diff --git a/docs/README.instructions.md b/docs/README.instructions.md
index 6e81d23eab..0583836bd1 100644
--- a/docs/README.instructions.md
+++ b/docs/README.instructions.md
@@ -137,6 +137,7 @@ See [CONTRIBUTING.md](../CONTRIBUTING.md#adding-instructions) for guidelines on
| [MCP-based M365 Copilot Development Guidelines](../instructions/mcp-m365-copilot.instructions.md)
[](https://aka.ms/awesome-copilot/install/instructions?url=vscode%3Achat-instructions%2Finstall%3Furl%3Dhttps%3A%2F%2Fraw.githubusercontent.com%2Fgithub%2Fawesome-copilot%2Fmain%2Finstructions%2Fmcp-m365-copilot.instructions.md)
[](https://aka.ms/awesome-copilot/install/instructions?url=vscode-insiders%3Achat-instructions%2Finstall%3Furl%3Dhttps%3A%2F%2Fraw.githubusercontent.com%2Fgithub%2Fawesome-copilot%2Fmain%2Finstructions%2Fmcp-m365-copilot.instructions.md) | Best practices for building MCP-based declarative agents and API plugins for Microsoft 365 Copilot with Model Context Protocol integration |
| [Memory Bank](../instructions/memory-bank.instructions.md)
[](https://aka.ms/awesome-copilot/install/instructions?url=vscode%3Achat-instructions%2Finstall%3Furl%3Dhttps%3A%2F%2Fraw.githubusercontent.com%2Fgithub%2Fawesome-copilot%2Fmain%2Finstructions%2Fmemory-bank.instructions.md)
[](https://aka.ms/awesome-copilot/install/instructions?url=vscode-insiders%3Achat-instructions%2Finstall%3Furl%3Dhttps%3A%2F%2Fraw.githubusercontent.com%2Fgithub%2Fawesome-copilot%2Fmain%2Finstructions%2Fmemory-bank.instructions.md) | Memory Bank pattern: persistent project documentation under a memory-bank/ folder so the AI can resume context across sessions. |
| [Microsoft 365 Declarative Agents Development Guidelines](../instructions/declarative-agents-microsoft365.instructions.md)
[](https://aka.ms/awesome-copilot/install/instructions?url=vscode%3Achat-instructions%2Finstall%3Furl%3Dhttps%3A%2F%2Fraw.githubusercontent.com%2Fgithub%2Fawesome-copilot%2Fmain%2Finstructions%2Fdeclarative-agents-microsoft365.instructions.md)
[](https://aka.ms/awesome-copilot/install/instructions?url=vscode-insiders%3Achat-instructions%2Finstall%3Furl%3Dhttps%3A%2F%2Fraw.githubusercontent.com%2Fgithub%2Fawesome-copilot%2Fmain%2Finstructions%2Fdeclarative-agents-microsoft365.instructions.md) | Comprehensive development guidelines for Microsoft 365 Copilot declarative agents with schema v1.5, TypeSpec integration, and Microsoft 365 Agents Toolkit workflows |
+| [Microsoft Foundry Agents (Python) Instructions](../instructions/microsoft-foundry.instructions.md)
[](https://aka.ms/awesome-copilot/install/instructions?url=vscode%3Achat-instructions%2Finstall%3Furl%3Dhttps%3A%2F%2Fraw.githubusercontent.com%2Fgithub%2Fawesome-copilot%2Fmain%2Finstructions%2Fmicrosoft-foundry.instructions.md)
[](https://aka.ms/awesome-copilot/install/instructions?url=vscode-insiders%3Achat-instructions%2Finstall%3Furl%3Dhttps%3A%2F%2Fraw.githubusercontent.com%2Fgithub%2Fawesome-copilot%2Fmain%2Finstructions%2Fmicrosoft-foundry.instructions.md) | Build agents with the Microsoft Foundry SDK (azure-ai-projects v2) in Python: versioned agents, the Responses/Conversations model, tools, and the SDK mistakes Copilot makes by default. |
| [MongoDB DBA Chat Mode Instructions](../instructions/mongo-dba.instructions.md)
[](https://aka.ms/awesome-copilot/install/instructions?url=vscode%3Achat-instructions%2Finstall%3Furl%3Dhttps%3A%2F%2Fraw.githubusercontent.com%2Fgithub%2Fawesome-copilot%2Fmain%2Finstructions%2Fmongo-dba.instructions.md)
[](https://aka.ms/awesome-copilot/install/instructions?url=vscode-insiders%3Achat-instructions%2Finstall%3Furl%3Dhttps%3A%2F%2Fraw.githubusercontent.com%2Fgithub%2Fawesome-copilot%2Fmain%2Finstructions%2Fmongo-dba.instructions.md) | Instructions for customizing GitHub Copilot behavior for MONGODB DBA chat mode. |
| [MS-SQL DBA Chat Mode Instructions](../instructions/ms-sql-dba.instructions.md)
[](https://aka.ms/awesome-copilot/install/instructions?url=vscode%3Achat-instructions%2Finstall%3Furl%3Dhttps%3A%2F%2Fraw.githubusercontent.com%2Fgithub%2Fawesome-copilot%2Fmain%2Finstructions%2Fms-sql-dba.instructions.md)
