A Microsoft showcase of excellence in AI-powered retail — demonstrating the best of Microsoft Agent Framework, A2A, MCP, AG-UI, and A2UI in an enterprise commerce application.
Squad Commerce is a pro-code, enterprise-grade multi-agent system that solves retail supply chain silos for consumer goods organizations. It demonstrates how AI agents can work together — coordinating across inventory, pricing, marketing, logistics, compliance, and store operations — using Microsoft's cutting-edge agent protocols and frameworks.
13 Agents · 10 MCP Tools · 5 Workflows · 12 Stores · 16 SKUs · 18 A2UI Components
Every step is traced with OpenTelemetry, streamed to the UI via AG-UI, and auditable through the Aspire Dashboard.
Squad Commerce ships five end-to-end scenarios — each one a real business problem solved by a choreographed pipeline of AI agents.
"MegaMart dropped SKU-1001 to $24.99. What do we do?"
| Agent Pipeline | MarketIntel → Inventory → Pricing → Synthesis |
| Business Outcome | Protect margins while staying competitive — AI agents validate the claim, check inventory positions, calculate margin impact across 4 scenarios, and present an executive-ready pricing recommendation with full audit trail |
| A2UI Visualization | RetailStockHeatmap · PricingImpactChart · MarketComparisonGrid |
"A TikTok influencer posted about our Classic Denim. Demand is spiking 400% in the Northeast."
| Agent Pipeline | MarketIntel (social sentiment) → Pricing (flash sale) → Marketing (campaign) → Synthesis |
| Business Outcome | Capitalize on viral moments in real-time — detect social signals, dynamically price complementary items to maximize AOV, and generate ready-to-deploy marketing campaigns before the trend cools |
| A2UI Visualization | SocialSentimentGraph · PricingImpactChart · CampaignPreview |
"Our coffee shipment is delayed 3 days due to a storm. How do we minimize impact?"
| Agent Pipeline | Logistics → Inventory → Redistribution → Synthesis |
| Business Outcome | Minimize stockout risk through intelligent redistribution — verify the delay, identify at-risk stores, negotiate store-to-store rerouting from surplus locations, reducing customer impact by 60–80% |
| A2UI Visualization | ReroutingMap · RetailStockHeatmap · RiskScoreGauge |
"Miami Flagship opens Friday. The Electronics layout isn't optimized for foot traffic."
| Agent Pipeline | TrafficAnalyst → Merchandising → Manager (HITL) → Synthesis |
| Business Outcome | Optimize store layouts using data-driven planograms — analyze foot traffic patterns from similar stores, generate optimized shelf placements, and route changes through manager approval before the grand opening |
| A2UI Visualization | InteractiveFloorplan (with HITL approval) |
"New regulation: verify Fair Trade certification for all cocoa suppliers by next week."
| Agent Pipeline | Compliance → Research → Procurement → Synthesis |
| Business Outcome | Proactive compliance risk management — automatically audit supplier certifications, cross-reference sustainability watchlists, identify at-risk vendors, and source alternative suppliers before the deadline hits |
| A2UI Visualization | SupplierRiskMatrix |
| Protocol | Purpose | Implementation |
|---|---|---|
| MAF (Microsoft Agent Framework) | Agent orchestration via Graph-based Workflows | .NET 10, ChiefSoftwareArchitect as orchestrator |
| MCP (Model Context Protocol) | Tool execution for ERP/SQL data access | GetInventoryLevels, UpdateStorePricing |
| A2A (Agent-to-Agent) | Inter-agent and external vendor communication | A2A Handshake protocol with validation |
| AG-UI (Agent-to-UI) | Streaming responses to the frontend | MapAGUI endpoint, real-time status updates |
| A2UI | Generative UI components in Blazor | Rich interactive components (no raw markdown) |
Squad Commerce enforces generative UI — no raw markdown tables for complex data. Each component is a Blazor-native, interactive visualization rendered from structured A2UI JSON payloads:
| Component | Scenario | Description |
|---|---|---|
RetailStockHeatmap |
Competitor / Supply Chain | Color-coded inventory heatmap across locations |
PricingImpactChart |
Competitor / Viral Spike | Interactive margin impact scenarios |
MarketComparisonGrid |
Competitor | Side-by-side competitive price analysis |
SocialSentimentGraph |
Viral Spike | Real-time social media velocity tracking |
CampaignPreview |
Viral Spike | Email + mobile hero banner mockup |
ReroutingMap |
Supply Chain | SVG store-to-store rerouting with risk gauge |
