Ask A Coworker

Ask A Coworker MCP

An MCP (Model Context Protocol) server that allows AI agents to send questions to coworkers via Microsoft Teams and wait for their replies.

Overview

This tool lets your AI agent get knowledge from the most valuable source possible - your coworkers. When an agent needs information only a specific person has, it can use the ask_a_coworker tool to send a direct message to that user in Teams. The agent pauses execution until the user replies or a timeout occurs.

A dedicated bot is used to ensure clarity and to avoid impersonation.

A usage screenshot, showing an AI agent on the left, and a Teams chat on the right

Features

• Direct Teams Integration: Sends questions as Adaptive Cards or normal text in 1:1 chats.
• Synchronous Execution: The AI agent waits for the reply, enabling seamless multi-step workflows.
• Secure: Uses Microsoft Entra ID for authentication and delegated permissions.
• Dockerized: Easy to deploy with Docker Compose.
• Resilient: Handles timeouts and stores pending questions in PostgreSQL.

Prerequisites

• Docker & Docker Compose
• Microsoft 365 Tenant with administrative access to register applications.
• ngrok (optional, for exposing the local bot to the internet).

Setup

For detailed step-by-step instructions on setting up the server (for Administrators) and connecting to it (for Users), please refer to the Setup Guide.

Quick Start (Local Docker)

1. Copy .env.example to .env and fill in your Azure Bot credentials.
2. Run:

    docker compose up --build -d

1. The MCP server will be available at http://localhost:3978/mcp/sse.

Usage with MCP Client

Configure your MCP client (e.g., Claude Desktop, etc.) to connect to the SSE endpoint:

• URL: http://localhost:3978/mcp/sse

Available Tools

• ask_a_coworker(question: string, targetEmail: string, timeout: number): Sends a question to a user and waits for a reply.
• list_people(query: string): Searches for people in the organization.

Development

Install dependencies:

npm install

Run migrations:

npm run migrate

Start in dev mode:

npm run dev

Teams App Packaging

To generate the Teams app package (manifest.json + icons):

npm run package

This creates dist/teams-app.zip which you can upload to the Teams Admin Center.

Database Migrations

Database schema is managed via Kysely migrations. To run migrations manually:

npm run migrate

When running via Docker, migrations are applied automatically on startup.