Google Agent Development Kit (ADK)
App : A product you use directly
Google's open-source kit for designing multi-agent systems in Python, Java, Go, or TypeScript, with the A2A protocol and direct deployment to Vertex AI.
The right choice if you are on Google Cloud or if your agents need to communicate with other agents via A2A. Gemini by default, other models available via LiteLLM.
Security reflects where data goes, requested permissions and incidents on record at the verification date. It is not a guarantee of zero risk: check the deployment mode and the connections you enable.
What it does, concretely
Building an AI agent capable of chaining complex tasks, delegating to other agents, and integrating with existing tools requires a solid architecture. Google ADK addresses this need by providing a structured framework to design, test, and deploy multi-agent systems without starting from scratch.
In practice, you define your agents in Python (or Java, Go, TypeScript, Kotlin) by assigning them instructions, tools, and a model. You then orchestrate their sequencing through graph-based workflows that handle branching, loops, parallel execution, and error recovery. A local web UI lets you test and debug each agent before any deployment.
ADK targets developers who want to build production-grade agents: technical teams working on Google Cloud, projects requiring agent-to-agent communication via the A2A protocol, or use cases where reliability and observability matter as much as speed of delivery.
However, if you are looking for a no-code tool or a graphical interface for non-developers, ADK is not the right fit: everything is configured through code, and getting started requires proficiency in at least one of the supported languages and familiarity with agent orchestration concepts.
What it offers
- ·Graph-based workflows: orchestrate agents in sequence, in parallel, or in loops with explicit execution paths and automatic error recovery.
- ·Modular multi-agent system: compose hierarchies of specialized agents that delegate tasks to each other via a structured API.
- ·Built-in A2A protocol: agents can communicate with external agents that implement this open protocol.
- ·Rich tool ecosystem: use pre-built tools (including Google Search), custom Python functions, OpenAPI specs, or MCP tools.
- ·Local development web UI: test, evaluate, and debug your agents through a built-in interface accessible with the adk web command.
- ·Tool confirmation (HITL): add a human validation step before executing sensitive tools.
- ·Flexible deployment: containerize agents with Docker, deploy to Cloud Run or Vertex AI Agent Engine with a single command.
- ·Context management: ADK filters irrelevant events, summarizes older conversation turns, and lazy-loads artifacts to keep agents efficient.
In practice
- Price
- Free
- Commercial use
- Commercial use: yes
- Available on
- cli
- Licence
- Apache-2.0
- FR interface
- No
Security and data
- Rating
- Security: one caveat, see the card
- Your data
- Local or cloud depending on use
- Maintenance
- Active
- Last release
- 23 October 2026
Links and repository checked on 25 October 2026 · added on 27 September 2026
How to install Google Agent Development Kit (ADK)
pip install google-adk