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GlossaryAgentsIntermediate

Agents SDK

Also written: Agents Software Development Kit

Software Development Kit for building AI agents, offering tools and interfaces for developers to create autonomous AI systems.

In plain terms

An Agents SDK is a collection of tools and instructions that help developers build AI agents. Think of it like a pre-packaged toolbox for creating smart programs that can perform tasks on their own.

These agents can understand instructions, plan steps, and take actions, similar to how a human assistant might work. For example, an agent built with an SDK could help you research a topic by searching the web, summarizing articles, and presenting the findings.

The expert version

An Agents Software Development Kit (SDK) provides developers with the necessary libraries, APIs, and documentation to build and deploy AI agents. These agents are designed to act autonomously, often involving capabilities like planning, tool use, and memory management. The SDK abstracts away much of the underlying complexity of agent orchestration, allowing developers to focus on defining agent behavior and integrating specific tools or models.

Why it matters now

OpenAI is actively developing and promoting its Agents SDK, as seen in recent cookbook additions and bootcamps. This focus suggests a push towards enabling developers to build more sophisticated AI agents using their tools.

Where it shows up 3 items, newest first
How each company uses it
OpenAI ChatGPT
OpenAI offers an Agents SDK to help developers build AI agents, with examples and training available through their cookbook and bootcamps.
Related terms

AI AgentsLLMAPIsTool UseOrchestrationAutonomous Systems

Often confused with
API
An API (Application Programming Interface) allows different software system
Framework
A framework provides a structure for developing software, whereas an
Origin

The concept of SDKs originated with early software development to standardize how developers interact with platforms or operating systems. The application to AI agents is a more recent evolution as agent architectures have become more defined.

Try this about 5 minutes

Explore OpenAI's documentation or cookbook examples for their Agents SDK. Try running a sample agent that can perform a simple task, like summarizing a provided text or answering questions based on a small document.

Try it: Playbook entries that use thisPlaybook →

The Playbook: reusable how-tos, prompts, configs and tips pulled out of the news.

Questions people ask

What is an AI agent?
An AI agent is a program designed to perceive its environment, make decisions, and take actions to achieve specific goals, often autonomously.
How does an SDK help build an AI agent?
An SDK provides pre-built components, code examples, and interfaces that simplify the process of creating an agent's core functionalities, like planning and tool integration.

First seen on Subvolts Jul 20, 2026. Updated Sep 19, 2026. Written by an AI model from the items above and reviewed against them weekly; report an error.