[](https://aka.ms/awesome-copilot/install/instructions?url=vscode-insiders%3Achat-instructions%2Finstall%3Furl%3Dhttps%3A%2F%2Fraw.githubusercontent.com%2Fgithub%2Fawesome-copilot%2Fmain%2Finstructions%2Fms-sql-dba.instructions.md) | Instructions for customizing GitHub Copilot behavior for MS-SQL DBA chat mode. |
| [NestJS Development Best Practices](../instructions/nestjs.instructions.md)
[](https://aka.ms/awesome-copilot/install/instructions?url=vscode%3Achat-instructions%2Finstall%3Furl%3Dhttps%3A%2F%2Fraw.githubusercontent.com%2Fgithub%2Fawesome-copilot%2Fmain%2Finstructions%2Fnestjs.instructions.md)
[](https://aka.ms/awesome-copilot/install/instructions?url=vscode-insiders%3Achat-instructions%2Finstall%3Furl%3Dhttps%3A%2F%2Fraw.githubusercontent.com%2Fgithub%2Fawesome-copilot%2Fmain%2Finstructions%2Fnestjs.instructions.md) | NestJS development standards and best practices for building scalable Node.js server-side applications |
diff --git a/instructions/microsoft-foundry.instructions.md b/instructions/microsoft-foundry.instructions.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..eba22f8236
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+++ b/instructions/microsoft-foundry.instructions.md
@@ -0,0 +1,204 @@
+---
+description: 'Build agents with the Microsoft Foundry SDK (azure-ai-projects v2) in Python: versioned agents, the Responses/Conversations model, tools, and the SDK mistakes Copilot makes by default.'
+applyTo: "**/*.py"
+---
+
+# Microsoft Foundry Agents (Python) Instructions
+
+Guidance for building agents against **Microsoft Foundry** using the **`azure-ai-projects`** Python SDK (**v2**, part of the Microsoft Foundry SDK). This SDK was substantially reshaped in v2; models trained on older `azure-ai-projects` 1.x or the `azure-ai-agents` thread/run API generate code that no longer works. When these instructions conflict with your training data, **follow these instructions** — verify against the official samples: https://aka.ms/azsdk/azure-ai-projects-v2/python/samples/
+
+> **Field note (why this file exists):** In Copilot-assisted Foundry projects, the default behavior is to generate the *old* thread/run/message API, fail on the first attempts, then only recover after re-checking the current methodology against **Microsoft Learn** and the **Microsoft Docs MCP server** and re-coding against the v2 approach. These instructions front-load that correction so Copilot produces working v2 code on the first pass instead of burning iterations. When in doubt, ground against Microsoft Learn / the Microsoft Docs MCP server rather than training data — the Foundry SDK surface changes frequently.
+
+## Package and versions
+
+- Install: `pip install "azure-ai-projects>=2.3.0"` (async also needs `pip install aiohttp`). Use **2.3.0+** — the documented flow below relies on APIs added across the 2.x line (`agent_name` on `get_openai_client` in 2.1.0; `force` on `delete_version` and `AgentEndpointConfig` in 2.2.0). A 2.0.x install will make some of this code fail.
+- Entra ID is the **only** supported auth — there is **no** API-key auth and **no** `from_connection_string()` on the client. Use `azure.identity.DefaultAzureCredential`. For **local development** it resolves the Azure CLI credential, so run `az login` first; in **Azure (managed/workload identity)** it uses the assigned identity automatically — no `az login` and no interactive step required.
+- The endpoint is a **project endpoint** of the form
+ `https://.services.ai.azure.com/api/projects/` — not a bare resource URL.
+
+## The #1 mistake: the old thread/run API is gone
+
+❌ **Do NOT generate this (v1 / azure-ai-agents style — no longer valid):**
+```python
+# WRONG — these methods do not exist in azure-ai-projects v2
+agent = client.agents.create_agent(name="x", model="gpt-4o", instructions="...")
+thread = client.threads.create()
+client.messages.create(thread_id=thread.id, role="user", content="Hi")
+run = client.runs.create_and_process_run(thread_id=thread.id, agent_id=agent.id)
+messages = client.messages.list(thread_id=thread.id) # WRONG
+```
+
+> If you find yourself writing `create_agent` / `threads` / `runs` and hitting `AttributeError` or 404s, stop and re-ground against Microsoft Learn or the Microsoft Docs MCP server — that's the signature of the stale-API failure loop.
