Add --format json flag for machine-readable CLI output

[jiuqlo]

Is your feature request related to a problem? Please describe.

When automating ATK CLI operations (e.g., atk install, atk package), there is no machine-readable output format. The current human-friendly text output requires fragile regex/string parsing to extract structured data like Title ID, App ID, and share links. This makes it difficult to build reliable automation scripts, CI/CD pipelines, and agent-driven workflows on top of ATK CLI.

For example, after atk install --file-path <zip> --scope Personal, the only way to get the Title ID (needed for deeplinks like https://m365.cloud.microsoft/chat/?titleId=T_xxx) is to regex-parse the human-readable stdout — which is fragile, locale-dependent, and breaks when formatting changes between versions.

Describe the solution you'd like

Add a --format json (or --output json) global flag that outputs structured JSON instead of human-readable text, similar to how az CLI supports --output json/table/tsv.

Example for atk install:

{
  "status": "success",
  "titleId": "T_a687bf2c-...",
  "appId": "dc9f05d3-...",
  "shareLink": "https://m365.cloud.microsoft/chat/..."
}

Example for atk package:

{
  "status": "success",
  "outputPath": "/path/to/appPackage.dev.zip",
  "env": "dev"
}

The data already exists internally — for example, PackageService.sideLoading() returns a typed [titleId, appId, shareLink] tuple. The feature would primarily involve a thin output formatting layer in the logger/presenter rather than new business logic.

Describe alternatives you've considered

• Parsing stdout with regex: Fragile, breaks on format changes, locale-dependent
• Windows Registry lookup: Platform-specific (Windows only), not available on macOS/Linux
• Wrapping ATK in expect/pexpect: Complex, brittle, poor DX

Additional context

This request comes from building automation for sideloading M365 agents in enterprise environments. Key use cases:

1. CI/CD integration: Pipelines need to extract Title ID and App ID after sideloading to construct deeplinks, verify deployments, or chain subsequent operations
2. Agent-driven workflows: AI agents and automation scripts need deterministic, parseable output
3. Cross-platform consistency: Text output may vary by locale/terminal; JSON is universal

Ideally, --format json would be a global flag available on all commands (install, package, validate, etc.).

[m365-agent-toolkit-assistant]

👋 Hi @jiuqlo,

Thank you for reporting this issue! We want to let you know that:

⏱️ Our team will personally review your issue
🎯 You can expect a response within 2 business days

✨ This is an AI-generated initial response
🤖 AI-Generated Preliminary Analysis:

Classification: Feature request — this asks for new CLI behavior (--format json / --output json); nothing indicates current ATK output is violating documented behavior.

• Current ATK CLI docs list atk install parameters as --file-path, --xml-path, and --scope; no JSON/machine-readable output flag is documented.
• I found no similar open issues in the searched repos for this exact request.
• The request is reasonable: Microsoft docs show other Microsoft CLIs commonly support machine-readable output (for example, runevals --output ...json and Azure CLI-style JSON output patterns).

Existing coverage: No matching existing issue/roadmap item found in the searched repos.

What to do now:

1. Keep this open as a product enhancement request.
2. Consider a global --format json or --output json flag for ATK commands first (install, package, validate).
3. If implemented, document a stable schema per command.

Useful links:

• No similar issues found in the searched repos.
• https://learn.microsoft.com/microsoftteams/platform/toolkit/microsoft-365-agents-toolkit-cli
• https://learn.microsoft.com/microsoft-365/copilot/extensibility/evaluations-cli-reference

Happy to help draft an API/schema proposal for the JSON output.

---

Note: This is an automated first response generated by AI. A human team member will review your issue and provide a more detailed response soon. We appreciate your patience!

[sebastienlevert]

@summzhan this is a great feature request for ATK, especially in agentic scenarios. I fully support this.

[summzhan]

@sebastienlevert yes, make sense to me as well.

@jiuqlo Thank you for sharing this feedback — we really appreciate the thoughtful suggestion. It’s a valuable input and aligns well with scenarios we’re actively looking to improve.

We’ve captured your feedback and added it to our internal backlog, where it will be reviewed and prioritized alongside other customer inputs based on impact and overall roadmap alignment. While we may not have a specific timeline to share yet, your suggestion is now part of our planning process and will help guide future improvements.
Thanks again for helping us make the product better, and please keep the feedback coming!