langchain-agentkit 0.8.0

Composable middleware framework for LangGraph agents

langchain-agentkit

Composable middleware framework for LangGraph agents.

Build LangGraph agents with reusable middleware that composes tools and prompts. Two layers to choose from:

• agent metaclass — declare a class, get a complete ReAct agent with middleware-composed tools and prompts
• AgentKit — primitive composition engine for full control over graph topology

Installation

Requires Python 3.11+, langchain-core>=0.3, langgraph>=0.4.

pip install langchain-agentkit

Quick Start

The agent metaclass (recommended)

Declare a class that inherits from agent to get a StateGraph with an automatic ReAct loop:

from langchain_core.messages import HumanMessage, SystemMessage
from langchain_openai import ChatOpenAI
from langchain_agentkit import agent, SkillsMiddleware, TasksMiddleware, WebSearchMiddleware

class researcher(agent):
    llm = ChatOpenAI(model="gpt-4o")
    middleware = [
        SkillsMiddleware("skills/"),
        TasksMiddleware(),
        WebSearchMiddleware(),  # Built-in Qwant search, no API key needed
    ]
    prompt = "You are a research assistant."

    async def handler(state, *, llm, prompt):
        messages = [SystemMessage(content=prompt)] + state["messages"]
        response = await llm.ainvoke(messages)
        return {"messages": [response], "sender": "researcher"}

# Compile and use
graph = researcher.compile()
result = graph.invoke({"messages": [HumanMessage("Size the B2B SaaS market")]})

# With checkpointer for interrupt() support
from langgraph.checkpoint.memory import InMemorySaver
graph = researcher.compile(checkpointer=InMemorySaver())

AgentKit for manual graph wiring

Use AgentKit when you need full control over graph topology — multi-node graphs, shared ToolNode, custom routing:

from langchain_agentkit import AgentKit, SkillsMiddleware, TasksMiddleware

kit = AgentKit([
    SkillsMiddleware("skills/"),
    TasksMiddleware(),
])

# In any graph node:
all_tools = my_tools + kit.tools
system_prompt = kit.prompt(state, runtime)

Standalone SkillRegistry

Use SkillRegistry directly for skill discovery without the middleware layer:

from langchain_agentkit import SkillRegistry

registry = SkillRegistry("skills/")
tools = registry.tools  # [Skill, SkillRead]

Examples

See examples/ for complete working code:

• standalone_node.py — Simplest usage: declare a node class, compile, invoke
• manual_wiring.py — Use SkillRegistry as a standalone toolkit with full graph control
• multi_agent.py — Compose multiple agents in a parent graph
• root_with_checkpointer.py — Multi-turn conversations with interrupt() and Command(resume=...)
• subgraph_with_checkpointer.py — Subgraph inherits parent's checkpointer automatically
• custom_state_type.py — Custom state shape via handler annotation + subgraph schema translation

API Reference

agent

Declarative agent builder. Subclassing produces a StateGraph. Call .compile() to get a runnable graph.

Class attributes:

Attribute	Required	Description
llm	Yes	Language model instance
tools	No	List of LangChain tools
middleware	No	Ordered list of Middleware instances
prompt	No	System prompt — inline string, file path, or list of either

Handler signature:

async def handler(state, *, llm, tools, prompt, runtime): ...

state is positional. Everything after * is keyword-only and injected by name — declare only what you need:

Parameter	Type	Description
state	dict	LangGraph state (positional, required)
llm	BaseChatModel	LLM pre-bound with all tools via bind_tools()
tools	list[BaseTool]	All tools (user tools + middleware tools)
prompt	str	Fully composed prompt (template + middleware sections)
runtime	ToolRuntime	Unified runtime context. Use runtime.config for the full RunnableConfig

Both sync and async handlers are supported — sync handlers are detected via inspect.isawaitable and awaited automatically.

