---

name: agents-v2-py description: "Build container-based Foundry Agents with Azure AI Projects SDK (ImageBasedHostedAgentDefinition). Use when creating hosted agents with custom container images in Azure AI Foundry." risk: critical source: community date_added: "2026-02-27"

Compatibility and maintenance

Compatibility alias of hosted-agents-v2-py; use that ID for new references when no existing contract requires this one. The full instructions and support files remain local so existing installations continue to work offline. This is one shared procedure, not an additional capability. Preserve the callable ID when an existing manifest or client configuration uses it. Modified in AAS on 2026-09-05; original metadata and license notices are retained.

Azure AI Hosted Agents (Python)

Build container-based hosted agents using ImageBasedHostedAgentDefinition from the Azure AI Projects SDK.

Installation

pip install 'azure-ai-projects>=2.0.0b3,<3' azure-identity

These are preview-era SDK v2 sketches. Check the exact installed version and current Azure hosted-agent documentation before provisioning; a broad version range is not an integration test.

Environment Variables

AZURE_AI_PROJECT_ENDPOINT=https://<resource>.services.ai.azure.com/api/projects/<project>

Prerequisites

Before creating hosted agents:

1. Container Image - Build and push to Azure Container Registry (ACR)
2. ACR Pull Permissions - Grant your project's managed identity AcrPull role on the ACR
3. Capability Host - Account-level capability host with enablePublicHostingEnvironment=true
4. SDK Version - Ensure azure-ai-projects>=2.0.0b3

Authentication

Use the approved Azure credential flow for the intended tenant/subscription; this sketch uses DefaultAzureCredential:

from azure.identity import DefaultAzureCredential
from azure.ai.projects import AIProjectClient

import os

credential = DefaultAzureCredential()
client = AIProjectClient(
    endpoint=os.environ["AZURE_AI_PROJECT_ENDPOINT"],
    credential=credential
)

Core Workflow

1. Imports

import os
from azure.identity import DefaultAzureCredential
from azure.ai.projects import AIProjectClient
from azure.ai.projects.models import (
    ImageBasedHostedAgentDefinition,
    ProtocolVersionRecord,
    AgentProtocol,
)

2. Create Hosted Agent

client = AIProjectClient(
    endpoint=os.environ["AZURE_AI_PROJECT_ENDPOINT"],
    credential=DefaultAzureCredential()
)

agent = client.agents.create_version(
    agent_name="my-hosted-agent",
    definition=ImageBasedHostedAgentDefinition(
        container_protocol_versions=[
            ProtocolVersionRecord(protocol=AgentProtocol.RESPONSES, version="v1")
        ],
        cpu="1",
        memory="2Gi",
        image="myregistry.azurecr.io/my-agent:latest",
        tools=[{"type": "code_interpreter"}],
        environment_variables={
            "AZURE_AI_PROJECT_ENDPOINT": os.environ["AZURE_AI_PROJECT_ENDPOINT"],
            "MODEL_NAME": "gpt-4o-mini"
        }
    )
)

print(f"Created agent: {agent.name} (version: {agent.version})")

3. List Agent Versions

versions = client.agents.list_versions(agent_name="my-hosted-agent")
for version in versions:
    print(f"Version: {version.version}, State: {version.state}")

4. Delete Agent Version

client.agents.delete_version(
    agent_name="my-hosted-agent",
    version=agent.version
)

ImageBasedHostedAgentDefinition Parameters

| Parameter | Type | Required | Description | |-----------|------|----------|-------------| | container_protocol_versions | list[ProtocolVersionRecord] | Yes | Protocol versions the agent supports | | image | str | Yes | Full container image path (registry/image:tag) | | cpu | str | No | CPU allocation (e.g., "1", "2") | | memory | str | No | Memory allocation (e.g., "2Gi", "4Gi") | | tools | list[dict] | No | Tools available to the agent | | environment_variables | dict[str, str] | No | Environment variables for the container |

Protocol Versions

The container_protocol_versions parameter specifies which protocols your agent supports:

from azure.ai.projects.models import ProtocolVersionRecord, AgentProtocol

# RESPONSES protocol - standard agent responses
container_protocol_versions=[
    ProtocolVersionRecord(protocol=AgentProtocol.RESPONSES, version="v1")
]

Available Protocols: | Protocol | Description | |----------|-------------| | AgentProtocol.RESPONSES | Standard response protocol for agent interactions |

Resource Allocation

Specify CPU and memory for your container:

definition=ImageBasedHostedAgentDefinition(
    container_protocol_versions=[...],
    image="myregistry.azurecr.io/my-agent:latest",
    cpu="2",      # 2 CPU cores
    memory="4Gi"  # 4 GiB memory
)

Illustrative resource sizes; verify regional/SKU limits before provisioning: | Resource | Min | Max | Default | |----------|-----|-----|---------| | CPU | 0.5 | 4 | 1 | | Memory | 1Gi | 8Gi | 2Gi |

Tools Configuration

Add tools to your hosted agent:

