Using Request for information in Copilot Studio, as a Tool

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Subhad365

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Request Information (RFI) is an action in Microsoft Copilot Studio that allows an agent or workflow to:

Pause execution temporarily
Ask for additional input from a human user or reviewer
Resume automatically after receiving the required information

This feature is part of agent flows/workflows, enabling a human-in-the-loop approach for better decision-making and accuracy.

Why do you need Request for Information

In real-world automation, AI systems often face situations where:

Data is missing or incomplete
A decision requires human judgment
Validation or approval is necessary

Instead of failing or giving incorrect output, the system uses RFI to pause and ask for clarification, ensuring reliable results.

How it works

An agent flow reaches a step requiring external input
The Request Information action is triggered
A request (form/message) is sent to a designated person
The workflow waits for a response
Once input is received, the flow continues using that data

This allows seamless collaboration between automation and human expertise.

Important topographies

Human-in-the-loop integration
Structured inputs (text, numbers, dates, yes/no, etc.)
Automated pause and resume
Customizable requests (title, message, recipients)
Improved accuracy and reliability

All these features ensure that workflows remain both efficient and trustworthy.

When to use RFI

Use RFI when:

Cannot proceed without additional input
The situation involves risk, compliance, or exceptions
You need validation before continuing
Automated logic alone is not sufficient

Setup

To add Request information as Tool, let us go to the agent >> add tools:

In ensuing popup >> select add and configure:

As the tool gets added, you can open it to see inputs details:

Title

You can select Fill with AI. And then you can additionally give the following details:

Alternately you can provide Custom to insist on some specific message.

Message

Here also you can select ‘Fill with AI’ or ‘Custom’. Give more details by specifying Display name and Description as above:

Assigned to

This is where the item gets assigned to. Select Fill with AI – this will enable you to

If you have work IQ enabled, the one who is requesting, it goes directly to the next in hierarchy (manager)
Automatically falls back next in the group/admin to approve it.

Select First to respond: which enables any one of the approvers to respond. Here are the various options available:

First to respond = competitive claim
Specific user / group = predefined responsibility
All recipients = parallel responses
Auto-assignment = system decides

Channel

Lastly provide your desired channel to use the same:

Lastly in the Completion, choose ‘Specific’ option in the ‘Outputs available to the agent and other tools’:

Demo

I am using the tool in context to Invoice my Purchase orders, from Copilot Studio. I am using the following instruction:

You can call your tool simply by inserting ‘/’ in the instruction:

Publish your agent, and let’s test it.
The prompt comes if you want to do the invoicing:

Saying Yes, would send out an email:

Select ‘Yes’ and hit Submit to complete the approval.
And the following would be received at the Copilot Studio end:

You can proceed with your business logic further to process the workflow or carry out some more business logic, as per your need.
Winding up the discussion for now. Much love, as always J

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