# Where to Find Documentation for AI Agents for Beginners: Complete Guide

> Find comprehensive documentation for AI Agents for Beginners directly in the microsoft/ai-agents-for-beginners repository. Explore setup, concepts, and advanced topics with ease.

- Repository: [Microsoft/ai-agents-for-beginners](https://github.com/microsoft/ai-agents-for-beginners)
- Tags: getting-started
- Published: 2026-04-22

---

**The AI Agents for Beginners repository contains comprehensive documentation embedded directly in the source code, with the root README.md serving as the primary entry point and 16 lesson-specific READMEs covering setup, core concepts, and advanced topics.**

All documentation for the **AI Agents for Beginners** course from Microsoft lives inside the repository itself. This self-contained approach ensures you always have synchronized, version-matched guidance whether you browse on GitHub, clone locally, or work in Jupyter notebooks. The documentation spans installation, conceptual overviews, framework-specific guides, and translations into over 30 languages.

## Primary Documentation Entry Points

### Root README: Your Starting Point

The [`README.md`](https://github.com/microsoft/ai-agents-for-beginners/blob/main/README.md) at the repository root provides the executive summary of the entire learning path. Located at `https://github.com/microsoft/ai-agents-for-beginners/blob/main/README.md`, this file covers:

- Course structure and learning objectives
- Prerequisites and environment requirements
- Virtual environment setup and Python package installation
- How to navigate the lesson notebooks

### Course Setup Guide

For detailed environment configuration, refer to [`00-course-setup/README.md`](https://github.com/microsoft/ai-agents-for-beginners/blob/main/00-course-setup/README.md). This guide walks through:

- Cloning the repository
- Creating and activating a Python virtual environment
- Copying `.env.example` to `.env` and configuring Azure credentials
- Installing dependencies from [`requirements.txt`](https://github.com/microsoft/ai-agents-for-beginners/blob/main/requirements.txt)

## Lesson-by-Lesson Documentation

Each of the 16 lessons contains its own [`README.md`](https://github.com/microsoft/ai-agents-for-beginners/blob/main/README.md) with specific objectives, required Azure services, and step-by-step instructions. The lessons follow this structure:

| Lesson | Directory | Focus Area |
|--------|-----------|------------|
| 00 | `00-course-setup` | Environment and prerequisites |
| 01 | `01-intro-to-ai-agents` | Core agent concepts and first notebook |
| 02 | `02-explore-agentic-frameworks` | Agent framework comparison |
| 03 | `03-agentic-design-patterns` | Design pattern fundamentals |
| 04 | `04-tool-use` | Tool integration and function calling |
| 05 | `05-agentic-rag` | Retrieval-Augmented Generation |
| 06 | `06-building-trustworthy-agents` | Safety and reliability |
| 07 | `07-planning-design-pattern` | Planning and execution strategies |
| 08 | `08-multi-agent` | Multi-agent orchestration |
| 09 | `09-metacognition` | Self-reflection and improvement |
| 10 | `10-ai-agents-in-production` | Deployment and monitoring |
| 11 | `11-semantic-kernel` | Microsoft Semantic Kernel integration |
| 12 | `12-autogen` | AutoGen framework deep-dive |
| 13 | `13-llamaindex` | LlamaIndex for agent construction |
| 14 | `14-microsoft-agent-framework` | Microsoft Agent Framework (MAF) |
| 15 | `15-browser-use` | Browser automation agents |

Each lesson's [`README.md`](https://github.com/microsoft/ai-agents-for-beginners/blob/main/README.md) includes the `lesson.ipynb` notebook path and any lesson-specific setup requirements.

## Framework-Specific Documentation

### Microsoft Agent Framework Guide

The [`14-microsoft-agent-framework/README.md`](https://github.com/microsoft/ai-agents-for-beginners/blob/main/14-microsoft-agent-framework/README.md) provides the most detailed framework documentation, covering:

- **Microsoft Agent Framework (MAF)** architecture overview
- **`AzureAIProjectAgentProvider`** configuration and usage
- Integration patterns with Azure AI Project
- Links to official MAF SDK documentation

This is the definitive reference for production agent development using Microsoft's native tooling.

## Translated Documentation

The repository includes comprehensive translations under the `translations/` directory. With coverage for 30+ languages, you can find localized versions of:

- Root [`README.md`](https://github.com/microsoft/ai-agents-for-beginners/blob/main/README.md) (course overview)
- Individual lesson READMEs
- Setup instructions

Example translation paths:
- [`translations/zh-TW/README.md`](https://github.com/microsoft/ai-agents-for-beginners/blob/main/translations/zh-TW/README.md) — Traditional Chinese
- [`translations/ms/README.md`](https://github.com/microsoft/ai-agents-for-beginners/blob/main/translations/ms/README.md) — Malay
- [`translations/de/README.md`](https://github.com/microsoft/ai-agents-for-beginners/blob/main/translations/de/README.md) — German

All translations maintain parity with the English source, ensuring consistent learning outcomes across languages.

