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Step 01: Analogy

Guardrails, Traceability, Memory and Other Enterprise Features for Your Agent Code.

Agent Kernel is a unified, capable runtime for the AI agents. Its pluggable architecture allows you to attach capabilities to your effortlessly.

01

Your Agent Logic

Domain-Specific Agent CodeBusiness RulesPrompts & Tools

02

Agent Kernel Core

Agent ModuleAgent WrapperFramework-Specific RunnerSession ManagerRuntimePre / Post Hooks

03

Framework Adapters

LangGraphOpenAI AgentsCrewAIGoogle ADKSmolagentsLiveKitBring your own [advanced]

04

Storage & Memory

In-MemoryRedisDynamoDBCosmosDBFirestore

05

Knowledge Bases

ChromaDBNeo4jStarburstSQLDB

06

Observability

LangFuseOpenLLMetry

07

Execution Surface

AWS LambdaECSAzure FunctionsContainer AppsGCP Cloud RunGCP Cloud Run Functions

08

Interfacing

CLIMCPA2AREST API

09

Channels

SlackTeamsWhatsAppTelegramMessengerInstagramGmailRedisDynamoDB

Step 02: Stand Out

What Makes Agent Kernel Stand Out

Bedrock AgentCore / Azure AI Foundry / Google Vertex AIBedrock / Azure / GoogleLangGraph · CrewAI · OpenAI Agents etcLangGraph · CrewAI · OpenAIAgent Kernel
Switch cloud platform later?RewriteYou build itOne config change
Multi-framework agent execution?Not possibleNot possibleRun in one runtime
Out of Box integrations?(i.e. Slack / Teams / REST / A2A / MCP)PartialDIYBuilt-in
Sessions, memory, observability?ProprietaryDIYBuilt-in and Pluggable
Open-source / no licensing?Apache 2.0
Knowledge bases?ProprietaryDIYBuilt-in and Pluggable
Lift-and-shift an existing agent?RewriteRewriteWrap & ship

Switch cloud platform later?

Bedrock / Azure / GoogleRewrite
LangGraph · CrewAI · OpenAIYou build it
Agent KernelOne config change

Multi-framework agent execution?

Bedrock / Azure / GoogleNot possible
LangGraph · CrewAI · OpenAINot possible
Agent KernelRun in one runtime

Out of Box integrations?(i.e. Slack / Teams / REST / A2A / MCP)

Bedrock / Azure / GooglePartial
LangGraph · CrewAI · OpenAIDIY
Agent KernelBuilt-in

Sessions, memory, observability?

Bedrock / Azure / GoogleProprietary
LangGraph · CrewAI · OpenAIDIY
Agent KernelBuilt-in and Pluggable

Open-source / no licensing?

Bedrock / Azure / Google
LangGraph · CrewAI · OpenAI
Agent KernelApache 2.0

Knowledge bases?

Bedrock / Azure / GoogleProprietary
LangGraph · CrewAI · OpenAIDIY
Agent KernelBuilt-in and Pluggable

Lift-and-shift an existing agent?

Bedrock / Azure / GoogleRewrite
LangGraph · CrewAI · OpenAIRewrite
Agent KernelWrap & ship

Bedrock / Foundry give you runtime but take your freedom. LangGraph gives you freedom but no runtime. Agent Kernel gives you both.

Step 03: Features

Focus on Agent Logic.
We Handle the Rest.

All Enterprise Features Available Free And Open-Source

Build & Interface

CLI for Prototyping

Easy interfacing your agents on your laptop via Agent Kernel's command line interface.

REST API Server

FastAPI-based server out of the box. No boilerplate. Just run your agent.

Native MCP and A2A support

Expose agents as tools (MCP) and enable agent-to-agent collaboration (A2A). Makes integration with external AI systems straightforward.

Multi-Framework Support

Run OpenAI Agents, LangGraph, CrewAI, Google ADK, Smolagents, LiveKit side-by-side. Keep one runtime across teams while using the best framework per use case.

Runtime & Extensibility

Pluggable Session & Memory

Start local in-memory, scale to Redis, DynamoDB, or Cosmos DB in production. Switch via config, not code rewrites.

Execution Hooks

Pre/post hooks for RAG injection, input validation, response moderation, analytics.

