UFO: Microsoft's Multi-Device AI Agent Orchestration Framework

Introduction

UFO, short for "UFO³: Weaving the Digital Agent Galaxy," is an innovative open-source project from Microsoft designed to revolutionize intelligent automation. Written primarily in Python, UFO has garnered significant attention with over 8,100 stars and 1,000 forks, reflecting its impact in the AI agent and automation landscape.

The project has evolved through three major phases:

• UFO (February 2024): The original UI-Focused agent for Windows.
• UFO² (April 2025): Evolved into a Desktop AgentOS, offering stable and battle-tested single Windows automation.
• UFO³ Galaxy (November 2025): The latest and most advanced iteration, introducing a multi-device orchestration framework capable of coordinating intelligent agents across heterogeneous platforms.

UFO³ combines the power of the new Galaxy framework for multi-device orchestration with the proven capabilities of UFO² as a robust Windows device agent. This allows users to tackle everything from simple desktop tasks to complex, cross-device workflows.

Installation

Getting started with UFO involves choosing between the UFO³ Galaxy for multi-device orchestration or UFO² for Windows-specific automation. Both require Python and LLM API configuration.

UFO³ Galaxy Quick Start (For cross-device orchestration)

1. Install Dependencies:

   pip install -r requirements.txt
   

2. Configure ConstellationAgent:

   copy config\galaxy\agent.yaml.template config\galaxy\agent.yaml
   

   Edit config\galaxy\agent.yaml to add your API keys (e.g., OpenAI or Azure OpenAI).

3. Configure Devices:

   Edit config\galaxy\devices.yaml to register your devices (Windows, Linux, Android).

4. Start Device Agents:

   Follow platform-specific guides to start server and client components for each device.

5. Launch Galaxy:

   python -m galaxy --interactive
   

UFO² Quick Start (For Windows automation)

1. Install Dependencies:

   pip install -r requirements.txt
   

2. Configure LLMs:

   copy config\ufo\agents.yaml.template config\ufo\agents.yaml
   

   Edit config\ufo\agents.yaml to add your API keys.

3. Run UFO²:

   python -m ufo --task <task_name>
   

Common LLM Configuration

Both frameworks require LLM API configuration. Here's an example for OpenAI:

For Galaxy (config/galaxy/agent.yaml):

CONSTELLATION_AGENT:
  REASONING_MODEL: false
  API_TYPE: "openai"
  API_BASE: "https://api.openai.com/v1/chat/completions"
  API_KEY: "sk-your-key-here"
  API_MODEL: "gpt-4o"

For UFO² (config/ufo/agents.yaml):

VISUAL_MODE: True
API_TYPE: "openai"
API_BASE: "https://api.openai.com/v1/chat/completions"
API_KEY: "sk-your-key-here"
API_MODEL: "gpt-4o"

More LLM options (Qwen, Gemini, Claude) are available in the official documentation.

Examples

UFO³ Galaxy excels at orchestrating complex workflows across multiple devices, breaking down tasks into executable DAGs (Directed Acyclic Graphs) and coordinating agents on different platforms. For instance, it can manage a task that requires data extraction on a Linux server, processing on a Windows machine, and final reporting on a mobile device.

UFO², on the other hand, is optimized for single Windows automation, performing tasks like interacting with GUI elements, automating application workflows, and integrating with native Windows OS functionalities. It can serve as a powerful device agent within the larger UFO³ Galaxy framework.

You can watch UFO³ Galaxy in action orchestrating cross-device tasks on their official YouTube channel.

Why Use UFO?

UFO offers a versatile solution for intelligent automation, catering to different needs:

UFO³ Multi-Device Agent Galaxy (New & Recommended):

• Cross-device collaboration: Ideal for workflows spanning multiple operating systems and devices.
• Complex multi-step automation: Handles intricate tasks with DAG-based orchestration.
• Heterogeneous platform integration: Supports Windows, Linux, Android, and more.
• Dynamic DAG editing: Adapts workflows based on execution feedback.
• Unified AIP protocol: Ensures secure and fault-tolerant agent communication.

UFO² Desktop AgentOS (Stable & Battle-Tested):

• Single Windows automation: Perfect for desktop-specific tasks.
• Quick task execution: Streamlined for rapid automation.
• Deep Windows OS integration: Leverages UIA, Win32, and WinCOM for robust control.
• Hybrid GUI + API actions: Combines visual interaction with programmatic calls for efficiency.
• Long-Term Support (LTS): Actively maintained with ongoing bug fixes and improvements.

UFO² can also seamlessly serve as a Windows device agent within the UFO³ Galaxy framework, providing a flexible migration path for users looking to scale their automation capabilities.

Links

• GitHub Repository: https://github.com/microsoft/UFO
• Full Documentation: https://microsoft.github.io/UFO/
• UFO³ Galaxy Quick Start: https://microsoft.github.io/UFO/getting_started/quick_start_galaxy/
• UFO² Documentation: https://github.com/microsoft/UFO/blob/main/ufo/README.md
• YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGrVWGcJL8o
• GitHub Discussions: https://github.com/microsoft/UFO/discussions
• Issue Tracker: https://github.com/microsoft/UFO/issues