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Building AI Agents with the OpenAI Agents SDK

A Complete Guide from Fundamentals to Production-Ready Systems

This book is 100% completeLast updated on 2026-07-13
Steve T. Publications

Learn how to build intelligent, production-ready AI agents with the OpenAI Agents SDK. Through practical Python examples and step by step guidance, you'll master everything from the fundamentals to advanced multi-agent workflows, tools, and deployment.

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About

About the Book

This book teaches you how to build robust, scalable AI agent applications using the OpenAI Agents SDK. Starting from the very first line of code, you will progress through agent configuration, tool integration, multi-agent orchestration, safety guardrails, observability, and production deployment patterns. Every concept is explained with complete, runnable Python examples and detailed walkthroughs. The book assumes basic Python knowledge but no prior experience with AI agents or the OpenAI platform. By the end, you will be able to design and ship production-grade agentic systems with confidence.

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Agentic EngineeringSoftware EngineeringLarge language modelsHarness Engineering

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Steve T. Publications

Steve T. Publications is a specialized book publishing company dedicated to delivering high-quality technical resources for IT professionals, students, educators, and technology enthusiasts. Our mission is to make complex technology concepts accessible through well-structured, practical, and industry-relevant publications.

We focus on publishing books across a wide range of information technology disciplines, including software development, cloud computing, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, data science, networking, DevOps, databases, and enterprise technologies. Every publication is designed to bridge the gap between theory and real-world application, helping readers build the skills needed to succeed in today's rapidly evolving digital landscape.

At Steve T. Publications, we collaborate with experienced industry experts, educators, and technology professionals to produce accurate, up-to-date, and engaging content. We are committed to maintaining the highest editorial standards while empowering learners and professionals with trusted technical knowledge.

Whether you're beginning your IT journey, preparing for professional certifications, or advancing your expertise in emerging technologies, Steve T. Publications is your trusted source for authoritative and practical technical books.

Contents

Table of Contents

A Complete Guide from Fundamentals to Production-Ready Systems

Introduction: The Agent Paradigm

  1. What Is an AI Agent?
  2. Why the OpenAI Agents SDK?
  3. Core Primitives at a Glance
  4. How to Use This Book

Chapter 1: Getting Started with the Agents SDK

  1. Installation and Environment Setup
  2. Your First Agent
  3. Understanding the Runner
  4. The RunResult Object

Chapter 2: Agent Configuration and Prompt Engineering

  1. Defining an Agent
  2. Dynamic Instructions
  3. Model Selection and Configuration
  4. Structured Outputs with Pydantic
  5. Prompt Templates and Platform Prompts

Chapter 3: Building Tools for Your Agents

  1. Function Tools with @function_tool
  2. Advanced Function Tool Patterns
  3. Hosted OpenAI Tools
  4. Tool Namespaces and Deferred Loading
  5. Local Runtime Tools

Chapter 4: Running Agents and Managing State

  1. The Agent Loop Explained
  2. Manual Conversation Management
  3. Session Memory
  4. Server-Managed Conversations
  5. Streaming Events and Cancellation
  6. Error Handling and Recovery

Chapter 5: Context Management and Dependency Injection

  1. The Context Pattern
  2. Passing Context Through Tools
  3. Dynamic Instructions from Context
  4. Lifecycle Hooks
  5. Usage Tracking and Token Accounting
  6. Cloning and Copying Agents
  7. Tool Input for Nested Agent Runs

Chapter 6: Multi-Agent Systems with Handoffs

  1. The Handoff Pattern Explained
  2. Configuring Handoffs
  3. Structured Handoff Data
  4. Input Filters and History Management
  5. Manager Pattern (Agents as Tools)
  6. Handoff Prompt Engineering
  7. Multi-Level Delegation

Chapter 7: Guardrails and Safety Controls

  1. Input Guardrails
  2. Output Guardrails
  3. Tool Guardrails
  4. Building Practical Guardrails
  5. Guardrails in Multi-Agent Workflows

Chapter 8: Observability and Tracing

  1. Automatic Tracing
  2. The Trace Dashboard
  3. Custom Spans and Manual Traces
  4. Sensitive Data Controls
  5. Third-Party Integrations
  6. Flushing Traces
  7. Non-OpenAI Tracing

Chapter 9: Human-in-the-Loop and Approval Workflows

  1. The Approval Flow
  2. Approving and Rejecting Tool Calls
  3. Streaming with Approvals
  4. Durable State Serialization
  5. Building Interactive Approval Interfaces

Chapter 10: Advanced Multi-Agent Orchestration

  1. Agents as Tools Deep Dive
  2. Structured Input for Tool Agents
  3. Custom Output Extraction
  4. Streaming Nested Agent Runs
  5. Conditional Tool Enabling
  6. Complex Orchestration Topologies

Chapter 11: Model Context Protocol (MCP) Integration

  1. What Is MCP?
  2. Local MCP Servers
  3. Hosted MCP Tools
  4. MCP and Tool Search
  5. Practical MCP Integration Patterns
  6. Agent-Level MCP Configuration

Chapter 12: Production Deployment and Best Practices

  1. Performance Optimization
  2. Cost Management
  3. Security Best Practices
  4. Testing Strategies
  5. Deployment Architectures
  6. Real-World Case Study: Customer Service Bot

Conclusion: The Future of Agentic AI

  1. Key Takeaways
  2. Emerging Capabilities
  3. Your Next Steps

References

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