# ClaudeCode - DSPy Module for Claude Code SDK

A DSPy module that wraps the Claude Code Python SDK with a signature-driven interface. Each agent instance maintains a stateful conversation session, making it perfect for multi-turn agentic workflows.

Reference to the original Claude Agent Python SDK: [Claude Agent Python SDK](https://platform.claude.com/docs/en/agent-sdk/python)

## Features

- **Signature-driven** - Use DSPy signatures for type safety and clarity
- **Stateful sessions** - Each agent instance = one conversation session
- **Smart schema handling** - Automatically handles str vs Pydantic outputs
- **Rich outputs** - Get typed results + execution trace + token usage
- **Multi-turn conversations** - Context preserved across calls
- **Enhanced prompts** - Automatically includes signature docstrings + InputField/OutputField descriptions for better context
- **Async support** - Both sync and async execution modes
- **Modaic Hub Integration** - Push and pull agents from Modaic Hub

## Installation

```bash
# install with uv
uv add claude-agent-sdk dspy modaic nest-asyncio
```

**Prerequisites:**
- Python 3.10+
- Anthropic API key set in `ANTHROPIC_API_KEY` environment variable

**Note:** The Claude Code CLI is automatically bundled with the `claude-agent-sdk` package - no separate installation required! The SDK uses the bundled CLI by default. If you prefer to use a system-wide installation or a specific version:
- Install separately: `curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash`
- Specify custom path: `ClaudeAgentOptions(cli_path="/path/to/claude")`

## Quick Start with Modaic Hub (Recommended)

The fastest way to use ClaudeCode is to pull a pre-configured agent from Modaic Hub.

### 1. Set up environment

```bash
# copy the example file
cp .env.example .env

# edit .env with your keys
ANTHROPIC_API_KEY="<YOUR_ANTHROPIC_API_KEY>"
MODAIC_TOKEN="<YOUR_MODAIC_TOKEN>"  # Optional, for pushing to hub
```

### 2. Load from Modaic Hub

```python
from modaic import AutoProgram
from pydantic import BaseModel
import dspy

class FileList(BaseModel):
    files: list[str]

class FileSignature(dspy.Signature):
    message: str = dspy.InputField(desc="Request to process")
    output: FileList = dspy.OutputField(desc="List of files")

# Load pre-compiled agent from hub
# Note: Only model is set via config, other params are kwargs
agent = AutoProgram.from_precompiled(
    "farouk1/claude-code",
    signature=FileSignature,
    working_directory=".",
)

# Use it!
result = agent(message="List Python files here")
print(result.output.files)  # Typed access
print(result.usage)         # Token usage
```

### 3. Override Config Options

```python
from modaic import AutoProgram
import dspy

class MySignature(dspy.Signature):
    message: str = dspy.InputField(desc="Request to process")
    answer: str = dspy.OutputField(desc="Response")

# Load with custom configuration
# Model comes from config, other params are kwargs
agent = AutoProgram.from_precompiled(
    "farouk1/claude-code",
    config={"model": "claude-opus-4-5-20251101"},
    signature=MySignature,
    working_directory=".",
    permission_mode="acceptEdits",
    allowed_tools=["Read", "Write", "Bash"],
)
```

## Local Development

For local development and hacking on this project:

### Basic String Output

```python
from claude_dspy import ClaudeCode, ClaudeCodeConfig

# create config
config = ClaudeCodeConfig()

# create agent
agent = ClaudeCode(
    config,
    signature="message:str -> answer:str",
    working_directory="."
)

# use it
result = agent(message="What files are in this directory?")
print(result.answer)  # String response
print(result.trace)   # Execution items
print(result.usage)   # Token counts
```

### Structured Output with Pydantic

```python
from claude_dspy import ClaudeCode, ClaudeCodeConfig
from pydantic import BaseModel, Field

class BugReport(BaseModel):
    severity: str = Field(description="critical, high, medium, or low")
    description: str
    affected_files: list[str]

# Create config with Pydantic output
config = ClaudeCodeConfig()

agent = ClaudeCode(
    config,
    signature="message:str -> report:BugReport",
    working_directory="."
)

result = agent(message="Analyze the bug in error.log")
print(result.report.severity)       # Typed access!
print(result.report.affected_files)
```

### Push to Modaic Hub

```python
from claude_dspy import ClaudeCode, ClaudeCodeConfig

# Create your agent
config = ClaudeCodeConfig(model="claude-opus-4-5-20251101")

agent = ClaudeCode(
    config,
    signature="message:str -> answer:str",
    working_directory=".",
    permission_mode="acceptEdits",
)

# Test it locally
result = agent(message="Test my agent")
print(result.answer)

# Push to Modaic Hub
agent.push_to_hub("{USERNAME}/your-agent-name")
```

## API Reference

### ClaudeCodeConfig

Configuration object for ClaudeCode agents.

```python
class ClaudeCodeConfig:
    def __init__(
        self,
        model: str = "claude-opus-4-5-20251101",  # Default model
    )
```

**Parameters:**

- **`model`** - Claude model to use (default: `"claude-opus-4-5-20251101"`)

**Important:** `ClaudeCodeConfig` only contains the model. All other parameters (`signature`, `working_directory`, `permission_mode`, `allowed_tools`, etc.) are passed as keyword arguments to `ClaudeCode.__init__()` or `AutoProgram.from_precompiled()`, not through the config object.

