Agent Runtime Documentation
Build enterprise-grade multi-agent runtimes that are ready to launch and ready to operate.
agent-harness turns your workspace—YAML, tools, skills, and MCP—into one persisted
runtime. After the first request you have approvals, durable records, restart-safe
recovery, inspection helpers, and protocol transports (ACP, A2A, AG-UI, runtime MCP). Read in order:
boundary, then assembly, then day-to-day operations. Jump to the API reference or Cookbook anytime.
What you get on day one
These are the capabilities you touch most often: SDK entrypoints, persisted records, memory and evidence helpers, and external protocol transports.
Core runtime
createAgentHarness, request, subscribe,
resolveApproval, plus request/session/approval/event inspection over persisted runtime
records.
Memory and evidence
Durable memory helpers, artifact lookup, request and session export, evaluation bundles, replay, and flow inspection utilities all sit on the same stable runtime surface.
Protocols and transports
ACP, A2A, AG-UI, and runtime MCP are now part of the public runtime story rather than side notes. They are transport faces over the same persisted runtime boundary.
How to read these docs
Follow the chapters from mental model to operations; jump to the API reference or cookbook when you need signatures and copy-paste recipes—without spelunking the whole repository first.
Chapter 01
Getting started
The shortest mental model, when to use the product, how the first workspace should look, and how to get from install to the first governed run.
Chapter 02
Application model
The stable runtime contract: requests, sessions, approvals, events, lifecycle, backend alignment, and the line between product semantics and upstream execution semantics.
Chapter 03
Workspace and YAML
Repository shape, config catalogs, agent definitions, runtime assembly rules, and how to keep YAML expressive without inventing a second semantic layer.
Chapter 04
Tools, skills, and MCP
Extension packaging, discovery, tool whitelisting, MCP server catalogs, governance boundaries, and how to decide whether behavior belongs in code, YAML, or shared resources.
Chapter 05
Runtime operations
Subscriptions, approvals, inspection, persistence, recovery, maintenance, queueing, operator behavior, and the practical implications of running a long-lived agent product.
Chapter 06
Testing and release
Unit tests, integration tests, doc review, release notes, and the repository workflow required before a change should be considered shipped.
Reference
API
Grouped public runtime APIs for lifecycle, requests, inspection, approvals, memory, artifacts, transports, and flow inspection.
Reference
Comparison
Compare people-facing agent products, execution frameworks, and the harness to make the product boundary explicit.
Reference
Protocols
ACP, A2A, AG-UI, and runtime MCP as external faces over the same persisted runtime boundary, with guidance on when each one fits.
Examples
Cookbook
Practical recipes for runtime bootstrap, approval workflows, memory usage, dashboard data loading, and final release checks.
From first run to production operations
Follow the chapters to go from install and first governed run through assembly, operations, and release checks. Use the reference shelf when you need contract text and topic deep dives without repeating them in every chapter.
Start from the boundary
Decide whether a capability belongs in the stable runtime contract or in upstream execution behavior before you wire it into product integrations.
Assemble from the workspace
Catalogs, tools, skills, MCP, agents, and stores compile from one workspace so teams can reuse and review the same assembly.
Hold the production bar
A feature is not done at the first successful prompt. Approvals, recovery, durable records, and observability should stay true; chapter 6 lists testing, documentation, and release checks so shipped behavior matches what operators read.
Reference shelf
Long-form contracts and topic guides live in repository markdown; use this shelf to jump in without
duplicating them inside each chapter. Each file under docs/*.md opens with
Who should read this so you can tell advanced notes from day-one integration guides at a
glance.
Runtime dashboard
Static operator-facing inspection UI concepts for the runtime surface.
Release notes
Version history synced from RELEASE_NOTES.md for in-site reading on GitHub Pages.
Inspection contract
Which inspection fields belong to the stable runtime versus app-specific data.
Tool execution policy
Operational policy for tool execution, approvals, and write-like side effects.
Comparison
Technical positioning across agent products, frameworks, and the runtime product layer.
Long-term memory
How durable memory fits the runtime contract without replacing upstream memory substrates.
A2A bridge
The current agent-to-agent transport note and scope for runtime-backed external interoperability.
Memory policy reference
Stable policy fields and review rules for runtime-managed memory decisions.
Code of Conduct
Community behavior standards for safe open collaboration.
License
Apache 2.0 terms that define open-source usage and redistribution.