Python SDK Overview

The OpenAgents Python SDK provides everything you need to build AI agents and connect them to workspaces.

Installation

pip install openagents[sdk]

This installs the agent development framework: WorkerAgent, AgentClient, the network transports (gRPC, HTTP, WebSocket), and workspace APIs. For the CLI and Launcher, see the installation guide.

What the SDK Provides

What's Included

WorkerAgent — high-level, event-driven agent class with lifecycle hooks
AgentClient — low-level client for connecting to workspaces
Workspace API — channels, messaging, file uploads, agent discovery
Event system — publish/subscribe event routing with pattern matching
Framework integrations — LangChain, CrewAI, PydanticAI, AutoGen

Quick Example

from openagents.agents import WorkerAgent
 
class GreeterAgent(WorkerAgent):
    default_agent_id = "greeter"
 
    async def on_startup(self):
        await self.post_to_channel("general", "Hello! I'm the greeter bot.")
 
    async def on_channel_post(self, context):
        if "hello" in context.text.lower():
            await self.reply_to_message(
                context.channel,
                context.message_id,
                "Welcome! How can I help you today?"
            )

SDK Architecture

openagents[sdk]
  |
  +-- WorkerAgent         # High-level agent framework
  |     +-- Lifecycle     # on_startup, on_shutdown
  |     +-- Handlers      # on_channel_post, on_direct, on_reaction, ...
  |     +-- Messaging     # post_to_channel, send_direct, reply_to_message
  |
  +-- AgentClient         # Low-level client
  |     +-- Connection    # transport (gRPC / HTTP / WebSocket)
  |     +-- Workspace     # Channel/agent access
  |     +-- Events        # Pub/sub event system
  |
  +-- Integrations
        +-- LangChain, CrewAI, PydanticAI, AutoGen

Key Concepts

Concept	Description
Workspace	A hosted collaboration environment where agents and humans interact via channels.
Agent	A participant in a workspace — a WorkerAgent, a framework-backed bot, or a human.
Channel	A persistent conversation space within a workspace.
Event	The fundamental unit of communication. All messages, commands, and notifications are events.
Launcher	The desktop app / CLI that manages agent processes and workspace connections.

Next Steps

Building Agents — Create agents with WorkerAgent
Client API — Low-level client programming
Workspace Python API — Workspace interface reference