Skip to main content
In Microsoft 365 Copilot, Consensus is a connector: a source that Copilot queries live over MCP when a user asks a research question. Users find it under Sources in Copilot Chat and in the Researcher agent. It’s not an agent, so it never appears under Agents, and in most institutional tenants users can’t add it themselves. Everything under Sources is put there by an admin. This page is written for that admin. The recommended path works in tenants where the app store is closed to end users: you deploy Consensus to the people who should have it, and nothing else changes. Consensus for Copilot is a Microsoft 365 app, published by Microsoft, that carries the Consensus connector. Deploying it from the admin center preinstalls it for the users you choose. Microsoft’s own guidance is that when user installs are blocked, admins can still deploy apps and admin-deployed apps stay available to users, so this works in locked-down tenants without changing your store policy. You need the Global Administrator role.
1

Find Consensus for Copilot in Integrated apps

In the Microsoft 365 admin center, go to Settings › Integrated apps. Open the Available apps tab and search for consensus. Select Consensus for Copilot, then Deploy app.
The Integrated apps page on the Available apps tab with Consensus for Copilot listed and its availability status

Settings › Integrated apps › Available apps, filtered to Consensus for Copilot.

If it isn’t listed under Available apps, select Get apps, search for Consensus for Copilot, and select Get it now. Or go straight to the listing: open Consensus for Copilot on the Microsoft Marketplace and select Get it now there; it opens this same deployment wizard in your admin center.
The Microsoft 365 Apps search inside Integrated apps showing the Consensus for Copilot listing by Microsoft Corporation with a Get it now button

Get apps opens the Marketplace inside the admin center.

2

Assign users

The Deploy New App wizard runs through Configuration, Users, and Deployment. On Add users, choose who gets Consensus:
  • Specific users or groups — pick the Microsoft Entra groups that should have it (a library, a department, a research institute). Recommended for a staged rollout.
  • All users — a campus-wide rollout.
  • Just me — a first test on your own account.
Select Next.
The Add users step showing Just me, All users, and Specific users or groups options for Consensus for Copilot

The Users step of the Deploy New App wizard.

3

Accept permissions and deploy

Accept the permission request if one is shown, then select Next and finish. The wizard ends on Deployment completed with Consensus for Copilot marked Deployed. Select Done. Deployment can take a few hours to reach every user; View this deployment shows its status.
The Deployment completed screen showing Consensus for Copilot with a Deployed status and a View this deployment link

Deployment completed: Consensus for Copilot is deployed to the users you chose.

4

Check the two tenant gates

If a deployed user still can’t see Consensus, check Agents › Settings in the admin center:
  • Allowed agent types must include Allow apps and agents built by Microsoft. The Consensus listing is published by Microsoft, so tenants that only allow their own apps will hide it. You don’t need to allow external publishers.
  • User access must include the group you deployed to (All users or the right Specific users/groups).
5

Tell your users to connect

Deployment makes Consensus visible. Each user still connects once with their own Consensus account; you can’t sign in on their behalf. Send them the steps in For users, or the one-line version: Settings › Sources › Consensus for Copilot › Connect.
Consensus accounts are free. Users on your institution’s Consensus plan get its limits; everyone else gets the free plan. Usage never counts against your Microsoft licenses.

​
Other ways Consensus appears in the admin center

Consensus also appears under Agents › Tools, Microsoft’s registry of MCP servers for people who build agents. Approving it there governs which builders can use the Consensus server from Copilot Studio, VS Code, Claude Code, and GitHub Copilot CLI. Microsoft’s documentation lists those as the supported surfaces; it doesn’t list Copilot Chat, so don’t rely on Agents › Tools to put Consensus under Sources. Use the deployment above for that.
Some institutions require every connector to be created and owned in their own tenant. You can point a custom federated connector at the Consensus MCP server: Copilot › Connectors › Gallery › Created by your org › Create a new connector › Connect to MCP server, then:
The Connect to MCP server form showing developer name, website, privacy policy, and terms fields, the Authentication type dropdown, and the Notice checkbox

The Connect to MCP server form.

The Reference ID requires an OAuth client with a client secret registered in the Teams Developer Portal (Tools › OAuth Client Registration). Consensus’s self-service registration issues public clients, so contact us for a confidential client and the registration values before starting. We’re also confirming with Microsoft whether a shared reference ID can be used.

​
For users: connect Consensus

Once your admin has added Consensus, connect it to your own Consensus account. It takes about a minute and you only do it once.
1

Open Settings

In Microsoft 365 Copilot, select the gear icon at the bottom of the left sidebar, then Settings.
Microsoft 365 Copilot with the gear icon at the bottom of the left sidebar highlighted and the Settings menu item open

The gear icon sits next to your name at the bottom of the sidebar.

2

Go to Sources and find Consensus

In Chat settings, select Sources. Type consensus in the search box to filter the list, then select Connect next to Consensus for Copilot.
The Chat settings dialog with Sources selected and Consensus for Copilot showing a Connect button

Sources lists everything your admin has made available.

3

Continue to Consensus

A dialog explains what Copilot will be able to read. Select Continue to Consensus for Copilot.
The Connect Consensus for Copilot dialog with a Continue to Consensus for Copilot button

The connection dialog before you're sent to Consensus to sign in.

4

Authorize in Consensus

A Consensus window opens. Sign in if you’re not already, then select Connect. If you don’t have a Consensus account, create a free one at consensus.app/sign-up first. You’ll be sent back to Microsoft automatically.
The Consensus authorization page titled Connect Consensus to Microsoft Copilot with a Connect button

The Consensus consent screen. It lists exactly what Copilot can do: search academic papers.

5

You're connected

Back in Copilot, a confirmation appears and Consensus for Copilot stays in your Sources list. Close settings and ask a research question; Copilot will search Consensus and cite the papers. Consensus is also available in the Researcher agent’s Sources menu.
The Sources list showing Consensus for Copilot with a toast reading Consensus for Copilot is now connected

Consensus for Copilot is now connected.

To disconnect later, open the … menu next to Consensus for Copilot under Sources. Results depend on your Consensus plan, not your Microsoft license.

​
Why can’t my users see it?

​
Want Consensus inside your own agents?

Copilot Studio can call the Consensus MCP server directly as a custom tool, with either per-user sign-in or a shared API key. See Microsoft Copilot Studio. Questions about tenant setup, SSO, or an enterprise plan for your organization? Talk to sales.