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The Agent Development Kit (ADK) is a CLI tool and development framework for building AI agents on Botpress. It provides a streamlined development experience with TypeScript support, hot reloading, and type-safe APIs for creating conversational AI applications.

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What is the ADK?

The ADK enables developers to build Botpress agents using code instead of the Studio interface. It provides:
  • Project scaffolding: Quickly initialize new agent projects with templates
  • Type-safe development: Automatic TypeScript type generation for integrations, interfaces, and more
  • Development workflow: Hot reloading development server with live updates
  • Build and deploy: Compile and deploy agents to Botpress Cloud
  • Integration management: Add, update, and manage integrations from the Botpress Hub

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Key features

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TypeScript-first development

The ADK generates TypeScript types for all integrations, interfaces, and assets in your project, providing full IntelliSense support and compile-time type checking.

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Project structure

ADK projects follow a clear, organized structure:
  • src/conversations/ - Conversation handlers for different channels
  • src/workflows/ - Long-running processes and background tasks
  • src/actions/ - Callable functions that can be invoked by workflows or conversations
  • src/tables/ - Data storage schemas and table definitions
  • src/triggers/ - Event subscriptions and handlers
  • src/knowledge/ - Knowledge base sources and files

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Development workflow

The ADK provides a seamless development experience:
  1. Initialize: Create a new agent project with adk init
  2. Develop: Run adk dev for hot reloading development
  3. Build: Compile your agent with adk build
  4. Deploy: Deploy to Botpress Cloud with adk deploy

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When to use the ADK

The ADK is ideal for:
  • Developers who prefer code-based workflows
  • Teams using version control and CI/CD pipelines
  • Projects requiring custom logic and integrations
  • Developers who need TypeScript type safety
For most users, the Botpress Studio web interface is recommended. The ADK is best suited for experienced developers who need more control or integration with development workflows.

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Next steps

Getting Started

Set up your first ADK project

Project Structure

Learn about ADK project organization