InteractiveFloorplan |
Store Readiness | Store layout with traffic heatmap + HITL approval |
SupplierRiskMatrix |
ESG Audit | Supplier compliance dashboard with deadline countdown |
When agent-to-agent activity fires, the UI surfaces protocol-level cues so executives and developers can see the system thinking:
| Event | Visual Cue |
|---|---|
| A2A Handshake | Pulse animation between agent icons |
| MCP Tool Call | 🔧 Badge on messages |
| A2UI Payload | ✨ "Generative UI" flash |
| HITL (Human-in-the-Loop) |
| Layer | Technology | Version |
|---|---|---|
| Runtime | .NET 10 | 10.0 |
| Web Framework | ASP.NET Core | 10.0 |
| Real-time | SignalR | 10.0 |
| Frontend | Blazor Server + Fluent UI Blazor | v4.14 |
| Agent Framework | Microsoft Agent Framework (MAF) | 1.0.0-rc4 |
| Orchestration | MAF WorkflowBuilder Graph-based Workflows |
1.0.0-rc4 |
| Tool Protocol | Model Context Protocol (MCP) — Official C# SDK | 1.1.0 |
| Agent Communication | Agent-to-Agent (A2A) | MAF A2A |
| UI Streaming | Agent-to-UI (AG-UI) via SSE | Custom |
| Generative UI | A2UI JSON payloads → Blazor components | Custom |
| Observability | OpenTelemetry + .NET Aspire Dashboard | Aspire 13.2.0 |
| Identity | Microsoft Entra ID (scope-based) | — |
| Database | SQLite (via EF Core + MCP tools) | EF Core 10.0 |
- .NET 10 SDK
- .NET Aspire workload
- Docker Desktop is optional — Aspire Dashboard runs natively
# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/swigerb/squad-commerce.git
cd squad-commerce
# Restore and run with Aspire
dotnet restore
dotnet run --project src/SquadCommerce.AppHostThe Aspire Dashboard will open automatically, giving you full visibility into agent orchestration, traces, and metrics.
Squad-Commerce supports one-command deployment to Azure Container Apps using Azure Developer CLI (azd):
# Prerequisites: Azure CLI, azd CLI, Docker Desktop
az login
azd upThis provisions:
- Azure Container Registry (private image registry)
- Container Apps Environment with built-in Aspire Dashboard
- API and Web Container Apps with HTTPS ingress and service discovery
- Log Analytics for centralized observability
📖 See docs/DEPLOY.md for comprehensive deployment guide.
💰 Estimated cost: $5-15/month for demo deployment.
New to Squad Commerce? Follow our comprehensive step-by-step demo guide:
👉 Read the Full Demo Walkthrough 👈
The demo guide includes:
- ✅ Complete setup instructions
- ✅ Step-by-step scenario walkthrough (competitor price drop)
- ✅ Copy-paste ready cURL commands
- ✅ AG-UI stream examples with real event payloads
- ✅ A2UI component explanations (RetailStockHeatmap, PricingImpactChart, MarketComparisonGrid)
- ✅ Manager approval workflow (Approve/Reject/Modify)
- ✅ Aspire Dashboard navigation (Traces, Metrics, Logs)
- ✅ API reference with all endpoints
- ✅ Demo data reference (12 stores, 16 SKUs across 3 categories)
- ✅ Troubleshooting guide
Squad Commerce uses GitHub Actions for continuous integration and deployment:
| Workflow | Trigger | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| CI | Push to main, PRs |
Build, test, Docker image validation |
| PR Validation | Pull requests | Quality gates: coverage ≥80%, code formatting |
| Deploy | Manual or after CI passes | Deploy to Azure Container Apps via azd |
All commits and PRs are automatically built and tested. The build status badge at the top of this README shows the current state of the main branch.
Deploy to Azure using the GitHub Actions UI:
- Go to Actions → Deploy to Azure
- Click Run workflow
- Select environment (
production,staging, ordevelopment) - Click Run workflow
Required GitHub Secrets:
AZURE_CLIENT_ID— Azure service principal client IDAZURE_TENANT_ID— Azure Active Directory tenant IDAZURE_SUBSCRIPTION_ID— Azure subscription IDAZURE_LOCATION— Azure region (defaults toeastus)
Setup OIDC for Azure:
# Create Azure AD application for OIDC
az ad app create --display-name "squad-commerce-github-actions"
# Configure federated credentials for GitHub Actions
# See: https://learn.microsoft.com/azure/developer/github/connect-from-azureAll pull requests must pass:
- ✅ Build succeeds
- ✅ All tests pass (excluding Playwright browser tests)
- ✅ Code coverage ≥80%
- ✅ Code formatting check (
dotnet format)
Every agent action, tool call, and handoff is wrapped in an OpenTelemetry trace. All internal reasoning steps are logged as structured JSON for full auditability in the Aspire Dashboard.
If an executive asks: "How did we decide to lower the price of TVs?"
