Verification & Testing: Control 1.28 - Policy-Based Agent Publishing Restrictions

Last Updated: February 2026 Test Environment: Pre-production/Test Estimated Time: 30-40 minutes

Overview

This playbook provides test cases and verification procedures to confirm that policy-based publishing restrictions are functioning correctly across all governance zones.

Prerequisites

DLP policies configured and assigned to environments
Test environments available for each zone (Zone 1, Zone 2, Zone 3)
Test agent available for publishing experiments
Approval workflows configured (Zone 2+ environments)
Test user accounts with Agent Author and Power Platform Admin roles

Test Case 1: DLP Enforcement - Block Publishing with Violations

Objective: Verify that agents with DLP violations cannot be published

Test Steps

Open Copilot Studio and navigate to a Zone 3 environment
Create a new test agent named "Test Agent - DLP Violation"
Add a topic that uses a blocked connector:
Create a new topic called "Test HTTP Connector"
Add an action node using HTTP connector (blocked in Zone 3)
Configure the HTTP action to call an external API
Save the agent
Attempt to publish the agent by clicking Publish
Observe the security scan results

Expected Results

Security scan detects DLP violation for HTTP connector
Publishing is blocked with red error indicator
Error message displays: "This agent cannot be published due to DLP policy violations"
Details panel lists HTTP connector as the violation
Agent remains in draft status

Evidence Collection

Screenshot of security scan showing DLP violation
Screenshot of blocked publish button
Export DLP policy assignment showing Zone 3 restrictions

Test Case 2: DLP Enforcement - Allow Publishing with Compliant Configuration

Objective: Verify that agents compliant with DLP policies can be published

Test Steps

Open Copilot Studio and navigate to Zone 3 environment
Create a new test agent named "Test Agent - DLP Compliant"
Add a topic that uses only approved connectors:
Create a topic called "Test SharePoint Connector"
Add an action node using SharePoint Online connector (allowed in Zone 3)
Configure the SharePoint action to read from a document library
Save the agent
Attempt to publish the agent by clicking Publish
Observe the security scan results

Expected Results

Security scan passes with green checkmark
No DLP violations detected
Publishing proceeds to approval workflow (if Zone 2+)
Agent enters "Pending Approval" or "Published" status

Evidence Collection

Screenshot of security scan showing no violations
Screenshot of successful publish (or pending approval)
Purview audit log entry for agent publishing event

Test Case 3: Blocked Channel Detection

Objective: Verify that agents configured with prohibited channels are blocked from publishing

Test Steps

Open Copilot Studio and navigate to Zone 2 or Zone 3 environment
Create a new test agent named "Test Agent - Blocked Channel"
Configure the agent to use a prohibited channel:
Navigate to Settings → Channels
Enable "Facebook" or "Telegram" channel
Save channel configuration
Attempt to publish the agent by clicking Publish
Observe the security scan results

Expected Results

Security scan detects blocked channel configuration
Publishing is blocked with red error indicator
Error message displays: "This agent uses prohibited channels"
Details panel lists Facebook or Telegram as the violation
Agent cannot be published until channel is removed

Evidence Collection

Screenshot of channel configuration with Facebook/Telegram enabled
Screenshot of security scan showing blocked channel violation
Screenshot of blocked publish button

Test Case 4: Approval Workflow - Single Approver (Zone 2)

Objective: Verify that Zone 2 environments require approval before publishing

Test Steps

Open Copilot Studio and navigate to a Zone 2 environment
Create a compliant test agent named "Test Agent - Zone 2 Approval"
Configure agent with approved connectors only (SharePoint, Teams)
Attempt to publish the agent:
Click Publish
Verify security scan passes
Provide publishing justification: "Test approval workflow"
Click Submit for approval
As Power Platform Admin, review the pending approval:
Open Power Platform Admin Center → Pending Approvals
Review agent publishing request
Approve the request with comment: "Approved for testing"
Verify agent publishing completes

Expected Results

Agent enters "Pending Approval" status after submission
Agent author receives notification that approval is required
Power Platform Admin receives approval request notification
After approval, agent publishing completes successfully
Agent enters "Published" status
Approval event is logged in Purview audit log

Evidence Collection

Screenshot of "Submit for approval" screen with justification
Screenshot of pending approval in Power Platform Admin Center
Screenshot of approval action with admin comment
Purview audit log entry showing approval event

