AutoGen

// Overview

AutoGen is a Python framework from Microsoft Research for building applications where one or more AI agents act on tasks. An agent wraps a language model and can call tools, talk to other agents, and work alongside a human. The core building block is the AssistantAgent, which you give a model client and then ask to run a task.

It fits the multi-agent systems category: instead of a single prompt-and-response, you compose several specialized agents (for example a math expert and a chemistry expert) and let a coordinating agent route work to them. AutoGen also connects to external tools through the Model Context Protocol (MCP), and ships AutoGen Studio, a no-code GUI for prototyping workflows.

Note: AutoGen is now in maintenance mode and is community-managed. It still works, but Microsoft points new users to its successor, the Microsoft Agent Framework, and provides a migration guide for existing AutoGen projects.

// What it does

• AssistantAgent: a model-backed agent you call with run() or stream output with run_stream()
• Pluggable model clients via autogen-ext, such as OpenAIChatCompletionClient
• MCP support through McpWorkbench and StdioServerParams to connect external tool servers
• Multi-agent orchestration using AgentTool to expose one agent as a tool for another
• AutoGen Studio: a no-code GUI to prototype and run multi-agent workflows
• Async-first API built on asyncio for streaming responses and tool iterations

// Getting started

AutoGen requires Python 3.10 or later. Install the AgentChat package with the OpenAI extension, set your API key, then run a minimal assistant agent.

pip install -U "autogen-agentchat" "autogen-ext[openai]"

export OPENAI_API_KEY="sk-..."

import asyncio
from autogen_agentchat.agents import AssistantAgent
from autogen_ext.models.openai import OpenAIChatCompletionClient

async def main() -> None:
    model_client = OpenAIChatCompletionClient(model="gpt-4.1")
    agent = AssistantAgent("assistant", model_client=model_client)
    print(await agent.run(task="Say 'Hello World!'"))
    await model_client.close()

asyncio.run(main())

pip install -U "autogenstudio"
autogenstudio ui --port 8080 --appdir ./my-app

Commands and code are distilled from the project's own documentation — always check the official repo for the latest.

// When to use it

• Orchestrating several specialized agents (for example domain experts) behind one coordinating assistant
• Building a tool-using agent that browses the web or calls external services via an MCP server
• Prototyping multi-agent workflows visually in AutoGen Studio before writing code
• Maintaining or migrating an existing AutoGen project toward the Microsoft Agent Framework

// How AutoGen compares

AutoGen alongside other open-source multi-agent systems tools AI/TLDR tracks, ranked by GitHub stars.