Practical, click-by-click guide
Follow the numbered steps in a Business Central sandbox. Product labels vary by version and locale; official Microsoft pages are linked for verification.
Target architecture
A Copilot Studio agent can use authorized Business Central API objects as tools through Business Central MCP Server. Start with read-only vendor or item access. No permission to modify banking information, delete records or post documents.
Step 1: Verify prerequisites
You need a Business Central environment with MCP Server support, access to Copilot Studio and MCP – ADMIN or equivalent permissions in Business Central. Check availability, licensing and authentication. Prepare a sandbox company with fictional records.
Step 2: Inspect API objects
Choose the standard APIs or custom read-only API pages and queries that match the purpose. Test API access separately with an authorized account. MCP configuration cannot make an inaccessible API suddenly valid.
Step 3: Open MCP configuration
In Business Central press Alt+Q and search for Model Context Protocol (MCP) Server Configurations. Select New and name the configuration InvoiceAgentReadOnly. Describe its purpose and company scope.
Step 4: Keep configuration inactive
Keep Active off while editing. Active configurations must be deactivated before changes, according to Microsoft’s setup documentation.
Step 5: Permit only read operations
Enable API Tools, add the required API objects and leave Unblock Edit Tools disabled. Permit Allow Read only. Do not enable Create, Modify, Delete or Actions for this initial tutorial.
Step 6: Restrict discovery
The built-in default configuration can have Dynamic Tool Mode and read-only discovery enabled. Use a named custom configuration and inspect its actual tool list. Disable dynamic mode and extra discovery if the design requires only explicitly selected tools.
Step 7: Restrict company and identity
Choose a test company and a least-privileged BC identity. A listed MCP tool still depends on the user’s BC data permissions. Validate behavior with a second account that should not access the records.
Step 8: Activate the configuration
Review object IDs and allowed operations, then set Active on. Record the exact configuration name. Deactivate it before any subsequent editing.
Agent instruction:
Read only authorized vendor and item data in the selected company. Never create, modify, delete or post records. Ask for clarification when a record cannot be identified.Step 9: Create the Copilot Studio agent
Open Copilot Studio, create an agent and define its narrow purpose: read and explain approved vendor records only. Add a Business Central MCP connection and choose the correct environment, company and named configuration.
Step 10: Refresh tools and run a query
Refresh the tool list and review each tool’s source and operation. Ask for a fictional vendor such as V1000. Confirm that the tool was called and the answer reflects actual BC records.
Step 11: Run security tests
Request an unknown vendor, a different company, a bank update and posting. The agent must remain read-only. Repeat with an unprivileged identity. Untrusted tool responses must never expand authorization.
Step 12: Add approval workflow deliberately
Add deterministic invoice validation and a separate human review task. Any write operation must use a controlled BC API or backend that validates company, document version, caller rights and explicit approval. Log tool IDs, correlation IDs and status without tokens or unnecessary confidential data.
Alternative: Build a .NET agent
A custom .NET agent can connect through approved BC APIs or an authorized MCP client. You must build token management, orchestration, tool security, durable state, observability and spending limits. This enables custom behavior but requires substantially more engineering than Copilot Studio.
Checklist before moving beyond sandbox
- Record the exact BC version and supported feature state
- Run expected-success and expected-failure tasks
- Verify least-privilege rights with another test user
- Review data privacy and approval rules
- Document log review, disabling and recovery
Microsoft source documentation
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dynamics365/business-central/dev-itpro/ai/configure-mcp-server
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