AgentPM™ Python SDK

A lean, typed Python SDK for AgentPM tools and installed agent, Knowledge, Memory, Profile, and Loop packages. It discovers tools installed by agentpm install, executes their entrypoints in a subprocess, and can also inspect installed agent manifests plus their resolved dependency refs.

• 🔎 Discovers tools in .agentpm/tools (project) and ~/.agentpm/tools (user), with AGENTPM_TOOL_DIR override.
• 📦 Loads installed agents from .agentpm/agents and exposes their resolved tool and skill refs from agent.lock.
• 📚 Loads installed skills from .agentpm/skills and exposes their manual content plus resolved tool refs.
• 🧠 Loads installed Knowledge packages from .agentpm/knowledge and exposes mode-specific metadata and canonical paths.
• ♾️ Loads installed Memory packages from .agentpm/memory and exposes authored blueprint metadata, build metadata, contract indexes, and resolved contract paths.
• 🎭 Loads installed Profile packages from .agentpm/profiles and exposes authored role, objective, and communication metadata.
• 🔁 Loads installed Loop packages from .agentpm/loops and exposes authored phase, transition, and error-policy metadata.
• 🚀 Runs entrypoints via node or python (whitelisted) and exchanges JSON over stdin/stdout.
• 🧩 Metadata-aware: with_meta=True returns func + meta (name, version, description, inputs, outputs).
• 🧪 Framework adapters (optional): e.g., a LangChain adapter you can use if installed.

Requires Python 3.10+.

Installation

From PyPI (recommended)

Using uv:

uv pip install agentpm

Or with standard pip:

python -m pip install agentpm

If you'll use the optional LangChain adapter:

uv pip install 'agentpm[langchain]'
# or
python -m pip install 'agentpm[langchain]'

Quick Start (with uv)

# create and activate a venv
uv venv
source .venv/bin/activate

# install SDK in editable dev mode (ruff/black/mypy/pytest, etc.)
uv pip install -e ".[dev]"

# sanity checks
uv run ruff check .
uv run black --check .
uv run mypy
uv run pytest -q

If you're not using uv, standard python -m venv + pip install -e ".[dev]" works too.

Using the SDK

from agentpm import load

# Spec format: "@scope/name@version"
summarize = load("@zack/summarize@0.1.0")

result = summarize({"text": "Long document content..."})
print(result["summary"])

With metadata (build richer tool descriptions)

from agentpm import load

tool = load("@zack/summarize@0.1.0", with_meta=True)
summarize, meta = tool["func"], tool["meta"]

rich_description = (
    f"{meta.get('description','')} "
    f"Inputs: {meta.get('inputs')}. "
    f"Outputs: {meta.get('outputs')}."
)

print(rich_description)
print(summarize({"text": "hello"})["summary"])

Load an installed agent package

from agentpm import (
    load,
    load_agent,
    load_knowledge,
    load_loop,
    load_memory,
    load_profile,
    load_skill,
)

agent = load_agent("@zack/support-agent@0.1.0")
docs = load_knowledge("@zack/python-docs@0.1.0")
loop = load_loop("@zack/incident-response-loop@0.3.0")
memory = load_memory("@zack/profile-memory@0.1.0")
profile = load_profile("@zack/support-style@0.1.0")
first_skill = agent["resolvedSkills"][0]
skill = load_skill(f'{first_skill["name"]}@{first_skill["version"]}')
first_tool = skill["resolvedTools"][0]
tool = load(f'{first_tool["name"]}@{first_tool["version"]}')

print(agent["resolvedKnowledge"])
print(agent["resolvedLoop"])
print(agent["resolvedMemory"])
print(agent["resolvedProfiles"])
print(loop["loop"]["transitions"])
print(docs["knowledge"]["mode"])
print(memory["contracts"])
print(profile["profile"]["communication"])

load_agent() returns:

• the installed agent manifest
• the installed agent root path
• resolvedKnowledge from agent.lock
• resolvedLoop from agent.lock
• resolvedMemory from agent.lock
• resolvedProfiles from agent.lock
• reserved refs (knowledge, memory, profiles) as metadata
• resolvedTools from agent.lock
• resolvedSkills from agent.lock

It does not execute the agent package or orchestrate the tools for you.

