This document summarizes the current comparison at the time of writing for the 0.1.0-alpha.x line.
- Focuses on SDK capabilities relevant to application developers
- Reflects the current implementation in this repository
- Does not attempt to evaluate model quality or vendor service quality
| Area | Open Agent SDK | Claude Agent SDK |
|---|---|---|
| Source model | Open source (MIT) | Closed source |
| Provider strategy | Multi-provider (OpenAI / Google / Anthropic) | Primarily Anthropic ecosystem |
| Agent loop model | Aligned: ReAct-style loop with tool execution | ReAct-style loop with tool execution |
| Built-in tools | Aligned: core agent tool categories (file/shell/search/web/task) | Agent-oriented toolset |
| Session support | Aligned: create / resume / fork workflows | Session-based workflows |
| Permission controls | Aligned: permission-gated execution with multiple modes | Permission-gated execution model |
| Hooks / extensibility | Aligned: lifecycle and tool event hooks | Hook-like extensibility concepts |
| MCP support | Aligned: MCP-based integration supported | MCP-based integration supported |
| Runtime stack | TypeScript + Bun/Node | TypeScript SDK + Anthropic tooling stack |
- Open Agent SDK intentionally adopts familiar concepts from Claude Agent SDK: sessions, tool-first execution, permission gating, and extensibility hooks.
- API-level parity is not guaranteed for every release. Treat compatibility as directional, not binary.
- For migration-critical scenarios, validate specific APIs in your target version before rollout.
Open Agent SDK is best suited for teams that need:
- Source-level control and customizability
- Flexibility to run across providers
- A transparent agent runtime that can be adapted to internal infrastructure
Claude Agent SDK is best suited for teams that prioritize:
- Tight integration with Anthropic's ecosystem
- Official vendor-maintained defaults and workflows
This page should be updated when one of the following changes:
- Provider support matrix
- Permission mode behavior
- Session lifecycle capabilities
- Major compatibility milestones or breaking differences