### ClaudeCode

Main agent class.

```python
class ClaudeCode(PrecompiledProgram):
    def __init__(
        self,
        config: ClaudeCodeConfig,
        **kwargs,
    )
```

**Parameters:**

**Core Configuration:**
- **`config`** - ClaudeCodeConfig instance with model configuration
- **`signature`** (required) - DSPy signature defining input/output fields (must have exactly 1 input and 1 output)
- **`working_directory`** - Directory where Claude will execute commands (default: `"."`)
- **`permission_mode`** - Permission mode: `"default"`, `"acceptEdits"`, `"plan"`, `"bypassPermissions"`
- **`allowed_tools`** - List of allowed tool names (e.g., `["Read", "Write", "Bash", "Glob", "Grep"]`). See [Available Tools](#available-tools) section for complete list.
- **`disallowed_tools`** - List of disallowed tool names
- **`sandbox`** - Sandbox configuration dict. See [SDK docs](https://platform.claude.com/docs/en/agent-sdk/python#sandboxsettings) for details.
- **`system_prompt`** - Custom system prompt or preset config
- **`api_key`** - Anthropic API key (falls back to `ANTHROPIC_API_KEY` env var)

**MCP Servers:**
- **`mcp_servers`** - MCP server configurations for custom tools. See [MCP section](#using-mcp-servers) below.

**Session Management:**
- **`continue_conversation`** - Continue the most recent conversation (default: `False`)
- **`resume`** - Session ID to resume from a previous session
- **`max_turns`** - Maximum number of conversation turns
- **`fork_session`** - Fork to a new session when resuming (default: `False`)

**Advanced Options:**
- **`permission_prompt_tool_name`** - MCP tool name for permission prompts
- **`settings`** - Path to custom settings file
- **`add_dirs`** - Additional directories Claude can access
- **`env`** - Environment variables to pass to Claude Code
- **`extra_args`** - Additional CLI arguments
- **`max_buffer_size`** - Maximum bytes when buffering CLI stdout
- **`cli_path`** - Custom path to Claude Code CLI executable

**Callbacks and Hooks:**
- **`stderr`** - Callback function for stderr output: `Callable[[str], None]`
- **`can_use_tool`** - Permission callback for tool usage control
- **`hooks`** - Hook configurations for intercepting events. See [SDK docs](https://platform.claude.com/docs/en/agent-sdk/python#hook-types) for details.

**User and Settings:**
- **`user`** - User identifier
- **`include_partial_messages`** - Include partial message streaming events (default: `False`)
- **`setting_sources`** - Which settings to load: `["user", "project", "local"]`

**Subagents and Plugins:**
- **`agents`** - Programmatically defined subagents
- **`plugins`** - Custom plugins to load

#### Methods

##### `__call__(**kwargs) -> Prediction` (or `forward`)

Execute the agent with an input message.

**Arguments:**
- `**kwargs` - Must contain the input field specified in signature

**Returns:**
- `Prediction` object with:
  - **Typed output field** - Named according to signature (e.g., `result.answer`)
  - **`trace`** - `list[TraceItem]` - Execution trace
  - **`usage`** - `Usage` - Token usage statistics

**Example:**
```python
config = ClaudeCodeConfig()
agent = ClaudeCode(
    config,
    signature="message:str -> answer:str",
    working_directory="."
)

result = agent(message="Hello")
print(result.answer)     # Access typed output
print(result.trace)      # List of execution items
print(result.usage)      # Token usage stats
```

##### `push_to_hub(repo_id: str) -> None`

Push the agent to Modaic Hub.

**Arguments:**
- `repo_id` - Repository ID in format "username/repo-name"

**Example:**
```python
agent.push_to_hub("your-username/your-agent")
```

##### `aforward(**kwargs) -> Prediction`

Async version of `__call__()` for use in async contexts.

**Example:**
```python
async def main():
    config = ClaudeCodeConfig()
    agent = ClaudeCode(
        config,
        signature="message:str -> answer:str",
        working_directory="."
    )
    result = await agent.aforward(message="Hello")
    print(result.answer)
```

#### Properties

##### `session_id: Optional[str]`

Get the session ID for this agent instance.

- Returns `None` until first call
- Persists across multiple calls
- Useful for debugging and logging

**Example:**
```python
config = ClaudeCodeConfig()
agent = ClaudeCode(
    config,
    signature="message:str -> answer:str",
    working_directory="."
)

print(agent.session_id)  # None

result = agent(message="Hello")
print(agent.session_id)  # 'eb1b2f39-e04c-4506-9398-b50053b1fd83'
```

##### `config: ClaudeCodeConfig`

Access to the agent's configuration (model only).

```python
print(agent.config.model)  # 'claude-opus-4-5-20251101'
```

**Note:** Only the `model` is stored in config. Other parameters like `working_directory`, `permission_mode`, and `allowed_tools` are instance attributes, not config properties.

