Publish as NuGet package for integration with Microsoft.Extensions.AI (AIFunction) and Microsoft Agent Framework

[Vijay-Nirmal]

Feature Request:

Please publish this project as a NuGet package so it can be seamlessly integrated with the following:

• Microsoft.Extensions.AI ChatClient (AIFunction, since skills are not supports as a builtin tool, we might have to create tools for skiils as well)
• Microsoft Agent Framework (Supports skills, so integration might be straightforward)

Purpose:
This would enable developers to easily build Agents that work with Office files, leveraging the capabilities of both frameworks.

Benefits:

• Out-of-the-box integration for agent-based applications
• Greater adoption and ease of use for users working with office file automation and manipulation
• Unified support for common interfaces and extension points in the .NET ecosystem

Suggested actions:

• Ensure the library structure and API are compatible with dependency injection and extensibility patterns in Microsoft.Extensions.AI
• Implement or document any required adapters for AIFunction and/or Microsoft Agent Framework
• Publish a versioned NuGet package with proper documentation and integration samples

This enhancement will open up the possibilities for developers to build office-agent solutions faster and more consistently. Thank you for considering!

[goworm]

Thanks for the suggestion. Could you share your specific use case, and why the current officecli CLI doesn't satisfy it?

[Vijay-Nirmal]

Here are a few challenges using officecli

1. Don't have any native integration, which means either we have to create a CLI wrapper or work on top of an MCP server. Both have many issues when using in client-server based web application.
2. One of the main requirements when working with an office file in a client-server application is to provide the ability to update, download the files, which means the developer should have control over where the files are stored (like blob, or even a file which should be isolated on a per-user basis). If we have native integration then a file handler abstraction would solve the issue
3. Skills big change to work with in the current state, MCP Server doesn't have proper skills and works based on web scripting and other things which is not ideal for a client-server based application.
4. Relying on scripting tools and other tools will also be an issue. All the logics need to work with office files should be part of the toolset itself without using scripting tools or tools from the harness to make it work
5. In general, ease of use

[goworm]

Thanks, but these read as architectural preferences rather than concrete blockers. Could you share an actual case from your application — what you're trying to do, what you tried with officecli, and where exactly it failed?

Without a concrete case that the current CLI genuinely can't solve, we won't consider restructuring the project into a NuGet library. Once you have one, we're happy to look at it.