Installation

Install the Claude Agent SDK for Python and get started in minutes

Prerequisites

Before installing the Claude Agent SDK, ensure you have:

• Python 3.10 or higher - The SDK supports Python 3.10, 3.11, 3.12, and 3.13

Install via pip

Install the Claude Agent SDK using pip:

pip install claude-agent-sdk

This command installs the SDK along with all required dependencies:

• anyio>=4.0.0 - For async runtime support
• mcp>=0.1.0 - For Model Context Protocol support
• typing_extensions>=4.0.0 - For Python 3.10 compatibility

Bundled CLI

The Claude Code CLI is automatically bundled with the package - no separate installation required.

The SDK uses the bundled CLI by default, so you can start building immediately without additional setup.

Using a custom CLI installation

If you prefer to use a system-wide installation or a specific version of the CLI:

1. Install Claude Code separately

   curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash
   
2. Specify the custom path in your code

   from claude_agent_sdk import ClaudeAgentOptions
   
   options = ClaudeAgentOptions(
       cli_path="/path/to/claude"
   )
   

Verify installation

Verify your installation by running a simple Python script:

import claude_agent_sdk

print(f"Claude Agent SDK version: {claude_agent_sdk.__version__}")

If the import succeeds, you’re ready to start building with the Claude Agent SDK.

Next steps

Quickstart

Get your first agent running in minutes