Compatibility note:

• resolvedKnowledge is populated from the modern first-class root.knowledge entries in agent.lock.
• reserved.knowledge is legacy pass-through metadata from older lockfile shapes. For current installs, treat resolvedKnowledge as the authoritative Knowledge dependency list and expect reserved.knowledge to usually be empty.
• If your workspace still has an older pre-Knowledge lockfile shape where Knowledge refs only exist under reserved.knowledge, rerun agentpm install to rewrite the lockfile before expecting resolvedKnowledge to be populated.
• resolvedLoop is populated from the modern first-class root.loop entry in agent.lock.
• resolvedProfiles is populated from the modern first-class root.profiles entries in agent.lock.
• reserved.profiles is legacy pass-through metadata from older lockfile shapes. For current installs, treat resolvedProfiles as the authoritative Profile dependency list and expect reserved.profiles to usually be empty.
• manifest["loop"] and manifest["bindings"] preserve the authored declarative metadata from the installed agent.json.

This is the Python mirror of the Node SDK’s loadAgent() flow:

1. load the installed agent package
2. read its resolved skill and tool refs
3. optionally load a resolved skill package
4. choose which tool packages to load()

Run Harness over the machine protocol

from agentpm import BeforeToolCallDecision, BeforeToolCallInput, HarnessClient

harness = HarnessClient(agent="@zack/support-agent@0.1.0")


def model_provider(request):
    return {
        "id": "turn-1",
        "assistant_content": "Handled by the host model.",
        "actions": [],
        "usage": {},
        "finish_reason": "stop",
        "provider_metadata": {"model": request["selection"]["model"]},
    }


def before_tool_call(input: BeforeToolCallInput) -> BeforeToolCallDecision:
    return {"decision": "continue", "patch": {"arguments": input["arguments"]}}


harness.register_model_provider("company-model", model_provider)
harness.on_before_tool_call(before_tool_call)
harness.on_approval(lambda checkpoint: "approve")

result = harness.run("Use the configured agent.")
harness.shutdown()

print(result)

agent is optional. When set, it is passed to agentpm harness as either an installed Agent package ref such as @zack/support-agent@0.1.0 or a local manifest path such as ./agent.json; when omitted, Harness uses its normal workspace discovery/default Agent selection. Register host services before starting a run. The SDK launches agentpm harness --machine, correlates request/response frames, streams Harness events, and routes host-service callbacks for model providers, embedding providers, Knowledge runtimes, hooks, and approvals.

The convenience Hook helpers use contract-specific type hints. on_before_model_request may return context_sections and provider_options, on_before_tool_selection may return candidate_ids, on_before_tool_call may return replacement arguments, on_before_knowledge_request may shape the same package request options, and on_after_knowledge_retrieval may filter/reorder existing results or transform model-visible text while retaining result identity. Memory hook helpers are also exposed for the version-1 contract, but memory execution becomes live with the later Harness memory milestones. A returned object must include decision: "continue" or decision: "reject"; returning None is treated as an explicit continue with no patch. There is no embedding Hook ID; use register_embedding_provider to host query embedding.

Host capability advertisement is role-specific. register_model_provider automatically advertises the registry ID as provider plus semantic-action, structured-output, multimodal-input, and usage-reporting flags; pass model-specific overrides such as model or context_window_tokens when known. register_embedding_provider registers the Milestone 12 embed contract and advertises supported embedding spaces. register_knowledge_runtime registers the Milestone 12 retrieve contract and advertises supported modes/features/package attestations. register_host_provider remains available for lower-level role-specific capability shapes. on_approval advertises approval support and optional cancellation support. After initialization, host_service_registration(role, registry_id) exposes the Harness registration result, including active: false and a reason when Harness rejects a registration.

For CLI-launched custom Knowledge runtimes, use serve_knowledge_runtime_process(registry_id, handler, capabilities) to serve the public agentpm-service JSONL process protocol from a Python provider process. The Pinecone and pgvector reference providers live in https://github.com/agentpm-dev/agentpm-examples/tree/main/knowledge-packages/m13-reference-providers; they are examples to copy from, not provider-specific SDK exports.

Load an installed skill package

from agentpm import load_skill

skill = load_skill("@zack/triage-playbook@0.1.0")

print(skill["entrypointPath"])
print(skill["entrypointContent"])
print(skill["references"])
print(skill["scripts"])
print(skill["resolvedTools"])

load_skill() returns an inspectable Skill object. Skills are not runnable SDK objects.