→ Point to the OpenTelemetry trace and A2UI decision payload
→ See exactly which agent did what, when, and why
- Entra ID scopes enforced per agent — no agent can access tools outside its claims
- AgentPolicy enforcement in C# ensures compliance at the framework level
- A2A external data is validated against internal telemetry before use
// Real MAF Executor wrapping a domain agent
public sealed class InventoryExecutor(InventoryAgent agent)
: Executor<CompetitorPriceDropRequest, AgentResult>("InventoryExecutor")
{
public override async ValueTask<AgentResult> HandleAsync(
CompetitorPriceDropRequest request,
IWorkflowContext context,
CancellationToken ct = default)
{
return await agent.ExecuteAsync(request.Sku, ct);
}
}
// Real MAF WorkflowBuilder graph
var workflow = new WorkflowBuilder(marketIntelExecutor)
.AddEdge(marketIntelExecutor, inventoryExecutor)
.AddEdge(inventoryExecutor, pricingExecutor)
.AddEdge(pricingExecutor, synthesisExecutor)
.WithOutputFrom(synthesisExecutor)
.Build();[McpServerToolType]
public sealed class GetInventoryLevelsTool(IInventoryRepository repo)
{
[McpServerTool(Name = "GetInventoryLevels")]
[Description("Query inventory levels across stores")]
public async Task<object> ExecuteAsync(
[Description("Product SKU")] string? sku = null,
[Description("Store ID")] string? storeId = null,
CancellationToken ct = default)
{
var levels = await repo.GetInventoryLevelsAsync(sku!, ct);
return new { Success = true, Stores = levels };
}
}This project was developed by a team of AI agents managed by Squad — an AI team orchestration framework created by Brady Gaster. Squad enables multi-agent collaboration where each agent has a persistent identity, memory, and specialized expertise.
Huge shout out to Brady Gaster for building Squad — the framework that makes it possible to coordinate a full AI development team with persistent memory, decision tracking, and ceremony-based collaboration. 🙌
Our squad is cast from the pantheon of Microsoft legends — the people (and paperclip) who built the platforms we all stand on:
| Agent | Role | Inspired By |
|---|---|---|
| 🏗️ Bill Gates | Lead | Co-founder of Microsoft. Sees the whole board, thinks in systems. Owns architecture decisions, code review, and scope management. |
| 🔧 Satya Nadella | Lead Dev | CEO of Microsoft. Growth mindset applied to every line of code. Owns MAF agent orchestration, A2A protocol, and MCP integration. |
| ⚙️ Anders | Backend Dev | Anders Hejlsberg — creator of C# and TypeScript. The type system is your friend. Owns ASP.NET Core, SignalR, and infrastructure plumbing. |
| ⚛️ Clippy | User Advocate / AG-UI Expert | The beloved (and redeemed) Office Assistant. "It looks like you're building a UI! Would you like me to make it actually good?" Owns Blazor, A2UI components, and accessibility. |
| 🧪 Steve Ballmer | Tester | Former CEO of Microsoft. TESTS! TESTS! TESTS! Owns quality assurance, xUnit test suites, and the 80% coverage floor. |
| 📋 Scribe | Session Logger | The silent observer. Documents every decision, logs every session. |
| 🔄 Ralph | Work Monitor | Keeps the pipeline moving. Never lets the team sit idle. |
squad-commerce/
├── src/
│ ├── SquadCommerce.AppHost/ # .NET Aspire orchestrator
│ ├── SquadCommerce.ServiceDefaults/ # Shared service configuration
│ ├── SquadCommerce.Web/ # Blazor frontend (A2UI)
│ ├── SquadCommerce.Agents/ # MAF agent definitions
│ ├── SquadCommerce.Mcp/ # MCP server tools (ModelContextProtocol 1.1.0)
│ ├── SquadCommerce.A2A/ # A2A protocol handlers
│ └── SquadCommerce.Contracts/ # Shared models, interfaces, A2UI payloads
├── tests/
│ ├── SquadCommerce.Agents.Tests/ # Agent unit & integration tests
│ ├── SquadCommerce.Mcp.Tests/ # MCP tool tests
│ ├── SquadCommerce.A2A.Tests/ # A2A protocol tests
│ └── SquadCommerce.Web.Tests/ # Blazor bUnit component tests
├── .squad/ # Squad AI team configuration
├── .github/ # GitHub workflows
└── README.md
This project is licensed under the MIT License — see the LICENSE file for details.
- Brady Gaster — Creator of Squad, the AI team orchestration framework powering this project's development workflow. Squad makes multi-agent software development real — persistent identities, shared decisions, and ceremony-based collaboration. Thank you, Brady! 🎉
- Microsoft — For building the Agent Framework, ASP.NET Core, SignalR, Blazor, Aspire, and the agent protocol stack (A2A, MCP, AG-UI) that makes this possible.
- The Microsoft Legends who inspired our squad: Bill Gates, Satya Nadella, Anders Hejlsberg, Steve Ballmer, and yes — Clippy. 📎
Built with ❤️ by humans and AI agents, orchestrated by Squad