Custom state types — annotate the handler's state parameter:

class MyState(TypedDict, total=False):
    messages: Annotated[list, add_messages]
    draft: dict | None

class my_agent(agent):
    llm = ChatOpenAI(model="gpt-4o")

    async def handler(state: MyState, *, llm):
        ...

Without an annotation, AgentState is used by default.

Middleware protocol

Any class with tools (property) and prompt(state, runtime) (method) satisfies the protocol via structural subtyping — no base class needed:

class MyMiddleware:
    @property
    def tools(self) -> list[BaseTool]:
        return [my_tool]

    def prompt(self, state: dict, runtime: ToolRuntime) -> str | None:
        return "You have access to my_tool."

Built-in middleware:

Middleware	Tools	Prompt
SkillsMiddleware(skills_dirs)	Skill, SkillRead	Progressive disclosure skill list with load instructions
TasksMiddleware()	TaskCreate, TaskUpdate, TaskList, TaskGet	Base agent behavior + task context with status icons
WebSearchMiddleware(providers?)	web_search	Search guidance with provider names

TasksMiddleware

Task management middleware with Command-based tools that update graph state via LangGraph's ToolNode.

# Default — auto-creates task tools
mw = TasksMiddleware()

# Custom tools
mw = TasksMiddleware(task_tools=[my_create, my_update])

# Custom task formatter
mw = TasksMiddleware(formatter=my_format_function)

Task tools use InjectedState to read tasks from state and return Command(update={"tasks": [...]}) to apply changes. Task state is updated locally within the agent's graph, visible to the prompt on every ReAct loop iteration. When used as a subgraph, state flows back to the parent graph on completion.

You can also create task tools directly:

from langchain_agentkit import create_task_tools

tools = create_task_tools()  # [TaskCreate, TaskUpdate, TaskList, TaskGet]

WebSearchMiddleware

Multi-provider web search middleware. Fans out queries to all configured search providers in parallel via asyncio.gather, returning results attributed per provider.

Works out of the box with zero configuration — uses built-in Qwant search (no API key required). Add your own providers for more comprehensive results:

# Zero config — uses built-in Qwant search
mw = WebSearchMiddleware()

# Custom providers — any BaseTool or callable
from langchain_tavily import TavilySearch

mw = WebSearchMiddleware(providers=[
    TavilySearch(max_results=5),
])

# Mix built-in with custom
from langchain_community.tools import DuckDuckGoSearchRun

mw = WebSearchMiddleware(providers=[
    DuckDuckGoSearchRun(),
    my_custom_search_function,  # auto-wrapped into BaseTool
])

# Custom prompt template
mw = WebSearchMiddleware(prompt_template="Use {provider_names} to search.")

Providers can be any LangChain BaseTool or a callable with signature (query: str) -> str. Callables are auto-wrapped into tools. Provider errors are captured per-provider — one failing provider doesn't break the search.

QwantSearchTool

Built-in web search tool using Qwant's search API. No API key required. Works as a standalone LangChain tool or as the default provider for WebSearchMiddleware:

from langchain_agentkit import QwantSearchTool

# Standalone usage — like any other LangChain tool
tool = QwantSearchTool()
result = tool.invoke("latest AI news")

# Configurable
tool = QwantSearchTool(max_results=3, locale="fr_FR", safesearch=2)

Parameter	Default	Description
max_results	5	Number of results to return (max 10)
locale	"en_US"	Search locale
safesearch	1	Safe search level: 0=off, 1=moderate, 2=strict

AgentKit(middleware, prompt=None)

Composition engine that merges tools and prompts from middleware.

