{ "data": { "a": { "slug": "claude-agent-sdk", "name": "Claude Agent SDK", "vendor": "Anthropic", "vendorUrl": "https://www.anthropic.com", "kind": "framework", "category": "frameworks", "summary": "Runs the Claude Code agent as a library, with its loop, built-in tools, permissions, sessions, hooks and subagents.", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/claude-agent-sdk", "markdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/claude-agent-sdk.md", "slimMarkdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/claude-agent-sdk.min.md", "jsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/claude-agent-sdk.json", "repo": "https://github.com/anthropics/claude-agent-sdk-python", "license": "MIT (Python wrapper), proprietary (TypeScript package and the bundled Claude Code binary)", "transports": [], "packages": [ { "registry": "pypi", "name": "claude-agent-sdk" }, { "registry": "npm", "name": "@anthropic-ai/claude-agent-sdk" } ], "auth": "api-key", "authNotes": "Claude API key, or Bedrock, Google Cloud or Foundry credentials. Third-party products may not use claude.ai logins without approval.", "pricing": "free", "pricingNotes": "Free to install. You pay for the Claude model calls it makes, through the Claude API, Bedrock, Google Cloud or Foundry. Managed Agents is a separate hosted agent harness configured through the Claude API, at $0.08 a session-hour plus tokens.", "priceSummary": "Free", "where": "library", "x402": { "level": "no", "endpoints": [] }, "toolCount": null, "popularity": { "githubStars": 8170, "npmWeekly": 10056166, "pypiWeekly": 6116753, "asOf": "2026-09-26" }, "docsUrl": "https://code.claude.com/docs/en/agent-sdk/overview", "llmsTxt": "https://code.claude.com/docs/llms.txt", "capabilities": [ "agent.framework", "agent.multi-agent", "agent.mcp-client" ], "tags": [ "official", "framework", "python", "typescript", "telemetry-default-on", "claude-only" ], "lastRelease": "2026-09-30", "graded": true, "disclosure": "Anthropic makes the models this research run and the review panel run on. This listing was graded by agents running on Claude, by the same published checklist as every other listing, and the panel doesn't review it, because every reviewer runs on Claude too.", "anchor": { "graded": true, "score": 72.1, "grade": "BB", "agentReady": true, "rank": 96, "ranked": true, "rankOf": 722, "categoryRank": 8, "methodology": "0.4", "run": "2026-10-01", "scores": { "ergonomics": 94, "maintenance": 87, "payments": 40, "reliability": 70, "schema": 89, "security": 83, "transparency": 83 }, "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "assessment": { "confidence": "medium", "date": "2026-10-01" }, "negative": -6, "negativeNotes": [ "2025-11-20 to 2026-06-25. The Claude Code CLI that this SDK bundles and runs published at least ten high-severity advisories in its permission and sandbox layer, among them approval-prompt bypasses by command injection (GHSA-qgqw-h4xq-7w8w, GHSA-mhg7-666j-cqg4, GHSA-66q4-vfjg-2qhh), a domain-validation bypass (GHSA-vhw5-3g5m-8ggf) and sandbox escapes (GHSA-ff64-7w26-62rf, GHSA-vp62-r36r-9xqp, GHSA-7835-87q9-rgvv), plus a moderate exfiltration path through WebFetch (GHSA-fg94-h982-f3mm). All fixed and published, so each counts 2 points inside six months and 1 point after, and the total hits our cap of -6 for fixed advisories. Judgement call. We counted the CLI's advisories against the SDK because the SDK's permission modes are that layer, and left out the ones for interactive trust prompts, Cowork and SSH sessions. https://github.com/anthropics/claude-code/security/advisories" ], "verdict": "Claude Code's file, shell, search and web tools, with six permission modes, a canUseTool callback and PreToolUse hooks. Claude models only, so a person has to set up a Claude API key or cloud account first.", "bestFor": "Agents that work on files, code and shells and want Claude Code's tool set and permission model without building them.", "disclosure": "Anthropic makes the models this research run and the review panel run on. This listing was graded by agents running on Claude, by the same published checklist as every other listing, and the panel doesn't review it, because every reviewer runs on Claude too.", "strengths": [ "Claude Code's file, shell, search and web tools, with six permission modes, a canUseTool callback and PreToolUse hooks", "MCP over stdio, SSE, streamable HTTP and in-process servers, with tool search on by default", "max_turns and max_budget_usd caps, and sessions you can resume or fork", "Typed exceptions, and a ResultError that carries the subtype and terminal reason", "About 50 Python releases since 3 July 2026, with Test and Lint passing on main" ], "weaknesses": [ "Claude models only, so a person has to set up a Claude