agenwatch 0.1.2

Runtime-enforced governance kernel for AI agents

AgenWatch

Runtime-enforced execution governance for AI agents.

AgenWatch is a Python SDK that guarantees AI agents stop when they must.
Budgets, iteration limits, and execution boundaries are enforced during runtime, not observed after failure.

This is not an observability tool.
This is not a prompt framework.

AgenWatch is an execution kernel.

For architectural details and guarantees, see ARCHITECTURE.md

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Why AgenWatch Exists

Most agent frameworks answer:

“How do I make my agent smarter?”

AgenWatch answers a different question:

“Can I mathematically guarantee this agent will stop?”

AgenWatch enforces hard limits before tools or LLM calls execute:

• No runaway costs
• No infinite reasoning loops
• No silent retry storms
• No post-mortem surprises

---

What AgenWatch Is (and Is Not)

AgenWatch is

• A bounded execution controller
• A deterministic agent runtime
• A runtime safety and governance layer for agents

AgenWatch is not

• A prompt-engineering framework
• A workflow orchestrator
• A UI or observability dashboard
• A LangChain replacement

AgenWatch does not try to make agents smarter.
It makes them governable.

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Installation

pip install agenwatch

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AgenWatch-Only Example

This example shows pure AgenWatch execution with runtime enforcement.

import os
from agenwatch import Agent, tool
from agenwatch.providers import OpenAIProvider

@tool("Echo input text")
def echo(**kwargs) -> dict:
    """Echo back the provided text"""
    text = kwargs.get("text", "")
    return {"echo": text}

agent = Agent(
    tools=[echo],
    llm=OpenAIProvider(
        api_key=os.getenv("OPENAI_API_KEY"),
        model="gpt-4o-mini"
    ),
    budget=1.0,          # Hard execution budget
    max_iterations=5
)

result = agent.run("Echo hello")

print(f"Success: {result.success}")
print(f"Cost: {result.cost}")
print(f"Output: {result.output}")

Guarantees

• If budget is exhausted, no further LLM or tool calls can occur
• Retries are idempotent (no double charging)
• Termination is enforced inside the kernel, not user code

---

Budget Kill-Switch (Runtime Enforcement)

AgenWatch enforces budgets as a runtime kill switch, not a warning.

Behavior:

• First allowed call executes and is charged
• Retries do not double-charge
• Next call is blocked before execution
• Agent terminates with budget_exceeded

This enforcement happens synchronously inside the kernel.

---

LangChain + AgenWatch Integration

AgenWatch can be used alongside LangChain.

Important distinction:

• LangChain produces prompts / logic
• AgenWatch governs execution
• The LLM decides whether to call tools

AgenWatch cannot force an LLM to call a tool. It only governs tool calls if and when they occur.

Working Integration Example

# Pattern: LangChain Logic + AgenWatch Enforcement
import os
from langchain_core.prompts import ChatPromptTemplate
from agenwatch import Agent, tool
from agenwatch.providers import OpenAIProvider

# Step 1: Define tools (AgenWatch-governed)
@tool("Echo text safely")
def echo(**kwargs) -> dict:
    return {"echo": kwargs.get("text", "")}

# Step 2: Create AgenWatch Agent (the kernel)
agent = Agent(
    tools=[echo],
    llm=OpenAIProvider(
        api_key=os.getenv("OPENAI_API_KEY"),
        model="gpt-4o-mini"
    ),
    budget=1.0,
    max_iterations=3
)

# Step 3: Let LangChain produce the task
prompt = ChatPromptTemplate.from_messages([
    ("human", "Say hello using the echo tool")
])
task = prompt.format_messages()[0].content

# Step 4: Execute through AgenWatch
result = agent.run(task)

print(f"Success: {result.success}")
print(f"Cost: {result.cost}")
print(f"Output: {result.output}")

Example Output (Observed)

Success: True
Cost: 0.0
Output: It seems that I don't have access to an echo tool to assist with that.
However, I can say hello directly:
Hello!

Important Clarification

This behavior is expected.

• The LLM chose not to call the tool
• AgenWatch correctly enforced execution boundaries
• No unauthorized calls occurred
• Budget and iteration limits were still active

AgenWatch does not influence LLM reasoning. It governs execution, not decision-making.

---

Streaming & Inspection

AgenWatch exposes execution events for inspection:

for event in agent.stream("Analyze input"):
    print(event.type)

• Event order is guaranteed
• Streaming does not affect execution behavior
• This is inspection, not control

---

Deterministic Execution (v0.1)

AgenWatch records execution decisions so failures can be inspected without re-running the agent.

In v0.1:

• Execution ledger is in-memory
• Replay is read-only
• No crash recovery or persistence

This is intentional and documented.

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Who Should Use AgenWatch

AgenWatch is designed for:

• Platform engineers
• Infrastructure teams
• Safety & governance layers
• Production systems with strict cost or control requirements

---

When to Use AgenWatch

Use AgenWatch when you need:

• Hard runtime stop guarantees
• Budget or iteration enforcement
• Deterministic termination behavior
• Protection against runaway agents

AgenWatch prioritizes predictability over flexibility.

---

When NOT to Use AgenWatch

AgenWatch may not be a good fit if:

• You only need post-execution observability
• You want rapid prototyping without hard limits
• You expect the SDK to force tool usage

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Relationship to Other Frameworks

AgenWatch is complementary to frameworks like:

• LangChain
• CrewAI
• LangGraph

Those frameworks focus on agent capability. AgenWatch focuses on agent control.

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Status

Version: 0.1.0

• Kernel and budget enforcement are stable
• Public API is minimal and frozen
• Governance primitives will evolve incrementally

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License

MIT License