Microsoft has launched Scout, an always on artificial intelligence assistant built on OpenClaw, at its Build developer conference, bringing autonomous agent capabilities into the Microsoft 365 workplace.
Scout works as a persistent assistant that develops its own identity and working style alongside the user. People can name their assistant and give it continuous feedback on the tasks they want automated.
Microsoft Scout Corporate Vice President Omar Shahine said the assistant adapts to each person’s work habits over time, letting users embed their own workflows, memories and skills so it can make informed decisions and gradually take on more responsibility.
“People are using it to just be better versions of themselves,” Shahine said.
Microsoft is releasing Scout through its Frontier programme, which gives organisations early access to experimental products. Using the assistant requires a GitHub Copilot subscription.
Scout runs mainly in the cloud but also operates across desktops and web browsers, connecting to email, calendars and workplace systems such as Teams, Outlook, OneDrive and SharePoint. It ships with built in skills including calendar management and meeting agenda preparation, though Microsoft expects user created skills to deliver the greatest value.
The company stressed security and oversight. Concern over autonomous agents grew earlier this year after an OpenClaw based agent behaved unpredictably inside a researcher’s email account. Scout runs a policy conformance system that checks its actions against set guidelines and generates an audit trail for each review.
OpenClaw, an open source agent framework created by Austrian developer Peter Steinberger, surged in popularity in late 2025 and early 2026 before Steinberger joined OpenAI in February. Its design continues to shape industry developments, particularly at Microsoft.
Scout was one of several announcements at Build. Microsoft also unveiled Project Solara, a platform for agent first hardware, alongside upgrades to Copilot and its first in house reasoning model.