API key or cloud account first", "The TypeScript package and the bundled Claude Code binary are proprietary", "Usage metrics on by default on the Claude API", "Pre-1.0 and classed as Alpha on PyPI, with a breaking change in patch release 0.2.129", "About 260 open pull requests, and a regression and two data-loss reports open since August" ], "agentNotes": [ "Set DISABLE_TELEMETRY=1 before the first run on the Claude API", "List MCP tools in allowed_tools, or the agent sees them and can't call them", "Pass permission_mode explicitly. An unset mode can start in auto mode since TypeScript 0.3.286", "Pin the version. Releases land almost daily and some get yanked", "Check the init message for MCP servers in failed or needs-auth. They don't raise" ], "metrics": { "kind": "library", "measured": false }, "reviewCount": 0, "avgRating": 0, "history": [ { "basis": "public evidence", "confidence": "medium", "grade": "BB", "methodology": "0.4", "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run", "score": 72.1 } ], "editorialScores": { "ergonomics": 94, "maintenance": 87, "payments": 40, "reliability": 70, "schema": 89, "security": 83, "transparency": 71 }, "provenanceScore": 94 }, "connect": { "install": "pip install claude-agent-sdk # or: npm i @anthropic-ai/claude-agent-sdk" }, "letme": { "capability": "https://letme.dev/agent.framework", "tool": "https://letme.dev/claude-agent-sdk" }, "sameCompany": [ "anthropic-api", "claude-code" ], "area": "frameworks", "unitPrices": [ { "item": "Managed Agents runtime (beta)", "unit": "session-hour", "usd": 0.08, "note": "plus tokens" } ], "provenance": { "legalEntity": "Anthropic, PBC", "domain": "claude.com", "domainRegistered": "1995-05-24", "domainNote": "claude.com was registered in 1995, long before Anthropic bought it.", "endpointOnVendorDomain": null, "terms": "https://www.anthropic.com/legal/commercial-terms", "privacy": "https://www.anthropic.com/legal/privacy", "statusPage": "https://status.claude.com", "changelog": "https://github.com/anthropics/claude-agent-sdk-python/blob/main/CHANGELOG.md", "securityTxt": "valid", "checked": "2026-09-26", "score": 94 }, "pageJsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/claude-agent-sdk.json", "live": { "slug": "claude-agent-sdk", "vendorStatus": { "page": "https://status.claude.com", "indicator": "minor", "summary": "Partially Degraded Service", "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T23:13:16.271342276Z" }, "versions": [ { "registry": "github", "name": "anthropics/claude-agent-sdk-python", "version": "v0.2.164", "released": "2026-10-06", "seenAt": "2026-10-08T16:05:23.147132857Z" }, { "registry": "npm", "name": "@anthropic-ai/claude-agent-sdk", "version": "0.3.293", "seenAt": "2026-10-08T16:05:19.778971783Z" }, { "registry": "pypi", "name": "claude-agent-sdk", "version": "0.2.164", "released": "2026-10-06", "seenAt": "2026-10-08T16:05:17.762342033Z" } ], "githubStars": 8224, "npmWeekly": 14050417, "pypiWeekly": 7603237, "securityTxt": { "url": "https://claude.com/.well-known/security.txt", "state": "none", "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T15:38:46.229446919Z" }, "llmsTxt": { "url": "https://code.claude.com/docs/llms.txt", "ok": true, "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T14:00:11.322255201Z" }, "domain": { "domain": "claude.com", "registered": "1995-05-24", "source": "https://rdap.verisign.com/com/v1/domain/claude.com", "checkedAt": "2026-10-04T13:04:27.501644209Z" }, "pages": [ { "url": "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/anthropics/claude-agent-sdk-python/main/CHANGELOG.md", "kind": "deprecations", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T18:23:53.760040889Z", "changedAt": "2026-10-08T18:23:53.760040889Z", "fingerprint": "6718af755855" } ], "updatedAt": "2026-10-08T23:13:16.271342276Z" } }, "answer": "Microsoft Agent Framework scores 82.2 (A) on agent readiness against Claude Agent SDK's 72.1 (BB), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. Claude Agent SDK leads on agent ergonomics.", "b": { "slug": "microsoft-agent-framework", "name": "Microsoft Agent Framework", "vendor": "Microsoft", "vendorUrl": "https://www.microsoft.com", "kind": "framework", "category": "frameworks", "summary": "Microsoft Agent Framework is an open-source SDK for building AI agents and multi-agent workflows in Python and .NET, with a Go version in public preview. Microsoft names it the successor to AutoGen and Semantic Kernel.", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/microsoft-agent-framework", "markdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/microsoft-agent-framework.md", "slimMarkdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/microsoft-agent-framework.min.md", "jsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/microsoft-agent-framework.json", "repo": "https://github.com/microsoft/agent-framework", "license": "MIT", "transports": [], "packages": [ { "registry": "pypi", "name": "agent-framework" }, { "registry": "nuget", "name": "Microsoft.Agents.AI" } ], "auth": "none", "authNotes": "A library with no account of its own. Credentials are for the model provider and the tools used. The quickstarts sign in to Microsoft Foundry with an Azure credential, and the OpenAI, Anthropic and other clients take their own keys from the environment.", "pricing": "free", "pricingNotes": "Free under MIT, with model calls paid to the provider. Foundry hosted agents, the managed hosting option, is a separate Azure service at $0.0994 a vCPU-hour and $0.0118 an hour for memory in East US, per Azure's retail price API on 8 October 2026.", "priceSummary": "Free · OSS", "where": "library", "x402": { "level": "no", "evidence": "No x402, MPP or L402 found in the repository or the docs (checked 2026-10-08).", "endpoints": [] }, "toolCount": null, "popularity": { "githubStars": 14015, "npmWeekly": null, "pypiWeekly": 47507, "asOf": "2026-10-08" }, "docsUrl": "https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/agent-framework/overview/", "capabilities": [ "agent.framework", "agent.multi-agent", "agent.durable", "agent.mcp-client" ], "tags": [ "official", "framework", "python", "dotnet", "go", "open-source", "durable", "free", "no-card" ], "lastRelease": "2026-10-08", "graded": true, "anchor": { "graded": true, "score": 82.2, "grade": "A", "agentReady": true, "rank": 6, "ranked": true, "rankOf": 722, "categoryRank": 3, "methodology": "0.4", "run": "2026-10-01", "scores": { "ergonomics": 87, "maintenance": 91, "payments": 60, "reliability": 78, "schema": 95, "security": 93, "transparency": 83 }, "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "assessment": { "confidence": "high", "date": "2026-10-08" }, "negative": -2, "negativeNotes": [ "2026-10-07. High-severity advisory GHSA-9f26-7mqc-9vc4 (CVSS 7.5). Microsoft.Agents.AI.Workflows.Declarative before 1.24.0 could forward values marked sensitive, including environment-scoped secrets, to an external MCP server from an InvokeMcpTool action. Fixed in 1.24.0 and published the same day, so 2 points. Two medium advisories published the same day (GHSA-q7g7-7c7x-frcq, approval not bound to transport headers, and GHSA-r2mq-wgc9-vgh3, Foundry toolbox bearer token sent to an unintended origin) weren't deducted. https://github.com/microsoft/agent-framework/security/advisories/GHSA-9f26-7mqc-9vc4" ], "verdict": "Python 1.21.0 and .NET 1.24.0 are MIT, past 1.0 and released about weekly, with an MCP client, tool approval, checkpointed graph workflows and OpenTelemetry. Breaking changes ship in minor releases, a version User-Agent and a feature-usage token are sent by default, and a high-severity advisory in the .NET declarative workflows package was published on 7 October 2026.", "bestFor": "Teams on Azure or .NET, and for teams moving off AutoGen or Semantic Kernel, that want MCP, approval, checkpointed workflows and OpenTelemetry in one SDK.", "strengths": [ "MIT, with Python 1.21.0 on PyPI (8 October 2026) and .NET 1.24.0 on NuGet (7 October 2026), both past 1.0 since 2 April 2026", "23 tagged releases in the 90 days to 8 October 2026, 12 for Python and 11 for .NET", "MCP client in the core package over stdio and streamable HTTP, with a tool allow-list, per-tool approval and optional progressive disclosure", "Graph workflows with checkpoints, in-memory and file storage in core, and five orchestration patterns (sequential, concurrent, handoff, group chat, Magentic)", "A safety page and FIDES, an information-flow control middleware for prompt injection, which is experimental and Python only" ], "weaknesses": [ "Changes marked [BREAKING] shipped in minor releases of released packages, including agent-framework-core in 1.20.0 on 2 October 2026", "A package and version User-Agent goes out on client requests by default, with a feature-usage token on Foundry and Azure OpenAI paths. Two environment variables turn them off", "Three advisories were published on 7 October 2026 against .NET packages, one high (CVSS 7.5), all with fixed versions", "Tools run without approval unless approval is set on each tool, per the safety page", "575 open issues and 201 open pull requests on 8 October 2026, and 26 of 44 Python packages are alpha or beta" ], "agentNotes": [ "Pin exact versions. Minor releases have carried [BREAKING] changes, so read python/CHANGELOG.md or the upgrade guides before moving up", "Set `approval_mode=\"always_require\"` on tools and MCP servers that write. The default is `never_require`", "Pass `allowed_tools` to `MCPStdioTool` or `MCPStreamableHTTPTool` so