Teams App Catalog Expert Bot

A Microsoft Teams AI Library bot that provides conversational access to Teams app catalog data across multiple audience groups (rings).

Features

• 🔍 Natural Language Search: Search for Teams apps using conversational queries
• 🎯 Audience Group Support: Access app data across different rings (R0, R1, R2, R3, R4/General)
• 🔐 Entitlement Analysis: Explore app entitlement states (PreConsented, Installed, Featured, etc.)
• 📊 Comprehensive Data: Access store apps, core apps, pre-approved apps, and override configurations
• ⚡ Smart Caching: Efficient URL-based caching with 70-80% request reduction
• 🔄 Background Loading: Automatic data refresh with minimal disruption

Architecture

The bot implements the architecture specified in the Teams AI Bot specification:

1. Catalog Configuration Manager - Fetches configs from Microsoft endpoints
2. Data Loader Service - Loads app definitions and entitlements with caching
3. Search & Query Engine - Processes natural language queries
4. Conversation Handler - Formats responses for Teams chat
5. Caching Layer - Efficient data storage and retrieval

Quick Start

Prerequisites

• .NET 8.0 SDK
• Visual Studio 2022 or VS Code
• Microsoft Teams account for testing
• Bot Framework registration (for deployment)

Setup

1. Clone and Build

   cd c:\src\catalogexpertagent
   dotnet restore
   dotnet build

2. Configure Bot Settings

   Update appsettings.Development.json with your bot credentials:

   {
     "MicrosoftAppId": "your-app-id-here",
     "MicrosoftAppPassword": "your-app-password-here",
     "MicrosoftAppTenantId": "your-tenant-id-here"
   }

3. Run the Bot

   dotnet run

   The bot will start on http://localhost:5000 and begin loading catalog data in the background.

Testing Locally

Use the Bot Framework Emulator to test locally:

1. Download Bot Framework Emulator
2. Connect to http://localhost:5000/api/messages
3. Start chatting with the bot!

Usage Examples

Basic Search

• "Find Microsoft apps"
• "Search for Teams"
• "Show me Outlook apps"

Audience Group Filtering

• "What apps are available in R1?"
• "Show me Ring0 apps"
• "Apps in general audience"

Entitlement Queries

• "What apps are pre-consented?"
• "Show permanently installed apps"
• "Find featured apps"

App Details

• "Tell me about Microsoft Teams"
• "Details about app [GUID]"
• "Show me app information for Outlook"

System Commands

• "Status" - Check data loading status
• "Help" - Show available commands
• "/reset" - Reset conversation

Bot Responses

Search Results Format

🔍 **Found 15 apps matching "Microsoft":**

1. 📱 **Microsoft Teams** 🏢⚡
   🏢 Microsoft Corporation
   📋 com.microsoft.teams
   🎯 Available in: R4, R3, R2, R1
   ✅ 4 entitlements
   📄 Collaborate with your team...

2. 📱 **Outlook**
   🏢 Microsoft Corporation
   📋 com.microsoft.outlook
   🎯 Available in: R4, R3, R1
   ✅ 2 entitlements

App Details Format

📱 **Microsoft Teams** 🏢⚡
🏢 **Developer:** Microsoft Corporation
📋 **App ID:** `com.microsoft.teams`
🎯 **Version:** 1.0.5

📄 **Description:** Collaborate with your team in channels and chat...

