Question about the future of @fluentui-copilot packages (microsoft/fluentai)

[Dmitry Tokmachev (e1em3ntoDX)]

Hi team,

This question is about the https://www.npmjs.com/package/@fluentui-copilot/react-copilot-chat package from the private microsoft/fluentai repo. I am asking here because this is the only public place where I suppose I can reach the team. Sorry if this is the wrong place.

We plan to add an AI assistant to our website, and we discovered this package and the https://github.com/Azure-Samples/get-started-with-ai-chat/tree/main sample. This chat component fits our initial needs well, but before we build on it, we would like to understand your plans.

What we see from outside:

• The README says "For internal use only. External use is not supported at this time."
• The microsoft/fluentai repo is private, so we cannot open issues there or see a roadmap.
• The last stable release in the scope was on March 12, 2026, and nightly builds have stopped.

Our questions:

1. Is the package/component still being developed?
2. Do you plan to make the repo public or support external use in any form?
3. If something else will replace these components (for example, the Copilot Design System), will it be public?

We do not expect support. We only want to know if we should plan around this package or choose another option.

Thank you!

[Suprovo Mallick (DYNO) (DYNOSuprovo)]

Hi Dmitry Tokmachev (@e1em3ntoDX)!

To give you a direct, transparent assessment for your architectural planning:

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1. Status of @fluentui-copilot Packages

• Internal-First Scope: The @fluentui-copilot/* namespace on npm originates from Microsoft's private microsoft/fluentai repository to support internal Microsoft 365 Copilot features and specific Azure reference samples.
• Support & Roadmap Policy: The disclaimer "For internal use only. External use is not supported at this time" is literal. Because the underlying repository is private and managed by internal product teams, it is not part of the public Fluent UI v9 open-source roadmap, does not follow public SemVer deprecation lifecycles for external consumers, and has no public issue tracker.
• Release Cadence: As you noticed with the stable release date and discontinued nightly builds, packages in this scope are published on an ad-hoc basis strictly driven by internal milestone dependencies.

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2. Should You Plan Around This Package?

Recommendation: Do not plan around or couple production code to @fluentui-copilot/*.

Because there are no backwards-compatibility guarantees or public release cadences for third parties, depending on these packages introduces a high risk of unexpected breakage or abandonment.

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3. Recommended Production Approaches

If your goal is to build an AI assistant with the Microsoft Copilot look-and-feel:

Approach A: Build on Core Fluent UI v9 Primitives (Most Stable)

You can construct a custom, fully accessible chat interface using supported @fluentui/react-components (v9) components:

• Message Bubbles & Layout: Card, Text, Badge, Avatar / Persona.
• Prompt Input: Textarea, Button, Toolbar, Field.
• Streaming & Status Indicators: Spinner, Skeleton, ProgressBar.

This ensures full theme compatibility (webLightTheme / webDarkTheme), zero risk of discontinued packages, and standard LTS support.

Approach B: Pair Fluent v9 with Headless AI Streaming

For streaming responses, tool calling, and conversation state, pair Fluent UI v9 with a headless orchestrator like the Azure OpenAI SDK or the Vercel AI SDK (@ai-sdk/react). The headless hooks (useChat, useCompletion) manage message streaming and abort controllers, while Fluent UI v9 provides the visual presentation layer.

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If this helps clarify the roadmap and guides your team's architectural decision, please feel free to mark this as the accepted answer!

[Dmitry Tokmachev (e1em3ntoDX)]

Thank you for the comprehensive reply, much appreciated! I marked your comment as the answer.