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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

  • Code-first agents that write Python instead of JSON tool calls
  • Core agent logic in approximately 1,000 lines of code
  • Sandboxed execution via Docker, E2B, or WebAssembly
  • Share agents and tools through Hugging Face Hub
  • Vision and multimodal 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 HubOpenAIAnthropicDockerE2BPython
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. Instead of generating JSON tool calls, agents write and execute Python code directly — which makes their reasoning transparent and debuggable. The library supports multiple sandboxed execution environments (Docker, E2B, WebAssembly), vision and multimodal inputs, and any LLM provider. Agents and tools can be shared through the Hugging Face Hub. 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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