Load an installed Knowledge package

from agentpm import load_knowledge

knowledge = load_knowledge("@zack/python-docs@0.1.0")

print(knowledge["knowledge"]["mode"])
print(knowledge["documentPaths"])
print(knowledge["chunksPath"])
print(knowledge["sourcesPath"])
print(knowledge["vectorsPath"])
print(knowledge["indexPaths"])

load_knowledge() returns an inspectable Knowledge object with:

• the installed knowledge manifest
• the installed package root path
• parsed knowledge metadata
• absolute paths for declared context documents, chunks, sources, vectors, indexes, and provenance when present

Load an installed Memory package

from agentpm import load_memory, load_memory_contract

memory = load_memory("@zack/profile-memory@0.1.0")
profile_contract = load_memory_contract(
    memory,
    space="profile",
    record_type="user_preference",
)

print(memory["memory"]["spaces"])
print(memory["build"])
print(memory["contractIndex"])
print(memory["contracts"])
print(profile_contract)

load_memory() returns an inspectable Memory Blueprint object with:

• the installed memory manifest
• the installed package root path
• parsed memory metadata
• parsed memory/build.json
• parsed memory/contracts/index.json
• absolute paths for declared source schemas and indexed resolved contracts

It is a metadata and contract loader only. It does not provide live record CRUD, retention enforcement, trigger execution, or a hosted memory runtime.

load_memory_contract() loads one indexed resolved contract on demand by space + record_type.

Load an installed Profile package

from agentpm import load_profile

profile = load_profile("@zack/support-style@0.1.0")

print(profile["profile"]["identity"]["role"])
print(profile["profile"]["objectives"])
print(profile["profile"]["communication"])

load_profile() returns an inspectable Instruction Profile object with:

• the installed profile manifest
• the installed package root path
• parsed authored profile metadata

Load an installed Loop package

from agentpm import load_loop

loop = load_loop("@zack/incident-response-loop@0.3.0")

print(loop["loop"]["entry_phase"])
print(loop["loop"]["phases"])
print(loop["loop"]["transitions"])
print(loop["loop"]["error_policy"])

load_loop() returns an inspectable Loop object with:

• the installed loop manifest
• the installed package root path
• parsed authored loop metadata

load() stays tool-only

from agentpm import load

load("@zack/triage-playbook@0.1.0")
# raises: use load_skill("@zack/triage-playbook@0.1.0") instead

load("@zack/python-docs@0.1.0")
# raises: use load_knowledge("@zack/python-docs@0.1.0") instead

load("@zack/profile-memory@0.1.0")
# raises: use load_memory("@zack/profile-memory@0.1.0") instead

load("@zack/support-style@0.1.0")
# raises: use load_profile("@zack/support-style@0.1.0") instead

load("@zack/incident-response-loop@0.3.0")
# raises: use load_loop("@zack/incident-response-loop@0.3.0") instead

Optional: LangChain adapter

The adapter is lazy-imported and only needed if you call it.

from agentpm import load, to_langchain_tool  # to_langchain_tool is loaded on first access

loaded = load("@zack/summarize@0.1.0", with_meta=True)
tool = to_langchain_tool(loaded)  # requires `langchain-core` installed

If you use the adapter, install LangChain core:

uv pip install langchain-core

Where tools are discovered

Resolution order:

1. AGENTPM_TOOL_DIR (environment variable)
2. ./.agentpm/tools (project-local)
3. ~/.agentpm/tools (user-local)

Each tool lives in a directory like:

.agentpm/
  tools/
    @zack/summarize/
      0.1.0/
        agent.json
        (tool files…)

Installed registry agent packages live separately:

.agentpm/
  agents/
    @zack/support-agent/
      0.1.0/
        agent.json
        README.md

Installed registry skill packages live separately:

.agentpm/
  skills/
    @zack/triage-playbook/
      0.1.0/
        agent.json
        SKILL.md

Installed registry Knowledge packages live separately:

.agentpm/
  knowledge/
    @zack/python-docs/
      0.1.0/
        agent.json
        knowledge/

Installed registry Memory packages live separately:

.agentpm/
  memory/
    @zack/profile-memory/
      0.1.0/
        agent.json
        schemas/
        memory/

Where installed agents are discovered

Resolution order for load_agent():

1. AGENTPM_AGENT_DIR (environment variable)
2. ./.agentpm/agents (project-local)
3. ~/.agentpm/agents (user-local)

You can also override per call:

load_agent("@zack/support-agent@0.1.0", agent_dir_override="/path/to/agents")

Where installed skills are discovered

Resolution order for load_skill():

1. AGENTPM_SKILL_DIR (environment variable)
2. ./.agentpm/skills (project-local)
3. ~/.agentpm/skills (user-local)

You can also override per call:

load_skill("@zack/triage-playbook@0.1.0", skill_dir_override="/path/to/skills")

Where installed Knowledge packages are discovered

Resolution order for load_knowledge():

1. AGENTPM_KNOWLEDGE_DIR (environment variable)
2. ./.agentpm/knowledge (project-local)
3. ~/.agentpm/knowledge (user-local)

You can also override per call:

load_knowledge("@zack/python-docs@0.1.0", knowledge_dir_override="/path/to/knowledge")

