Add MiniMax as an alternative OpenAI-compatible provider

[octo-patch]

Summary

• Add MiniMax as an alternative OpenAI-compatible LLM provider for the course code samples
• MiniMax offers large-context models (up to 204K tokens) via an OpenAI-compatible API, making it a drop-in option with the existing OpenAIChatClient
• Update hotel_booking_workflow_sample.py to support automatic provider selection based on environment variables (MiniMax, GitHub Models, or OpenAI)

Changes

• .env.example: Add MINIMAX_API_KEY, MINIMAX_BASE_URL, and MINIMAX_MODEL_ID variables
• 00-course-setup/README.md: Add setup instructions for using MiniMax as an alternative provider
• 14-microsoft-agent-framework/README.md: Add MiniMax provider example in the agent creation section
• hotel_booking_workflow_sample.py: Implement provider selection logic that auto-detects MiniMax, GitHub Models, or OpenAI based on available environment variables
• README.md: Mention MiniMax as a supported alternative provider

Why MiniMax?

The Microsoft Agent Framework is designed to be provider-agnostic (as noted in Lesson 14's README). MiniMax's OpenAI-compatible API makes integration seamless — no additional SDK or dependencies required. This gives learners another option for running the course examples, especially useful for those who may not have Azure or GitHub Models access.

Test Plan

• Python syntax validation passes
• No breaking changes to existing provider configurations
• MiniMax provider is only activated when MINIMAX_API_KEY is set
• Existing GitHub Models and OpenAI paths remain unchanged

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Update (2026-03-18): Upgraded default model from MiniMax-M2.5 to MiniMax-M2.7 (latest). Also updated highspeed variant to MiniMax-M2.7-highspeed.

[github-actions]

👋 Thanks for contributing @octo-patch! We will review the pull request and get back to you soon.

[jingchang0623-crypto]

Great addition! MiniMax is becoming a popular choice for its large context windows and competitive pricing.

For those trying this out, here's a quick tip:

• Use as the base URL
• The models like work great with the OpenAI-compatible API

Also worth noting: MiniMax recently added support for function calling, making it even easier to integrate with agent frameworks. This is a great step for making AI agent education more accessible globally! 🌍