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In this blog post I will explore topics in Copilot Studio, but before we do, let’s understand what topics are for.

Note: In this example, I have already created a Copilot agent and added instructions to define how the agent should behave. The steps below focus specifically on working with topics rather than creating the agent from scratch.

A topic in Copilot Studio tells your agent what to do when a visitor asks a certain type of question. Topics are the core building blocks of an agent because they define how a conversation should flow.

When you create a new agent, Copilot Studio includes some built-in system topics by default. These system topics have specific roles that help the agent handle common conversation events. For example, one system topic is called Conversation Start, which is used to greet users and introduce the agent when a conversation begins.

A topic contains a series of conversation nodes. These nodes define what the agent says, what questions it asks, and how it responds based on the user’s input. Nodes can display messages, ask questions, offer multiple‑choice options, save information, or decide what happens next in the conversation.

Topics are triggered based on what the user means, not just the exact words they type. This means a topic can start even if the user phrases their question differently to the examples you provide. As long as the intent matches, the agent can recognise it and respond using the appropriate topic.

Together, topics and their conversation nodes control how your agent interacts with users and guide them through a natural, structured conversation.

When a visitor starts a new conversation with the agent, the Conversation Start system topic runs automatically. This happens as soon as the conversation begins and does not depend on what the visitor types.

The purpose of this topic is to greet the visitor and set the tone of the conversation. For example, it might say hello and ask whether the visitor needs help or has a question. This helps the conversation feel friendly and natural from the start.

Let’s take another example. A visitor types, “What’s the status of my order?” or “Has my expense form been approved?”

In this case, we can create a custom topic that triggers when someone asks about an order. This topic can ask the visitor for a reference, such as an email address or request ID, and then use connected data (for example, an Excel file or database) to provide an update or response.

Here’s another scenario. A visitor says: “I need a mentor.”

We can create a topic that is designed to trigger whenever someone asks for a mentor. When this topic starts, it can guide the visitor by asking a few simple follow‑up questions, such as:

• What subject do you need help with?
• What is your experience level?
• How would you prefer to be contacted?

Based on the answers, the topic can help the visitor submit a mentor request or move them to the next step in the process.

In simple terms:
The visitor asks for a mentor → the topic guides them through the process step by step.

Why topics in Copilot Studio are important

Topics are important because they control how your Copilot behaves during a conversation. They decide:

• When Copilot should respond
• What Copilot should say
• How Copilot avoids guessing or responding incorrectly

Without topics, Copilot wouldn’t know:

• Which questions it can answer
• What steps to follow
• When to stop talking

System vs custom topics

When you create a new agent in Copilot Studio, it automatically includes two types of topics: system topics and custom topics.

System topics are built in by Copilot Studio and handle basic conversation behaviour, such as greeting a visitor, starting or ending a conversation, or responding when the agent doesn’t understand a message. These topics exist in every agent so it can behave politely and safely. You can usually enable or disable system topics, but you can’t delete them because they are part of how Copilot Studio works.

Custom topics control the real work your agent does. Copilot Studio creates a few custom topics automatically to help you get started. These behave just like the custom topics you create yourself, you can open them, edit them, or delete them if you don’t need them. Custom topics are where you define specific scenarios, such as when someone asks for a mentor or wants to check the status of a request.

In short, system topics handle basic conversation rules, while custom topics (including the default ones) are fully under your control.

When a user sends a message, Copilot Studio evaluates all available topics, including both system topics and custom topics, and selects the best matching topic based on what the user is asking.

Let’s take a look at these built-in topics and go through the process of creating a new custom topic.

1. Visit https://copilotstudio.microsoft.com and sign in
   
   
2. From the left-hand navigation, select Agents
   
   
3. Select an existing Copilot agent that you have already created. If you don’t have one yet, click Create agent to create a new one.

4. Select Test from the top‑right corner of the Copilot Studio interface, as shown in the image below.

You’ll see that the agent displays the following default welcome message:

“Hello. I’m the Course Mentor Agent. How can I help?”

This message comes from a built‑in system topic called Conversation Start. The Conversation Start topic runs automatically when a new conversation begins and is responsible for greeting the visitor.

Let’s change this default message slightly.

5. Select the topics tabs as shown in the image below.

6. Select System to view the default system‑created topics. These topics are built into Copilot Studio and cannot be deleted.

Select the topic named Conversation Start. This system topic runs automatically when a new conversation begins, which is why it triggers when you open the Test pane. The Conversation Start topic is responsible for greeting the visitor at the start of the chat.

7. I’ll change the welcome message to:

How are you today? 😊

To insert an emoji on Windows, place your cursor in the Copilot Studio message or topic text field and press Windows + . (Windows key and full stop). This opens the emoji picker, allowing you to select an emoji to insert.

8. After editing your topic, click Save inside the topic editor (for example, after updating trigger phrases or the welcome message).

9. Then click Publish at the top of the agent designer to apply all your changes to the agent.

10. Start a new chat by selecting the + icon in the Test window. You’ll see your updated welcome message in the new conversation.

Note: Sometimes the Save button remains greyed out until the focus moves away from the message box. If this happens, click in a plain area outside the topic to enable Save.

