Add Microsoft Teams Channel

Status: Available in-repo as packages/mcp-teams/ (@deus-ai/teams-mcp). The published npm package is not out yet, so the channel factory falls back to the in-repo build at packages/mcp-teams/dist/index.js — you build it locally (below).

Microsoft Teams is the chat-channel analog of Slack: a bot identity receives messages and posts replies. Unlike Slack's Socket Mode, the Teams bot uses the Azure Bot Service (Bot Framework), which delivers activities to a public HTTPS messaging endpoint. The channel runs its own HTTP server on TEAMS_PORT (default 3978) serving /api/messages; you must expose that port via a dedicated public tunnel (see below) — Deus's existing ingress tunnel forwards only the gateway port and does not cover TEAMS_PORT.

Phase 1: Setup

Register the Azure app + bot (if needed)

If the user doesn't have an Azure Bot, walk them through it. Quick summary of what's needed:

1. In the Azure Portal → Microsoft Entra ID → App registrations → New registration. Copy the Application (client) ID and Directory (tenant) ID.

2. Certificates & secrets → New client secret → copy the secret value (shown once).

3. Start a dedicated tunnel to the Teams port (any HTTPS tunnel works):

   ngrok http 3978   # → forwards a public https URL to http://localhost:3978
   

4. Create an Azure Bot resource (Azure Bot Service). Link it to the app registration above (the Microsoft App ID). Set the messaging endpoint to your tunnel's URL: https://<your-tunnel-domain>/api/messages.

5. On the bot resource → Channels → enable the Microsoft Teams channel.

6. Create a Teams app (Developer Portal for Teams / manifest) that references the bot's App ID, then install it to a team or chat.

The messaging endpoint must be a public HTTPS URL reaching TEAMS_PORT. A local-only endpoint (or the gateway tunnel) will not receive Bot Framework activities — use a dedicated tunnel to port 3978.

Configure environment

Add to .env (use the values from the app registration — no personal tenant or domain values belong in this skill):

TEAMS_APP_ID=<your-application-client-id>
TEAMS_APP_PASSWORD=<your-client-secret-value>
# Single-tenant only (omit for a multi-tenant bot):
TEAMS_APP_TENANT_ID=<your-directory-tenant-id>
# Optional — defaults to 3978:
# TEAMS_PORT=3978

Build the package

The published npm package is not out yet, so build the in-repo package:

cd packages/mcp-teams && npm install && npm run build && cd ../..

The channel runs host-side and auto-enables once TEAMS_APP_ID + TEAMS_APP_PASSWORD are present. Restart the service so the host picks it up:

# macOS
launchctl kickstart -k gui/$(id -u)/com.deus
# Linux (systemd)
sudo systemctl restart deus

Phase 2: Registration

Get the conversation ID

Tell the user:

1. Add the bot to a Teams channel or chat (install the Teams app, then @mention the bot once so Teams creates a conversation reference).
2. The conversation ID is the Bot Framework conversation.id for that channel/chat. The setup helper will capture it from the first inbound activity once the channel is live.

The JID format for Deus is: teams:<conversation-id>

Register the channel

The conversation ID, name, and folder name are needed. Use npx tsx setup/index.ts --step register with the appropriate flags.

For a main channel (responds to all messages):

npx tsx setup/index.ts --step register -- --jid "teams:<conversation-id>" --name "<channel-name>" --folder "teams_main" --trigger "@${ASSISTANT_NAME}" --channel teams --no-trigger-required --is-main

For additional channels (trigger-only):

npx tsx setup/index.ts --step register -- --jid "teams:<conversation-id>" --name "<channel-name>" --folder "teams_<channel-name>" --trigger "@${ASSISTANT_NAME}" --channel teams

Verify

Smoke test

npx tsx setup/index.ts --step smoke-test -- --channel teams

The smoke test checks: service running, registered group exists, DB write/read works, and channel connection appears in logs.

If it passes, tell the user "Microsoft Teams channel is working." Then ask them to send a test message:

Send a message in your registered Teams channel to confirm real-time delivery.

• For main channel: any message works
• For non-main: @mention the bot

Troubleshooting

Bot not responding

1. Check TEAMS_APP_ID, TEAMS_APP_PASSWORD, and TEAMS_APP_TENANT_ID are set in .env.
2. Confirm the package is built: ls packages/mcp-teams/dist/index.js.
3. Check the channel is registered: sqlite3 store/messages.db "SELECT * FROM registered_groups WHERE jid LIKE 'teams:%'"
4. For non-main channels: the message must include the trigger pattern.
5. Service is running: launchctl list | grep deus (macOS) / systemctl status deus (Linux).

Bot connected but not receiving messages

1. Verify the messaging endpoint in the Azure Bot resource is your dedicated tunnel's https://.../api/messages URL (reaching TEAMS_PORT), reachable from the internet.
2. Verify the Microsoft Teams channel is enabled on the bot resource.
3. Verify the Teams app (manifest) referencing the bot is installed in the target team/chat.
4. Check the dedicated tunnel is up — a Bot Framework activity to an unreachable endpoint is silently dropped by Azure. (The Deus ingress tunnel does NOT cover TEAMS_PORT — Teams needs its own tunnel.)

Authorization / 401 from the Bot Framework

1. Confirm the client secret value (not the secret ID) is in TEAMS_APP_PASSWORD, and that it has not expired (Azure secrets expire).
2. Confirm TEAMS_APP_TENANT_ID matches the app registration's directory (for a single-tenant bot).
3. Regenerate the secret in Certificates & secrets if in doubt, update .env, and restart (launchctl kickstart -k gui/$(id -u)/com.deus on macOS / sudo systemctl restart deus on Linux).

After Setup

The Microsoft Teams channel will support:

• Team channels — the bot must be installed in the team and @mentioned.
• Group chats — the bot must be added to the chat.
• 1:1 chats — users can message the bot directly.
• Multi-channel — can run alongside WhatsApp or other channels (auto-enabled by credentials).

Known Limitations

• Dedicated public endpoint required — unlike Slack's Socket Mode, the Bot Framework pushes activities to a public HTTPS endpoint. The channel listens on TEAMS_PORT (3978); you must expose it with a dedicated tunnel and point the Azure Bot messaging endpoint at it. Deus's existing ingress tunnel covers only the gateway port, not TEAMS_PORT.
• Reply needs a prior inbound — outbound replies use Bot Framework proactive messaging, which requires a conversation reference captured from a prior inbound activity (persisted to ~/.teams-mcp/conversations.json). A reply to a conversation the bot has never received a message from is logged and skipped.
• Threads / replies — Teams reply chains will be delivered as flat messages unless thread-aware routing is added (database schema, NewMessage type, and Channel.sendMessage interface changes), the same limitation the Slack channel documents.
• Adaptive Cards / attachments — only text content is forwarded to the agent in the initial integration. Adaptive Cards, files, and images are not handled.
• Secret expiry — Azure client secrets expire; the channel will start failing auth when the secret lapses, with no proactive warning until the credential-probe maintenance script is extended to cover Teams.