker Sandbox gives GitHub Copilot agents a secure microVM to run wild with refactoring — no permission prompts, no risk to your host. Here's why that changes everything for large-scale .NET modernization.
Stop Babysitting Your Terminal: Aspire's Detached Mode Changes the Workflow
Aspire 13.2 lets you run your AppHost in the background and take your terminal back. Combined with new CLI commands and agent support, this is a bigger deal than it sounds.
Azure MCP Tools Are Now Baked Into Visual Studio 2022 — No Extension Required
Azure MCP tools ship as part of the Azure development workload in Visual Studio 2022. Over 230 tools, 45 Azure services, zero extensions to install.
Pin Clustering Finally Lands in .NET MAUI Maps — One Property, Zero Pain
.NET MAUI 11 Preview 3 adds native pin clustering to the Map control. One property, separate clustering groups, and tap handling — all built in.
.NET April 2026 Servicing — Security Patches You Should Apply Today
The April 2026 servicing release patches 6 CVEs across .NET 10, .NET 9, .NET 8, and .NET Framework — including two remote code execution vulnerabilities.
Aspire 13.2 Gets MongoDB EF Core and Azure Data Lake — Two Integrations Worth Trying
Aspire 13.2 adds MongoDB Entity Framework Core and Azure Data Lake Storage integrations with zero-config health checks and service discovery. Here's what they look like in practice.
azd update — One Command to Rule All Your Package Managers
The Azure Developer CLI now has a universal update command that works regardless of how you installed it — winget, Homebrew, Chocolatey, or install script.
Azure DevOps Server April 2026 Patch — PR Completion Fix and Security Updates
Azure DevOps Server gets Patch 3 with a fix for PR completion failures, improved sign-out validation, and restored GitHub Enterprise Server PAT connections.
Azure Smart Tier Is GA — Automatic Blob Storage Cost Optimization Without Lifecycle Rules
Azure Blob Storage smart tier is now generally available, automatically moving objects between hot, cool, and cold tiers based on actual access patterns — no lifecycle rules needed.
Where Should You Host Your AI Agents on Azure? A Practical Decision Guide
Azure offers six ways to host AI agents — from raw containers to fully managed Foundry Hosted Agents. Here's how to pick the right one for your .NET workload.
Agent Skills in .NET Just Got Seriously Flexible
The Microsoft Agent Framework now supports three ways to author skills — files, classes, and inline code — all composed through a single provider. Here's why that matters and how to use each one.
Azure MCP Server 2.0 Just Dropped — Self-Hosted Agentic Cloud Automation Is Here
Azure MCP Server 2.0 goes stable with self-hosted remote deployments, 276 tools across 57 Azure services, and enterprise-grade security — here's what matters for .NET developers building agentic workflows.
.NET Aspire 13.2 Wants to Be Your AI Agent's Best Friend
Aspire 13.2 goes all-in on agentic development — structured CLI output, isolated runs, auto-healing environments, and full OpenTelemetry data so your AI agents can actually build, run, and observe your apps.
Agentic Platform Engineering Is Getting Real — Git-APE Shows How
Microsoft's Git-APE project puts agentic platform engineering into practice — using GitHub Copilot agents and Azure MCP to turn natural-language requests into validated cloud infrastructure.
Aspire's Isolated Mode Fixes the Port Conflict Nightmare for Parallel Development
Aspire 13.2 introduces --isolated mode: random ports, separate secrets, and zero collisions when running multiple instances of the same AppHost. Perfect for AI agents, worktrees, and parallel workflows.
Building Real-Time Multi-Agent UIs That Don't Feel Like a Black Box
AG-UI and Microsoft Agent Framework team up to give multi-agent workflows a proper frontend — with real-time streaming, human approvals, and full visibility into what your agents are doing.
Connect Your MCP Servers on Azure Functions to Foundry Agents — Here's How
Build your MCP server once, deploy it to Azure Functions, and connect it to Microsoft Foundry agents with proper auth. Your tools work everywhere — VS Code, Cursor, and now enterprise AI agents.
GitHub Copilot's Modernization Assessment Is the Best Migration Tool You're Not Using Yet
GitHub Copilot's modernization extension doesn't just suggest code changes — it produces a full migration assessment with actionable issues, Azure target comparisons, and a collaborative workflow. Here's why the assessment document is the key to everything.
MCP Apps Get a Fluent API — Build Rich AI Tool UIs in .NET with Three Steps
The new fluent configuration API for MCP Apps on Azure Functions lets you turn any .NET MCP tool into a full app with views, permissions, and CSP policies in just a few lines of code.
Microsoft Foundry March 2026 — GPT-5.4, Agent Service GA, and the SDK Refresh That Changes Everything
Microsoft Foundry's March 2026 update is massive: Agent Service hits GA, GPT-5.4 brings reliable reasoning, the azure-ai-projects SDK goes stable across all languages, and Fireworks AI brings open models to Azure.
