> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/microsoft/autogen/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# AgentChat overview

> High-level API for building multi-agent applications

AgentChat is AutoGen's high-level API for building multi-agent applications. It provides intuitive defaults and abstractions that make it easy to get started while still offering flexibility for advanced use cases.

## What is AgentChat?

AgentChat builds on top of the [Core API](/core/overview) to provide:

* **Pre-built agent types** - AssistantAgent, CodeExecutorAgent, UserProxyAgent, and more
* **Team patterns** - RoundRobin, Selector, Swarm, and GraphFlow orchestration
* **Simplified tool integration** - Easy-to-use tool and MCP server support
* **Model flexibility** - Support for all major LLM providers
* **Memory management** - Built-in state and memory handling

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Agents" icon="robot" href="/agentchat/agents">
    Learn about AssistantAgent, CodeExecutorAgent, and custom agents
  </Card>

  <Card title="Teams" icon="users" href="/agentchat/teams">
    Explore multi-agent orchestration patterns
  </Card>

  <Card title="Tools" icon="wrench" href="/agentchat/tools">
    Integrate tools and MCP servers with your agents
  </Card>

  <Card title="Models" icon="brain" href="/agentchat/models">
    Connect to OpenAI, Anthropic, Azure, and more
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## When to use AgentChat

Use AgentChat when you want to:

* **Rapid prototyping** - Get a working multi-agent system in minutes
* **Common patterns** - Use established orchestration patterns (round-robin, selector, swarm)
* **Simplified development** - Focus on your application logic, not infrastructure
* **Tool integration** - Easily connect agents to external tools and APIs

<Note>
  For advanced use cases requiring full control over message routing and agent lifecycle, consider using the [Core API](/core/overview) directly.
</Note>

## Quick example

```python theme={null}
import asyncio
from autogen_agentchat.agents import AssistantAgent
from autogen_ext.models.openai import OpenAIChatCompletionClient

async def main() -> None:
    # Create model client
    model_client = OpenAIChatCompletionClient(model="gpt-4o")
    
    # Create assistant agent
    agent = AssistantAgent(
        "assistant",
        model_client=model_client,
        system_message="You are a helpful assistant."
    )
    
    # Run a task
    result = await agent.run(task="What is 2+2?")
    print(result.messages)

asyncio.run(main())
```

## Core concepts

### Agents

[Agents](/agentchat/agents) are the building blocks of your application. Each agent has:

* A **name** and **description**
* A **model client** for LLM interactions
* Optional **tools** for external capabilities
* A **system message** defining its behavior

### Teams

[Teams](/agentchat/teams) orchestrate multiple agents working together:

* **RoundRobinGroupChat** - Agents take turns in sequence
* **SelectorGroupChat** - An LLM selects the next speaker
* **Swarm** - Agents hand off tasks dynamically
* **GraphFlow** - Custom graph-based orchestration

### Messages

Agents communicate through typed messages:

* `TextMessage` - Plain text communication
* `ToolCallSummaryMessage` - Results from tool execution
* `HandoffMessage` - Task transfers between agents
* `StructuredMessage` - Typed structured data

### Tools

[Tools](/agentchat/tools) extend agent capabilities:

* **Function tools** - Python functions as tools
* **MCP servers** - Model Context Protocol servers
* **Code execution** - Safe code execution in containers
* **Custom tools** - Build your own tool implementations

## Architecture

AgentChat sits on top of the Core layer:

```
┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│         Your Application            │
├─────────────────────────────────────┤
│  AgentChat (High-level API)        │
│  - Agents, Teams, Tools             │
├─────────────────────────────────────┤
│  Core (Event-driven runtime)       │
│  - Actor model, Message passing     │
├─────────────────────────────────────┤
│  Extensions (Model clients, etc)   │
└─────────────────────────────────────┘
```

## Next steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Quickstart" icon="rocket" href="/quickstart">
    Build your first agent in 5 minutes
  </Card>

  <Card title="Agents" icon="robot" href="/agentchat/agents">
    Explore different agent types
  </Card>

  <Card title="Teams" icon="users" href="/agentchat/teams">
    Learn about multi-agent patterns
  </Card>

  <Card title="Examples" icon="code" href="/examples/hello-world">
    See AgentChat in action
  </Card>
</CardGroup>