Multimodal Support

In-built framework-neutral multimodal support across all integration channels. Handle files/images cleanly and keep sessions lightweight. Additional voice and video support via LiveKit.

Ship & Secure

Guardrails and Content Safety

Input and output protection in the same runtime pipeline. Supports policy checks for safety, PII handling, and jailbreak defense.

Cloud Deployment

Pre-built Terraform modules for AWS Lambda, ECS, Azure Functions, Container Apps, GCP Cloud Run, GCP Cloud Run Functions.

Reliability

Built for resilient cloud deployments with health checks and failover patterns.

Integrate & Observe

Messaging Integrations

Slack, WhatsApp, Instagram, Telegram, Gmail, Teams, Messenger plug and play.

Testing Framework

pytest-integrated test runner. Write deterministic automated test scenarios for your AI agents like any other code.

Observability

Langfuse and OpenLLMetry tracing with one config line. No manual instrumentation. Trace requests, latency, tool calls, and token behavior.

Step 04: Frameworks

Use The Framework You Prefer

Choose a supported framework that fits your team, while Agent Kernel gives you a consistent production-ready layer for deployment, APIs, sessions, and integrations.

Installation:
1# 1. Install the CLI
2pip install agentkernel[openai]
Basic Usage:
1from agents import Agent as OpenAIAgent
2from agentkernel.cli import CLI
3from agentkernel.openai import OpenAIModule
4 
5agent = OpenAIAgent(
6 name="assistant",
7 instructions="You are a helpful assistant.",
8)
9 
10OpenAIModule([agent])
11 
12if __name__ == "__main__":
13 CLI.main()

Step 05: Build Agents

How Agent Kernel Helps You Build Production-Ready Compliant AI Agents

Building AI Agents

Input Message
Guardrails

Multi-Agent System

Agent Memory
Supervisor Agent
General Agent
Travel Expert Agent
Booking Agent
Destination Discovery Tool
Localized Knowledge Query Tool
Flight Booking Tool
Hotel Booking Tool
Language Detection and Translation Tool
Guardrails
Output Message

Step 06: Complete Picture

How Agent Kernel Fits In

You write your AI agent's logic. Agent Kernel handles everything else: the infrastructure, the cloud deployment, memory, knowledge bases, hooks, observability & traceability, LLM cost tracking, and the integrations so your agent is live and talking to real users in days.

Your Agent Logic
OpenAILangGraphCrewAIGoogle ADKSmolagentsLiveKit
Agent Kernel Runtime
Framework Adapters
Session & Memory
Execution Nodes
Knowledge Bases
Messaging
Observability
Guardrails
Integrations
AWS Lambda
AWS ECS
Azure Functions
Google Apps
Docker

Step 07: Operating System Depth

Why Agent Kernel is a Powerful
Operating System

Three-Layer Memory

Three Memory Layers, Zero Context Chaos

Keep conversations coherent, enrich each request, and carry useful session data forward without bloating the model context window.

Conversational State (Session)

  • The agent remembers the conversation naturally across turns.
  • This is the memory that keeps chat continuity.

Volatile Cache (Per Request)

  • A scratchpad for one request only.
  • Great for RAG snippets, temporary file reads, and intermediate results.
  • Auto-clears after every response.

Non-Volatile Cache (Session)

  • Session memory for supporting data that should persist.
  • Perfect for user preferences, auth context, and running counters.
  • Available to tools/hooks without spending LLM tokens.

Execution Hook Pipeline

Control Every Request Without Rewriting Agent Logic

Use hooks before and after agent execution to enforce safety, enrich inputs, and polish outputs.

Pre-Execution Hooks

  • Validate and enrich input before the LLM runs.
  • Typical uses: guardrails, redaction, RAG injection, request shaping.

Agent Execution

  • Your existing framework logic runs as-is.

Post-Execution Hooks

  • Apply output checks and final formatting before returning to users.
  • Typical uses: moderation, compliance notes, analytics, audit logging.

Early Termination

  • Stop unsafe or invalid requests early and return a controlled response.
  • Useful for input guardrails, rate limits, cached shortcuts, and circuit breakers.

Ready to Ship Your
First Agent?

Free, open-source, Apache 2.0. No licensing costs, no vendor lock-in. Join hundreds of developers building production AI agents with Agent Kernel.

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