Claude Agent SDK Reference

To build autonomous AI agents with the Claude Agent SDK, use Python to implement multi-turn workflows, custom tools, and streaming responses. It requires installing the claude-agent-sdk package and structuring context with a YAML frontmatter in SKILL.md.

The GTVR pattern for agent workflows stands for Gather, Take Action, Verify, and Repeat. Implementing GTVR with the Claude Agent SDK ensures reliable behavior in autonomous multi-turn agents by structuring task execution and validation loops.

You retain context in multi-turn dialogues by using the stateful ClaudeSDKClient API instead of the stateless query() function. This stateful client manages persistent state, enabling continuous multi-turn interactions with the Claude Agent SDK.

Yes, you can integrate custom tools with Claude agents via MCP servers. The Claude Agent SDK allows you to define functions using the @tool decorator and expose them through Model Context Protocol servers for modular agent composition.

Yes, the Claude Agent SDK supports real-time streaming for Python applications. It provides streaming APIs to deliver responses incrementally, alongside batch-style interactions, allowing you to fit the output method to your UI needs.

Stateless queries using the query() function do not retain conversation context between calls, limiting their use in continuous multi-turn workflows. For persistent context and stateful multi-turn agent behavior, you must use the ClaudeSDKClient instead.