Can Copilot build a Power Automate flow for you?

Short answer: yes, for a first draft. Microsoft's FAQ lists "Create a new flow from scratch" as something the Copilot can do. The same FAQ says it "supports only a subset of connectors" and "isn't equipped to help with fixing flow errors currently." Treat the result as a draft you read and test, not a finished flow.

What Microsoft says Copilot can do

Microsoft's FAQ for Copilot in cloud flows lists these abilities:

Create a new flow from scratch.
Edit an existing flow according to instructions.
Answer questions about the current flow being edited.
Create a description for the current flow.
Answer general documentation questions about Power Automate.

Microsoft's page "Create your first cloud flow using Copilot" adds that it will "Automatically set up connections so you get a working automation as soon as possible" and "Respond to your requests to make changes to your flow."

What Microsoft says it cannot do

The FAQ says: "Copilot can render flows and edit flows in a limited manner at this time." Three limits matter for an operations team:

A subset of connectors. Before you rely on a draft, open each step and check it is the connector you meant.
No help fixing errors, per the FAQ. If a run fails, you read the error yourself. Microsoft's create page does mention a separate "Troubleshoot in Copilot" feature for test runs and run history in the new designer. That is a different feature from the one the FAQ describes, so check which one you see on your screen.
New designer only. The FAQ says "Copilot is available only in the new designer."

The create page also says Copilot "is optimized for use with English and has limited support for other languages."

Try it: build one draft in six steps

Exact names may differ on your screen. This follows Microsoft's create page.

Sign in to Power Automate at https://make.powerautomate.com.
On the left, make sure Home is selected.
Select Create with Copilot. In the field "What will your flow do?", type your request.
Select the send arrow.
Read the suggested trigger and actions. Select Keep it and continue if they look right. If not, type more detail in "Add more details for Copilot to work with" and select the right arrow.
Check the connections (green check mark is good, red exclamation mark needs attention), then select Create flow. The designer opens with the Copilot pane on the right.

Microsoft's tip for prompts: use the form "When X happens, do Y," be specific, and name the connector. Its own example is "When an email arrives, I want to post the subject of the email to 'Contoso' Teams General channel."

A test prompt for a SharePoint list

A prompt in Microsoft's format for a request tracker:
"When an item is created in SharePoint, send an email to the manager with the item title."

Then check each of these in the draft, because a draft is only a starting point:

Site Address and List Name in the trigger point to your list, not a sample.
The email recipient is a real address or a column from your list.
The flow has no second trigger or step that edits the same list. A flow that edits its own list can start itself again. See "Power Automate flow triggers itself: stop the infinite loop".

Checks Copilot will not make for you

Our advice, not a Microsoft rule: after Copilot drafts a flow that sends email or changes items, add these two guards yourself.

A Sent flag. Add a Yes/No column named Sent. The flow sends only when Sent is not Yes, then sets Sent to Yes.
A loop guard. If the flow is triggered by "When an item is created or modified" and also updates the item, add a condition so the update cannot fire the trigger again.

If a list has more than 100 rows, check Get items too. The default limit is 100. Top Count goes up to 5,000, and Pagination needs to be turned on past that. See "Power Automate Get items returns only 100".

When a draft is the wrong tool

Our advice, not a Microsoft rule: a draft is quick for one trigger and one or two actions. A flow with approvals, branches, several lists and error handling takes more review than a build from your own plan. If you spend more time correcting the draft than you would spend writing the steps, build it yourself from a plan you wrote first.

For the licensing question for a small team, see "Power Automate license for a small team". For the choice between a flow and a Copilot Studio agent, see "Power Automate flow or Copilot agent".

Turn it off

Microsoft's FAQ says: "If you want to turn off copilot in cloud flows within your organization, ask your Power Platform admin to turn off the feature. Admins contact Microsoft support to do this." If Create with Copilot is missing on your screen, ask your admin.

When to get help

You can build all of this yourself in Microsoft 365. If you would rather have it built and tested for your team, I do that. A tracker like this is a fixed price: $5,000 for one, built in 2 weeks. See "What a SharePoint tracker costs to build". Bring one example of the problem to a free call.

Tell me what's still manual

I am Al Davies. I run 250 High Street LLC and build SharePoint trackers and Power Automate flows for operations teams. I work remotely. The first call is free, and I will not try to sell you anything.

See trackers I built: Tools I built

FAQ

Can Copilot create a Power Automate flow?

Yes. Microsoft's FAQ lists "Create a new flow from scratch" as a capability, with limits on connectors and editing.

Can Copilot fix a Power Automate flow that fails?

Microsoft's FAQ says Copilot "isn't equipped to help with fixing flow errors currently." A separate Troubleshoot in Copilot feature is described on another Microsoft page.

Does Copilot in Power Automate work in the classic designer?

No. Microsoft's FAQ says it is available only in the new designer.

Can I use Copilot for flows in languages other than English?

Microsoft says it is optimized for English and has limited support for other languages.

How do I turn off Copilot in cloud flows?

Per Microsoft's FAQ, ask your Power Platform admin. Admins contact Microsoft support to turn it off.