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Agent Guides

SmolAgents

The smallest complete agent framework. A CodeAgent writes Python to accomplish tasks; a ToolCallingAgent uses JSON tool-calling. The entire core is ~1,000 lines — readable, hackable, and a great first step into agents.

Install

Terminal window
pip install smolagents

Version

v1.24.0 · January 2026 · Python 3.10+

Best for

Learning, prototyping, simple automation, code-first workflows.

Zero → Hero

Section titled “Zero → Hero”
1 · Introduction & philosophy Why code > JSON · 10 min
2 · Installation & setup Install, LLM config, hello world · 10 min
3 · Core concepts & architecture Agent, Tool, Memory · 15 min
4 · Model configuration 100+ LLM providers · 15 min
5 · Simple agents fundamentals First agent walk-through · 20 min
6 · Tools: building blocks Built-in + custom tools · 20 min
7 · CodeAgent (code paradigm) Python-writing agent · 25 min
8 · ToolCallingAgent JSON tool-calling variant · 15 min
9 · Multi-agent & orchestration Managed agents, delegation · 20 min
10 · Structured outputs Schema-validated output · 15 min
11 · Production Deployment, safety, cost · 25 min

Jump to a topic

Section titled “Jump to a topic”
CodeAgent
ToolCallingAgent
Custom tools
Multi-agent orchestration
Structured outputs
2025 features deep-dive
Model selection (100+ LLMs)

Reference

Section titled “Reference”
Comprehensive guide Single-page technical reference.
Recipes
Diagrams
Production guide

What’s new in v1.24.0 (January 2026)

Section titled “What’s new in v1.24.0 (January 2026)”
  • Expanded model provider coverage (Anthropic, Gemini, Ollama improvements).
  • Tool call performance optimisations.
  • Multi-agent orchestration patterns stabilised.

Install, minimal example

Section titled “Install, minimal example”
from smolagents import CodeAgent, tool


@tool
def add_numbers(a: int, b: int) -> int:
    """Add two numbers together."""
    return a + b


agent = CodeAgent(tools=[add_numbers])
result = agent.run("What is 15 + 27?")
print(result)

Ready? Start Zero → Hero Step 1 →

Revision history

Section titled “Revision history”
DateVersionChanges
2026-04-211.24.0Index redesigned with Zero → Hero + Jump-to-topic grid.
January 16, 20261.24.0Expanded model providers; tool call perf; multi-agent patterns.
November 20251.23.0Initial documented version.