Edit Triggers

Edit Topic Triggers

Modify how a topic gets triggered: trigger phrases (triggerQueries) and model description (modelDescription).

Instructions

1. Auto-discover the agent directory:

`` Glob: **/agent.mcs.yml `` NEVER hardcode an agent name.

1. Find the target topic:

`` Glob: /topics/*.topic.mcs.yml ` If $ARGUMENTS` specifies a topic name, match it. Otherwise, list all topics and ask which one.

1. Read the topic file and identify what to change.

1. Check the agent's settings.mcs.yml for GenerativeActionsEnabled. This determines which trigger mechanism matters most.

1. Make the requested changes using the Edit tool.

Model Description (modelDescription)

The modelDescription is a natural language description at the root of an AdaptiveDialog that tells the generative orchestrator when to route to this topic. When GenerativeActionsEnabled: true, this is the primary way the agent decides which topic to trigger — even more important than trigger phrases.

kind: AdaptiveDialog
modelDescription: This topic helps users order a pizza by collecting their preferred size, toppings, and delivery address.
beginDialog:
  kind: OnRecognizedIntent
  id: main
  ...

Best Practices for Model Description

• Write a clear, specific sentence describing what the topic does and when it should be used
• Focus on the user's intent: "Use this topic when the user asks for information about our perfumes" rather than "This topic sends a message"
• Include key scenarios the topic covers: "This topic handles billing inquiries, refund requests, and payment issues"
• Keep it concise but complete — the orchestrator reads this to decide routing
• Avoid vague descriptions like "This topic handles requests" — be specific about which requests

Examples from Real Topics

# Good — specific about what the topic does and when to use it
modelDescription: Use this topic when the user asks for help or needs assistance with something. Search the SharePoint knowledge base to find relevant information.

# Good — describes the full flow
modelDescription: This topic takes the user's favorite color, generates a word by concatenating the color with four random digits, and returns the generated word. If the color is white, it also provides information about the wavelength.

# Good — describes the computation
modelDescription: This sample topic performs the sum between the two numbers in input

When to Add/Edit Model Description

• Always add a modelDescription to topics with OnRecognizedIntent when the agent has GenerativeActionsEnabled: true
• Update it when the topic's purpose or scope changes
• Topics with system triggers (OnError, OnUnknownIntent, OnConversationStart) don't need a modelDescription — they're triggered automatically

Trigger Phrases (triggerQueries)

Trigger phrases are used for intent recognition. They live inside beginDialog.intent.triggerQueries.

Only topics with OnRecognizedIntent triggers have editable trigger phrases. Other trigger types (OnConversationStart, OnUnknownIntent, etc.) are system-triggered and don't use phrases.

Operations

• Add phrases: Append new entries to triggerQueries
• Remove phrases: Delete entries from triggerQueries
• Replace phrases: Swap old entries for new ones
• Rewrite all: Replace the entire triggerQueries array

Best Practices for Trigger Phrases

• Use 5-10 phrases per topic for good recognition
• Cover synonyms and variations (e.g., "help", "assist", "support", "I need help")
• Include different sentence structures (questions, statements, keywords)
• Avoid overlap — don't use the same phrases in multiple topics
• Keep phrases short and natural (how users actually type/speak)
• Mix formal and informal phrasing

Example Structure

kind: AdaptiveDialog
modelDescription: This topic helps users with greeting and introduction.
beginDialog:
  kind: OnRecognizedIntent
  id: main
  intent:
    displayName: Greeting
    triggerQueries:
      - Hello
      - Hi
      - Hey
      - Good morning
      - Good afternoon

What This Skill Cannot Do

• Cannot change the trigger type (e.g., from OnRecognizedIntent to OnConversationStart) — this requires recreating the topic.
• Cannot add triggers to system topics that don't use OnRecognizedIntent.

Source & license

This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code.

• Author: microsoft
• Source: microsoft/skills-for-copilot-studio
• License: MIT

Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above.