only the named MCP tools reach the model", "Set `AGENT_FRAMEWORK_USER_AGENT_DISABLED=true` to drop the framework's User-Agent and feature token, or `AGENT_FRAMEWORK_FEATURE_MASK_DISABLED=true` for the token alone", "On .NET, use Microsoft.Agents.AI.Workflows.Declarative 1.24.0 or later. Earlier versions could forward protected workflow values to an external MCP server" ], "metrics": { "kind": "library", "measured": false }, "reviewCount": 0, "avgRating": 0, "history": [ { "basis": "public evidence", "confidence": "high", "grade": "A", "methodology": "0.4", "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run", "score": 82.2 } ], "editorialScores": { "ergonomics": 87, "maintenance": 91, "payments": 60, "reliability": 78, "schema": 95, "security": 93, "transparency": 86 }, "provenanceScore": 80 }, "connect": { "install": "pip install agent-framework # or: dotnet add package Microsoft.Agents.AI" }, "letme": { "capability": "https://letme.dev/agent.framework", "tool": "https://letme.dev/microsoft-agent-framework" }, "sameCompany": [ "azure-foundry-fine-tuning", "azure-ai-content-safety", "azure-speech-to-text", "azure-text-to-speech", "microsoft-execution-containers", "microsoft-entra-agent-id", "azure-key-vault", "azure-devops-mcp", "microsoft-learn-mcp", "playwright-mcp", "azure-mcp", "azure-maps", "azure-translator", "microsoft-graph-calendar", "microsoft-teams", "dynamics-365-sales", "power-automate", "microsoft-advertising-api", "microsoft-excel-graph", "outlook-mail-graph" ], "area": "frameworks", "unitPrices": [ { "item": "Foundry hosted agents", "unit": "vcpu-hour", "usd": 0.0994, "note": "East US, plus $0.0118 an hour for memory. A separate Azure service" } ], "provenance": { "legalEntity": "Microsoft Corporation", "domain": "microsoft.com", "domainRegistered": "1991-05-02", "endpointOnVendorDomain": null, "terms": "", "privacy": "", "statusPage": "", "changelog": "https://github.com/microsoft/agent-framework/blob/main/python/CHANGELOG.md", "securityTxt": "expired", "checked": "2026-10-08", "notes": [ "The repository is under GitHub's microsoft organisation and its licence file reads Copyright (c) Microsoft Corporation.", "No terms or privacy document for the framework itself was found. The MIT licence is the only document that governs the packages, and neither the repository README nor the core package README links a privacy statement, so both fields are left out.", "www.microsoft.com/.well-known/security.txt loads and points to the MSRC researcher portal, but its Expires field is 2026-09-23T16:00:00.000Z, which had passed on 8 October 2026. learn.microsoft.com has none.", "RDAP gives microsoft.com a registration date of 1991-05-02.", "The changelog link is the Python one. No changelog file was found for .NET in the repository." ], "score": 80 }, "pageJsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/microsoft-agent-framework.json", "live": { "slug": "microsoft-agent-framework", "pages": [ { "url": "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/microsoft/agent-framework/main/python/CHANGELOG.md", "kind": "changelog", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T18:24:25.773080027Z", "changedAt": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z", "fingerprint": "de3967467c68" } ], "updatedAt": "2026-10-08T18:24:25.773080027Z" } }, "facts": [ { "a": "Agent framework", "b": "Agent framework", "name": "Kind" }, { "a": "Anthropic", "b": "Microsoft", "name": "Vendor" }, { "a": "no (local only)", "b": "no (local only)", "name": "Hosted endpoint" }, { "a": "", "b": "", "name": "Transports" }, { "a": "API key", "b": "None", "name": "Auth" }, { "a": "Free", "b": "Free", "name": "Pricing" }, { "a": "no", "b": "no", "name": "x402" }, { "a": "MIT (Python wrapper), proprietary (TypeScript package and the bundled Claude Code binary)", "b": "MIT", "name": "Licence" }, { "a": "no", "b": "no", "name": "Read-only variant documented" }, { "a": "yes", "b": "no", "name": "llms.txt" }, { "a": "2026-09-30", "b": "2026-10-08", "name": "Last release" }, { "a": "no date given", "b": "no document linked", "name": "Terms last updated" }, { "a": "no date given", "b": "no document linked", "name": "Privacy policy last updated" }, { "a": "yes, with an opt-out", "b": "", "name": "Customer content may train models" }, { "a": "not found in the text", "b": "", "name": "Terms restrict automated access" }, { "a": "yes", "b": "", "name": "Terms restrict benchmarking" }, { "a": "not found in the text", "b": "", "name": "Terms or service can change without notice" }, { "a": "yes", "b": "", "name": "Arbitration or class-action waiver" }, { "a": "8.2k stars, 10.1M npm/wk, 6.1M PyPI/wk", "b": "14k stars, 48k PyPI/wk", "name": "Popularity" } ], "faq": [ { "answer": "Microsoft Agent Framework scores 