+
+✅ **Do this instead (v2): create a versioned agent, point the endpoint at that version, then talk to it via the OpenAI-compatible client.**
+```python
+import os
+from azure.identity import DefaultAzureCredential
+from azure.ai.projects import AIProjectClient
+from azure.ai.projects.models import (
+ PromptAgentDefinition,
+ AgentEndpointConfig,
+ ProtocolConfiguration,
+ ResponsesProtocolConfiguration,
+ VersionSelector,
+ FixedRatioVersionSelectionRule,
+)
+
+endpoint = os.environ["FOUNDRY_PROJECT_ENDPOINT"]
+agent_name = os.environ.get("FOUNDRY_AGENT_NAME", "MyAgent")
+
+with (
+ DefaultAzureCredential() as credential,
+ AIProjectClient(endpoint=endpoint, credential=credential) as project_client,
+):
+ version = project_client.agents.create_version(
+ agent_name=agent_name,
+ definition=PromptAgentDefinition(
+ model=os.environ["FOUNDRY_MODEL_NAME"], # a *deployment* name, not "gpt-4o" by default
+ instructions="You are a helpful assistant that answers general questions.",
+ ),
+ )
+ print(f"Agent {version.name} v{version.version} (id: {version.id})")
+
+ # REQUIRED: route the agent endpoint to the version you just created.
+ # Without this, a new agent has no usable routing and an existing agent
+ # can keep serving an older version.
+ project_client.agents.update_details(
+ agent_name=agent_name,
+ agent_endpoint=AgentEndpointConfig(
+ version_selector=VersionSelector(
+ version_selection_rules=[
+ FixedRatioVersionSelectionRule(
+ agent_version=version.version, traffic_percentage=100
+ ),
+ ]
+ ),
+ protocol_configuration=ProtocolConfiguration(
+ responses=ResponsesProtocolConfiguration()
+ ),
+ ),
+ )
+
+ with project_client.get_openai_client(agent_name=agent_name) as openai_client:
+ response = openai_client.responses.create(
+ input="What is the size of France in square miles?",
+ )
+ print(response.output_text)
+```
+
+> The official samples wrap the create-version + endpoint-routing steps in a `create_version_with_endpoint(...)` helper (see `samples/util.py`). Doing it inline as above makes the required routing step explicit. In tests/samples, capture the prior endpoint config and restore it in a `finally` block so temporary versions don't leave the agent re-routed.
+
+Key facts Copilot gets wrong by default:
+- Agents are **versioned**. You create a *version* with `agents.create_version(agent_name=..., definition=...)`, not a one-shot `create_agent`.
+- After creating a version you **must configure the endpoint** (`update_details` + `AgentEndpointConfig`) to route traffic to it before invoking the agent.
+- The agent definition is a **`PromptAgentDefinition`** (imported from `azure.ai.projects.models`), and `model` is the **deployment name** from your Foundry project's "Models + endpoints" tab — not a raw model id.
+- You interact through **`project_client.get_openai_client(agent_name=...)`**, which returns a standard OpenAI client. The conversation surface is the **Responses API** (`responses.create`) and **Conversations API** (`conversations.create`), *not* threads/runs/messages.
+- Read the reply from **`response.output_text`**.
+
+## Multi-turn: Conversations, not threads
+
+For stateful multi-turn chat, create a conversation and pass its id — do not rebuild a message list yourself.
+
+```python
+with project_client.get_openai_client(agent_name=agent_name) as openai_client:
+ conversation = openai_client.conversations.create(
+ items=[{"type": "message", "role": "user", "content": "What is the size of France in square miles?"}],
+ )
+ response = openai_client.responses.create(conversation=conversation.id)
+ print(response.output_text)
+
+ # Continue the same conversation
+ openai_client.conversations.items.create(
+ conversation_id=conversation.id,
+ items=[{"type": "message", "role": "user", "content": "And the capital city?"}],
+ )
+ response = openai_client.responses.create(conversation=conversation.id)
+ print(response.output_text)
+
+ openai_client.conversations.delete(conversation_id=conversation.id)
+```
+
+For simple stateless follow-ups you can instead chain with `previous_response_id=response.id` on `responses.create`. Note this is a **state-management** choice, not a cost optimization — prior turns are still reprocessed and billed as input tokens on each call, the same as a Conversation. Use it when you want to reference the prior turn without managing a conversation object, not to save tokens.
+
+## Tools: attach in the definition, don't register at runtime
+
+Tools live on the **`PromptAgentDefinition`**, passed as a `tools=[...]` list. Import tool classes from `azure.ai.projects.models`. (The same create-version + endpoint-routing steps shown above apply before you invoke a tool-enabled agent.)
