Power Automate  

Power Automate AI Copilot Prompts: What & How to Build

Introduction

Hey folks!

If you’ve been exploring Power Automate recently, especially with the Copilot features, you may have come across something called "Prompts." And like me, you may have initially asked, "What exactly are these prompts?"

Well, in this article, I’ll break it down in a very simple, no-jargon way. We’ll see,

  • What Power Automate Prompts actually are
  • Why are they becoming popular now
  • And how you can start using them in your flows, even if you’re not a full-time developer

Let’s dive in!

What are Prompts in Power Automate?

In simple terms, Prompts are questions or instructions that we provide to Copilot within Power Automate to perform a specific task or assist us in generating something.

Imagine you’re talking to a smart assistant who can.

  • Understand your request
  • Fetch information
  • Even generate code or expressions for your flow

That’s exactly what a Prompt does: it helps you "prompt" Copilot with what you need.

For example: “Get all emails from my manager from the last 7 days and save them in SharePoint.”

This is a Prompt, and Copilot can understand this and build the flow logic around it.

Prompt

Why are Prompts Important Now?

Earlier, building a flow used to be a somewhat manual and drag-and-drop process. But with AI integration and the Copilot experience inside Power Automate, Microsoft has taken things to the next level.

Now, instead of clicking 20 times, you can just say what you want to build.

Why Prompts are gaining attention.

  • 🔥 Less time spent building flows
  • 🤖 More natural language interaction
  • 💼 Ideal for citizen developers, not just IT pros
  • 🧩 Helps generate dynamic expressions for filters, conditions, etc.

Essentially, if you're someone who regularly builds automation, prompts can significantly speed up and simplify your process.

🛠️ Step-by-Step Guide: Creating a Custom Prompt in Power Automate (Copilot)

This applies to Custom Copilot Agents or Power Automate Flows where you want to create and use a custom AI prompt to interact with users or shape AI output.

✅ What Is a Custom Prompt?

A Custom Prompt is a reusable instruction that you give to the AI to perform a specific task or generate a response. You define the input fields, system behavior, and even how the AI should respond.

Useful for

  • Creating dynamic Copilot experiences
  • Formatting replies
  • Using AI inside flows

🔧 Scenario: Let’s Create a Custom Prompt That Summarizes Feedback

🧪 Goal: Develop a prompt that utilizes customer feedback to generate a sentiment and summary.

🔁 Step-by-Step: Create a Custom Prompt

🔹 Step 1. Go to Power Automate > Copilot Studio.

🔹 Step 2. Click "Prompts" from the left panel.

  • This will show all existing custom prompts.
  • Click + New prompt (Build Your Own Prompt).
    New prompt

🔹 Step 3. Configure Prompt Settings.

Give it a name: “Summarize Feedback with Sentiment”

Summarize

🔹 Step 4. Write Your Prompt Instruction.

Now write what Copilot should do. Example,

"You are an AI assistant helping summarize customer feedback. Analyze the following input and respond with two things.

  1. Overall sentiment (Positive, Negative, or Neutral)
  2. A short 2-line summary of the feedback."

Use this content as your main prompt logic.

Prompt logic

Click 'Add content' to add input parameters that capture feedback, in case we use a Power Automate flow to run this prompt.

We can test the prompt here. Just enter the default value in the Text input and click.

Text input

Click test.

Test

🔹 Step 5. Save the Prompt

  • Review the JSON input
  • Preview how Copilot responds
  • Save the prompt

✅ Your custom prompt is now ready for use inside your Copilot Agent or Flow.

Copilot Agent

🔗 Step 6. Use This Prompt in a Flow or Copilot Agent.

To call the prompt from an automation.

  • Inside your Copilot (Power Virtual Agent) or cloud flow.
    Power Virtual
  • Add “Run a prompt” action.
    Run a prompt
  • Select your custom prompt (e.g., "Summarize Feedback with Sentiment").
    Custom prompt
  • Pass the input variable (e.g., dynamic content: text input)
  • Capture the response and use it in an email, message, or other communication.

🛠️ How to Use Prompts in Power Automate?

There are two main ways you’ll see prompts in action inside Power Automate (Cloud Flows):

🧪 Scenario Example

Let’s say we want to automate a flow that does the following,

📝 “When a new item is added to a SharePoint list, send an approval request to the manager and notify the HR team in Teams.”

We’ll use a prompt to build this logic, instead of manually adding each step.

🔹 Option 1: Use Prompts via Copilot Panel (Flow-level Prompt)

👉 Steps to Create Prompt-Driven Flow

  1. Log in to Power Automate: Go to https://make.powerautomate.com
  2. Click + Create on the left menu: Choose “Copilot (preview)” under “Start from blank”.
  3. In the Copilot text box that appears, type your prompt: “When an item is added in the SharePoint list ‘LeaveRequests’, send an approval to the reporting manager and post a message in the Teams HR channel.”
    Reporting manager
  4. Click Generate or Enter
  5. Copilot will automatically
    • Add a SharePoint trigger for new items
    • Add an Approval action
    • Add a Teams message action
  6. You can review the flow, make any necessary changes, and then click Save.
    Save

✅ That’s it. You’ve built a flow using a prompt!

🔄 Prompts in Power Automate Desktop (PAD)

Currently, prompts are more prevalent in cloud-based flows; however, Power Automate Desktop is also enhancing AI integration.

So don’t be surprised if, soon, we see prompt-based logic building in PAD too. Right now, you can still use expressions and conditional logic, but manually.

💡 Pro Tips for Writing Good Prompts

Like ChatGPT, crafting effective prompts yields better results. Here are a few tips.

  • ✅ Be clear and specific (e.g., say “Send Teams message to HR group,” not just “Send message”)
  • ✅ Mention the trigger and actions, if possible
  • ✅ Use business language; Copilot understands context!
  • ❌ Avoid vague instructions like “do something with emails.”

🧠 Example Use Case

You collect customer feedback via Forms or Power Apps. Use your custom prompt in the flow like this.

  • Get a response from Form.
  • Call your “Summarize Feedback” prompt.
  • Send a summary + sentiment to the manager on Teams or Email.

✨ Bonus Tips

  • You can create multiple versions of prompts for different tones or audiences (formal, humorous, concise)
  • Prompts support Markdown formatting and system instructions, such as “Avoid repetition” or “Use only bullet points.”
  • Test it thoroughly with sample data

🧭 Conclusion

So, that's the gist, friends! Power Automate Prompts are not just a fancy add-on. They are a powerful way to build faster, smarter flows using natural language.

It’s perfect for both.

  • Beginners who are intimidated by conditions and expressions.
  • Experts who want to save time and reduce errors.

Whether you're building approval workflows, automating reports, or integrating flows, start using prompts to streamline your processes. It’s the future of how we build automation.

🗣️ What Do You Think?

Have you tried using prompts in Power Automate yet? Did Copilot surprise you with what it built?

Let me know in the comments section. I’d love to hear your experience!

Till then, happy automating!

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