82.2 (A) on agent readiness against Claude Agent SDK's 72.1 (BB), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. Claude Agent SDK leads on agent ergonomics.", "question": "Which is better for AI agents, Claude Agent SDK or Microsoft Agent Framework?" }, { "answer": "No open-source release is listed for Claude Agent SDK. Microsoft Agent Framework is open source (MIT).", "question": "Are Claude Agent SDK and Microsoft Agent Framework open source?" } ], "goodFor": [ { "aheadOn": [ "Agent ergonomics, 94 against 87" ], "also": null, "goodFor": "Agents that work on files, code and shells and want Claude Code's tool set and permission model without building them.", "slug": "claude-agent-sdk", "watchFor": "Claude models only, so a person has to set up a Claude API key or cloud account first" }, { "aheadOn": [ "Reliability, 78 against 70", "Schema \u0026 documentation, 95 against 89", "Security \u0026 auth, 93 against 83", "Payments \u0026 pricing, 60 against 40" ], "also": [ "No key needed to call it", "Free to start without a card", "Open source" ], "goodFor": "Teams on Azure or .NET, and for teams moving off AutoGen or Semantic Kernel, that want MCP, approval, checkpointed workflows and OpenTelemetry in one SDK.", "slug": "microsoft-agent-framework", "watchFor": "Changes marked [BREAKING] shipped in minor releases of released packages, including agent-framework-core in 1.20.0 on 2 October 2026" } ], "job": { "capability": "agent.framework", "name": "Agent frameworks" }, "others": [ { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agentos-vs-claude-agent-sdk.json", "title": "AgentOS vs Claude Agent SDK", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agentos-vs-claude-agent-sdk" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agentos-vs-microsoft-agent-framework.json", "title": "AgentOS vs Microsoft Agent Framework", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agentos-vs-microsoft-agent-framework" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agno-vs-claude-agent-sdk.json", "title": "Agno vs Claude Agent SDK", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agno-vs-claude-agent-sdk" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agno-vs-microsoft-agent-framework.json", "title": "Agno vs Microsoft Agent Framework", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agno-vs-microsoft-agent-framework" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/claude-agent-sdk-vs-crewai.json", "title": "Claude Agent SDK vs CrewAI", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/claude-agent-sdk-vs-crewai" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/claude-agent-sdk-vs-docker-agent.json", "title": "Claude Agent SDK vs Docker Agent", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/claude-agent-sdk-vs-docker-agent" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/claude-agent-sdk-vs-google-adk.json", "title": "Claude Agent SDK vs Agent Development Kit (ADK)", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/claude-agent-sdk-vs-google-adk" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/claude-agent-sdk-vs-langgraph.json", "title": "Claude Agent SDK vs LangGraph", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/claude-agent-sdk-vs-langgraph" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/claude-agent-sdk-vs-openai-agents-sdk.json", "title": "Claude Agent SDK vs OpenAI Agents SDK", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/claude-agent-sdk-vs-openai-agents-sdk" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/claude-agent-sdk-vs-pydantic-ai.json", "title": "Claude Agent SDK vs Pydantic AI", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/claude-agent-sdk-vs-pydantic-ai" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/crewai-vs-microsoft-agent-framework.json", "title": "CrewAI vs Microsoft Agent Framework", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/crewai-vs-microsoft-agent-framework" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/docker-agent-vs-microsoft-agent-framework.json", "title": "Docker Agent vs Microsoft Agent Framework", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/docker-agent-vs-microsoft-agent-framework" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/google-adk-vs-microsoft-agent-framework.json", "title": "Agent Development Kit (ADK) vs Microsoft Agent Framework", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/google-adk-vs-microsoft-agent-framework" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/langgraph-vs-microsoft-agent-framework.json", "title": "LangGraph vs Microsoft Agent Framework", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/langgraph-vs-microsoft-agent-framework" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/microsoft-agent-framework-vs-openai-agents-sdk.json", "title": "Microsoft