{"id":4288,"date":"2025-02-28T10:37:08","date_gmt":"2025-02-28T18:37:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/devblogs.microsoft.com\/semantic-kernel\/?p=4288"},"modified":"2025-02-28T10:37:08","modified_gmt":"2025-02-28T18:37:08","slug":"release-the-agents-sk-agents-framework-rc1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/devblogs.microsoft.com\/agent-framework\/release-the-agents-sk-agents-framework-rc1\/","title":{"rendered":"Release the Agents! SK Agents Framework RC1"},"content":{"rendered":"
Semantic Kernel Agent Framework Reaches Release Candidate 1<\/strong><\/div>\n

We’re excited to announce that with the release of Semantic Kernel 1.40 (.NET<\/a>) and 1.22.0 (Python<\/a>), we’re elevating the Semantic Kernel Agent Framework to Release Candidate 1<\/em>. This marks a significant milestone in our journey toward providing a robust, versatile framework for building AI agents for enterprise applications.<\/p>\n

Code Sample: Creating a Chat Agent with tool plugins<\/h5>\n
Creating an agent with Semantic Kernel is easy! Let’s look at a simple Python example that demonstrates how to create a chat completion agent that answers questions about a menu using Semantic Kernel plugins:<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
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pip install semantic-kernel<\/code><\/pre>\n
# Define a sample plugin for the menu\r\nclass MenuPlugin:\r\n\u00a0 \u00a0 \"\"\"A sample Menu Plugin used for the concept sample.\"\"\"\r\n\u00a0 \u00a0 @kernel_function(description=\"Provides a list of specials from the menu.\")\r\n\u00a0 \u00a0 def get_specials(self) -> Annotated[str, \"Returns the specials from the menu.\"]:\r\n\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 return \"\"\"\r\n\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Special Soup: Clam Chowder\r\n\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Special Salad: Cobb Salad\r\n\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Special Drink: Chai Tea\r\n\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \"\"\"\r\n\u00a0 \u00a0 @kernel_function(description=\"Provides the price of the requested menu item.\")\r\n\u00a0 \u00a0 def get_item_price(\r\n\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 self, menu_item: Annotated[str, \"The name of the menu item.\"]\r\n\u00a0 \u00a0 ) -> Annotated[str, \"Returns the price of the menu item.\"]:\r\n\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 return \"$9.99\"\r\n\r\nasync def main():\r\n\u00a0 \u00a0 agent = ChatCompletionAgent(\r\n\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 service=OpenAzureAIChatCompletion(),\r\n\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 name=\"HostAgent\",\r\n\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 instructions=\"Answer questions about the menu.\",\r\n\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 plugins=[MenuPlugin()],\r\n\u00a0 \u00a0 )\r\n\u00a0 \u00a0 chat_history = ChatHistory()\r\n\u00a0 \u00a0 chat_history.add_user_message(\"What is the special soup and how much does it cost?\")\r\n\u00a0 \u00a0 response = await agent.get_response(chat_history)\r\n\u00a0 \u00a0 print(f\"# {response.name}: {response.content}\")<\/code><\/pre>\n<\/div>\n
You can see this full sample here: Chat Completion Agent with Plugins<\/a>.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
The same functionality is available in C# with equally clean syntax:<\/div>\n
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dotnet add package Microsoft.SemanticKernel\r\ndotnet add package Microsoft.SemanticKernel.Agents.core\r\ndotnet add package Microsoft.SemanticKernel.core\r\ndotnet add package Microsoft.SemanticKernel.Connectors.AzureOpenAI<\/code><\/pre>\n<\/div>\n
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var builder = Kernel.CreateBuilder();\r\nbuilder.AddAzureOpenAIChatCompletion(\r\n\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Env.GetString(\"OPENAI_CHAT_MODEL_ID\"),\r\n\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Env.GetString(\"OPENAI_API_KEY\"));\r\nvar kernel = builder.Build();\r\n\r\nChatCompletionAgent agent = new()\r\n{\r\n\u00a0 \u00a0 Instructions = \"Answer questions about the menu.\",\r\n\u00a0 \u00a0 Name = \"HostAgent\",\r\n\u00a0 \u00a0 Kernel = kernel,\r\n\u00a0 \u00a0 Arguments = new KernelArguments(new PromptExecutionSettings() {\r\n\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 FunctionChoiceBehavior = FunctionChoiceBehavior.Auto()\r\n\u00a0 \u00a0 }),\r\n};\r\n\r\nagent.Kernel.Plugins.Add(KernelPluginFactory.CreateFromType<MenuPlugin>());\r\n\r\nChatHistory chat = [];\r\nChatMessageContent message = new(AuthorRole.User, \"What is the special soup and how much does it cost?\");\r\nchat.Add(message);\r\n\r\nawait foreach (ChatMessageContent response in agent.InvokeAsync(chat))\r\n{\r\n\u00a0 \u00a0 chat.Add(response);\r\n\u00a0 \u00a0 Console.WriteLine(response.Content);\r\n\u00a0 \u00a0 \/\/ Output: # Host: The special soup is Clam Chowder for $9.99.\r\n}<\/code><\/pre>\n<\/div>\n
You can see this full sample here: Chat Completion Agent with Plugins<\/a>.<\/p>\n
Multi-Provider Agent Support<\/h5>\n
In addition to this important milestone, we’re previewing expanded agent provider capabilities. Semantic Kernel now supports agents from:<\/div>\n