crewAI Documentation

Fast and Flexible Multi-Agent Automation Framework Copy Section

CrewAI is an open-source Python framework with high-level abstractions and low-level APIs for building production-ready multi-agent workflows.
It gives developers autonomous agent collaboration through Crews and precise, event-driven control through Flows.

• CrewAI Crews: Optimize for autonomy and collaborative intelligence with role-based AI agents.
• CrewAI Flows: Build event-driven automations that combine precise workflow control, single LLM calls, and native support for Crews.

With over 100,000 developers certified through our community courses at learn.crewai.com, CrewAI is rapidly becoming the
standard for production-ready agentic automation.

CrewAI AMP Suite

For organizations that need a commercial control plane around CrewAI, CrewAI AMP Suite adds managed deployment, observability, governance, security, and enterprise support.

You can try one part of the suite, the Crew Control Plane, for free.

Crew Control Plane Key Features: Copy Chapter

• Tracing & Observability: Monitor and track your AI agents and workflows in real-time, including metrics, logs, and traces.
• Unified Control Plane: A centralized platform for managing, monitoring, and scaling your AI agents and workflows.
• Seamless Integrations: Easily connect with existing enterprise systems, data sources, and cloud infrastructure.
• Advanced Security: Built-in robust security and compliance measures ensuring safe deployment and management.
• Actionable Insights: Real-time analytics and reporting to optimize performance and decision-making.
• 24/7 Support: Dedicated enterprise support to ensure uninterrupted operation and quick resolution of issues.
• On-premise and Cloud Deployment Options: Deploy CrewAI AMP on-premise or in the cloud, depending on your security and compliance requirements.

CrewAI AMP is designed for enterprises seeking a powerful, reliable solution to transform complex business processes into efficient,
intelligent automations.

Table of contents Copy Chapter

• Build with AI
• Why CrewAI?
• Getting Started
  • Learning Resources
  • Understanding Flows and Crews
  • Installation
  • Setting Up Your Crew
  • Running Your Crew
• Key Features
• Examples
  • Quick Tutorial
  • Write Job Descriptions
  • Trip Planner
  • Stock Analysis
  • Using Crews and Flows Together
• Connecting Your Crew to a Model
• When to Use CrewAI
• Contribution
• Telemetry
• License
• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Build with AI Copy Chapter

Using an AI coding agent? Teach it CrewAI best practices in one command:

Claude Code:

/plugin marketplace add crewAIInc/skills
/plugin install crewai-skills@crewai-plugins
/reload-plugins

Four skills that activate automatically when you ask relevant CrewAI questions:

Cursor, Codex, Windsurf, and others (skills.sh):

npx skills add crewaiinc/skills

This installs the official CrewAI Skills — structured instructions that teach coding agents how to scaffold Flows, configure Crews, design agents and tasks, and follow CrewAI patterns.

Why CrewAI? Copy Chapter

CrewAI unlocks the true potential of multi-agent automation, delivering speed, flexibility, and control through Crews of AI agents and event-driven Flows:

• Purpose-built architecture: Designed specifically for agent orchestration, with a lightweight Python core and clean primitives for real-world automation.
• High Performance: Optimized for speed and minimal resource usage, enabling faster execution.
• Flexible Low-Level Customization: Complete freedom to customize everything from workflows and system architecture to agent behaviors, internal prompts, and execution logic.
• Ideal for Every Use Case: Proven effective for simple tasks, complex workflows, and production-grade automation.
• Robust Community: Backed by a rapidly growing community of over 100,000 certified developers offering comprehensive support and resources.

CrewAI empowers developers and teams to build intelligent automations that balance simplicity, flexibility, and production-grade control.

Getting Started Copy Chapter

Setup and run your first CrewAI agents by following this tutorial.

Learning Resources Copy Section

Learn CrewAI through our comprehensive courses:

• Multi AI Agent Systems with CrewAI - Master the fundamentals of multi-agent systems
• Practical Multi AI Agents and Advanced Use Cases - Deep dive into advanced implementations

Understanding Flows and Crews Copy Section

CrewAI offers two powerful, complementary approaches that work seamlessly together to build sophisticated AI applications:

1. Crews: Teams of AI agents with true autonomy and agency, working together to accomplish complex tasks through role-based collaboration. Crews enable:

   • Natural, autonomous decision-making between agents
   • Dynamic task delegation and collaboration
   • Specialized roles with defined goals and expertise
   • Flexible problem-solving approaches

2. Flows: Production-ready, event-driven workflows that deliver precise control over complex automations. Flows provide:

   • Fine-grained control over execution paths for real-world scenarios
   • Secure, consistent state management between tasks
   • Clean integration of AI agents with production Python code
   • Conditional branching for complex business logic

The true power of CrewAI emerges when combining Crews and Flows. This synergy allows you to:

• Build complex, production-grade applications
• Balance autonomy with precise control
• Handle sophisticated real-world scenarios
• Maintain clean, maintainable code structure

Getting Started with Installation Copy Section

To get started with CrewAI, follow these simple steps:

1. Installation Copy Section

Ensure you have Python >=3.10 <3.14 installed on your system. CrewAI uses UV for dependency management and package handling, offering a seamless setup and execution experience.

