On September 18th, Microsoft introduced a new feature that could quietly reshape how organizations manage content in SharePoint: the Knowledge Agent. If you’ve been following the evolution of SharePoint Premium and the push toward AI-enhanced productivity, this is one of those updates that deserves more than a passing glance.
In this post, I’ll break down what the Knowledge Agent is, why it matters, and how it fits into the broader movement toward intelligent content management. Whether you’re a SharePoint admin, a content creator, or just someone trying to keep your digital workspace sane, this tool has something for you.
What Is the SharePoint Knowledge Agent?
At its core, the Knowledge Agent is an intelligent assistant built into SharePoint. It’s designed to help users structure content, automate workflows, and keep sites fresh – all while improving the quality of AI responses from tools like Microsoft Copilot.
But this isn’t just another admin-only feature. Microsoft built Knowledge Agent to be accessible to everyone who uses SharePoint. That includes content creators, compliance teams, data analysts, and even new employees trying to navigate onboarding materials.
The feature revolves around three key pillars:
- Improving AI Responses
AI is only as good as the data it’s trained on – and in the enterprise world, that means your content needs to be structured, tagged, and accessible. The SharePoint Knowledge Agent helps make your SharePoint content Copilot-ready by automatically enriching it with metadata. This improves the grounding sources Copilot uses to generate responses, making them more accurate and context-aware.
- Driving Business Processes
Knowledge Agent isn’t just about content – it’s about action. The floating button (which you’ll see persistently across SharePoint) gives users access to context-aware skills. These skills let you build Power Automate workflows using natural language, without needing to jump between interfaces or write complex logic.
- Keeping Content Fresh
Let’s be honest: SharePoint sites can get messy. Old documents pile up, metadata gets stale, and workflows break. Knowledge Agent automates site management tasks like archiving, tagging, and updating metadata – helping you maintain a clean, organized, and compliant environment.
The Three Skill Types
One of the most important additions from Microsoft’s announcement is the breakdown of SharePoint Knowledge Agent skills into three categories:
- Content Skills
These help structure and tag content automatically. For example, they can suggest metadata or apply it based on document context. - Process Skills
These are designed to automate workflows. You can trigger actions like sending notifications, starting approval processes, or updating lists – all using natural language. - Site Skills
These focus on site health and governance. They can help clean up unused pages, archive outdated content, or flag compliance issues.
This skill-based architecture makes Knowledge Agent modular and extensible – meaning it can evolve with your organization’s needs.
Key Features of Knowledge Agent
Let’s dig into the actual functionality. Here’s what you get when you activate Knowledge Agent in SharePoint:
Automated Content Structuring
This is powered by Autofill, a feature that automatically adds metadata to documents in your libraries. It’s not just about tagging – it’s about making your content discoverable, usable, and ready for AI. Autofill helps build a semantic layer over your content, which is critical for tools like Copilot to understand context.
Context-Aware Interface
The floating button isn’t just a shortcut – it’s a smart entry point. Depending on where you are in SharePoint, it surfaces relevant skills and actions. For example, if you’re in a document library, it might offer metadata suggestions or workflow triggers. If you’re on a site homepage, it might help you launch a site-wide audit or cleanup.
Natural Language Chat
One of the most user-friendly features is the persistent chat interface. You can ask Knowledge Agent questions like “What documents were updated this week?” or “Create a workflow to notify the team when a file is uploaded.” It’s conversational, intuitive, and designed to reduce friction.
Access to Skills and Flows
From the floating button, users can launch SharePoint skills and Power Automate flows directly. This makes it easier to integrate Knowledge Agent into your existing automation and governance strategies — without needing to switch tools or interfaces.
Real-World Use Cases
The best way to understand the value of the SharePoint Knowledge Agent is to look at how it can be used in practice. Here are some scenarios where it shines:
Content Management at Scale
If your organization deals with thousands of documents across multiple sites, manual tagging and structuring just isn’t scalable. Knowledge Agent automates this process, ensuring that content is properly categorized and searchable. This reduces time spent on admin tasks and improves discoverability.
Workflow Automation
Let’s say you want to notify your team when a new document is uploaded to a library. With Knowledge Agent, you can build that workflow using natural language – no need to open Power Automate or write expressions. This democratizes automation, making it accessible to non-technical users.
Compliance and Governance
Regulatory compliance often depends on how well you manage your content. Knowledge Agent can help by automating tasks like archiving outdated documents, updating metadata to meet standards, and flagging content that doesn’t comply with internal policies.
AI and Copilot Optimization
If you’re using Copilot to assist with customer service, data analysis, or internal knowledge management, the quality of its responses depends on the content it can access. Knowledge Agent ensures that content is structured and enriched, giving Copilot better grounding and improving its performance.
Training and Onboarding
New employees often struggle to find the right resources. Knowledge Agent can help by organizing training materials, automating updates, and ensuring that onboarding content is always current. This streamlines the onboarding process and reduces the burden on HR and IT teams.
Who Benefits from Knowledge Agent?
This isn’t a niche tool – it’s designed to support a wide range of roles across an organization:
- Site Admins and Managers
Simplifies site maintenance and content optimization. - Content Creators
Reduces manual tagging and improves content discoverability. - IT and Compliance Teams
Automates governance tasks and supports regulatory compliance. - AI and Data Teams
Improves the quality of data available to AI tools. - New Employees
Provides easy access to organized, up-to-date training materials.
Availability and Preview Details
Knowledge Agent is currently in public preview. Organizations can enable it at the tenant level, with the flexibility to opt out specific sites if needed. This allows for controlled testing and feedback before a broader rollout.
Microsoft is actively collecting feedback during this phase, so if you have suggestions or run into issues, now’s the time to speak up.
Why This Matters
The launch of the SharePoint Knowledge Agent is part of a broader shift in how we think about content in the workplace. It’s not just about storing files – it’s about making them actionable, discoverable, and intelligent.
As AI becomes more embedded in our workflows, the need for structured, high-quality content will only grow. Knowledge Agent helps bridge the gap between raw data and usable knowledge, making SharePoint a more powerful platform for modern work.
And perhaps most importantly, it does this without requiring users to become experts in metadata, automation, or AI. It’s designed to be intuitive, accessible, and helpful – which is exactly what enterprise tools should be.
Final Thoughts
If you’re already using SharePoint Premium or exploring AI integrations like Copilot, the Knowledge Agent is a natural next step. It brings automation, intelligence, and structure to your content – all while improving the user experience.
This isn’t just a feature update. It’s a signal that Microsoft is serious about making SharePoint smarter, more responsive, and more aligned with the way people actually work.
So go ahead – activate the preview, test it out, and see how it fits into your workflow. You might be surprised at how much time and effort it saves.
