Get started with Python

The Python learning path now starts with the versioned quickstart. It includes installation, an offline verification and your first provider-backed agent.

Continue with foundation APIs, agents and durable state, then FastAPI.

The package is Beta; individual API stability labels are documented separately. Use the language/version selector to read an older release.

Run the offline check first

Use Python 3.11+ and the versioned quickstart. Save its mock example as agent.py, then run:

.venv/bin/python agent.py

Expected result: exit code 0 with no output; the example asserts that the mock response is Ready. It makes no provider calls and needs no key.

Run the provider example when ready

In the same terminal, configure placeholders with real server-side values:

export OPENAI_API_KEY="replace-with-your-provider-key"
export ZHIVEX_MODEL="replace-with-a-model-available-to-your-account"
.venv/bin/python live_agent.py

Save the provider example from the versioned quickstart as live_agent.py before running. This makes a billable model call. Expected output: a short checklist, whose exact text depends on the model.

ModuleNotFoundError usually means you used a different Python environment: install and run with .venv/bin/python. A missing ZHIVEX_MODEL raises KeyError. For authentication, model access and quota errors, see API keys and credentials.