Yes, there is a usage limit for Research and Analyst Agent prompts in Microsoft 365 Copilot. These agents are included in a Microsoft 365 Copilot license but not with the free Copilot Chat.
According to Microsoft’s official documentation and recent updates, each user with a Microsoft 365 Copilot license is allowed to run up to 25 combined queries per calendar month using the Researcher and Analyst agents
Researcher and Analyst Usage Limits | Microsoft Community Hub
Researcher and Analyst are now generally available | Microsoft 365 Blog
This limit resets on the 1st of each month, not on a rolling 30-day basis
This cap is in place because the Research Agent performs deep, multi-step reasoning and consumes more compute resources than standard Copilot Chat. It’s designed for complex, structured tasks—like generating detailed reports with citations—rather than quick, conversational queries.
If your organization anticipates higher usage, Microsoft offers message packs as an add-on. For example, a couple of packs covering ~50,000 queries might cost around $400/month, while licensing 100 users directly would be about $3,000/month. Microsoft recommends starting with minimal licenses, monitoring usage, and scaling based on actual demand.
The next question is then about how the 25-prompt monthly limit for the Researcher agent in Microsoft 365 Copilot applies when you create a custom agent in Copilot Studio that uses “reason” in its instructions.
Key Clarification
The 25-prompt limit applies specifically to the Researcher agent—a specialized, high-computation mode within Microsoft 365 Copilot designed for deep, multi-step reasoning across enterprise and web data. It’s distinct from standard Copilot chat and is licensed separately.
What Happens in Copilot Studio?
When you create an agent in Copilot Studio and include the word “reason” in the instructions (e.g., “use reasoning to evaluate…”), that does not automatically invoke the Researcher agent or count against your 25 monthly Researcher prompts.
Instead, Copilot Studio agents operate based on:
- The generative answer node and its custom instructions.
- The data sources you’ve connected (e.g., SharePoint, Dataverse, websites).
- The reasoning complexity you’ve built into the flow (e.g., branching logic, memory, variables).
Unless your agent explicitly calls the Researcher agent (via a connector or API that invokes it), or unless Microsoft has integrated Researcher-like capabilities into your agent’s backend (which would be documented), your usage won’t count against the Researcher quota.
Optimize prompts with custom instructions – Microsoft Copilot Studio | Microsoft Learn
Researcher agent in Microsoft 365 Copilot | Microsoft Community Hub
What “Reason” Means in Instructions
Using “reason” in your instructions—such as “reason through the options before answering”—is interpreted as a style or tone directive for the generative AI. It helps shape how the agent responds but doesn’t trigger the Researcher agent’s quota-based behaviour.
✅ Summary
- No, using “reason” in Copilot Studio instructions does not count against your 25 Researcher prompts.
- The Researcher agent quota applies only when that specific agent is invoked.
- You can safely build reasoning-style flows in Copilot Studio without worrying about prompt limits—unless you explicitly integrate the Researcher agent.
Would you like help designing a reasoning-style Copilot Studio agent that stays within standard usage?
References
Optimize prompts with custom instructions – Microsoft Copilot Studio
CIAOPS 