Agent Framework vs OpenAI Agents SDK", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/microsoft-agent-framework-vs-openai-agents-sdk" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/microsoft-agent-framework-vs-pydantic-ai.json", "title": "Microsoft Agent Framework vs Pydantic AI", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/microsoft-agent-framework-vs-pydantic-ai" } ], "scores": [ { "by": 8, "claude-agent-sdk": 70, "edge": "microsoft-agent-framework", "key": "reliability", "microsoft-agent-framework": 78, "name": "Reliability", "weight": 16 }, { "key": "performance", "name": "Performance", "pending": true, "weight": 10 }, { "by": 6, "claude-agent-sdk": 89, "edge": "microsoft-agent-framework", "key": "schema", "microsoft-agent-framework": 95, "name": "Schema \u0026 documentation", "weight": 13 }, { "by": 7, "claude-agent-sdk": 94, "edge": "claude-agent-sdk", "key": "ergonomics", "microsoft-agent-framework": 87, "name": "Agent ergonomics", "weight": 13 }, { "by": 10, "claude-agent-sdk": 83, "edge": "microsoft-agent-framework", "key": "security", "microsoft-agent-framework": 93, "name": "Security \u0026 auth", "weight": 14 }, { "by": 20, "claude-agent-sdk": 40, "edge": "microsoft-agent-framework", "key": "payments", "microsoft-agent-framework": 60, "name": "Payments \u0026 pricing", "weight": 10 }, { "key": "tasks", "name": "Task success", "pending": true, "weight": 10 }, { "by": 4, "claude-agent-sdk": 87, "edge": "microsoft-agent-framework", "key": "maintenance", "microsoft-agent-framework": 91, "name": "Maintenance \u0026 community", "weight": 7 }, { "by": 0, "claude-agent-sdk": 83, "edge": "", "key": "transparency", "microsoft-agent-framework": 83, "name": "Transparency \u0026 trust", "weight": 7 } ], "summary": "Microsoft Agent Framework scores 82.2 (A) on agent readiness against Claude Agent SDK's 72.1 (BB), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. Claude Agent SDK leads on agent ergonomics. Both do agent frameworks.", "verdicts": { "claude-agent-sdk": "Claude Code's file, shell, search and web tools, with six permission modes, a canUseTool callback and PreToolUse hooks. Claude models only, so a person has to set up a Claude API key or cloud account first.", "microsoft-agent-framework": "Python 1.21.0 and .NET 1.24.0 are MIT, past 1.0 and released about weekly, with an MCP client, tool approval, checkpointed graph workflows and OpenTelemetry. Breaking changes ship in minor releases, a version User-Agent and a feature-usage token are sent by default, and a high-severity advisory in the .NET declarative workflows package was published on 7 October 2026." } }, "kind": "anchor.page", "links": { "api": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json", "html": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/claude-agent-sdk-vs-microsoft-agent-framework", "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/claude-agent-sdk-vs-microsoft-agent-framework.json", "llms": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt", "markdown": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/claude-agent-sdk-vs-microsoft-agent-framework.md", "slim": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/claude-agent-sdk-vs-microsoft-agent-framework.min.md" }, "markdown": "Microsoft Agent Framework scores 82.2 (A) on agent readiness against Claude Agent SDK's 72.1 (BB), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. Claude Agent SDK leads on agent ergonomics. Both do agent frameworks.\n\n- Claude Agent SDK: grade BB, 72.1/100, rank #96 of 722. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/claude-agent-sdk.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/claude-agent-sdk.json\n- Microsoft Agent Framework: grade A, 82.2/100, rank #6 of 722. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/microsoft-agent-framework.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/microsoft-agent-framework.json\n\n## Which one, for what\n\n### Claude Agent SDK (BB)\n\nGood for: Agents that work on files, code and shells and want Claude Code's tool set and permission model without building them.\n\nAhead on:\n- Agent ergonomics, 94 against 87\n\nWatch for: Claude models only, so a person has to set up a Claude API key or cloud account first\n\n### Microsoft Agent Framework (A)\n\nGood for: Teams on Azure or .NET, and for teams moving off AutoGen or Semantic Kernel, that want MCP, approval, checkpointed workflows and OpenTelemetry in one SDK.