Test Case 5: Approval Workflow - Rejection (Zone 2)

Objective: Verify that rejected publishing requests prevent agent deployment

Test Steps

Open Copilot Studio and navigate to Zone 2 environment
Create a test agent named "Test Agent - Rejection Test"
Submit the agent for publishing approval with justification: "Testing rejection workflow"
As Power Platform Admin, reject the publishing request:
Open Power Platform Admin Center → Pending Approvals
Review agent publishing request
Reject the request with comment: "Insufficient testing evidence"
Verify agent remains in draft status

Expected Results

Power Platform Admin successfully rejects the request
Agent author receives notification that request was rejected
Rejection comment is visible to agent author
Agent remains in "Draft" status
Agent is not deployed to production
Rejection event is logged in Purview audit log

Evidence Collection

Screenshot of rejection action with admin comment
Screenshot of rejection notification to agent author
Purview audit log entry showing rejection event

Test Case 6: Environment Promotion Pipeline (Zone 3)

Objective: Verify that Zone 3 agents must be promoted through dev→test→prod pipeline

Test Steps

Verify separate environments exist:
Development environment (e.g., "Dev-Zone3")
Test environment (e.g., "UAT-Zone3")
Production environment (e.g., "Prod-Zone3")
Create a test agent in the Development environment
Publish the agent in Development (should succeed with approval)
Attempt to export/import the agent to Production environment (bypassing Test):
Export the agent from Development
Import the agent to Production
Attempt to publish in Production
Observe the promotion enforcement

Expected Results

Agent publishes successfully in Development after approval
Agent can be promoted from Development to Test
Agent cannot be published in Production without Test environment approval
Promotion pipeline enforcement prevents bypassing Test environment
Audit logs capture each promotion step

Evidence Collection

Screenshot of agent published in Development environment
Screenshot of agent promoted to Test environment
Screenshot of blocked direct promotion to Production
Purview audit log showing environment promotion chain

Test Case 7: DLP Update Blocking for Published Agents

Objective: Verify that published agents are blocked from updates if DLP violations are introduced

Test Steps

Publish a compliant agent in Zone 3 environment (e.g., "Test Agent - Update Block")
Verify the agent is successfully published and available
Modify the DLP policy to block a connector the agent uses:
In Power Platform Admin Center, edit the Zone 3 DLP policy
Move SharePoint connector from "Business" to "Blocked"
Save the DLP policy
Attempt to update the published agent:
Make a minor change to the agent (e.g., update a topic message)
Click Publish to update the agent
Observe the publishing enforcement

Expected Results

Agent was initially published successfully
After DLP policy change, agent is flagged as non-compliant
Attempting to update the agent triggers security scan
Security scan detects DLP violation (SharePoint connector now blocked)
Publishing update is blocked with error message
Agent remains in previous published version until violation is resolved

Evidence Collection

Screenshot of agent published successfully before DLP change
Screenshot of DLP policy change (SharePoint moved to Blocked)
Screenshot of blocked update attempt with DLP violation error
Screenshot of agent status showing "Published (Non-Compliant)"

Test Case 8: Security Scan Warning Override (Zone 1 Only)

Objective: Verify that Zone 1 environments allow publishing with warnings (but not errors)

Test Steps

Open Copilot Studio and navigate to Zone 1 environment
Create a test agent that triggers a security warning (not error):
Use a connector that generates a warning (e.g., HTTP with untrusted certificate)
Configure the agent to use the connector
Attempt to publish the agent:
Click Publish
Observe security scan results showing yellow warning
Review warning details
Acknowledge the warning and proceed with publishing
Verify the agent publishes despite the warning

Expected Results

Security scan displays yellow warning indicator
Warning details explain the security concern
Zone 1 environment allows publishing with acknowledgment
Agent author must explicitly acknowledge warning to proceed
Agent publishes successfully after acknowledgment
Warning is logged in audit trail

Evidence Collection

Screenshot of security scan showing yellow warning
Screenshot of warning acknowledgment dialog
Screenshot of successful publishing despite warning
Purview audit log entry showing warning acknowledged

Test Case 9: Audit Log Capture

Objective: Verify that all publishing events are captured in Microsoft Purview audit logs

