Migrate from AutoGen 0.4 to Microsoft Agent Framework

[Copilot]

AutoGen 0.4 is in maintenance mode. Microsoft Agent Framework is the actively developed successor combining AutoGen's multi-agent orchestration with Semantic Kernel's enterprise features.

Changes

Core Migration

• Dependencies: autogen-agentchat → agent-framework
• Agents: AssistantAgent → ChatAgent with AzureOpenAIChatClient
• Parameters: system_message → instructions, removed model_capabilities dict
• Auth: Added Azure CLI credential support with API key fallback

Group Chat Orchestration

MAF lacks AutoGen's SelectorGroupChat. Implemented custom orchestration:

• Orchestrator agent selects next speaker via LLM call
• Message history maintained across turns
• User interaction handled directly in loop
• Termination on "TERMINATE" from orchestrator

Before (AutoGen):

team = SelectorGroupChat(
    [agent1, agent2, agent3],
    model_client=AzureOpenAIChatCompletionClient(...),
    termination_condition=TextMentionTermination("TERMINATE")
)
stream = team.run_stream(task=prompt)

After (MAF):

chat_client = AzureOpenAIChatClient(
    endpoint=endpoint,
    model=model,
    credential=DefaultAzureCredential()  # or api_key
)
agent = ChatAgent(name="...", chat_client=chat_client, instructions="...")

# Custom orchestration loop
while active:
    selector_result = await orchestrator.run(messages + [selector_prompt])
    next_agent = find_agent(selector_result.text)
    result = await next_agent.run(messages=messages)
    messages.append({"role": "assistant", "name": next_agent.name, "content": result.text})

Files Modified

• journalism_research.py, shopping.py: Full MAF migration with custom orchestration
• requirements.txt: Updated to agent-framework, azure-identity
• README.md: New auth instructions, MAF references
• MIGRATION.md: Technical migration guide with before/after patterns
• test_migration.py: Import and syntax validation

Validation

• ✅ All imports functional
• ✅ CodeQL: 0 alerts
• ✅ No dependency vulnerabilities

Warning

Firewall rules blocked me from connecting to one or more addresses (expand for details)

I tried to connect to the following addresses, but was blocked by firewall rules:

• learn.microsoft.com
  • Triggering command: curl -s REDACTED (dns block)

If you need me to access, download, or install something from one of these locations, you can either:

• Configure Actions setup steps to set up my environment, which run before the firewall is enabled
• Add the appropriate URLs or hosts to the custom allowlist in this repository's Copilot coding agent settings (admins only)

Original prompt

---

This section details on the original issue you should resolve

<issue_title>Rewrite this entire codebase using the Microsoft Agent Framework instead of AutoGen 0.4</issue_title>
<issue_description>Update this code (specifically the journalism_research.py script) of multiple agents collaborating to craft an article for a journalist, to use Microsoft Agent Framework instead of AutoGen 0.4. Please also update the requirements.txt and the README with any requirements for proper installation to run it.

There is a migration guide from AutoGen to Microsoft Agent Framework at https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/agent-framework/migration-guide/from-autogen/. Other Microsoft Agent Framework documentation is at https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/agent-framework/user-guide/overview.
</issue_description>

<agent_instructions>Change the minimal amount of code necessary to complete the request. Only make sweeping changes if they are necessary. Consider performance and security in your solution. </agent_instructions>

Comments on the Issue (you are @copilot in this section)

• Fixes Rewrite this entire codebase using the Microsoft Agent Framework instead of AutoGen 0.4 #7

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