First, install CrewAI:

uv pip install crewai

If you want to install the 'crewai' package along with its optional features that include additional tools for agents, you can do so by using the following command:

uv pip install 'crewai[tools]'

The command above installs the basic package and also adds extra components which require more dependencies to function.

Troubleshooting Dependencies Copy Section

If you encounter issues during installation or usage, here are some common solutions:

Common Issues

1. ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'tiktoken'

   • Install tiktoken explicitly: uv pip install 'crewai[embeddings]'
   • If using embedchain or other tools: uv pip install 'crewai[tools]'

2. Failed building wheel for tiktoken

   • Ensure Rust compiler is installed (see installation steps above)
   • For Windows: Verify Visual C++ Build Tools are installed
   • Try upgrading pip: uv pip install --upgrade pip
   • If issues persist, use a pre-built wheel: uv pip install tiktoken --prefer-binary

2. Setting Up Your Crew with the YAML Configuration Copy Section

To create a new CrewAI project, run the following CLI (Command Line Interface) command:

crewai create crew

This command creates a new project folder with the following structure:

my_project/
├── .gitignore
├── pyproject.toml
├── README.md
├── .env
└── src/
    └── my_project/
        ├── __init__.py
        ├── main.py
        ├── crew.py
        ├── tools/
        │   ├── custom_tool.py
        │   └── __init__.py
        └── config/
            ├── agents.yaml
            └── tasks.yaml

You can now start developing your crew by editing the files in the src/my_project folder. The main.py file is the entry point of the project, the crew.py file is where you define your crew, the agents.yaml file is where you define your agents, and the tasks.yaml file is where you define your tasks.

To customize your project, you can:

• Modify src/my_project/config/agents.yaml to define your agents.
• Modify src/my_project/config/tasks.yaml to define your tasks.
• Modify src/my_project/crew.py to add your own logic, tools, and specific arguments.
• Modify src/my_project/main.py to add custom inputs for your agents and tasks.
• Add your environment variables into the .env file.

Example of a simple crew with a sequential process:

Instantiate your crew:

crewai create crew latest-ai-development

Modify the files as needed to fit your use case:

agents.yaml

# src/my_project/config/agents.yaml
researcher:
  role: >
    {topic} Senior Data Researcher
  goal: >
    Uncover cutting-edge developments in {topic}
  backstory: >
    You're a seasoned researcher with a knack for uncovering the latest
    developments in {topic}. Known for your ability to find the most relevant
    information and present it in a clear and concise manner.

reporting_analyst:
  role: >
    {topic} Reporting Analyst
  goal: >
    Create detailed reports based on {topic} data analysis and research findings
  backstory: >
    You're a meticulous analyst with a keen eye for detail. You're known for
    your ability to turn complex data into clear and concise reports, making
    it easy for others to understand and act on the information you provide.

tasks.yaml

# src/my_project/config/tasks.yaml
research_task:
    Conduct a thorough research about {topic}
    Make sure you find any interesting and relevant information given
    the current year is 2026.
  expected_output: >
    A list with 10 bullet points of the most relevant information about {topic}
  agent: researcher

reporting_task:
    Review the context you got and expand each topic into a full section for a report.
    Make sure the report is detailed and contains any and all relevant information.
  expected_output: >
    A fully fledged report with the main topics, each with a full section of information.
    Formatted as markdown without '```'
  agent: reporting_analyst
  output_file: report.md

crew.py

# src/my_project/crew.py
from crewai import Agent, Crew, Process, Task
from crewai.project import CrewBase, agent, crew, task
from crewai_tools import SerperDevTool
from crewai.agents.agent_builder.base_agent import BaseAgent
from typing import List

@CrewBase
class LatestAiDevelopmentCrew():
	"""LatestAiDevelopment crew"""
	agents: List[BaseAgent]
	tasks: List[Task]

	@agent
	def researcher(self) -> Agent:
		return Agent(
			config=self.agents_config['researcher'],
			verbose=True,
			tools=[SerperDevTool()]
		)

	@agent
	def reporting_analyst(self) -> Agent:
		return Agent(
			config=self.agents_config['reporting_analyst'],
			verbose=True
		)

	@task
	def research_task(self) -> Task:
		return Task(
			config=self.tasks_config['research_task'],
		)