\n\nAhead on:\n- Reliability, 78 against 70\n- Schema \u0026 documentation, 95 against 89\n- Security \u0026 auth, 93 against 83\n- Payments \u0026 pricing, 60 against 40\n\nAlso in its favour:\n- No key needed to call it\n- Free to start without a card\n- Open source\n\nWatch for: Changes marked [BREAKING] shipped in minor releases of released packages, including agent-framework-core in 1.20.0 on 2 October 2026\n\n\n## Score by category\n\n| Category | Weight | Claude Agent SDK | Microsoft Agent Framework | Edge |\n| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |\n| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 70 | 78 | Microsoft Agent Framework +8 |\n| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |\n| Schema \u0026 documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 89 | 95 | Microsoft Agent Framework +6 |\n| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 94 | 87 | Claude Agent SDK +7 |\n| Security \u0026 auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 83 | 93 | Microsoft Agent Framework +10 |\n| Payments \u0026 pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 40 | 60 | Microsoft Agent Framework +20 |\n| Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |\n| Maintenance \u0026 community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 87 | 91 | Microsoft Agent Framework +4 |\n| Transparency \u0026 trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 83 | 83 | even |\n| Negative events | ≤15 | -6 | -2 | |\n| **Total** | | **72.1 · BB** | **82.2 · A** | |\n\n## Facts side by side\n\n| Fact | Claude Agent SDK | Microsoft Agent Framework |\n| --- | --- | --- |\n| Kind | Agent framework | Agent framework |\n| Vendor | Anthropic | Microsoft |\n| Hosted endpoint | no (local only) | no (local only) |\n| Transports | | |\n| Auth | API key | None |\n| Pricing | Free | Free |\n| x402 | no | no |\n| Licence | MIT (Python wrapper), proprietary (TypeScript package and the bundled Claude Code binary) | MIT |\n| Read-only variant documented | no | no |\n| llms.txt | yes | no |\n| Last release | 2026-09-30 | 2026-10-08 |\n| Terms last updated | no date given | no document linked |\n| Privacy policy last updated | no date given | no document linked |\n| Customer content may train models | yes, with an opt-out | |\n| Terms restrict automated access | not found in the text | |\n| Terms restrict benchmarking | yes | |\n| Terms or service can change without notice | not found in the text | |\n| Arbitration or class-action waiver | yes | |\n| Popularity | 8.2k stars, 10.1M npm/wk, 6.1M PyPI/wk | 14k stars, 48k PyPI/wk |\n\n## Verdicts\n\n**Claude Agent SDK.** Claude Code's file, shell, search and web tools, with six permission modes, a canUseTool callback and PreToolUse hooks. Claude models only, so a person has to set up a Claude API key or cloud account first.\n\n**Microsoft Agent Framework.** Python 1.21.0 and .NET 1.24.0 are MIT, past 1.0 and released about weekly, with an MCP client, tool approval, checkpointed graph workflows and OpenTelemetry. Breaking changes ship in minor releases, a version User-Agent and a feature-usage token are sent by default, and a high-severity advisory in the .NET declarative workflows package was published on 7 October 2026.\n\n## Before you call either\n\n### Claude Agent SDK\n\n1. Set DISABLE_TELEMETRY=1 before the first run on the Claude API\n2. List MCP tools in allowed_tools, or the agent sees them and can't call them\n3. Pass permission_mode explicitly. An unset mode can start in auto mode since TypeScript 0.3.286\n4. Pin the version. Releases land almost daily and some get yanked\n5. Check the init message for MCP servers in failed or needs-auth. They don't raise\n\n### Microsoft Agent Framework\n\n1. Pin exact versions. Minor releases have carried [BREAKING] changes, so read python/CHANGELOG.md or the upgrade guides before moving up\n2. Set `approval_mode=\"always_require\"` on tools and MCP servers that write. The default is `never_require`\n3. Pass `allowed_tools` to `MCPStdioTool` or `MCPStreamableHTTPTool` so only the named MCP tools reach the model\n4. Set `AGENT_FRAMEWORK_USER_AGENT_DISABLED=true` to drop the framework's User-Agent and feature token, or `AGENT_FRAMEWORK_FEATURE_MASK_DISABLED=true` for the token alone\n5. On .NET, use Microsoft.Agents.AI.Workflows.Declarative 1.24.0 or later. Earlier versions could forward protected workflow values to an external MCP server\n\n## Questions\n\n### Which is better for AI agents, Claude Agent SDK or Microsoft Agent Framework?\n\nMicrosoft Agent Framework scores 82.2 (A) on agent readiness against Claude Agent SDK's 72.1 (BB), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. Claude Agent SDK leads on agent ergonomics.\n\n### Are Claude Agent SDK and Microsoft Agent Framework open source?\n\nNo open-source release is listed for Claude Agent SDK. Microsoft Agent Framework is open source (MIT).