claude-code-system-prompts/system-prompts/data-agent-sdk-reference-python.md

Agent SDK — Python

The Claude Agent SDK provides a higher-level interface for building AI agents with built-in tools, safety features, and agentic capabilities.

Installation

```bash pip install claude-agent-sdk ```

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Quick Start

```python import anyio from claude_agent_sdk import query, ClaudeAgentOptions, ResultMessage

async def main(): async for message in query( prompt="Explain this codebase", options=ClaudeAgentOptions(allowed_tools=["Read", "Glob", "Grep"]) ): if isinstance(message, ResultMessage): print(message.result)

anyio.run(main) ```

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Built-in Tools

Tool	Description
Read	Read files in the workspace
Write	Create new files
Edit	Make precise edits to existing files
Bash	Execute shell commands
Glob	Find files by pattern
Grep	Search files by content
WebSearch	Search the web for information
WebFetch	Fetch and analyze web pages
AskUserQuestion	Ask user clarifying questions
Task	Spawn subagent tasks

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Primary Interfaces

`query()` — Simple One-Shot Usage

The `query()` function is the simplest way to run an agent. It returns an async iterator of messages.

```python from claude_agent_sdk import query, ClaudeAgentOptions, ResultMessage

async for message in query( prompt="Explain this codebase", options=ClaudeAgentOptions(allowed_tools=["Read", "Glob", "Grep"]) ): if isinstance(message, ResultMessage): print(message.result) ```

`ClaudeSDKClient` — Full Control

`ClaudeSDKClient` provides full control over the agent lifecycle. Use it when you need custom tools, hooks, streaming, or the ability to interrupt execution.

```python import anyio from claude_agent_sdk import ClaudeSDKClient, ClaudeAgentOptions, AssistantMessage, TextBlock

async def main(): options = ClaudeAgentOptions(allowed_tools=["Read", "Glob", "Grep"]) async with ClaudeSDKClient(options=options) as client: await client.query("Explain this codebase") async for message in client.receive_response(): if isinstance(message, AssistantMessage): for block in message.content: if isinstance(block, TextBlock): print(block.text)

anyio.run(main) ```

`ClaudeSDKClient` supports:

• Context manager (`async with`) for automatic resource cleanup
• `client.query(prompt)` to send a prompt to the agent
• `receive_response()` for streaming messages until completion
• `interrupt()` to stop agent execution mid-task
• Required for custom tools (via SDK MCP servers)

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Permission System

```python from claude_agent_sdk import query, ClaudeAgentOptions, ResultMessage

async for message in query( prompt="Refactor the authentication module", options=ClaudeAgentOptions( allowed_tools=["Read", "Edit", "Write"], permission_mode="acceptEdits" # Auto-accept file edits ) ): if isinstance(message, ResultMessage): print(message.result) ```

Permission modes:

• `"default"`: Prompt for dangerous operations
• `"plan"`: Planning only, no execution
• `"acceptEdits"`: Auto-accept file edits
• `"dontAsk"`: Don't prompt (useful for CI/CD)
• `"bypassPermissions"`: Skip all prompts (requires `allow_dangerously_skip_permissions=True` in options)

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MCP (Model Context Protocol) Support

```python from claude_agent_sdk import query, ClaudeAgentOptions, ResultMessage

async for message in query( prompt="Open example.com and describe what you see", options=ClaudeAgentOptions( mcp_servers={ "playwright": {"command": "npx", "args": ["@playwright/mcp@latest"]} } ) ): if isinstance(message, ResultMessage): print(message.result) ```

