Core Concepts
Agents
Agents are LLMs configured with instructions and tools:
agent = Agent(
name="Research Agent",
instructions="You research topics thoroughly.",
tools=[search_tool, wikipedia_tool],
)Handoffs
Agents can delegate to specialized agents:
triage = Agent(
name="Triage",
handoffs=[billing_agent, technical_agent, general_agent],
)Guardrails
Validate inputs/outputs before and after agent runs:
@input_guardrail
async def check_topic(ctx, agent, input):
# reject off-topic requests
...Tracing
Built-in tracing for debugging multi-agent flows — visualize handoff chains, tool calls, and token usage.
FAQ
Q: What is OpenAI Agents SDK? A: The official OpenAI Python framework for multi-agent workflows with handoffs, tool calling, guardrails, and tracing. 20K+ GitHub stars.
Q: How is it different from LangChain or CrewAI? A: It's minimal by design — focused primitives (agents, handoffs, guardrails) without a large dependency tree. Built and maintained by OpenAI.