# Strands Agents (slim)

> Strands Agents is AWS's open-source agent SDK for Python and TypeScript. A model-driven loop runs tools, MCP servers, multi-agent patterns, sessions, interrupts for human approval and OpenTelemetry tracing, with Amazon Bedrock as the default model provider.

- Full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/strands-agents.md (~6,050 tokens) · this version ~1,430 tokens · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/strands-agents.json · canonical https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/strands-agents
- Index: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt · API: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json · MCP: https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp · Updated: 2026-11-07 · pricing https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/strands-agents#pricing · reviews https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/strands-agents#reviews
- Licence: CC BY 4.0, credit Anchor Terminal and link this page (https://www.anchorterminal.com/terms/#data)

**A · 80/100 · rank #15 of 1510 · #4 in Agent frameworks & SDKs · agent-ready · confidence medium**


Assessment: An Apache-2.0 agent SDK for Python and TypeScript with a managed MCP client, multi-agent patterns, interrupts and Cedar policies for approval, opt-in OpenTelemetry and no usage analytics. Bedrock is the default model, the default sandbox is the local host, and three session-isolation advisories were fixed in October 2026.

## Facts

- Kind: Agent framework · vendor: Amazon Web Services · category: Agent frameworks & SDKs · legal entity: Amazon Web Services, Inc. · provenance 58/100
- Packages: pypi `strands-agents`, npm `@strands-agents/sdk`, pypi `strands-agents-tools`
- Auth: None · pricing: Free · x402: no · licence: Apache-2.0
- Benchmark probes: not run yet, so Performance is pending
- Surface listed: The Strands Agents SDK for Python and TypeScript, read from the strands-agents/harness-sdk repository (docs source, workflows, SECURITY.md, tags), strandsagents.com/llms.txt, OSV and the npm registry on 6 November 2026. Nothing was installed
- Scope: The SDK. Strands Decider 2B, a decision model from Strands Labs, has its own Anchor Terminal listing. The repository also holds the Strands harness, a ready-made agent built on the SDK, a CLI and an MCP server for the docs
- Languages: Python 3.10 or newer, and TypeScript on Node 22 or newer
- Models: Amazon Bedrock by default, plus Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, Ollama and other providers through the same agent code
- MCP client: MCPClient over stdio, Streamable HTTP and SSE, passed straight to `Agent(tools=[...])` with its lifecycle managed
- Multi-agent: Agents as tools, swarms, graphs, workflows and A2A
- Human approval: Interrupts from hooks or tools pause a run for a response; the harness gates tool calls with ask or smart presets, natural-language rules or Cedar policies
- Sandbox: File and shell tools route through a sandbox seam that defaults to the local host, with Docker and SSH sandboxes as options
- Telemetry: None found by default. OpenTelemetry traces, metrics and logs once configured
- Versioning: Semantic versioning with experimental APIs under strands.experimental, deprecation warnings and removal at the next major

- Scores: Reliability 87, Performance pending, Schema & documentation 95, Agent ergonomics 87, Security & auth 89, Payments & pricing 60, Task success pending, Maintenance & community 87, Transparency & trust 72 · negative events -4 · total over the 7 assessed categories
- Why: Reliability, Local-package reading. · Schema & documentation, Framework reading. · Agent ergonomics, Framework reading. · Security & auth, Framework reading (telemetry defaults, approvals, guardrails, sandboxing). · Payments & pricing, Self-hosted rule. · Maintenance & community, Python 1.64.0 and TypeScript 1.24.0 tagged on 4 November 2026 (30). · Transparency & trust, Apache-2.0 (30).
- Sources: 11, open questions: 2, both in the full twin
- Capabilities: agent.framework, agent.mcp-client, agent.multi-agent, agent.durable
- JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/strands-agents.json
- Verify (for the vendor): the badge `https://www.anchorterminal.com/badges/strands-agents.svg` or a link to https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/strands-agents from a page on strandsagents.com or one of its subdomains, or the README at the root of github.com/strands-agents/harness-sdk, then `POST https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/verify` `{"slug", "url"}` or `verify_listing` at /mcp; re-checked weekly, no effect on the grade. Snippets in the full twin.
- Support: Discord https://discord.gg/strands; https://console.aws.amazon.com/support/home#/case/create?issueType=technical; https://console.aws.amazon.com/support/home#/case/create?issueType=customer-service; more in the full twin

## Before you call it

1. Upgrade to strands-agents 1.48.0 or later, and set a private session directory rather than the /tmp default
2. Pass a model explicitly when AWS credentials aren't configured, since Bedrock is the default
3. Use interrupts or the harness's `interventions` for tools that write, send or pay
4. Run shell and file tools in the Docker or SSH sandbox when the agent runs untrusted code
5. Pin a minor version when using A2A, MCP or experimental modules

## Connect

```bash
pip install strands-agents strands-agents-tools   # TypeScript: npm i @strands-agents/sdk
```

## Similar tools

| Tool | Grade | Score | Shared capabilities | Slim |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| AI SDK | AA | 89.8 | agent.framework, agent.mcp-client, agent.multi-agent, agent.durable | https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/vercel-ai-sdk.min.md |
| OpenAI Agents SDK | AA | 86.2 | agent.framework, agent.multi-agent, agent.durable, agent.mcp-client | https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/openai-agents-sdk.min.md |
| Pydantic AI | A | 81.9 | agent.framework, agent.multi-agent, agent.durable, agent.mcp-client | https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/pydantic-ai.min.md |
| Microsoft Agent Framework | A | 79.4 | agent.framework, agent.multi-agent, agent.durable, agent.mcp-client | https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/microsoft-agent-framework.min.md |
| Mastra | BB | 74.2 | agent.framework, agent.durable, agent.mcp-client, agent.multi-agent | https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/mastra.min.md |


## Panel reviews (0, desk reviews from public material, no calls made)