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Hooks

Customize agent behavior with hooks using callback functions:

```python from claude_agent_sdk import query, ClaudeAgentOptions, HookMatcher, ResultMessage

async def log_file_change(input_data, tool_use_id, context): file_path = input_data.get('tool_input', {}).get('file_path', 'unknown') print(f"Modified: {file_path}") return {}

async for message in query( prompt="Refactor utils.py", options=ClaudeAgentOptions( permission_mode="acceptEdits", hooks={ "PostToolUse": [HookMatcher(matcher="Edit|Write", hooks=[log_file_change])] } ) ): if isinstance(message, ResultMessage): print(message.result) ```

Available hook events: `PreToolUse`, `PostToolUse`, `PostToolUseFailure`, `Notification`, `UserPromptSubmit`, `SessionStart`, `SessionEnd`, `Stop`, `SubagentStart`, `SubagentStop`, `PreCompact`, `PermissionRequest`, `Setup`, `TeammateIdle`, `TaskCompleted`, `ConfigChange`

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Common Options

`query()` takes a top-level `prompt` (string) and an `options` object (`ClaudeAgentOptions`):

```python async for message in query(prompt="...", options=ClaudeAgentOptions(...)): ```

Option	Type	Description
`cwd`	string	Working directory for file operations
`allowed_tools`	list	Tools the agent can use (e.g., `["Read", "Edit", "Bash"]`)
`tools`	list	Built-in tools to make available (restricts the default set)
`disallowed_tools`	list	Tools to explicitly disallow
`permission_mode`	string	How to handle permission prompts
`allow_dangerously_skip_permissions`	bool	Must be `True` to use `permission_mode="bypassPermissions"`
`mcp_servers`	dict	MCP servers to connect to
`hooks`	dict	Hooks for customizing behavior
`system_prompt`	string	Custom system prompt
`max_turns`	int	Maximum agent turns before stopping
`max_budget_usd`	float	Maximum budget in USD for the query
`model`	string	Model ID (default: determined by CLI)
`agents`	dict	Subagent definitions (`dict[str, AgentDefinition]`)
`output_format`	dict	Structured output schema
`thinking`	dict	Thinking/reasoning control
`betas`	list	Beta features to enable (e.g., `["context-1m-2025-08-07"]`)
`setting_sources`	list	Settings to load (e.g., `["project"]`). Default: none (no CLAUDE.md files)
`env`	dict	Environment variables to set for the session

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Message Types

```python from claude_agent_sdk import query, ClaudeAgentOptions, ResultMessage, SystemMessage

async for message in query( prompt="Find TODO comments", options=ClaudeAgentOptions(allowed_tools=["Read", "Glob", "Grep"]) ): if isinstance(message, ResultMessage): print(message.result) elif isinstance(message, SystemMessage) and message.subtype == "init": session_id = message.session_id # Capture for resuming later ```

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Subagents

```python from claude_agent_sdk import query, ClaudeAgentOptions, AgentDefinition, ResultMessage

async for message in query( prompt="Use the code-reviewer agent to review this codebase", options=ClaudeAgentOptions( allowed_tools=["Read", "Glob", "Grep", "Task"], agents={ "code-reviewer": AgentDefinition( description="Expert code reviewer for quality and security reviews.", prompt="Analyze code quality and suggest improvements.", tools=["Read", "Glob", "Grep"] ) } ) ): if isinstance(message, ResultMessage): print(message.result) ```

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Error Handling

```python from claude_agent_sdk import query, ClaudeAgentOptions, CLINotFoundError, CLIConnectionError, ResultMessage

try: async for message in query( prompt="...", options=ClaudeAgentOptions(allowed_tools=["Read"]) ): if isinstance(message, ResultMessage): print(message.result) except CLINotFoundError: print("Claude Code CLI not found. Install with: pip install claude-agent-sdk") except CLIConnectionError as e: print(f"Connection error: {e}") ```

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Best Practices

1. Always specify allowed_tools — Explicitly list which tools the agent can use
2. Set working directory — Always specify `cwd` for file operations
3. Use appropriate permission modes — Start with `"default"` and only escalate when needed
4. Handle all message types — Check for `ResultMessage` to get agent output
5. Limit max_turns — Prevent runaway agents with reasonable limits