Test Steps

Perform several publishing actions across different zones:
Publish an agent in Zone 1 (successful)
Submit an agent for approval in Zone 2
Reject a publishing request in Zone 2
Approve a publishing request in Zone 3
Open Microsoft Purview Compliance Portal → Audit
Search for publishing-related events:
Keywords: "Chatbot", "Publish", "Approval"
Activities: "Create chatbot", "Update chatbot", "Approve request", "Reject request"
Date range: Last 24 hours
Review the audit log results

Expected Results

All publishing events are captured in Purview audit logs
Audit entries include timestamp, user, agent name, environment, and action
Approval and rejection events include approver comments
DLP violation events are logged with connector details
Security scan results are logged with pass/fail status
Audit logs are retained per regulatory requirements (7 years for FSI)

Evidence Collection

Screenshot of Purview audit search results showing publishing events
Export of audit log entries to CSV for compliance records
Sample audit log entry showing detailed event metadata

Test Case 10: PowerShell Compliance Report

Objective: Verify that PowerShell automation scripts accurately report publishing compliance

Test Steps

Run the PowerShell compliance audit script:
```
.\Audit-AgentPublishingCompliance.ps1
```
Review the compliance report output:
Total agents count
Compliant agents count
Non-compliant agents count
List of non-compliant agents with violations
Manually verify several agents in the report:
Check DLP status in Power Platform Admin Center
Check channel configuration in Copilot Studio
Confirm approval status matches report

Expected Results

PowerShell script executes without errors
Report displays accurate agent counts
Non-compliant agents are correctly identified with violations
DLP violations match manual verification
Blocked channels match manual verification
Report exports to CSV successfully

Evidence Collection

Screenshot of PowerShell compliance report output
CSV export of compliance report
Manual verification screenshots for sample agents

Compliance Verification Checklist

After completing all test cases, verify the following:

Evidence Package

Compile the following evidence for compliance documentation:

DLP Policy Configuration:
Export of Zone 1, Zone 2, and Zone 3 DLP policies
Connector classification listings (Business/Non-Business/Blocked)
Environment assignment records
Security Scan Results:
Screenshots of passed scans (compliant agents)
Screenshots of failed scans (DLP violations, blocked channels)
Security scan reports for sample agents
Approval Workflow Documentation:
Screenshots of approval requests
Screenshots of approved requests with admin comments
Screenshots of rejected requests with feedback
Approval workflow configuration settings
Audit Logs:
CSV export of publishing events from Purview
Sample audit log entries with detailed metadata
Audit log retention policy documentation
Compliance Reports:
PowerShell compliance report CSV export
Summary of compliant vs. non-compliant agents
Remediation plan for non-compliant agents

Ongoing Monitoring

Establish ongoing monitoring for publishing compliance:

Weekly: Run PowerShell compliance audit script; review non-compliant agents
Monthly: Review approval workflow metrics (requests, approvals, rejections, SLA)
Quarterly: Audit DLP policy effectiveness; update connector restrictions as needed
Annually: Review and update publishing governance policies based on regulatory changes

Attestation Statement Template

## Control 1.28 Attestation - Policy-Based Agent Publishing Restrictions

**Organization:** [Organization Name]
**Control Owner:** [Name/Role]
**Date:** [Date]

I attest that:

1. DLP policies are configured and enforced per governance zone:
   - Zone 1 environments: [Count] — baseline DLP policies applied
   - Zone 2 environments: [Count] — restrictive DLP policies with approval workflow
   - Zone 3 environments: [Count] — strict DLP policies with environment promotion pipeline
2. Publishing restrictions are actively enforced:
   - DLP violations prevent agent publishing: [Yes/No]
   - Security scans detect blocked channels: [Yes/No]
   - Published agents blocked from updates on DLP violation: [Yes/No]
3. Approval workflows are operational:
   - Zone 2 single-approver workflow active: [Yes/No]
   - Zone 3 multi-approver workflow with promotion pipeline active: [Yes/No]
   - Rejection workflow prevents deployment: [Yes/No]
4. Audit logging is configured:
   - Publishing events captured in Microsoft Purview: [Yes/No]
   - Approval/rejection events logged with approver identity: [Yes/No]
   - Audit log retention meets regulatory requirements (7 years): [Yes/No]
5. PowerShell compliance reporting is operational:
   - Automated compliance audit script runs without errors: [Yes/No]
   - Non-compliant agents are accurately identified: [Yes/No]

**Signature:** ______________________
**Date:** ______________________

Back to Control 1.28 | Portal Walkthrough | PowerShell Setup | Troubleshooting