Microsoft has designated the newly GA-released Planner Agent as a core agent, meaning an AI admin cannot control the availability. This is the third Microsoft-installed core agent (in addition to Researcher and Analyst).
In January, I created a support case for the Researcher and Analyst agents regarding this situation because the messages about core agents were not documented.
Microsoft Support explained that they define core agents when an agent reaches general availability. Those agents are fully controlled by Microsoft. An AI admin can only block the agent to prevent it from being used by qualified users (depending on license requirements or other configurations). If blocked, nobody can use the agent. Preinstallation and availability are managed by Microsoft.
Microsoft may install a small number of agents and features that augment Microsoft 365 Copilot with highly valuable skills. These agents and features, built by Microsoft, are preinstalled and/or pre-pinned in Microsoft 365 Copilot for all licensed users. Currently, only Researcher and Analyst are deployed this way.
- A core agent is always pre-built by Microsoft and generally available.
- Core agents are pinned in Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat and cannot be unpinned or uninstalled. The Planner Agent is still in rollout.
- Core agents include the following remarks in the preinstallation and availability sections.
Pre-acquired by your organization
This agent was pre-acquired for the assigned users based on the terms of your organization’s license. User assignments are managed automatically and cannot be changed here.
Availability is managed by your organization’s license
This agent is pre-acquired and automatically installed for all licensed users. Manual availability policies are hidden because they have no effect.
This remark is now also visible in the Planner Agent, confirming it as a core agent. The agent is available to all users with a Microsoft 365 Copilot license.
It’s still not clear when Microsoft designates a GA agent as a core agent, as both the newly GA-released Learning agent and the Surveys agent (GA since November 2025) are not defined as core, at least not yet.
