Copilot Studio adds app building in public preview, with a managed runtime to host the apps

Microsoft has put app creation into public preview in Copilot Studio, so makers can now build apps, workflows and agents in the same product, according to the company's October 7 post on its September 2026 updates.

Microsoft says the process starts with a plain-language description of the business outcome, the intended users, and the data and actions involved. Copilot Studio then generates a draft app that the maker can preview and refine through conversation, with access to the underlying code when deeper changes are needed.

The company argues the three pieces suit different jobs. Its example is employee onboarding: an app gives managers and employees a structured interface, workflows run the repeatable steps, and an agent answers questions and handles exceptions.

Hosting comes from Microsoft Copilot Managed Runtime, also in public preview. Microsoft says it provides Microsoft-operated hosting, identity, governed data access, lifecycle management, Git-backed versioning and centralized visibility for apps created in Copilot Studio, Copilot Cowork and Copilot Code. Microsoft frames this as a way to let more people build without lowering the bar for running solutions securely.

The same post lists other changes. Hooks, in preview for agents using the GitHub Copilot harness, let makers run set logic at points such as session start, tool calls and errors. The Foundry IQ integration is generally available, letting one knowledge base serve several agents and return answers with citations. Evaluations now cover individual AI nodes and wider automations, and a Review panel, also generally available, flags blockers and warnings, including agents that have never been evaluated.

What is confirmed and what is not: everything above comes from a single source, Microsoft's own announcement. We found no independent reporting or testing of the apps feature, so how well generated apps work, what the runtime costs, and how governance holds up in practice are unverified. These are company descriptions of preview features, and Microsoft's post does not say when general availability is expected.

Why it matters: if the features work as described, organizations that already use Copilot Studio for agents could build the surrounding interface and hosting without separate tooling. That would also place more of the operating burden, including identity and versioning, on Microsoft's platform. Until independent users report results, treat the claims as a vendor's account of a preview.

Revised 16 October 2026: Guth re-read the original sources and rewrote this article. The earlier version remains available as revision 1.