Agent SDK Workshop

Hands-on workshop materials for building production agents with the Claude Agent SDK.

No code writing required. You flip switches, pick from component lists, and write prompts. The SDK does the rest.

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Quick start

# 1. Clone and enter
git clone <repo-url> agent-sdk-workshop
cd agent-sdk-workshop

# 2. Install (Python 3.10+)
pip install -r requirements.txt

# 3. Set your API key
cp .env.example .env
# → edit .env and paste your key after ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=

# 4. Verify everything works
./workshop check
#   (on Windows: python workshop check)

# 5. Run the first exercise
./workshop demo

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Structure

01-guided-demo/    One agent, four stages. Flip switches in config.py, re-run, watch it improve.
02-breakouts/      Pick a use case. Assemble an agent from pre-built tools and sub-agents.
extend/            Finished early? Recipes for adding your own tools, sub-agents, and breakouts.
docs/              Cheat sheet, FAQ, troubleshooting.

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The ./workshop command

One entry point for everything:

Command	Does
./workshop check	Verify your setup before starting (Python version, API key, SDK)
./workshop demo	Run the guided demo agent
./workshop demo --show-prompt	See the full context the SDK is sending to the model
./workshop breakout	List available breakouts
./workshop breakout <name>	Run a specific breakout
./workshop reset	Clear all memory files (fresh start)

On Windows, prefix with python: python workshop check.

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Part 1 — Guided demo

One agent. One task. Four runs. Between each run, flip one switch in config.py and watch the agent get better at the same job.

Stage	Toggle	SDK primitive	What unlocks
0	(all off)	system_prompt	Just chat — no tools, no state
1	ENABLE_TOOLS	@tool + mcp_servers	Agent can look things up
2	ENABLE_SUBAGENTS	AgentDefinition + Task tool	Agent delegates to specialists
3	ENABLE_MEMORY	hooks + a persistence tool	Agent remembers across restarts

→ Open 01-guided-demo/GUIDE.md for the stage-by-stage walkthrough.

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Part 2 — Breakouts

Pick a use case. Assemble an agent. You get a library of pre-built tools (6 categories, 19 tools) and 6 sub-agents. Each breakout's config.py is where you pick which to enable and write the system prompt.

Breakout	Scenario
00-warmup	Same briefing task from the demo, but assembled the breakout way
chief-of-staff	Board meeting prep, email drafting, exec briefings
customer-support	Ticket triage with KB-grounded responses
sre-agent	Incident investigation — correlate deploys, metrics, runbooks
account-intelligence	Pre-renewal account review — surface hidden churn risks
freeform	Blank canvas — you have your own use case

→ Open 02-breakouts/README.md to pick one.

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Requirements

• Python 3.10+ (the SDK uses modern type syntax)
• An Anthropic API key
• That's it. Every tool is backed by local mock data — no external services, no extra credentials.

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If something breaks

1. Run ./workshop check — catches most setup issues
2. Check docs/TROUBLESHOOTING.md
3. Check docs/FAQ.md

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Going further

• extend/ — recipes for adding your own tools, sub-agents, and breakouts
• docs/CHEATSHEET.md — every SDK pattern on one page
• Claude Agent SDK — the SDK itself, with more examples
• claude-cookbooks / claude_agent_sdk — deeper reference agents