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Smolagents

Hugging Face · Minimal Code-First Agent Library

Open Smolagents

A barebones Python library where agents think and act by writing code, built by Hugging Face.

PricingFree
Setupmedium
Runs onSelf-hosted
APINo
Open sourceYes
DocsYes
CategoryAgent Frameworks
Agent FrameworkPythonHugging FaceOpen SourceMinimalCode Agents

Best for

Minimal code-first agents with Hugging Face ecosystem

Not ideal for

Complex multi-agent orchestration or teams needing visual tooling

Who it's for

Python developers who want a lightweight, transparent agent library with minimal abstraction

Capabilities

  • CodeAgent writes Python instead of JSON tool calls (ToolCallingAgent also available)
  • Core agent logic in approximately 1,000 lines of code
  • Sandboxed execution via Docker, E2B, Modal, or Blaxel
  • Use tools from MCP servers, LangChain, or Hub Spaces
  • Share agents and tools through Hugging Face Hub
  • Vision, video, and audio input support

Limitations

  • Intentionally minimal — less built-in orchestration than larger frameworks
  • Python only
  • No visual builder or management UI
  • Less suited for complex multi-agent coordination patterns

Use cases

  • Building lightweight agents with transparent code-based reasoning
  • Rapid prototyping of agent behaviours with minimal abstraction
  • Sharing reusable agent tools via Hugging Face Hub
  • Agents that need sandboxed code execution
  • Multimodal agents processing text and images

Integrations & fit

Hugging Face HubOpenAIAnthropicLiteLLMMCPLangChainDockerE2BModalBlaxel
Good fit forSolo / individual, Startup / small team
Pricing modelFree· No cost to start
See pricing on Smolagents →

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About Smolagents

Smolagents is a deliberately minimal agent library by Hugging Face. Its core agent logic is approximately 1,000 lines of code. Its flagship CodeAgent writes and executes Python code instead of JSON tool calls — which makes its reasoning transparent and debuggable — and a conventional ToolCallingAgent is also available. The library supports multiple sandboxed execution environments (Docker, E2B, Modal, Blaxel), vision, video, and audio inputs, and any LLM provider via transformers, Ollama, Hugging Face inference providers, or LiteLLM. Tools can come from MCP servers, LangChain, or Hub Spaces, and agents and tools can be shared through the Hugging Face Hub. It also ships smolagent and webagent command-line tools. Smolagents is Apache 2.0 licensed and intended for developers who want a lightweight, unopinionated starting point for agent development rather than a heavy orchestration framework.

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