	@task
	def reporting_task(self) -> Task:
		return Task(
			config=self.tasks_config['reporting_task'],
			output_file='report.md'
		)

	@crew
	def crew(self) -> Crew:
		"""Creates the LatestAiDevelopment crew"""
		return Crew(
			agents=self.agents, # Automatically created by the @agent decorator
			tasks=self.tasks, # Automatically created by the @task decorator
			process=Process.sequential,
			verbose=True,
		)

main.py

#!/usr/bin/env python
# src/my_project/main.py
import sys
from latest_ai_development.crew import LatestAiDevelopmentCrew

def run():
    """
    Run the crew.
    """
    inputs = {
        'topic': 'AI Agents'
    }
    LatestAiDevelopmentCrew().crew().kickoff(inputs=inputs)

3. Running Your Crew Copy Section

Before running your crew, make sure you have the following keys set as environment variables in your .env file:

• An OpenAI API key (or other LLM API key): OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-...
• A Serper.dev API key: SERPER_API_KEY=YOUR_KEY_HERE

Lock the dependencies and install them by using the CLI command but first, navigate to your project directory:

cd my_project
crewai install (Optional)

To run your crew, execute the following command in the root of your project:

crewai run

or

python src/my_project/main.py

If an error happens due to the usage of poetry, please run the following command to update your crewai package:

crewai update

/* Detailed source-code truncated for AI context efficiency. */

from crewai.flow.flow import Flow, listen, start, router, or_
from crewai import Crew, Agent, Task, Process
from pydantic import BaseModel

# Define structured state for precise control
class MarketState(BaseModel):
    sentiment: str = "neutral"
    confidence: float = 0.0
    recommendations: list = []

class AdvancedAnalysisFlow(Flow[MarketState]):
    @start()
    def fetch_market_data(self):
        # Demonstrate low-level control with structured state
        self.state.sentiment = "analyzing"
        return {"sector": "tech", "timeframe": "1W"}  # These parameters match the task description template

    @listen(fetch_market_data)
    def analyze_with_crew(self, market_data):
        # Show crew agency through specialized roles
        analyst = Agent(
            role="Senior Market Analyst",
            goal="Conduct deep market analysis with expert insight",
            backstory="You're a veteran analyst known for identifying subtle market patterns"
        )
        researcher = Agent(
            role="Data Researcher",
            goal="Gather and validate supporting market data",
            backstory="You excel at finding and correlating multiple data sources"
        )

        analysis_task = Task(
            description="Analyze {sector} sector data for the past {timeframe}",
            expected_output="Detailed market analysis with confidence score",
            agent=analyst
        )
        research_task = Task(
            description="Find supporting data to validate the analysis",
            expected_output="Corroborating evidence and potential contradictions",
            agent=researcher
        )

        # Demonstrate crew autonomy
        analysis_crew = Crew(
            agents=[analyst, researcher],
            tasks=[analysis_task, research_task],
            process=Process.sequential,
            verbose=True
        )
        return analysis_crew.kickoff(inputs=market_data)  # Pass market_data as named inputs

    @router(analyze_with_crew)
    def determine_next_steps(self):
        # Show flow control with conditional routing
        if self.state.confidence > 0.8:
            return "high_confidence"
        elif self.state.confidence > 0.5:
            return "medium_confidence"
        return "low_confidence"

    @listen("high_confidence")
    def execute_strategy(self):
        # Demonstrate complex decision making
        strategy_crew = Crew(
            agents=[
                Agent(role="Strategy Expert",
                      goal="Develop optimal market strategy")
            ],
            tasks=[
                Task(description="Create detailed strategy based on analysis",
                     expected_output="Step-by-step action plan")
            ]
        )
        return strategy_crew.kickoff()

    @listen(or_("medium_confidence", "low_confidence"))
    def request_additional_analysis(self):
        self.state.recommendations.append("Gather more data")
        return "Additional analysis required"

This example demonstrates how to:

1. Use Python code for basic data operations
2. Create and execute Crews as steps in your workflow
3. Use Flow decorators to manage the sequence of operations
4. Implement conditional branching based on Crew results

Connecting Your Crew to a Model Copy Chapter

CrewAI supports using various LLMs through a variety of connection options. By default your agents will use the OpenAI API when querying the model. However, there are several other ways to allow your agents to connect to models. For example, you can configure your agents to use a local model via the Ollama tool.

Please refer to the Connect CrewAI to LLMs page for details on configuring your agents' connections to models.

When to Use CrewAI Copy Chapter

Use CrewAI when you need more than a single prompt or chatbot: multi-step work, specialized agents, tool use, structured outputs, human review, or workflows that combine autonomous reasoning with explicit business logic.

