Rating certificate · AW/26-09/90226 Sept 2026
64of 100
The Register / Multi-agent frameworks / Microsoft Agent Framework
Register entry · Multi-agent frameworks · updated 26 Sept 2026
Microsoft Agent Framework
Microsoft Agent Framework (MAF) merges Semantic Kernel's enterprise foundations with AutoGen's multi-agent orchestration into one MIT-licensed SDK. It provides agents with tools, middleware, memory/context providers, graph-based workflows with checkpointing and human-in-the-loop, declarative YAML agents, and A2A/MCP support. Version 1.0 shipped for .NET and Python in April 2026 with a long-term-support commitment; Build 2026 (June) added an Agent Harness, Foundry Hosted Agents and CodeAct execution in Hyperlight micro-VMs.
What reviewers and users praise
- First-class .NET support, rare among agent frameworks (PromptQuorum, Langfuse; r/dotnet comments)
- Clear migration path and default choice for teams already on Semantic Kernel/AutoGen or Azure (Langfuse; r/dotnet)
What they criticise
- Documentation thin beyond hello-world and some packages still preview, per r/dotnet users
- Reported bugginess with non-OpenAI models and runtime-only type checking in C# workflows (r/dotnet)
- Some developers distrust Microsoft's history of replacing frameworks (HN)
Experts vs the crowdneeds both scores
Experts—
Crowd57
| Price | Free |
|---|---|
| Use it via | API |
| Runs on | macos, linux, windows |
| Licence | MIT |
| Updated | Evidence collected 26 Sept 2026 |
How the rating was worked out
Weights for Multi-agent frameworks: adoption 45%, experts 30%, crowd 25%. Pillars without enough evidence are left out and the others re-weighted. The method.
| Adoption & momentumweight 45% | 67 | GitHub stars 14k → 65 · PyPI monthly downloads 166k → 42 · 24 releases in 90 days → 100reach × 0.7 + momentum × 0.3 |
|---|---|---|
| Expertsindependent reviews · weight 30% | — | Only 2 independent reviews (3 needed) |
| Crowdcommunity sample · weight 25% | 57 | 9 dated posts from reddit, hackernews: 4 positive · 3 mixed · 2 negative (positive + ½ mixed) ÷ n, averaged toward 50 for small samples |
| Rating | 64 | Provisional: low confidence (2 of 3 pillars, 9 community posts). |
Evidence checks. 1 review from tool directories, AI-written pages or unnamed authors not counted. How evidence is checked.
Trust & safety
Seven dimensions graded A–D from documented facts. Overall: A.
C
Permission model
Tools execute automatically unless marked approval_mode="always_require" (Python) or wrapped in ApprovalRequiredAIFunction (.NET); the harness adds approval middleware but no auto-approval rules by default. CodeAct runs code in Hyperlight micro-VMs, but general tool execution is not sandboxed by default. source
B
Data access scope
Agents reach only the tools, MCP servers and providers the developer registers; the harness FileAccessProvider scopes file access, but ordinary tools run with host-process permissions. source
A
Data storage
SDK runs locally or on any host; Foundry Hosted Agents are optional. source
n/e
Data retention & training
No SDK telemetry or retention statement verified; data handling follows the chosen model provider (e.g. Azure OpenAI) and hosting.
A
Incident history (24 months)
No published GitHub security advisories for microsoft/agent-framework and no OSV entries for PyPI agent-framework / agent-framework-core as of 2026-09-26. source
A
Compliance
Applies to the optional Microsoft-hosted path (Azure / Foundry Hosted Agents), which is covered by Microsoft's published SOC 2 attestations; the open-source SDK itself has no attestation. source
A
Transparency
MIT-licensed; frequent public GitHub releases for Python and .NET; design decision records in docs/decisions. source
The experts
2 named independent reviews found; dated reviews from the last 12 months are scored.
- positive
Microsoft Agent Framework is now the default choice
Jannik, Langfuse · 13 Jul 2026 · langfuse.com - positive
The only framework here with first-class .NET support
Hans Kuepper, PromptQuorum · 28 Aug 2026 · promptquorum.com
The crowd
9 coded posts from reddit, hackernews.
4 positive3 mixed2 negative
- negative
Microsoft Agent Framework is very weird in the way you build a Workflow in C#. It is not type-safe at compile time, but at runtime.
r/dotnet · 23 Sept 2026 · reddit.com - mixed
The .NET experience is genuinely decent for once instead of feeling like a Python port with C# syntax. The bad: docs are still thin past hello-world.
r/dotnet · 17 Aug 2026 · reddit.com - mixed
I would assume it will remain supported. But who knows. Some of its packages are still marked as preview.
r/dotnet · 17 Aug 2026 · reddit.com - positive
Hooked it up to GitHub CoPilot and took it for a quick spin, wasn’t too verbose and conceptually maps to tools like OpenCode pretty well.
r/dotnet · 17 Aug 2026 · reddit.com - mixed
That said AF seems kinda buggy (it’s pre-release, sure), at least against non-OpenAI models
r/dotnet · 9 Jul 2026 · reddit.com - positive
Semantic Kernel is succeeded by Microsoft Agent Framework. It's much easier to work with.
r/dotnet · 6 May 2026 · reddit.com - positive
I would use Microsoft Agent Framework. It is open source.
Ask HN: Learning resources for building AI agents? · 8 Apr 2026 · news.ycombinator.com - positive
I have used this in a “beta” feature for an enterprise app and really like it.
Microsoft Agent Framework · 24 Dec 2025 · news.ycombinator.com
Pricing
As published, checked 26 Sept 2026.
| Plan | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Open-source SDK | Free | MIT licence; model and hosting costs are separate (e.g. Azure OpenAI / Foundry Hosted Agents billed through Azure). |
Recent changes
- 3 Apr 2026
Version 1.0 for .NET and Python: stable APIs and long-term support commitment. source
- 3 Jun 2026
Build 2026: Agent Harness (context compaction, file/memory/todo providers, tool approval), Foundry Hosted Agents, CodeAct with Hyperlight micro-VMs, handoff orchestration. source
- 23 Jul 2026
GitHub Copilot SDK integration package reached 1.0 (python-github-copilot-1.0.0). source
- 18 Sept 2026
Python 1.19.0 and .NET 1.22.0 released. source
Sources
Every figure above traces to one of these, observed up to 26 Sept 2026.