SQL MCP Server — The Right Way to Give AI Agents Database Access
SQL MCP Server from Data API builder gives AI agents secure, deterministic database access without exposing schemas or relying on NL2SQL. RBAC, caching, multi-database support — all built in.
That Visual Studio Floating Windows Setting You Didn't Know About (But Should)
A hidden Visual Studio setting gives you full control over floating windows — independent taskbar entries, proper multi-monitor behavior, and perfect FancyZones integration. One dropdown changes everything.
VS Code 1.116 — Agents App Gets Keyboard Navigation and File Context Completions
VS Code 1.116 focuses on Agents app polish — dedicated keybindings, accessibility improvements, file-context completions, and CSS @import link resolution.
VS Code 1.115 — Background Terminal Notifications, SSH Agent Mode, and More
VS Code 1.115 brings background terminal notifications for agents, SSH remote agent hosting, file paste in terminals, and session-aware edit tracking. Here's what matters for .NET developers.
C# 15 Gets Union Types — and They're Exactly What We've Been Asking For
C# 15 introduces the union keyword — compiler-enforced discriminated unions with exhaustive pattern matching. Here's what they look like, why they matter, and how to try them today.
Aspire 13.2 Ships a Docs CLI — and Your AI Agent Can Use It Too
.NET Aspire 13.2 adds aspire docs — a CLI for searching, browsing, and reading official documentation without leaving your terminal. It also works as a tool for AI agents. Here's why this matters.
Microsoft Agent Framework Hits 1.0 — Here's What Actually Matters for .NET Developers
Microsoft Agent Framework 1.0 is production-ready with stable APIs, multi-agent orchestration, and connectors for every major AI provider. Here's what you need to know as a .NET developer.
Aspire 13.2's Dashboard Just Got a Telemetry API — and It Changes Everything
.NET Aspire 13.2 ships smarter telemetry export, a programmable API for traces and logs, and GenAI visualization improvements. Here's why this matters for your debugging workflow.
azd Now Lets You Run and Debug AI Agents Locally — Here's What Changed in March 2026
The Azure Developer CLI shipped seven releases in March 2026. The highlights: a local run-and-debug loop for AI agents, GitHub Copilot integration in project setup, and Container App Jobs support.
Azure DevOps Finally Fixes the Markdown Editor UX Everyone Complained About
The Azure DevOps Markdown editor for work items gets a clearer preview-vs-edit mode distinction. It's a small change that fixes a genuinely annoying workflow issue.
Bookmark Studio Brings Slot-Based Navigation and Sharing to Visual Studio Bookmarks
Mads Kristensen's new Bookmark Studio extension adds keyboard-driven slot navigation, a bookmark manager, colors, labels, and export/share capabilities to Visual Studio bookmarks.
Visual Studio's March Update Lets You Build Custom Copilot Agents — and the find_symbol Tool Is a Big Deal
Visual Studio's March 2026 update ships custom Copilot agents, reusable agent skills, a language-aware find_symbol tool, and Copilot-powered profiling from Test Explorer. Here's what matters.
KubeCon Europe 2026: What .NET Developers Should Actually Care About
Microsoft dropped a wall of Kubernetes announcements at KubeCon Europe 2026. Here's the filtered version — only the AKS and cloud-native updates that matter if you're shipping .NET apps.
SQL MCP Server, Copilot in SSMS, and a Database Hub with AI Agents: What Actually Matters from SQLCon 2026
Microsoft dropped a stack of database announcements at SQLCon 2026. Here's the stuff that actually matters if you're building AI-powered apps on Azure SQL.
Azure DevOps MCP Server Lands in Microsoft Foundry: What This Means for Your AI Agents
The Azure DevOps MCP Server is now available in Microsoft Foundry. Connect your AI agents directly to DevOps workflows — work items, repos, pipelines — with a few clicks.
Background Responses in Microsoft Agent Framework: No More Timeout Anxiety
Microsoft Agent Framework now lets you offload long-running AI tasks with continuation tokens. Here's how background responses work and why they matter for your .NET agents.
Foundry Agent Service is GA: What Actually Matters for .NET Agent Builders
Microsoft's Foundry Agent Service just hit GA with private networking, Voice Live, production evaluations, and an open multi-model runtime. Here's what you need to know.
From Laptop to Production: Deploying AI Agents to Microsoft Foundry with Two Commands
The Azure Developer CLI now has 'azd ai agent' commands that take your AI agent from local dev to a live Foundry endpoint in minutes. Here's the full workflow.
VS Code 1.112: What .NET Developers Should Actually Care About
VS Code 1.112 just dropped and it's packed with agent upgrades, an integrated browser debugger, MCP sandboxing, and monorepo support. Here's what actually matters if you're building with .NET.