Key Takeaways
- Three major agent SDKs launched in 2026: OpenAI Agents SDK (March), Google ADK (April), and Anthropic Agent SDK (May).
- MCP (Model Context Protocol) is the standard for connecting agents to tools; A2A handles agent-to-agent communication.
- Beginners should start with OpenAI Agents SDK for the easiest onboarding curve.
What Is an AI Agent?
An AI agent is a system that uses a large language model to reason, make decisions, and execute actions autonomously. Unlike a standard chatbot, an agent can plan multi-step tasks, call external tools, browse the web, run code, and iterate until it completes a goal.
What Agent SDKs Are Available in 2026?
Three major vendors released dedicated agent SDKs in 2026:
- OpenAI Agents SDK (March): Best for beginners. Tight GPT-5 integration, built-in tool use.
- Google ADK (April): Best for multimodal agents. Native Gemini 3.5, 2M token context.
- Anthropic Agent SDK (May): Best for enterprise workflows. Multi-agent orchestration, MCP-native.
How Do MCP and A2A Work?
MCP (Model Context Protocol) is the standard for connecting agents to external tools, databases, and APIs. A2A (Agent-to-Agent) handles communication between multiple agents in the same workflow, enabling a research agent to delegate to a coding agent automatically.
Step-by-Step: Building a Simple Research Agent
- Choose your SDK. OpenAI Agents SDK has the gentlest learning curve.
- Define your agent’s goal: “Research a topic and return a structured summary.”
- Configure tools: web search API, content fetcher, and output formatter.
- Set boundaries: token limits, max iterations, approved domains.
- Test with a real query and refine the instructions.
Which SDK Should You Pick?
Start with OpenAI Agents SDK if you are new to agents. Switch to Anthropic SDK for complex enterprise workflows. Choose Google ADK if your agent needs to process video, images, or very large documents natively.
