Getting Started

Build and run an echo bot in under five minutes.

Prerequisites

1. Teams CLI — creates bot registrations and provides credentials:

   npm install -g https://github.com/heyitsaamir/teamscli/releases/latest/download/teamscli.tgz
   teams login

2. Dev tunnel — exposes your local port so Microsoft Teams can reach your bot. Install Dev Tunnels or ngrok.

3. Language runtime (pick one):

   • .NET 10 SDK — for the C# implementation
   • Node.js 20+ — for the TypeScript implementation
   • Python 3.11+ — for the Python implementation

TIP

Don't have the Teams CLI? You can also set up credentials manually through the Azure portal — see Authentication & Setup.

---

Step 1 — Start a dev tunnel

devtunnel host -p 3978 --allow-anonymous

Copy the HTTPS URL from the output (e.g. https://your-tunnel.devtunnels.ms).

Using ngrok instead?

ngrok http 3978

Copy the Forwarding HTTPS URL from the output.

WARNING

Tunnel URLs are ephemeral — they change each time you restart. If you switch tunnels, update the endpoint with teams app edit <appId> --endpoint "https://<new-url>/api/messages".

---

Step 2 — Create the Teams app

teams app create --name "MyBot" --endpoint "https://<tunnel-url>/api/messages" --json

The command returns JSON with your credentials and an install link:

{
  "credentials": {
    "CLIENT_ID": "...",
    "CLIENT_SECRET": "...",
    "TENANT_ID": "..."
  },
  "installLink": "https://teams.microsoft.com/l/app/..."
}

Save the credentials for your language:

.NET — appsettings.json

{
  "AzureAd": {
    "ClientId": "<CLIENT_ID from output>",
    "ClientSecret": "<CLIENT_SECRET from output>",
    "TenantId": "<TENANT_ID from output>"
  }
}

Node.js — .env

CLIENT_ID=<from output>
CLIENT_SECRET=<from output>
TENANT_ID=<from output>

Python — .env

CLIENT_ID=<from output>
CLIENT_SECRET=<from output>
TENANT_ID=<from output>

Keep the installLink — you'll use it to add the bot to Teams after the server is running.

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Step 3 — Run the echo bot

.NET

using Botas;

var app = BotApp.Create(args);

app.On("message", async (ctx, ct) =>
{
    await ctx.SendAsync($"You said: {ctx.Activity.Text}", ct);
});

app.Run();

Node.js

import { BotApp } from 'botas-express'

const app = new BotApp()

app.on('message', async (ctx) => {
  await ctx.send(`You said: ${ctx.activity.text}`)
})

app.start()

Python

from botas_fastapi import BotApp

app = BotApp()

@app.on("message")
async def on_message(ctx):
    await ctx.send(f"You said: {ctx.activity.text}")

app.start()

Run it

.NET

cd dotnet
dotnet run --project samples/EchoBot

Node.js

cd node
npm install && npm run build
npx tsx samples/echo-bot/index.ts

Python

cd python/samples/echo-bot
pip install -e .
python main.py

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Try it

1. Open the installLink from Step 2 in your browser to add the bot to Microsoft Teams.
2. Send it a message — you should see your text echoed back.

INFO

Each language provides a zero-boilerplate BotApp wrapper. For advanced integration (custom DI, middleware, alternative frameworks), see the language guides: .NET · Node.js · Python.

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Next steps

• Teams Features — send mentions, adaptive cards, and suggested actions
• Language guides — deeper coverage of each implementation
• Middleware — extend the turn pipeline with logging, error handling, and more
• Authentication & Setup — manual Azure portal setup (without Teams CLI)