> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.consensus.app/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Microsoft 365 Copilot
> For Microsoft 365 admins at universities and research institutions: approve Consensus for your tenant so it appears under Sources in Copilot Chat, without opening the app store to everyone.
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.
## Recommended: deploy Consensus for Copilot to a group
[Consensus for Copilot](https://marketplace.microsoft.com/en-us/product/WA200011861) 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.
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**.
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](https://marketplace.microsoft.com/en-us/product/WA200011861) and select **Get it now** there; it opens this same deployment wizard in your admin center.
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**.
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.
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**).
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](#for-users-connect-consensus), 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
Microsoft lists Consensus as **Consensus (preview)** under Health and life sciences in the Connectors Gallery, but the entry doesn't currently appear when you search **Copilot › Connectors** in the admin center. Microsoft has confirmed this is a bug on their side and is fixing it. Once it shows up, you'll be able to enable it from **Copilot › Connectors › Your connections** with staged rollout to groups, the same result as deploying the app above.
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:
| Field | Enter |
| ----------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Display name** | Consensus: search research papers |
| **MCP endpoint URL** | `https://mcp.consensus.app/mcp` |
| **Developer name** | Consensus |
| **Website URL** | `https://consensus.app` |
| **Privacy policy URL** | `https://consensus.app/home/privacy-policy/` |
| **Terms of use URL** | `https://consensus.app/home/terms-of-service/` |
| **Authentication type** | OAuth 2.0 |
| **Reference ID** | An OAuth client registration ID from the Teams Developer Portal |
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](https://consensus.app/home/contact/sales/) 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.
In Microsoft 365 Copilot, select the **gear icon** at the bottom of the left sidebar, then **Settings**.
In **Chat settings**, select **Sources**. Type *consensus* in the search box to filter the list, then select **Connect** next to **Consensus for Copilot**.
A dialog explains what Copilot will be able to read. Select **Continue to Consensus for Copilot**.
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](https://consensus.app/sign-up) first. You'll be sent back to Microsoft automatically.
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.
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?
| What the user sees | Likely cause | Where to fix it |
| ---------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Consensus isn't in the Sources list | The app isn't deployed to that user, or deployment hasn't propagated yet | **Settings › Integrated apps** › select Consensus for Copilot › **Users** |
| Sources list is short and there's no search | Expected. Users only see what an admin has deployed | Deploy Consensus as above |
| "Office store not available" when opening the Marketplace | Org settings block user access to the store | **Org settings › Services › User owned apps and services › Let users access the Office Store** |
| The Marketplace shows Consensus but users can't install it | External or Microsoft-published apps are disallowed, or user access is set to **No users** | **Agents › Settings › Allowed agent types** and **User access** |
| Connected, but searches return nothing | The user hasn't finished signing in to Consensus | Reconnect from **Sources** |
| Sign-in fails with an OAuth error (custom connector only) | The Reference ID points at a registration missing PKCE, a trailing slash, or the `search` scope | Teams Developer Portal › **Tools › OAuth Client Registration** |
## 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](/enterprise/copilot-studio).
Questions about tenant setup, SSO, or an enterprise plan for your organization? [Talk to sales](https://consensus.app/home/contact/sales/).