Connect to Akto (Block Mode)

Add inline request and response guardrails to Microsoft Copilot Studio agents

Overview

The sync integration adds Akto guardrails inside your Microsoft Copilot Studio agent. Every user message and every AI-generated response is sent to Akto in real time so that prompt-injection, PII leaks, and policy violations can be blocked before they reach the model or the end user.

Unlike the async integration — which only observes traffic after the fact — the sync integration sits on the conversation path and can stop a request mid-flight.

Once configured, the agent will:

• Intercept every user message before it is sent to the AI model and block it if Akto returns Allowed: false.

• Intercept every AI-generated response before it is delivered to the user and scan it for violations.

• Surface the block reason returned by Akto directly inside the chat (e.g. "Request blocked: contains restricted PII").

How It Works

User message
     ↓
Copilot Studio "Request Guardrail" topic ──► Akto (sync, blocking)
     ↓ (allowed)
AI model
     ↓
Copilot Studio "Response Guardrail" topic ──► Akto (async scan)
     ↓
User

1. Request Guardrail topic — fires on every incoming user message at Priority 0 (before any other topic). Calls Akto's http-proxy endpoint and waits for a verdict. If Allowed: false, the topic sends the block reason to the user and ends the conversation turn.

2. Response Guardrail topic — fires when an AI-generated response is about to be sent. Forwards the prompt and response to Akto for background analysis; the response is delivered to the user immediately while Akto scans it.

Prerequisites

• A Microsoft Copilot Studio agent you can edit (Author or Maker role on the agent).

• The Akto Guardrails URL — provisioned and shared by Akto.

• Permission to publish the agent after the new topics are added.

Steps to Connect

Part 1 — Request Guardrail (blocking)

This topic intercepts every user message before it reaches the AI model.

1

Open your agent

Go to copilotstudio.microsoft.com and open the agent you want to protect.

2

Create a new topic

Select Topics → + Add a topic → From blank.

3

Name the topic

Name it Akto Request Guardrail and select Save.

4

Set the trigger

1. Select the Trigger node and change its type to "A message is received" (not a keyword-based trigger).

2. Select Edit and set Priority to 0.

Priority 0 ensures this topic fires on every user message before any other topic — including agent-defined intents.

If another topic shares the same priority, Copilot Studio may not guarantee which fires first — meaning the guardrail could be skipped. Ensure no other topic in your agent is set to priority 0.

5

Add an HTTP Request action

Select + below the trigger → Advanced → Send HTTP request.

6

Configure the HTTP request

Field	Value
URL	https://<akto-guardrails-url>/api/http-proxy?ingest_data=true&guardrails=true
Method	POST

Body — select JSON Content, then Edit formula, and paste:

{
    path: "/v1/messages",
    requestHeaders: JSON(
        {
            host: System.Bot.Name & ".copilotstudio.microsoft.com"
        },
        JSONFormat.Compact
    ),
    responseHeaders: "",
    requestPayload: JSON(
        {
            body: System.Activity.Text
        },
        JSONFormat.Compact
    ),
    responsePayload: "{}",
    method: "POST",
    ip: "127.0.0.1",
    destIp: "127.0.0.1",
    time: Text(DateDiff(DateTime(1970,1,1,0,0,0), Now(), TimeUnit.Seconds)),
    statusCode: "200",
    type: "HTTP/1.1",
    status: "200",
    akto_account_id: "1000000",
    akto_vxlan_id: "1000000",
    is_pending: "false",
    source: "MIRRORING",
    contextSource: "AGENTIC",
    tag: JSON(
        {
            'gen-ai': "Gen AI"
        },
        JSONFormat.Compact
    )
}

Response Data Type — choose From a sample, select Get schema from sample data, and paste:

{
  "data": {
    "guardrailsResult": {
      "Allowed": false,
      "Modified": false,
      "ModifiedPayload": "",
      "Reason": "reason",
      "Metadata": {
        "policy_name": "",
        "rule_violated": ""
      },
      "behaviour": "block"
    },
    "success": true,
    "message": "Request processed successfully"
  },
  "message": "Request processed successfully",
  "success": true
}

Save response as → Select a variable → Create new → rename it to GuardrailsResponse.

