Anthropic Agent SDK - Quick Getting Started - Python

A quick start tutorial project demonstrating how to use the Anthropic Claude Agent SDK to build interactive AI agents with custom tools and conversational interfaces.

Project Files

• main.py - Main entry point that loads environment variables and runs the agent with tools
• basic_query.py - Simple examples for making basic queries to the Claude API
• agent_with_tools.py - Interactive chat loop with custom tools (calculator) and MCP server integration
• interactive_terminal.py - Two chat loop implementations:
  • start_chat_loop() - Chat without history
  • start_chat_loop_continuous() - Chat with conversation history
• .env.local - Local environment variables (not tracked in git)
• .env.example - Template for environment variables

Setup Guide

1. Create Virtual Environment

# Windows
python -m venv venv
venv\Scripts\activate

# macOS/Linux
python3 -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate

2. Install Dependencies

pip install claude-agent-sdk python-dotenv numexpr anyio

3. Get Your API Key

1. Visit Anthropic Console
2. Sign up or log in to your account
3. Navigate to API Keys section
4. Create a new API key

4. Configure Environment

Copy the example environment file:

# Windows
copy .env.example .env.local

# macOS/Linux
cp .env.example .env.local

Edit .env.local and add your API key:

ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=your_actual_api_key_here

5. Run the Project

python main.py

Usage Examples

The current main.py runs the agent with tools demo. You can modify it to run different examples:

# For basic query
anyio.run(basic_query)

# For interactive chat without history
anyio.run(start_chat_loop)

# For interactive chat with history
anyio.run(start_chat_loop_continuous)

# For agent with custom tools (default)
anyio.run(start_chat_tools)

Features

• Basic Claude API queries
• Interactive terminal chat interface
• Conversation history management
• Custom tool integration (calculator example)
• MCP (Model Context Protocol) server support
• Permission modes for tool usage

Notes

• Type exit or quit to end any chat session
• The calculator tool uses numexpr for safe expression evaluation
• Default model: claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929