Code Interpreter

tools=[{"type": "code_interpreter"}]

MCP Tools

tools=[
    {"type": "code_interpreter"},
    {
        "type": "mcp",
        "server_label": "my-mcp-server",
        "server_url": "https://my-mcp-server.example.com"
    }
]

Multiple Tools

tools=[
    {"type": "code_interpreter"},
    {"type": "file_search"},
    {
        "type": "mcp",
        "server_label": "custom-tool",
        "server_url": "https://custom-tool.example.com"
    }
]

Environment Variables

Pass configuration to your container:

environment_variables={
    "AZURE_AI_PROJECT_ENDPOINT": os.environ["AZURE_AI_PROJECT_ENDPOINT"],
    "MODEL_NAME": "gpt-4o-mini",
    "LOG_LEVEL": "INFO",
    "CUSTOM_CONFIG": "value"
}

Best Practice: Never hardcode secrets. Use environment variables or Azure Key Vault.

Complete Example

import os
from azure.identity import DefaultAzureCredential
from azure.ai.projects import AIProjectClient
from azure.ai.projects.models import (
    ImageBasedHostedAgentDefinition,
    ProtocolVersionRecord,
    AgentProtocol,
)

def create_hosted_agent():
    """Create a hosted agent with custom container image."""
    
    client = AIProjectClient(
        endpoint=os.environ["AZURE_AI_PROJECT_ENDPOINT"],
        credential=DefaultAzureCredential()
    )
    
    agent = client.agents.create_version(
        agent_name="data-processor-agent",
        definition=ImageBasedHostedAgentDefinition(
            container_protocol_versions=[
                ProtocolVersionRecord(
                    protocol=AgentProtocol.RESPONSES,
                    version="v1"
                )
            ],
            image="myregistry.azurecr.io/data-processor:v1.0",
            cpu="2",
            memory="4Gi",
            tools=[
                {"type": "code_interpreter"},
                {"type": "file_search"}
            ],
            environment_variables={
                "AZURE_AI_PROJECT_ENDPOINT": os.environ["AZURE_AI_PROJECT_ENDPOINT"],
                "MODEL_NAME": "gpt-4o-mini",
                "MAX_RETRIES": "3"
            }
        )
    )
    
    print(f"Created hosted agent: {agent.name}")
    print(f"Version: {agent.version}")
    print(f"State: {agent.state}")
    
    return agent

if __name__ == "__main__":
    create_hosted_agent()

Async Pattern

import os
from azure.identity.aio import DefaultAzureCredential
from azure.ai.projects.aio import AIProjectClient
from azure.ai.projects.models import (
    ImageBasedHostedAgentDefinition,
    ProtocolVersionRecord,
    AgentProtocol,
)

async def create_hosted_agent_async():
    """Create a hosted agent asynchronously."""
    
    async with DefaultAzureCredential() as credential:
        async with AIProjectClient(
            endpoint=os.environ["AZURE_AI_PROJECT_ENDPOINT"],
            credential=credential
        ) as client:
            agent = await client.agents.create_version(
                agent_name="async-agent",
                definition=ImageBasedHostedAgentDefinition(
                    container_protocol_versions=[
                        ProtocolVersionRecord(
                            protocol=AgentProtocol.RESPONSES,
                            version="v1"
                        )
                    ],
                    image="myregistry.azurecr.io/async-agent:latest",
                    cpu="1",
                    memory="2Gi"
                )
            )
            return agent

Common Errors

| Error | Cause | Solution | |-------|-------|----------| | ImagePullBackOff | ACR pull permission denied | Grant AcrPull role to project's managed identity | | InvalidContainerImage | Image not found | Verify image path and tag exist in ACR | | CapabilityHostNotFound | No capability host configured | Create account-level capability host | | ProtocolVersionNotSupported | Invalid protocol version | Use AgentProtocol.RESPONSES with version "v1" |

Best Practices

1. Version Your Images - Use specific tags, not latest in production
2. Minimal Resources - Start with minimum CPU/memory, scale up as needed
3. Environment Variables - Use for all configuration, never hardcode
4. Error Handling - Wrap agent creation in try/except blocks
5. Cleanup - Delete unused agent versions to free resources

Reference Links

• Azure AI Projects SDK
• Hosted Agents Documentation
• Azure Container Registry

When to Use

Use for reviewing or creating an explicitly requested container-based Foundry hosted agent. First confirm image digest, subscription/tenant, region, service availability, permissions and cost scope. Creating agents, granting roles and deleting versions are cloud writes; do them only within the user's authorization.

Review example

Given a pinned container image and test project, check SDK model fields and registry pull access, then prepare the create request. Provision only if authorized and record the exact returned version and observed health. Do not delete unrelated versions as routine cleanup. Expected result is a version-specific receipt, not an assumed deploy.

Limitations

• Use this skill only when the task clearly matches the scope described above.
• Do not treat the output as a substitute for environment-specific validation, testing, or expert review.
• Stop and ask for clarification if required inputs, permissions, safety boundaries, or success criteria are missing.