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AutoGen is now in maintenance mode, receiving bug fixes, security updates, and documentation rather than new features.
Microsoft Agent Framework is the successor, combining AutoGen concepts with Semantic Kernel foundations and production-focused capabilities.
New projects should favor Agent Framework, especially when they require workflows, enterprise integration, observability, and long-term Microsoft support.
Microsoft AutoGen once stood at the center of Microsoft’s multi-agent AI work. Its core idea was simple: several AI agents could take different roles, share messages, call tools, and work through a task as a team. That model helped shape modern agent design, but the current Microsoft roadmap has changed. AutoGen now sits in maintenance mode, while Microsoft Agent Framework has taken its place as the supported platform for new projects.
AutoGen came from Microsoft Research and helped popularize multi-agent orchestration. Its architecture is split into three main layers. The Core API handled message transfer, event-driven agents, and local or distributed runtimes.
AgentChat offered a simpler API for common patterns such as two-agent chat and group chat. Extensions added model clients, code execution, and other integrations. AutoGen also included AutoGen Studio, a no-code interface, and AutoGen Bench for agent evaluation.
AutoGen v0.4 marked a major design step. The release moved toward an asynchronous, event-driven architecture with clearer separation between agents, runtimes, and extensions. That design made multi-agent systems easier to structure at a lower level. Magentic-One also showed what the framework could support: a multi-agent team that could handle web research, code execution, and file tasks.
The key update arrived in 2026. Microsoft now labels AutoGen as a maintenance-mode project. The project will not receive new features or enhancements, and community contributors now handle its development. Work remains focused on bug fixes, security patches, and documentation. Microsoft directs new users toward Microsoft Agent Framework and advises current AutoGen users to follow the migration path.
That status does not make AutoGen useless. Current applications can continue to run with the AutoGen architecture and tools. The key distinction is project choice: AutoGen remains useful for current systems and for studying multi-agent concepts, while Microsoft Agent Framework is the main path for new Microsoft-based agent work.
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Microsoft Agent Framework reached version 1.0 for both .NET and Python on April 2, 2026. Microsoft describes the release as production-ready, with stable APIs and a long-term support commitment. The framework combines ideas from AutoGen with enterprise foundations from Semantic Kernel. It supports single agents, multi-agent orchestration, multiple model providers, and cross-runtime communication through Agent2Agent (A2A) and Model Context Protocol (MCP).
The shift also changes the orchestration model. AutoGen paired an event-driven Core with higher-level Teams. Agent Framework places more focus on typed, graph-based Workflows. Data moves across defined edges, and executors act when the required input arrives. This approach gives developers a clearer structure for larger agent systems.
Microsoft has added several major capabilities around the Agent Framework since version 1.0. At Build 2026, Microsoft introduced Agent Harness, Hosted Agents, and CodeAct. The Agent Harness adds tools, memory, plans, approvals, context control, telemetry, and web search around a model. Hosted Agents provide a managed home inside Microsoft Foundry, with sandboxed sessions, persistent state, observability, and version control.
CodeAct takes a different route for tool-heavy tasks. Instead of making a separate model call for each tool, CodeAct lets the model write a short Python program that calls several tools in one pass. Microsoft reported a test where CodeAct cut execution time from 27.81 seconds to 13.23 seconds and reduced token use from 6,890 to 2,489. Those figures came from a representative multi-step workload, so they should not serve as a universal benchmark.
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Microsoft has a dedicated AutoGen migration guide, updated on August 25, 2026. The guide maps familiar AutoGen ideas to Agent Framework and covers model clients, single-agent features, multi-agent orchestration, and observability. Some concepts stay familiar: agents still use model clients, instructions, and tools. The main change comes in workflow structure, tool APIs, and runtime behavior.
The result is a clear divide. AutoGen remains a useful foundation for current applications and for the study of multi-agent architecture. Microsoft Agent Framework now holds the stronger case for new systems that need active Microsoft support, stable APIs, enterprise features, and a path toward production. AutoGen therefore does not end with a shutdown. Its ideas have moved into a broader platform that aims to take multi-agent AI from experiments to dependable software.
1. Is Microsoft AutoGen discontinued?
No. AutoGen is in maintenance mode, meaning existing applications can continue using it, but Microsoft is directing new development toward Agent Framework.
2. What replaced Microsoft AutoGen?
Microsoft Agent Framework has become Microsoft's supported platform for building new AI agents and multi-agent systems.
3. Should I migrate my existing AutoGen application?
Not necessarily immediately. Existing applications can continue running, but migration is worth considering if you need new capabilities or long-term active platform support.
4. What is the difference between AutoGen and Agent Framework?
AutoGen emphasizes event-driven agents and team-based orchestration, while Agent Framework adds typed, graph-based workflows alongside broader enterprise and production capabilities.
5. Is Microsoft Agent Framework production-ready?
Yes. Microsoft Agent Framework 1.0 for .NET and Python was released as a production-ready platform with stable APIs and a long-term support commitment.
