Coding Agents

Introduction

crewAI Agents now have the powerful ability to write and execute code, significantly enhancing their problem-solving capabilities. This feature is particularly useful for tasks that require computational or programmatic solutions.

Enabling Code Execution

To enable code execution for an agent, set the allow_code_execution parameter to True when creating the agent. Here's an example:

from crewai import Agent

coding_agent = Agent(
    role="Senior Python Developer",
    goal="Craft well-designed and thought-out code",
    backstory="You are a senior Python developer with extensive experience in software architecture and best practices.",
    allow_code_execution=True
)

Note: The allow_code_execution parameter defaults to False.

Important Considerations

1. Model Selection: It is strongly recommended to use more capable models like Claude 3.5 Sonnet and GPT-4 when enabling code execution. These models have a better understanding of programming concepts and are more likely to generate correct and efficient code.

2. Error Handling: The code execution feature includes error handling. If executed code raises an exception, the agent will receive the error message and can attempt to correct the code or provide alternative solutions. The max_retry_limit parameter, which defaults to 2, controls the maximum number of retries for a task.

3. Dependencies: To use the code execution feature, you need to install the crewai_tools package. If not installed, the agent will log an info message: "Coding tools not available. Install crewai_tools."

Code Execution Process

When an agent with code execution enabled encounters a task requiring programming:

1. The agent analyzes the task and determines that code execution is necessary.
2. It formulates the Python code needed to solve the problem.
3. The code is sent to the internal code execution tool (CodeInterpreterTool).
4. The tool executes the code in a controlled environment and returns the result.
5. The agent interprets the result and incorporates it into its response or uses it for further problem-solving.

Example Usage

Here's a detailed example of creating an agent with code execution capabilities and using it in a task:

from crewai import Agent, Task, Crew

# Create an agent with code execution enabled
coding_agent = Agent(
    role="Python Data Analyst",
    goal="Analyze data and provide insights using Python",
    backstory="You are an experienced data analyst with strong Python skills.",
    allow_code_execution=True
)

# Create a task that requires code execution
data_analysis_task = Task(
    description="Analyze the given dataset and calculate the average age of participants.",
    agent=coding_agent
)

# Create a crew and add the task
analysis_crew = Crew(
    agents=[coding_agent],
    tasks=[data_analysis_task]
)

# Execute the crew
result = analysis_crew.kickoff()

print(result)

In this example, the coding_agent can write and execute Python code to perform data analysis tasks.