Build an AI Agent in ChatGPT, Claude or Copilot
Build an AI agent in ChatGPT, Claude or Copilot, no code: instructions, files and a 10-prompt test before you share it. 8 lessons, first 2 lessons free.
You have a task you repeat every week and a plan for an agent that could do it. This course builds that agent in the AI tool you already use: a project in ChatGPT, a project in Claude, or an agent in Microsoft Copilot (formerly Microsoft 365 Copilot) with a work or school account. No code: you write its instructions, give it the files it should know, and test it.
Each lesson adds one part. You start with one job, one file and one test question, and see an answer in your own format that names the file it came from. Then you rewrite the instructions into steps the agent can follow, move rules out of your files and facts into them, add examples and “if missing, ask” branches, decide what it may remember, and write ten test prompts with their pass lines before you run them.
Every product step follows the vendor’s own help pages, checked on 13 November 2026, with a way around anything your plan lacks. You finish with version 1 of your agent, scored on your own test sheet, its change log and an updated Agent Card, shared with one colleague where your plan allows. Lessons 1 and 2 are free.
What You'll Learn
- Identify the builder that hosts your agent on your plan (a ChatGPT project, a Claude project or Copilot's Agent Builder) and what it allows
- Apply starter instructions and one reference file to build a first agent, and check that its answers use the file
- Apply a template of purpose, steps (goal, action, transition), and tone, length and format to rewrite your agent's instructions
- Distinguish what belongs in your agent's instructions (rules) from what belongs in its knowledge files (reference), and explain who can read the files
- Use examples, "if missing, ask" branches and the memory setting to make your agent's answers consistent
- Evaluate your agent with a 10-prompt test sheet whose pass lines are written first, and decide what to fix before you share it
After This Course, You Can
What You'll Build
Course Syllabus
Prerequisites
- An Agent Card from the course AI Agents for Beginners, or one repeatable task from your own work (Lesson 1 shows how to write a short card)
- An account in ChatGPT or Claude (Free included), or in Copilot with a work or school Microsoft account
Who Is This For?
- Professionals with one repeatable task and an Agent Card, ready to build
- Team leads who want a shared assistant for their team's documents and formats
- ChatGPT users who wanted a custom GPT, which personal plans can't create
- Anyone who uses ChatGPT, Claude or Copilot and wants an agent without code
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to know how to code?
No. You build the agent by typing instructions and adding a file in the AI tool you already use, and every exercise is a prompt you paste into a chat.
Which AI tools does it cover, and which plan do I need?
ChatGPT, Claude and Microsoft Copilot. OpenAI's help page lists projects for signed-in users on Free, Go, Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise and Edu, with 5 files per project on Free. Anthropic lists projects on every Claude plan, up to five on Free, though its pages disagree on project instructions for Free accounts; the lessons give a way around it. For Copilot you need a work or school Microsoft account where your organisation allows Agent Builder; adding files needs a Copilot licence or pay-as-you-go billing, and the lessons show what to do without either.
Is a project with instructions and files really an agent?
It depends on whose definition. Microsoft defines an agent by the instructions it follows, the knowledge it draws on and the tools it uses, and that is what you build here. OpenAI draws a stricter line: an app whose model doesn't control the workflow is not an agent. Your version 1 answers from your instructions and files when you ask it; the next courses in the path give it apps to use, approvals and a schedule.
Can I share the agent with my team?
Lesson 8 shares it with one colleague where your plan allows. OpenAI lists project sharing on ChatGPT Free, Go, Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise and Edu, and Microsoft lets you share an Agent Builder agent with Can chat or Can edit access. Anthropic lists Claude project sharing on Team and Enterprise plans only; on other plans you hand over the instructions and the file instead.
Is this course free?
Lessons 1 and 2 are free with a free account. The rest of the course and the certificate come with Pro.
Will I get a certificate?
Yes, with Pro: finish every lesson and score at least 70% on the quizzes for a verifiable certificate.
How long does it take?
Eight lessons; the course page shows the total time. Each lesson ends with one piece of your agent.