• tools — All tools from all middleware, deduplicated by name (first middleware wins, cached)
• prompt(state, runtime) — Template + middleware sections, joined with double newline (dynamic per call)

Prompt templates can be inline strings, file paths, or a list of either:

kit = AgentKit(middleware, prompt="You are helpful.")
kit = AgentKit(middleware, prompt=Path("prompts/system.txt"))
kit = AgentKit(middleware, prompt=["prompts/base.txt", "Extra instructions"])

node

Skill-aware metaclass. Uses skills attribute instead of middleware. Consider using agent for the full middleware composition model.

class my_agent(node):
    llm = ChatOpenAI(model="gpt-4o")
    tools = [web_search]
    skills = "skills/"  # str, list[str], or SkillRegistry instance

    async def handler(state, *, llm, tools, runtime): ...

AgentState

Minimal LangGraph state type with task support:

Field	Type	Description
messages	Annotated[list, add_messages]	Conversation history with LangGraph message reducer
sender	str	Name of the last node that produced output
tasks	list[dict[str, Any]]	Task list managed by TasksMiddleware tools

Extend with your own fields:

class MyState(AgentState):
    current_project: str
    iteration_count: int

Patterns

Reasoning: ReAct and Chain of Thought

The agent metaclass builds a ReAct loop — the LLM reasons, calls tools, observes results, and reasons again. This is Chain of Thought with tool use built in:

handler → LLM reasons → tool calls? → ToolNode executes → handler → LLM reasons → ... → END

All middleware tools (search, tasks, skills) live in a single shared ToolNode. No special routing or if/else logic — ToolNode dispatches by tool name.

Prompt-based Chain of Thought

Add reasoning instructions via the prompt attribute — no code changes needed:

class analyst(agent):
    llm = ChatOpenAI(model="gpt-4o")
    middleware = [WebSearchMiddleware()]
    prompt = """You are a research analyst. Think step by step:
1. Identify what information you need
2. Search for evidence using web_search
3. Synthesize findings into a clear answer"""

    async def handler(state, *, llm, prompt):
        messages = [SystemMessage(content=prompt)] + state["messages"]
        return {"messages": [await llm.ainvoke(messages)]}

Multi-node reasoning pipeline

For explicit Reason → Act → Synthesize stages, use AgentKit with manual graph wiring:

from langgraph.graph import END, StateGraph
from langgraph.prebuilt import ToolNode
from langchain_agentkit import AgentKit, WebSearchMiddleware

kit = AgentKit([WebSearchMiddleware()])

async def reason(state, config, **kw):
    """Analyze the question and plan what to search for."""
    ...

async def act(state, config, **kw):
    """Execute searches based on the reasoning step."""
    ...

async def synthesize(state, config, **kw):
    """Combine findings into a final answer."""
    ...

workflow = StateGraph(MyState)
workflow.add_node("reason", reason)
workflow.add_node("act", act)
workflow.add_node("tools", ToolNode(kit.tools))
workflow.add_node("synthesize", synthesize)

workflow.set_entry_point("reason")
workflow.add_edge("reason", "act")
workflow.add_conditional_edges("act", should_continue, {"tools": "tools", "synthesize": "synthesize"})
workflow.add_edge("tools", "act")
workflow.add_edge("synthesize", END)

Choosing a pattern

Pattern	When to use	How
ReAct (default)	Most agents — LLM decides when to use tools	agent metaclass, automatic
Prompt CoT	Step-by-step reasoning without changing architecture	Add instructions to prompt
Multi-node pipeline	Explicit reasoning stages, different LLMs per stage	AgentKit + manual StateGraph

Security

• Path traversal prevention: Skill file paths resolved to absolute and checked against skill directories. Reference file names reject . and .. patterns.
• Name validation: Skill names validated per AgentSkills.io spec — lowercase alphanumeric + hyphens, 1-64 chars.
• Tool scoping: Each agent only has access to the tools declared in its tools attribute plus middleware-provided tools.
• Prompt trust boundary: Prompt templates and middleware prompt sections are set by the developer at construction time, not by end-user input.

Contributing

git clone https://github.com/rsmdt/langchain-agentkit.git
cd langchain-agentkit
uv sync --extra dev
uv run pytest --tb=short -q
uv run ruff check src/ tests/
uv run mypy src/