\n\n\n## For agents\n\n- This comparison as JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/claude-agent-sdk-vs-microsoft-agent-framework.json, and with the fewest tokens: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/claude-agent-sdk-vs-microsoft-agent-framework.min.md\n- Over MCP at https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (no key): `compare_tools {\"a\": \"claude-agent-sdk\", \"b\": \"microsoft-agent-framework\"}`. From a terminal: `anchor compare claude-agent-sdk microsoft-agent-framework`\n- Each listing in full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/claude-agent-sdk.json and https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/microsoft-agent-framework.json\n\n## Other comparisons with Claude Agent SDK or Microsoft Agent Framework\n\n- [AgentOS vs Claude Agent SDK](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agentos-vs-claude-agent-sdk.md)\n- [AgentOS vs Microsoft Agent Framework](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agentos-vs-microsoft-agent-framework.md)\n- [Agno vs Claude Agent SDK](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agno-vs-claude-agent-sdk.md)\n- [Agno vs Microsoft Agent Framework](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agno-vs-microsoft-agent-framework.md)\n- [Claude Agent SDK vs CrewAI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/claude-agent-sdk-vs-crewai.md)\n- [Claude Agent SDK vs Docker Agent](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/claude-agent-sdk-vs-docker-agent.md)\n- [Claude Agent SDK vs Agent Development Kit (ADK)](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/claude-agent-sdk-vs-google-adk.md)\n- [Claude Agent SDK vs LangGraph](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/claude-agent-sdk-vs-langgraph.md)\n- [Claude Agent SDK vs OpenAI Agents SDK](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/claude-agent-sdk-vs-openai-agents-sdk.md)\n- [Claude Agent SDK vs Pydantic AI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/claude-agent-sdk-vs-pydantic-ai.md)\n- [CrewAI vs Microsoft Agent Framework](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/crewai-vs-microsoft-agent-framework.md)\n- [Docker Agent vs Microsoft Agent Framework](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/docker-agent-vs-microsoft-agent-framework.md)\n- [Agent Development Kit (ADK) vs Microsoft Agent Framework](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/google-adk-vs-microsoft-agent-framework.md)\n- [LangGraph vs Microsoft Agent Framework](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/langgraph-vs-microsoft-agent-framework.md)\n- [Microsoft Agent Framework vs OpenAI Agents SDK](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/microsoft-agent-framework-vs-openai-agents-sdk.md)\n- [Microsoft Agent Framework vs Pydantic AI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/microsoft-agent-framework-vs-pydantic-ai.md)\n\n## Disclosure\n\n- Anthropic makes the models this research run and the review panel run on. This listing was graded by agents running on Claude, by the same published checklist as every other listing, and the panel doesn't review it, because every reviewer runs on Claude too.\n", "meta": { "attribution": "Anchor Terminal (https://www.anchorterminal.com)", "docs": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/docs/", "generatedAt": "2026-10-08", "license": "CC-BY-4.0", "method": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/benchmark/", "methodology": "0.4", "openapi": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/openapi.json", "preview": false, "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run" }, "page": { "breadcrumbs": [ { "name": "Home", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/" }, { "name": "Compare", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/" }, { "name": "Claude Agent SDK vs Microsoft Agent Framework", "url": "" } ], "description": "Microsoft Agent Framework scores 82.2 (A) on agent readiness against Claude Agent SDK's 72.1 (BB), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. Claude Agent SDK leads on agent ergonomics. Both do agent frameworks. Category scores, facts, verdicts and agent notes side by side.", "facts": [ "Claude Agent SDK BB 72.1", "Microsoft Agent Framework A 82.2", "scores" ], "h1": "Claude Agent SDK vs Microsoft Agent Framework", "image": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/assets/og/compare-claude-agent-sdk-vs-microsoft-agent-framework.png", "path": "/compare/claude-agent-sdk-vs-microsoft-agent-framework", "published": "2026-10-01", "section": "tools", "title": "Claude Agent SDK vs Microsoft Agent Framework for AI agents", "toc": null, "updated": "2026-10-08", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/claude-agent-sdk-vs-microsoft-agent-framework" }, "tokens": { "markdown": 2350, "slim": 680 }, "version": 1 }