Work IQ: the new retrieve tool
Microsoft launches MCP-based Work IQ Retrieve tool for grounding agents in enterprise data
“This new MCP tool evolves the Copilot Retrieval API to reshape retrieval for agentic consumption: optimized for agents and designed to scale as they ground decisions in work context.”
Microsoft has released a new MCP tool called 'retrieve' under its Work IQ platform, enabling agents to search across enterprise data sources including email, files, Teams, and federated connectors with built-in access control. The tool returns both structured hit records and model-ready grounding markdown with inline citations, replacing the older Copilot Retrieval API. This matters because it standardizes enterprise RAG for agentic workflows on the MCP protocol, lowering the barrier for developers building workplace AI agents on Microsoft 365.