ara-sdk 0.1.48

Public Python SDK for building and running Ara apps.

Ara Python SDK

Ara is a managed platform for building and running long-lived AI agents in the cloud.

The ara-sdk is the Python layer for defining those agents and tools in code using a minimal authoring model. Ara runs the cloud runtime and operations, while the SDK focuses on compact automation scripts.

Overview

Minimal SDK primitives:

• @tool: expose deterministic Python functions as callable tools.
• secret("KEY"): declare and read required secrets at runtime.
• Automation(...): define one deployable automation agent with tools and instructions.

This keeps authoring simple: one script, one automation declaration, optional helper metadata.

Runtime flow:

Users / Clients
  (Web app, SMS, Slack, Email)
            |
            |  HTTP (bidirectional webhooks / responses)
            v
+----------------------------------------------+
|         Ara Cloud: 24/7 Agent Runtime        |
|  - Interprets prompt + workflow              |
|  - Activates sandbox when work is needed     |
+--------------------------+-------------------+
                           |
                           v
                 +------------------------+
                 |   Sandbox / Computer   |
                 | - File system access   |
                 | - Executes tasks/tools |
                 +-----------+------------+
                             |
            +----------------+----------------+
            v                                 v
 +---------------------------+   +---------------------------+
 | Custom tools / skill files|   | Subagents / other agents |
 +---------------------------+   +---------------------------+

Quickstart:

import ara_sdk as ara

@ara.tool
def send_email(to: str, subject: str, body: str) -> dict:
    sender = ara.secret("CRON_EMAIL_FROM")
    api_key = ara.secret("RESEND_API_KEY")
    _ = (to, subject, body, api_key)
    return {"ok": True, "from": sender}

ara.Automation(
    "weekday-priority-agent",
    system_instructions="Send weekday priority digest.",
    tools=[send_email],
)

Non-interactive auth (no ara auth login) is supported via ARA_API_KEY:

ARA_API_KEY="<your_key>" ara deploy app.py

For CI/CD, you can also use the helper script:

python scripts/deploy_app.py app.py --api-key "<your_key>"

Install

pip install ara-sdk

Documentation

• SDK overview: https://docs.ara.so/sdk/overview
• SDK quickstart: https://docs.ara.so/sdk/quickstart
• SDK reference: https://docs.ara.so/sdk/reference
• Examples index: https://docs.ara.so/examples/overview

Local testing (no uv)

python3.12 -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate
python -m pip install -e . pytest
python -m pytest -q

Run maintained examples

Examples: github.com/Aradotso/ara-python-sdk/tree/main/examples

FAQ

What is the difference between Ara and ara-sdk?

Ara is the managed control/runtime plane (execution, lifecycle, policy, observability), while ara-sdk is the authoring layer for automation behavior (tools + instructions). You define Python app logic; Ara handles runtime operations you would otherwise run as custom infrastructure.

Does “24/7 runtime” mean I pay for permanently hot compute?

Not inherently. The runtime is always available as the service boundary, but sandbox/task compute can activate on demand from schedules, events, and API calls. Practical cost and footprint depend on your trigger frequency and runtime policy. Note: today usage is billed under your existing Pro or Ultra subscription.

How should I think about Automation, @tool, and secret(...)?

Use Automation(...) as the top-level app declaration, @tool for deterministic capability execution, and secret("KEY") when a tool requires credentials. Schedules are configured in app.ara.so UI to avoid code/UI drift.

How do I handle secrets and environment safely at scale?

Declare required credentials in code with secret("KEY") and provide values through Ara secret sync at deploy time (or pre-provisioned app secrets). Keep all secret values out of source control.

Do I need public endpoints to use Ara?

No. The minimal SDK is automation-first; public endpoint wiring is not part of this authoring surface.