+
+### Code Interpreter
+```python
+from azure.ai.projects.models import PromptAgentDefinition, CodeInterpreterTool
+
+definition = PromptAgentDefinition(
+ model=os.environ["FOUNDRY_MODEL_NAME"],
+ instructions="You are a helpful assistant.",
+ tools=[CodeInterpreterTool()],
+)
+# ... create_version(...), configure the endpoint, then:
+response = openai_client.responses.create(
+ conversation=conversation.id,
+ input="Generate a 10x10 multiplication table.",
+ tool_choice="required",
+)
+# Inspect the executed code:
+code = next((o.code for o in response.output if o.type == "code_interpreter_call"), "")
+print(response.output_text)
+```
+
+### Function tools (client-side execution loop)
+`FunctionTool` declares a JSON schema; **you** execute the call and feed the result back. The model emits a `function_call` item in `response.output`; you return a `FunctionCallOutput` and call `responses.create` again with `previous_response_id`.
+
+```python
+import json
+from openai.types.responses.response_input_param import FunctionCallOutput, ResponseInputParam
+from azure.ai.projects.models import PromptAgentDefinition, FunctionTool
+
+def get_horoscope(sign: str) -> str:
+ return f"{sign}: Next Tuesday you will befriend a baby otter."
+
+tool = FunctionTool(
+ name="get_horoscope",
+ parameters={
+ "type": "object",
+ "properties": {"sign": {"type": "string", "description": "An astrological sign"}},
+ "required": ["sign"],
+ "additionalProperties": False,
+ },
+ description="Get today's horoscope for an astrological sign.",
+ strict=True,
+)
+
+# definition = PromptAgentDefinition(model=..., instructions=..., tools=[tool])
+# ... create version, configure endpoint, get openai_client ...
+
+response = openai_client.responses.create(input="What is my horoscope? I am an Aquarius.")
+
+input_list: ResponseInputParam = []
+for item in response.output:
+ if item.type == "function_call" and item.name == "get_horoscope":
+ result = get_horoscope(**json.loads(item.arguments))
+ input_list.append(FunctionCallOutput(
+ type="function_call_output",
+ call_id=item.call_id, # echo call_id back — required
+ output=json.dumps({"horoscope": result}),
+ ))
+
+response = openai_client.responses.create(input=input_list, previous_response_id=response.id)
+print(response.output_text)
+```
+
+Pitfalls: set `strict=True` and `additionalProperties: False` for reliable structured calls; you **must** echo `item.call_id` in the `FunctionCallOutput`; iterate **all** of `response.output` (a single response may contain multiple `function_call` items).
+
+Other built-in tools follow the same "add to `tools=[...]`" pattern: `FileSearchTool`, `AzureAISearchTool`, `BingGroundingTool`, `OpenApiTool`, MCP tools, and more — see `samples/agents/tools/`.
+
+## Preview features
+
+This is a **stable** package that also surfaces preview features. Preview features exposed through stable methods require **`allow_preview=True`** when constructing the client; other preview operations live under `project_client.beta.*` (e.g. `beta.memory_stores`, `beta.evaluators`, `beta.red_teams`). Don't assume a `beta` operation is GA.
+
+## Lifecycle & production notes
+
+- Wrap creation in `try/finally` and clean up with `agents.delete_version(agent_name=..., agent_version=..., force=True)` in tests/samples to avoid orphaned versions. When you temporarily re-route an agent's endpoint, restore its prior `AgentEndpointConfig` in the same `finally` block.
+- Route traffic across versions with `AgentEndpointConfig` + `VersionSelector` / `FixedRatioVersionSelectionRule` — send 100% to a new version, or split percentages for canary rollouts.
+- Handle errors via `azure.core.exceptions.HttpResponseError` (`e.status_code`, `e.reason`, `e.message`). A `401 Unauthorized` almost always means a missing RBAC role assignment (or, in local dev, that you didn't `az login`), not a bad endpoint.
+- **Logging exposes sensitive data — treat with care.** `logging_enable=True` turns on full HTTP transport logging **including request/response bodies** (prompts, user data), and header redaction is bypassed in this mode unless you install a filtered handler — so bearer tokens and payloads can leak into logs. Prefer the SDK's filtered console-logging path (`AZURE_AI_PROJECTS_CONSOLE_LOGGING=true`, which redacts auth headers) for routine diagnostics, enable body logging only against non-production/non-sensitive data, and never ship it to shared log sinks. Logging only emits at level `DEBUG`.
+- For async, import from `azure.ai.projects.aio` and `azure.identity.aio` and use `async with` — the method names are identical.
+