Let’s explore some of the other built-in system topics

Copilot Studio Agent System Topics

System topic	What it does	When it triggers	Example (what it can do)
Conversation Start	Greets the user and introduces the agent	When a new conversation begins	User opens chat → Agent says: “Hi! I’m the Course Mentor Agent. How can I help today?”
Conversational boosting	Uses generative AI to answer when no topic matches	When the agent can’t match the user’s query	User asks: “What’s our exam resit policy?” → Agent searches knowledge sources and generates an answer
Fallback	Says it didn’t understand and asks to rephrase	When no topic matches the user’s input	User types “asdfgh??” → Agent replies: “I’m sorry, I’m not sure how to help with that. Can you try rephrasing?”
Multiple Topics Matched	Asks user to clarify when more than one topic applies	When input matches multiple topics. Triggers when a user’s message closely matches multiple topics.	User says “I need help with access” → Agent asks: “Did you mean password reset or request access?”
Escalate	Offers to hand off to a human or support	When “talk to agent” is detected or escalate is triggered	User says: “Can I speak to a person?” → Agent responds with handoff steps.
End of Conversation	Confirms resolution and ends the chat	Triggered when conversation is redirected to end	Agent asks: “Did that solve your problem?” before ending
On Error	Shows a friendly error message with details	When a user error occurs in the flow. The message includes an error code, the conversation ID, and the error timestamp, which can be used later for debugging.	Connector fails → Agent says: “Something went wrong. Error code: XYZ…”
Reset Conversation	Resets the conversation by clearing variable values and forcing the agent to use its latest published version.	Triggered by reset/redirection	User says: “Start over” → Agent resets and restarts cleanly.
Sign In	Prompts user to authenticate	Prompts customers to sign in when user authentication is enabled. Triggers at the beginning of the conversation when users are required to sign in, or when the conversation reaches a node that uses authentication variables.	User asks: “Show my requests” → Agent asks user to sign in first

Copilot Custom Topics (System created)

Copilot Studio creates a few custom topics automatically to help you get started with your agent, and these behave just like the custom topics you create yourself. You can open them, edit them, or delete them if you don’t need them. Custom topics are where you define specific scenarios, such as when someone asks for a mentor or wants to check the status of a request. In short, system topics handle basic conversation rules, while custom topics (including the default ones) are fully under your control and can be changed or removed.

Custom topic name	What it does	When it triggers (example phrases)	Example (what it can do)
Greeting	Responds to common greetings and starts the conversation in a friendly way	“Hi”, “Hello”, “Good morning”, “Hey”	Visitor: “Hello” → Agent: “Hi! How can I help you today?”
Thank you	Responds politely when the visitor says thanks	“Thanks”, “Thank you”, “Cheers”, “Much appreciated”	Visitor: “Thanks!” → Agent: “You’re welcome! Anything else you need?”
Goodbye	Ends the conversation politely when the visitor wants to leave	“Bye”, “Goodbye”, “See you”, “That’s all”, “No thankyou”	Visitor: “Bye” → Agent: “Thanks for chatting—have a great day!”
Start Over	Restarts the conversation so the visitor can begin again from scratch	“Start over”, “Restart”, “Let’s begin again”	Visitor: “Let’s begin again” → Are you sure you want to restart the conversation? Agent clears the current flow and begins again from the start if the visitor confirms yes

11. Let’s create a new custom topic. From the Topics page and select the Custom tab.

12. Click the + Add a topic button, as shown in the image below.

13. You’ll see two options to create a topic. The “Add from description with Copilot” option allows you to describe what you want the topic to do, and Copilot will automatically create the topic for you.

14. Selecting “From Blank” allows you to create a topic from scratch. In this example, I’ll use Copilot to help create the topic for me (Add from description with Copilot).

15. Enter a name for the topic and a short description of what you want the topic to do, then click Create.

16. The resulting topic is shown in the image below. Copilot has automatically created the topic with additional nodes that ask the visitor for more details when they request a mentor.

17. Click Save and then click test. Testing allows us to check the agents response when I ask for a mentor. The Request a Mentor Topic should automatically trigger based on keywords such as “I need a mentor”

18. When a new conversation begins, the Conversation Start system topic runs automatically and displays the welcome message to the visitor.

19. I then enter the following message in the chat window: “I need a mentor”.

20. The message “I need a mentor” matches the trigger for the Request a mentor custom topic, which then starts the topic flow created earlier.

21. I enter my name, “Imran Rashid”, and press Enter.

22. I am then asked to enter my email address, as configured in the topic.

23. I enter a dummy email address ([email protected]) and press Enter. I am then asked which course I am preparing for, based on the next question node configured in the topic.

24. I enter “AZ‑104” and press Enter. I am then asked for my preferred method of communication, with options including Email, Phone, and Chat.

I select Email.

25. The conversation ends with the following message:

Thank you, Imran Rashid! We will connect you with a mentor for the course “AZ‑104”. You will be contacted via email at [email protected].

Topics in Copilot Studio are flexible and can be configured to meet your exact requirements. You can extend a topic by adding more questions, messages, and triggers, and even use the information collected to store data in an Excel spreadsheet, send automated emails, or trigger other processes.

The purpose of this post was to help you understand what topics are in Copilot Studio and why they are important. I hope you found this post useful. If you have any questions or feedback, feel free to leave a comment below. See you in the next post.