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Agent Development Kit (ADK) for TypeScript

Agent Development Kit (ADK) for TypeScript is an open-source framework for building, evaluating, deploying and orchestrating AI agents in TypeScript. It provides code-first agent definitions, tools and workflow composition, plus separate CLI and web development tools for testing and debugging.

Explore the practical guide ↓

Independent OpenViST project profile, based on linked sources.

Agent Development Kit (ADK) for TypeScript — OpenViST project profile in Agent Frameworks.
OpenViST project illustration. See the linked sources for product details.
Understand the project

Practical overview

When it fits

Use ADK when building an AI agent application in TypeScript and you want to define its behavior and orchestration in code, then develop it with the framework’s CLI or web UI.

Who it is for

  • TypeScript developers building AI-powered applications for Node.js or browser runtimes.
  • Teams implementing agent workflows that need tool use, multi-agent orchestration, or code-managed behavior.

Documented uses

  • Define agent behavior, instructions and tool access in TypeScript.
  • Compose sequential, parallel, loop or routed agent workflows, including delegation to remote agents through A2A.
  • Add built-in search and URL tools, connect MCP servers, or wrap functions as tools.
  • Develop and inspect agents using the CLI or interactive web development UI.
Before you choose

Requirements & limits

The repository identifies the project as open source under the Apache-2.0 license. The documented TypeScript prerequisite is Node.js 20.19 or newer.

  • The framework supports Node.js and browser runtimes, with ESM, CommonJS and web bundles.
  • Built-in tools include Google Search, Google Maps, Vertex AI Search and URL context; MCP connections and function-wrapped tools are also supported.
  • The quick start documents authentication through a Google AI Studio API key or Vertex AI credentials.
  • The CLI and web UI are installed separately through @google/adk-devtools.
  • The README documents a Cloud Run deployment command, while the quick-start steps focus on local development.

Check current requirements in the official documentation. Source-based guidance does not mean OpenViST has run or independently tested this project.

Source-based practical guide

Create and locally test a TypeScript search agent

Set up the ADK TypeScript packages, define a Google Search agent, and start it in the CLI or development UI.

Before you start

  • Node.js 20.19 or newer
  • An agent project directory
  • A Google AI Studio API key, or Vertex AI environment settings and Google Cloud application-default authentication

Steps

  1. Install the core SDK and development tools with the command below and the command below.

    Documented command
    npm install @google/adk
    Documented command
    npm install -D @google/adk-devtools

  2. For API-key authentication, place GOOGLE_GENAI_API_KEY=your-api-key-here in a .env file next to the agent. For Vertex AI, set GOOGLE_GENAI_USE_VERTEXAI=1, GOOGLE_CLOUD_PROJECT, and GOOGLE_CLOUD_LOCATION, then authenticate with gcloud auth application-default login.

  3. Create agent.ts with an LlmAgent named search_assistant, model gemini-flash-latest, an instruction to answer questions using Google Search when needed, and tools: [GOOGLE_SEARCH].

  4. From the agent project directory, run the command below for the interactive CLI, or the command below for the development UI.

    Documented command
    npx @google/adk-devtools run agent.ts
    Documented command
    npx @google/adk-devtools web

Expected outcome

The agent can be started locally in the interactive CLI or the ADK development UI for testing and debugging.

Guide limitations

  • The documented prerequisite is Node.js 20.19 or newer.
  • The web command is described as a development UI for testing and debugging; this recipe does not cover deployment.
  • Use the fully qualified @google/adk-devtools package name: the README warns that bare npx adk may run an unrelated package.
Documentation 1 ↗
COMPARE OPTIONS

Compare options for Agent orchestration

These projects document a common task and share a project role. This is a source-based comparison, not an execution benchmark or a guarantee of interchangeability.

ProjectDocumented purposePlatformAccess and requirements
Agent Development Kit (ADK) for TypeScriptDefine agent behavior, instructions and tool access in TypeScript.CLIThe repository identifies the project as open source under the Apache-2.0 license. The documented TypeScript prerequisite is Node.js 20.19 or newer.
AgeniteDefine typed tools with JSON Schema validation and error handling.CLI
VeldraCreate an agent with a policy, tools, skills, knowledge base and reasoning method.Self-hostedThe documented deployment is self-hosted and uses a sign-in gate after a first-run administrator account is created.
Evidence and transparency

Sources & review

Official repository ↗
Source record details
Source availability
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Sources checked
12 October 2026
Original website title
google/adk-js · Official homepage title · retained in its source language
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