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Microsoft Foundry

Microsoft Foundry

Essential19 minutes3 questions2026-08-09
The idea in one minute

Start with meaning, then move to detail.

This lesson explains Microsoft Foundry as part of operating Hermes with explicit security boundaries. You will learn what it does, when it matters, and the smallest safe test that proves it works.

If you are new

If you are new, do not memorize names. Focus on three questions: what problem does this solve, what access does it need, and how can you verify the result?

For hands-on use

For practice, inspect the first example, identify its effects, run it on test data, and compare the result with the source claim.

For specialists

For advanced readers, inspect Prerequisites, Quick Start, Microsoft Entra ID (keyless, RBAC) — recommended, then verify failure modes and version compatibility.

What do you need first?

You only need to know which files and accounts the agent may access.

What will you know?

A clear outcome before you read.

  • Understand Microsoft Foundry without assumed prior knowledge.
  • Separate the source description from what still needs testing in your environment.
  • Read the first command and identify its inputs and outputs before copying it.
Official page description

Use Hermes Agent with Microsoft Foundry — OpenAI-style and Anthropic-style endpoints, auto-detection of transport and deployed models

Topic map

What does the source say, and in what order?

  1. 01
    Prerequisites

    Start here to understand the core idea or structure.

  2. 02
    Quick Start

    Read this after the foundation, then connect it to the previous step.

  3. 03
    Microsoft Entra ID (keyless, RBAC) — recommended

    Read this after the foundation, then connect it to the previous step.

  4. 04
    Why use Entra ID?

    Read this after the foundation, then connect it to the previous step.

  5. 05
    One-time setup (Azure side)

    Read this after the foundation, then connect it to the previous step.

  6. 06
    One-time setup (Hermes side)

    Read this after the foundation, then connect it to the previous step.

  7. 07
    Configuration written to config.yaml

    Read this after the foundation, then connect it to the previous step.

  8. 08
    Credential resolution order

    Read this after the foundation, then connect it to the previous step.

  9. 09
    Deployment patterns

    Read this after the foundation, then connect it to the previous step.

  10. 10
    Sovereign clouds (Government, China)

    Finish here to verify the result and special cases.

Examples from the official page

Copy only after you understand the effect.

hermes model # → Select "Azure Foundry" # → Enter your endpoint URL # → Choose Authentication: # 1. API key # 2. Microsoft Entra ID (managed identity / workload identity / az login) # → (Entra) Hermes probes DefaultAzureCredential; on success it never asks for a key # → (API key) Enter your API key # Hermes probes the endpoint and auto-detects transport + models # → Pick a model from the list (or type a deployment name manually)
az role assignment create \ --assignee <principal-or-agent-identity-client-id> \ --role "Azure AI User" \ --scope <foundry-resource-id>
hermes model # → Select "Azure Foundry" # → Enter your endpoint URL # → Authentication: 2 (Microsoft Entra ID) # → (optional) user-assigned managed identity client ID # → (optional) Azure tenant ID # → Hermes probes DefaultAzureCredential() and reports which inner # credential succeeded (e.g. AzureCliCredential, ManagedIdentityCredential)
Try it now

Read the first command and identify its inputs and outputs before copying it.

Match every command to your installed Hermes version, review the files and accounts it can reach, and use non-sensitive data for the first test. If this explanation differs from the source, the official source wins.

Knowledge check

Three decisions before completion.

1. What is the source of truth when “Microsoft Foundry” changes?
2. What is the best way to apply this lesson?
3. What should happen before a step can modify files or an external account?