## Programmatically Accessing Documentation

Since all documentation is Markdown, you can fetch and process it programmatically. Here's a Python example for retrieving the root README:

```python
import requests

README_URL = (
    "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/microsoft/ai-agents-for-beginners/main/README.md"
)

def fetch_readme(url: str) -> str:
    """Download a Markdown README from GitHub."""
    response = requests.get(url, timeout=10)
    response.raise_for_status()
    return response.text

if __name__ == "__main__":
    root_readme = fetch_readme(README_URL)
    print("\n".join(root_readme.splitlines()[:20]))

```

To fetch any lesson's documentation, construct the raw URL pattern:

```python
lesson_url = (
    "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/microsoft/ai-agents-for-beginners/"
    "main/05-agentic-rag/README.md"
)

```

## Key Documentation Files Reference

| File Path | Purpose | Direct Link |
|-----------|---------|-------------|
| [`README.md`](https://github.com/microsoft/ai-agents-for-beginners/blob/main/README.md) | Course overview, prerequisites, getting started | [View](https://github.com/microsoft/ai-agents-for-beginners/blob/main/README.md) |
| [`00-course-setup/README.md`](https://github.com/microsoft/ai-agents-for-beginners/blob/main/00-course-setup/README.md) | Environment setup, Azure configuration | [View](https://github.com/microsoft/ai-agents-for-beginners/blob/main/00-course-setup/README.md) |
| [`01-intro-to-ai-agents/README.md`](https://github.com/microsoft/ai-agents-for-beginners/blob/main/01-intro-to-ai-agents/README.md) | Core agent concepts introduction | [View](https://github.com/microsoft/ai-agents-for-beginners/blob/main/01-intro-to-ai-agents/README.md) |
| [`14-microsoft-agent-framework/README.md`](https://github.com/microsoft/ai-agents-for-beginners/blob/main/14-microsoft-agent-framework/README.md) | MAF and `AzureAIProjectAgentProvider` guide | [View](https://github.com/microsoft/ai-agents-for-beginners/blob/main/14-microsoft-agent-framework/README.md) |
| `translations/<lang>/README.md` | Localized course documentation | [Example (zh-TW)](https://github.com/microsoft/ai-agents-for-beginners/blob/main/translations/zh-TW/README.md) |

## Summary

- **All documentation for AI Agents for Beginners lives in the repository itself** — no external documentation site required
- **Start with the root [`README.md`](https://github.com/microsoft/ai-agents-for-beginners/blob/main/README.md)** for course overview and prerequisites
- **Follow [`00-course-setup/README.md`](https://github.com/microsoft/ai-agents-for-beginners/blob/main/00-course-setup/README.md)** for detailed environment configuration
- **Each lesson has its own [`README.md`](https://github.com/microsoft/ai-agents-for-beginners/blob/main/README.md)** with specific instructions and Azure service requirements
- **[`14-microsoft-agent-framework/README.md`](https://github.com/microsoft/ai-agents-for-beginners/blob/main/14-microsoft-agent-framework/README.md)** provides the definitive MAF production guide
- **30+ language translations** are available under `translations/` for localized learning

## Frequently Asked Questions

### Where is the official documentation for AI Agents for Beginners?

The official documentation is embedded directly in the GitHub repository at `microsoft/ai-agents-for-beginners`. There is no separate documentation website. All guides, from the root README to individual lesson instructions, are maintained as Markdown files alongside the source code and notebooks.

### How do I access the documentation in my native language?

Navigate to the `translations/` directory in the repository root. Each subdirectory contains a complete translation of the course documentation, including the root README and lesson READMEs. For example, Traditional Chinese speakers can use [`translations/zh-TW/README.md`](https://github.com/microsoft/ai-agents-for-beginners/blob/main/translations/zh-TW/README.md), while Malay speakers can use [`translations/ms/README.md`](https://github.com/microsoft/ai-agents-for-beginners/blob/main/translations/ms/README.md).

### What documentation should I read before running any notebooks?

Read [`00-course-setup/README.md`](https://github.com/microsoft/ai-agents-for-beginners/blob/main/00-course-setup/README.md) before attempting any lesson notebooks. This file contains essential environment setup steps: creating a Python virtual environment, installing dependencies from [`requirements.txt`](https://github.com/microsoft/ai-agents-for-beginners/blob/main/requirements.txt), copying `.env.example` to `.env`, and configuring your Azure AI credentials. Skipping this setup will cause authentication and import errors in the notebooks.