7

Handle blocked requests

Add a Condition node below the HTTP request:

• Variable: GuardrailsResponse.data.guardrailsResult.Allowed

• Condition: Is equal to → false

Left branch (blocked):

1. + → Send a message → insert the variable GuardrailsResponse.data.guardrailsResult.Reason.

2. + → Topic Management → End All Topics.

Right branch (allowed):

Leave empty — the conversation continues to the next topic or the AI model.

8

Save the topic

Select Save in the top-right corner of the topic editor.

Part 2 — Response Guardrail (async scan)

This topic captures the AI-generated response and forwards it to Akto for background analysis. The user receives the response immediately; Akto flags violations asynchronously.

1

Create a new topic

Select Topics → + Add a topic → From blank.

2

Name the topic

Name it Akto Response Guardrail and select Save.

3

Set the trigger

Select the Trigger node and change its type to "An AI generated response is about to be sent".

4

Add an HTTP Request action

Select + below the trigger → Advanced → Send HTTP request.

5

Configure the HTTP request

Field	Value
URL	https://<akto-guardrails-url>/api/http-proxy?ingest_data=true&guardrails=true
Method	POST

Body — select JSON Content, then Edit formula, and paste:

{
    path: "/v1/messages",
    requestHeaders: JSON(
        {
            host: System.Bot.Name & ".copilotstudio.microsoft.com"
        },
        JSONFormat.Compact
    ),
    responseHeaders: JSON(
        {
            'content-type': "application/json"
        },
        JSONFormat.Compact
    ),
    requestPayload: JSON(
        {
            body: System.Activity.Text
        },
        JSONFormat.Compact
    ),
    responsePayload: JSON(
        {
            body: System.Response.FormattedText
        },
        JSONFormat.Compact
    ),
    method: "POST",
    ip: "127.0.0.1",
    destIp: "127.0.0.1",
    time: Text(DateDiff(DateTime(1970,1,1,0,0,0), Now(), TimeUnit.Seconds)),
    statusCode: "200",
    type: "HTTP/1.1",
    status: "200",
    akto_account_id: "1000000",
    akto_vxlan_id: "1000000",
    is_pending: "false",
    source: "MIRRORING",
    contextSource: "AGENTIC",
    tag: JSON(
        {
            'gen-ai': "Gen AI"
        },
        JSONFormat.Compact
    )
}

6

Save the topic

Select Save, then Publish the agent so both new topics go live.

The response guardrail runs asynchronously. The user always receives the AI response immediately; Akto scans it in the background and surfaces violations on the dashboard.

Verify the Integration

1. Open your agent in the Test agent pane on the right side of Copilot Studio.

2. Send a benign message (e.g. "Hello") — it should flow through normally.

3. Send a prompt that violates one of your configured Akto policies (e.g. a known prompt-injection payload). The response should be the Reason returned by Akto, and the conversation turn should end.

4. Open the Akto dashboard → Argus → Traffic and confirm the conversation appears with the corresponding guardrail verdict.

Troubleshooting

Request guardrail does not fire

• Confirm the topic trigger is "A message is received" and that Priority is 0. A non-zero priority lets other topics match first.

Allowed is always true even for malicious prompts

• Check your guardrail policies configuration in the Akto dashboard — make sure the policies you expect to trigger are enabled and have rules covering the prompt you tested.

• Check whether guardrails are enabled for this specific agent in the Akto dashboard. An agent without guardrails enabled will fall through with Allowed: true.

Block message shows raw JSON instead of the reason

• In the Send a message node, insert the variable GuardrailsResponse.data.guardrailsResult.Reason directly — do not wrap it in a formula or JSON(...) call.

4xx or 5xx from the HTTP request

• Verify the Akto host is reachable from Microsoft's outbound IP ranges. If the host is internal-only, the HTTP request action cannot reach it.

• Inspect the Activity log of the topic run in the Copilot Studio test pane for the exact status code and response body.

Get Support

If you need help with the sync integration:

• In-app Chat — use the chat widget in your Akto dashboard for instant support.

• Discord Community — join us at discord.gg/Wpc6xVME4s.

• Email Support — contact [e-mail].

• Contact Form — submit a request at https://www.akto.io/contact-us.