🌐 **Audience Group Versions:**
• R4 (General): v1.0.5
• R3 (Ring3): v1.0.4
• R1 (Ring1): v1.0.3

🔐 **Entitlement States:**
• R4 (General): 🔒 Permanent, ✅ Pre-consented
• R3 (Ring3): 🔒 Permanent
• R1 (Ring1): 🟢 Installed

Configuration

App Settings

• RefreshIntervalHours: How often to refresh catalog data (default: 1 hour)
• CacheTimeoutHours: Cache timeout for configurations (default: 1 hour)
• MaxSearchResults: Maximum search results to return (default: 50)
• EnableBackgroundRefresh: Enable automatic background refresh (default: true)

Logging

The bot uses structured logging with different levels:

• Information: General operation logs
• Debug: Detailed operation logs (Development only)
• Warning: Non-critical issues (failed audience groups, etc.)
• Error: Critical errors requiring attention

Data Sources

The bot fetches data from Microsoft's official endpoints:

• Configuration: https://config.edge.skype.com/config/v1/MicrosoftTeams/1.0.0.0?agents=MicrosoftTeamsAppCatalog
• App Definitions: CDN URLs from configuration (store, core, pre-approved, override)
• Entitlements: Preconfigured entitlement URLs from configuration

Supported Audience Groups

• general (R4) - General availability
• ring0 (R0) - Earliest preview ring
• ring1 (R1) - Preview ring 1
• ring1_5 (R1.5) - Preview ring 1.5
• ring1_6 (R1.6) - Preview ring 1.6
• ring2 (R2) - Preview ring 2
• ring3 (R3) - Preview ring 3
• ring3_6 (R3.6) - Preview ring 3.6
• ring3_9 (R3.9) - Preview ring 3.9

Performance

The bot implements several performance optimizations:

• URL Caching: Avoids duplicate HTTP requests (70-80% efficiency)
• Parallel Loading: Loads multiple sources simultaneously
• Memory Caching: Caches processed data in memory
• Background Processing: Loads data without blocking user interactions
• Request Deduplication: Shares responses across audience groups

Expected Performance

• Initial Load: 30 seconds for full catalog
• Query Response: <3 seconds for search results
• Cache Hit Rate: >80% for repeated queries
• Memory Usage: Optimized data structures

Deployment

Azure Bot Service

1. Create an Azure Bot Service resource
2. Deploy the application to Azure App Service
3. Configure the messaging endpoint: https://your-app.azurewebsites.net/api/messages
4. Set environment variables for bot credentials

Teams App Package

Create a Teams app package with the following manifest:

{
  "manifestVersion": "1.16",
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "id": "your-app-id",
  "packageName": "com.your-company.catalogexpert",
  "developer": {
    "name": "Your Company",
    "websiteUrl": "https://your-website.com",
    "privacyUrl": "https://your-website.com/privacy",
    "termsOfUseUrl": "https://your-website.com/terms"
  },
  "name": {
    "short": "Catalog Expert",
    "full": "Teams App Catalog Expert Bot"
  },
  "description": {
    "short": "Explore Teams app catalog",
    "full": "Conversational bot for exploring Microsoft Teams app catalog across audience groups"
  },
  "icons": {
    "outline": "outline.png",
    "color": "color.png"
  },
  "accentColor": "#0078D4",
  "bots": [
    {
      "botId": "your-bot-id",
      "scopes": ["personal", "team", "groupchat"],
      "isNotificationOnly": false
    }
  ],
  "permissions": ["identity", "messageTeamMembers"],
  "validDomains": ["your-domain.azurewebsites.net"]
}

Monitoring

Health Endpoint

Check bot health at: GET /health

Response:

{
  "Status": "Healthy",
  "LastLoadTime": "2025-06-20T10:30:00Z",
  "AppCount": 1250,
  "EntitlementCount": 890,
  "CacheEfficiency": 78.5
}

Logging

Monitor these key metrics:

• Data load success rate
• Query response times
• Cache hit rates
• Error rates by audience group
• Most common search terms

Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch
3. Make your changes
4. Add tests if applicable
5. Submit a pull request

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

Support

For issues and questions:

1. Check the logs for detailed error information
2. Verify bot credentials and configuration
3. Test with Bot Framework Emulator
4. Review the specification document for expected behavior

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Built with Teams AI Library - Implementing the CatalogExpert specification for conversational Teams app discovery.