The OpenAI Agents SDK is a lightweight development kit from OpenAI for building agents, with few primitives and a focus on Python and TypeScript code. It is the production evolution of the Swarm experiment.
What it is for
- Agents that run tools in a loop until a task is complete
- Coordination between agents through handoffs or agents used as tools
- Input and output validation with guardrails, in parallel with execution
- Memory and conversation continuity with persisted sessions
- Sandbox agents for tasks that need files and an isolated workspace
- Voice and realtime agents
How it works
- The developer creates agents with instructions, tools and guardrails
- The Runner runs the agent loop, calls tools and applies the rules
- Handoffs transfer control to another specialized agent
- Sessions keep context across turns (SQLite, SQLAlchemy, Redis, MongoDB, among others)
- Uses the Responses API by default for OpenAI models and accepts other providers through adapters
License and maintenance
- Open source under the MIT license, maintained by OpenAI
- Active development, with sandbox, memory and realtime features added in 2026
- Built-in tracing connects to the OpenAI evaluation tools, with no paid service required for basic use
Strengths
- Small, easy-to-learn API with fewer abstractions
- Natural integration with OpenAI models and ecosystem
- Built-in tracing to debug and evaluate runs
Limitations
- More advanced features are most mature inside the OpenAI ecosystem
- Complex graph orchestration requires more custom code or another framework