CrewAI is especially useful when you want to:

• Coordinate multiple agents with clear roles and tasks.
• Wrap agent work in deterministic, event-driven workflows.
• Keep application logic in regular Python.
• Move from experiment to production without changing frameworks.
• Add tools, memory, checkpointing, and async execution as your system grows.

Contribution Copy Chapter

CrewAI is open-source and we welcome contributions. See
.github/CONTRIBUTING.md for the full setup guide,
branching conventions, and PR checklist.

Quick start:

git clone https://github.com/crewAIInc/crewAI.git
cd crewAI
uv sync --all-groups --all-extras
uv run pre-commit install

# Tests
uv run pytest lib/crewai/tests/ -x -q

# Type checks
uv run mypy lib/

/* Detailed source-code truncated for AI context efficiency. */

uv pip install crewai

For additional tools, use:

uv pip install 'crewai[tools]'

Q: Is CrewAI a standalone framework? Copy Section

A: Yes. CrewAI is a standalone Python framework with its own primitives for agents, tasks, crews, flows, tools, and orchestration.

Q: Can CrewAI handle complex use cases? Copy Section

A: Yes. CrewAI excels at both simple and highly complex real-world scenarios, offering deep customization options at both high and low levels, from internal prompts to sophisticated workflow orchestration.

Q: Can I use CrewAI with local AI models? Copy Section

A: Absolutely! CrewAI supports various language models, including local ones. Tools like Ollama and LM Studio allow seamless integration. Check the LLM Connections documentation for more details.

Q: What makes Crews different from Flows? Copy Section

A: Crews provide autonomous agent collaboration, ideal for tasks requiring flexible decision-making and dynamic interaction. Flows offer precise, event-driven control, ideal for managing detailed execution paths and secure state management. You can seamlessly combine both for maximum effectiveness.

Q: Is CrewAI open-source? Copy Section

A: Yes, CrewAI is open-source and actively encourages community contributions and collaboration.

Q: Does CrewAI collect data from users? Copy Section

A: CrewAI collects anonymous telemetry data strictly for improvement purposes. Sensitive data such as prompts, tasks, or API responses are never collected unless explicitly enabled by the user.

Q: Where can I find real-world CrewAI examples? Copy Section

A: Check out practical examples in the CrewAI-examples repository, covering use cases like trip planners, stock analysis, and job postings.

Q: How can I contribute to CrewAI? Copy Section

A: Contributions are warmly welcomed! Fork the repository, create your branch, implement your changes, and submit a pull request. See .github/CONTRIBUTING.md for detailed guidelines.

Q: What additional features does CrewAI AMP offer? Copy Section

A: CrewAI AMP provides advanced features such as a unified control plane, real-time observability, secure integrations, advanced security, actionable insights, and dedicated 24/7 enterprise support.

Q: Is CrewAI AMP available for cloud and on-premise deployments? Copy Section

A: Yes, CrewAI AMP supports both cloud-based and on-premise deployment options, allowing enterprises to meet their specific security and compliance requirements.

Q: Can I try CrewAI AMP for free? Copy Section

A: Yes, you can explore part of the CrewAI AMP Suite by accessing the Crew Control Plane for free.

Q: Does CrewAI support fine-tuning or training custom models? Copy Section

A: Yes, CrewAI can integrate with custom-trained or fine-tuned models, allowing you to enhance your agents with domain-specific knowledge and accuracy.

Q: Can CrewAI agents interact with external tools and APIs? Copy Section

A: Absolutely! CrewAI agents can easily integrate with external tools, APIs, and databases, empowering them to leverage real-world data and resources.

Q: Is CrewAI suitable for production environments? Copy Section

A: Yes, CrewAI is designed with production-grade patterns that support reliable, stable, and scalable agentic workflows.

Q: How scalable is CrewAI? Copy Section

A: CrewAI is highly scalable, supporting simple automations and large-scale workflows involving numerous agents and complex tasks simultaneously.

Q: Does CrewAI offer debugging and monitoring tools? Copy Section

A: Yes, CrewAI AMP includes advanced debugging, tracing, and real-time observability features, simplifying the management and troubleshooting of your automations.

Q: What programming languages does CrewAI support? Copy Section

A: CrewAI is primarily Python-based but easily integrates with services and APIs written in any programming language through its flexible API integration capabilities.

Q: Does CrewAI offer educational resources for beginners? Copy Section

A: Yes, CrewAI provides extensive beginner-friendly tutorials, courses, and documentation through learn.crewai.com, supporting developers at all skill levels.

Q: Can CrewAI automate human-in-the-loop workflows? Copy Section

A: Yes, CrewAI fully supports human-in-the-loop workflows, allowing seamless collaboration between human experts and AI agents for enhanced decision-making.