# Prerequisites

> The .NET version, hosts, Agent Framework and provider package versions MentorAgent is tested with, and how to install it.

- URL: https://docs.mentoragent.net/get-started/prerequisites
- Verified with: MentorAgent 1.0.0
- Last updated: 2026-10-14
- Packages: Novior.MentorAgent, Novior.MentorAgent.Server

Check this page before you install MentorAgent. It lists the .NET version, the hosts and the package versions that MentorAgent 1.0.0 is tested with. It also says which model provider packages you add yourself, and which versions to avoid with Azure OpenAI.

In short, you need:

- the .NET 10 SDK;
- access to a model that supports tool calling, for example an OpenAI API key;
- the package of your model provider, which you add yourself. The Quickstart uses OpenAI.

The table lists the versions that MentorAgent 1.0.0 is tested with.

## Requirements

| Item | Tested with |
|---|---|
| Platform | .NET 10 (LTS, supported until 14 November 2028) |
| Host | A Blazor Web App (Server or Auto interactivity), a .NET MAUI Blazor Hybrid app built for Android and Windows, a Blazor WebAssembly app, or any ASP.NET Core app. The package for each one is in [Choose your packages](https://docs.mentoragent.net/get-started/packages) |
| Microsoft Agent Framework | `Microsoft.Agents.AI` and `Microsoft.Agents.AI.Workflows` 1.18.0 |
| Microsoft.Extensions.AI | 10.7.0 |
| Model Context Protocol (MCP) | Client: `ModelContextProtocol` 1.3.0, included in `Novior.MentorAgent`. Server: `ModelContextProtocol.AspNetCore` 1.3.0, included in `Novior.MentorAgent.Server` |
| Agent-to-Agent (A2A) | Client: `A2A` 1.0.0-preview2, included in `Novior.MentorAgent`. Agent: `A2A.AspNetCore` 1.0.0-preview2, included in `Novior.MentorAgent.Server` |
| Prerelease dependencies | `A2A` and `A2A.AspNetCore` are prereleases. `Novior.MentorAgent.Declarative` also depends on a prerelease of `Microsoft.Agents.AI.Declarative` |
| Model provider | Not included. You add the package of the provider you use: see [Provider package versions](https://docs.mentoragent.net/get-started/prerequisites#provider-package-versions) |
| Model | A model that supports tool calling, used through a `Microsoft.Extensions.AI` `IChatClient`, or your own Agent Framework `AIAgent`: see [Model providers](https://docs.mentoragent.net/configure/model-providers) |

`Novior.MentorAgent` and `Novior.MentorAgent.Server` bring these packages with them: you do not reference them yourself. The model provider's packages are the exception.

MentorAgent needs .NET 10: it does not run on .NET 8 or .NET 9. The [.NET support policy](https://dotnet.microsoft.com/platform/support/policy/dotnet-core) lists when each version reaches the end of support.

Only the host needs .NET. The front end is up to you: the Blazor widget, or your own UI in React, Angular, Vue or a mobile app, over SignalR or HTTP. See [Any front end](https://docs.mentoragent.net/configure/any-front-end).

## Install

The command below installs `Novior.MentorAgent` 1.0.0, the latest stable version. This package is enough for a Blazor Server app. For other kinds of app, see [Choose your packages](https://docs.mentoragent.net/get-started/packages). If you do not have a project yet, the [Quickstart](https://docs.mentoragent.net/get-started/quickstart) shows how to create one.

Run the command in your project folder:

```shell
dotnet add package Novior.MentorAgent
```

## Provider package versions

MentorAgent 1.0.0 does not include a model provider package. You add the package of the provider you use, at the version you choose. [Model providers](https://docs.mentoragent.net/configure/model-providers) lists the packages for each provider.

Read the rest of this section only if you use Azure OpenAI with the Responses API, or a Foundry project. Other setups need no version limit.

- `Azure.AI.OpenAI` 2.9.0-beta.1 is the latest version published. It calls a `ResponsesClient` constructor that `OpenAI` 2.11 removed.
- With `OpenAI` 2.11 or later, `AzureOpenAIClient.GetResponsesClient()` throws a `MissingMethodException` when your code calls it. The build succeeds.
- These packages bring `OpenAI` 2.11 or later: `Microsoft.Extensions.AI.OpenAI` newer than 10.6.0, `Microsoft.Agents.AI.Foundry` newer than 1.17.0-preview.260804.1, and recent versions of `Microsoft.Agents.AI.OpenAI`.

To keep `OpenAI` at 2.10, [pin](https://docs.mentoragent.net/reference/glossary#pin) these packages: give each one an exact version.

```xml
<PackageReference Include="Microsoft.Extensions.AI.OpenAI" Version="[10.6.0]" />
<!-- and, only if you use it: -->
<PackageReference Include="Microsoft.Agents.AI.Foundry" Version="[1.17.0-preview.260804.1]" />
```

Azure OpenAI with Chat Completions (`GetChatClient`), OpenAI directly and Ollama through its OpenAI endpoint need no limit. To see which version of `OpenAI` your project uses, run:

```shell
dotnet list package --include-transitive
```

The full explanation is in the [MentorAgent README on NuGet](https://www.nuget.org/packages/Novior.MentorAgent#readme-body-tab).

### If you use Foundry

Agent Framework's Foundry package does not come with MentorAgent. You need it only if you use the `AIProjectClient` of a [Foundry](https://learn.microsoft.com/azure/foundry/) project, or `FoundryEvals` in an evaluation. In that case, add `Microsoft.Agents.AI.Foundry` to your project yourself.

If the same project also calls `AzureOpenAIClient.GetResponsesClient()`, pin `Microsoft.Agents.AI.Foundry` to one exact version, as in [Provider package versions](https://docs.mentoragent.net/get-started/prerequisites#provider-package-versions).

---

- Previous: [Add MentorAgent to an existing app](https://docs.mentoragent.net/get-started/existing-app.md)
- Next: [Choose your packages](https://docs.mentoragent.net/get-started/packages.md)