Master Declarative Agent Workflows in VS Code Using Microsoft Foundry

Source: Dev.to

🧩 What Are Declarative Agent Workflows?

Declarative workflows are like giving your agents a recipe. Instead of telling them step‑by‑step how to cook, you describe what the final dish should look like. Foundry then handles the execution logic.

Example workflow:

• Agent 1 pulls data.
• Agent 2 analyzes the data.
• Agent 3 formats the output.

You don’t need to micromanage every step—you just declare the workflow, and Foundry ensures it runs correctly.

💻 Setting Up in VS Code

VS Code is an ideal environment for working with Foundry workflows because it’s lightweight, extensible, and developer‑friendly.

Typical workflow:

1. Open your workflow files – either click the VS Code link inside Foundry or open the YAML/JSON files directly.
2. Explore the structure – you’ll see agents, tools, and triggers defined declaratively.
3. Run the workflow – use Foundry’s CLI or the VS Code extensions to execute it.
4. Test and debug – VS Code’s integrated terminal and debugging tools make it easy to spot errors or refine logic.

🔍 Running & Testing Your Workflow

Running a workflow is as simple as executing a command, but testing is where the magic happens.

• Unit testing agents – verify that each agent performs its role correctly.
• Integration testing – run the full workflow to see how agents interact.

⚡ Why This Matters

Declarative workflows make agent development scalable and reliable. Instead of hacking together scripts, you define intent and let Foundry handle execution. Combined with VS Code, you get a smooth developer experience: easy editing, debugging, and testing.

Ideal for:

• Teams building multi‑agent systems.
• Developers experimenting with human‑in‑the‑loop automation.
• Businesses wanting repeatable, auditable workflows.

🎥 Watch the Magic

A full video demonstration is available, showing the process step‑by‑step—from creating workflows with integrated agents, opening them in VS Code, to running and testing them with Microsoft Foundry.