Where installed Memory packages are discovered

Resolution order for load_memory():

1. AGENTPM_MEMORY_DIR (environment variable)
2. ./.agentpm/memory (project-local)
3. ~/.agentpm/memory (user-local)

You can also override per call:

load_memory("@zack/profile-memory@0.1.0", memory_dir_override="/path/to/memory")

Manifest & Runtime Contract

agent.json (minimal fields used by the SDK):

{
  "name": "@zack/summarize",
  "version": "0.1.0",
  "description": "Summarize long text.",
  "inputs": {
    "type": "object",
    "properties": { "text": { "type": "string", "description": "Text to summarize" } },
    "required": ["text"]
  },
  "outputs": {
    "type": "object",
    "properties": { "summary": { "type": "string", "description": "Summarized text" } },
    "required": ["summary"]
  },
  "entrypoint": {
    "command": "python",
    "args": ["main.py"],
    "cwd": ".",
    "timeout_ms": 60000,
    "env": {}
  }
}

Execution contract:

• SDK writes inputs JSON to the process stdin.
• Tool writes a single outputs JSON object to stdout.
• Non-JSON logs should go to stderr.
• Process must exit with code 0 on success.

Interpreter whitelist: node, nodejs, python, python3. The SDK validates the interpreter and checks it’s present on PATH.

Development

Project layout

src/
  agentpm/
    __init__.py           # re-exports: load, load_agent, load_knowledge, load_memory, load_skill, to_langchain_tool (lazy)
    core.py               # resolver/spawn/JSON plumbing
    types.py              # JsonValue, TypedDicts
    adapters/
      __init__.py
      langchain.py        # optional adapter
    py.typed              # marks package as typed
tests/
  test_basic.py
  test_load_agent.py
  test_load_memory.py
  test_load_skill.py

Common tasks (via uv)

uv run ruff check .
uv run black --check .
uv run mypy
uv run pytest -q

# run hooks locally on all files
uv run pre-commit run --all-files

Building & Publishing

# build wheel & sdist
uv run python -m build

# verify metadata
uv run twine check dist/*

# upload (PyPI)
uv run twine upload dist/*

# or TestPyPI first
uv run twine upload -r testpypi dist/*

Running mixed-runtime Agent apps with Docker

Some AgentPM tools run on Node, some on Python—and your agent may need to spawn both. Using Docker gives you a single, reproducible environment where both interpreters are installed and on PATH, which avoids the common “interpreter not found” issues that pop up on PaaS/CI or IDEs.

Why Docker?

✅ Hermetic: Python + Node versions are pinned inside the image.

✅ No PATH drama: node/python are present and discoverable.

✅ Prod/CI parity: the same image runs on your laptop, CI, and servers.

✅ Easy secrets: pass API keys via env at docker run/Compose time.

✅ Fewer surprises: consistent OS libs for LLM clients, SSL, etc.

When to use it

• You deploy to platforms that don’t let you apt-get both runtimes.
• Your agent uses tools with different interpreters (Node + Python).
• Your local dev/IDE PATH differs from production and causes failures.
• You want reproducible builds and easy rollback.

How to use it

1. Copy the provided Dockerfile into your repo.
2. (Optional) Pre-install tools locally with agentpm install ... and commit or copy .agentpm/tools/ into the image, or run agentpm install at build time if your CLI is available in the image.
3. Build & run:

docker build -t agent-app .
docker run --rm -e OPENAI_API_KEY=$OPENAI_API_KEY agent-app

4. For development, use the docker-compose.yml snippet to mount your source and pass env vars conveniently.

Troubleshooting

• Set AGENTPM_DEBUG=1 to print the SDK’s project root, search paths, merged PATH, and resolved interpreters.
• You can force interpreters via:

AGENTPM_NODE=/usr/bin/node
AGENTPM_PYTHON=/usr/local/bin/python3.11

• Prefer absolute interpreters in agent.json.entrypoint.command for production (e.g., /usr/bin/node). The SDKs still enforce the Node/Python family.

Troubleshooting

• No JSON object found on stdout. Ensure your tool prints a single JSON object as the last thing on stdout, and writes logs to stderr.

• Unsupported agent.json.entrypoint.command Only node / python are allowed (including nodejs / python3). Update entrypoint.command.

• Interpreter "... " not found on PATH Install the interpreter or adjust entrypoint.command. The SDK runs <command> --version to verify availability.

• PEP 668 / “externally managed” Use a venv (we recommend uv venv) and install with uv pip install -e ".[dev]".

• IDE can’t import agentpm Ensure your interpreter is the project’s .venv/bin/python, and that you ran the editable install.

License

MIT — see LICENSE.