Microsoft released the AX Practitioner Playbook on October 9, 2026, alongside an interactive coding agent skill to help developers evaluate and fix how AI models use their technologies.
Playbook and Method
The AX Practitioner Playbook provides a method for evaluating what AI coding agents do with specific technologies, diagnosing errors, and fixing them at the source. Microsoft stated that the playbook covers evaluation from setup to shipped fix, drawing on insights from hundreds of agent sessions.
Since fall 2025, Microsoft DevRel measured agent performance with Azure, Cosmos DB, SharePoint Framework (SPFx), and Microsoft 365 Copilot extensions. According to Microsoft, these evaluations led to dozens of shipped fixes, including 46 improvements to the Azure Cosmos DB Agent Kit.
Interactive AX Practitioner Skill
Alongside the PDF playbook, Microsoft released the AX Practitioner skill so developers can learn the evaluation method interactively. Users can install the skill in their coding agent to ask questions during evaluations or review scenarios and criteria against the playbook's standards.
Microsoft reported that the skill is designed to answer strictly from the playbook, asking permission before using other sources. Across 330 questions, the skill scored 95 percent on average against what the playbook says.
Key facts and where they come from
- Microsoft released the AX Practitioner Playbook to evaluate and fix how AI coding agents handle technology.
The AX Practitioner Playbook is our method for evaluating what AI coding agents do with your technology
- Microsoft also released the AX Practitioner skill to help developers learn the method interactively.
Along with the PDF, we’re releasing the AX Practitioner skill, so you can learn the method while you apply it.
- Microsoft DevRel has measured agent performance since fall 2025 across Azure, Cosmos DB, SharePoint Framework, and Copilot extensions.
Since fall 2025, we in DevRel at Microsoft have measured how agents perform with Azure, Cosmos DB, SharePoint Framework (SPFx), and Microsoft 365 Copilot extensions