| name | claude-agent-sdk |
| description | Build autonomous AI agents with Claude Agent SDK.
TypeScript v0.2.96 | Python v0.1.56.
Covers: query(), hooks, subagents, MCP, permissions, sandbox,
structured outputs, and sessions.
Use when: building AI agents, configuring MCP servers, setting up
permissions/hooks, using structured outputs, troubleshooting SDK errors,
or working with subagents.
|
| user-invocable | true |
Claude Agent SDK Reference
When you detect the user's language
- Working with
.ts files, TypeScript imports, or npm/node → read SKILL-typescript.md
- Working with
.py files, Python imports, or pip/python → read SKILL-python.md
- Ambiguous or multi-language → read both as needed
Cross-Language Naming Map
| Concept | TypeScript | Python |
|---|
| One-shot query | query(options) | query(options) |
| Stateful client | N/A (query manages state) | ClaudeSDKClient |
| Options type | Options interface | ClaudeAgentOptions dataclass |
| Tool definition | tool(name, schema, handler) | @tool(name, desc, schema) decorator |
| MCP server factory | createSdkMcpServer() | create_sdk_mcp_server() |
| Permission callback | canUseTool | can_use_tool |
| Permission mode | permissionMode: "..." | permission_mode="..." |
| Hook registration | hooks: { PreToolUse: [...] } | hooks={"PreToolUse": [...]} |
| System prompt | systemPrompt | system_prompt |
| Max turns | maxTurns | max_turns |
| Allowed tools | allowedTools | allowed_tools |
| MCP servers | mcpServers | mcp_servers |
| Subagent def | AgentDefinition | AgentDefinition dataclass |
Shared Concepts (both languages)
Both SDKs wrap the Claude Code CLI and share these concepts:
- Hooks: Pre/PostToolUse, Stop, SubagentStop, Notification, etc.
- Permissions: default, acceptEdits, plan, bypassPermissions, etc.
- MCP Servers: stdio, HTTP, SSE, SDK (in-process) configurations
- Subagents: Delegate tasks to child agents with scoped tools/permissions
- Structured Outputs: JSON Schema validation on agent output
- Sandbox: Container-based isolation (Docker/Kubernetes)
- Sessions: Capture, resume, and fork conversation state
For API details, code examples, options tables, and known issues,
read the language-specific reference file.