## Key Implementation Details

### Config vs Kwargs

The `ClaudeCodeConfig` **only** contains the `model` parameter. All other configuration options are passed as keyword arguments:

```python
from claude_dspy import ClaudeCode, ClaudeCodeConfig

# Config contains ONLY the model
config = ClaudeCodeConfig(model="claude-opus-4-5-20251101")

# All other params are kwargs
agent = ClaudeCode(
    config,                              # Config with model
    signature="message:str -> answer:str",  # Kwarg
    working_directory=".",               # Kwarg
    permission_mode="acceptEdits",       # Kwarg
    allowed_tools=["Read", "Write", "Bash"],  # Kwarg
)
```

### AutoProgram.from_precompiled

When loading from Modaic Hub, the same pattern applies:

```python
from modaic import AutoProgram
from claude_dspy import ClaudeCodeConfig
import dspy

class MySignature(dspy.Signature):
    message: str = dspy.InputField(desc="Request")
    answer: str = dspy.OutputField(desc="Response")

# Option 1: Use default model (no config needed)
agent = AutoProgram.from_precompiled(
    "farouk1/claude-code",
    signature=MySignature,               # Kwarg
    working_directory=".",               # Kwarg
    permission_mode="acceptEdits",       # Kwarg
    allowed_tools=["Read", "Write", "Bash"],  # Kwarg
)

# Option 2: Override model via config
config = ClaudeCodeConfig(model="claude-opus-4-5-20251101")
agent = AutoProgram.from_precompiled(
    "farouk1/claude-code",
    config=config,                       # Config with model
    signature=MySignature,               # Kwarg
    working_directory=".",               # Kwarg
    permission_mode="acceptEdits",       # Kwarg
    allowed_tools=["Read", "Write", "Bash"],  # Kwarg
)
```

### Available Tools

The `allowed_tools` parameter accepts any valid Claude Code tool name:

**File Operations:**
- `"Read"` - Read files and directories
- `"Write"` - Write and create files
- `"Edit"` - Edit existing files

**Command Execution:**
- `"Bash"` - Execute bash commands

**Code Search:**
- `"Glob"` - Search for files by pattern
- `"Grep"` - Search file contents

**Web Tools:**
- `"WebSearch"` - Search the web
- `"WebFetch"` - Fetch web content

**Other Tools:**
- `"NotebookEdit"` - Edit Jupyter notebooks
- And other Claude Code tools...

## Advanced Features

### Using MCP Servers

MCP (Model Context Protocol) servers allow you to add custom tools to Claude. The SDK supports creating in-process MCP servers with custom tools.

```python
from claude_dspy import ClaudeCode, ClaudeCodeConfig
from claude_agent_sdk import tool, create_sdk_mcp_server
from typing import Any
import dspy

# Define custom tools with @tool decorator
@tool("calculate", "Perform mathematical calculations", {"expression": str})
async def calculate(args: dict[str, Any]) -> dict[str, Any]:
    try:
        result = eval(args["expression"], {"__builtins__": {}})
        return {
            "content": [{"type": "text", "text": f"Result: {result}"}]
        }
    except Exception as e:
        return {
            "content": [{"type": "text", "text": f"Error: {str(e)}"}],
            "is_error": True
        }

# Create MCP server
calculator_server = create_sdk_mcp_server(
    name="calculator",
    version="1.0.0",
    tools=[calculate]
)

# Use with ClaudeCode
config = ClaudeCodeConfig()
agent = ClaudeCode(
    config,
    signature="message:str -> answer:str",
    working_directory=".",
    mcp_servers={"calc": calculator_server},
    allowed_tools=["mcp__calc__calculate"]  # MCP tools are prefixed with "mcp__<server>__<tool>"
)

result = agent(message="Calculate 123 * 456")
print(result.answer)
```

### Session Management

Resume and continue conversations from previous sessions:

```python
from claude_dspy import ClaudeCode, ClaudeCodeConfig

config = ClaudeCodeConfig()

# First conversation
agent1 = ClaudeCode(
    config,
    signature="message:str -> answer:str",
    working_directory="."
)
result1 = agent1(message="Create a file called notes.txt")
session_id = agent1.session_id
print(f"Session ID: {session_id}")

# Resume the same conversation later
agent2 = ClaudeCode(
    config,
    signature="message:str -> answer:str",
    working_directory=".",
    resume=session_id  # Resume from session ID
)
result2 = agent2(message="What file did we just create?")
print(result2.answer)  # Claude remembers the previous context!
```

### Using Hooks

Intercept and modify tool execution with hooks:

```python
from claude_dspy import ClaudeCode, ClaudeCodeConfig
from typing import Any

async def pre_tool_logger(input_data: dict[str, Any], tool_use_id: str | None, context: Any) -> dict[str, Any]:
    """Log all tool usage before execution."""
    tool_name = input_data.get('tool_name', 'unknown')
    print(f"About to use tool: {tool_name}")

    # Block dangerous commands
    if tool_name == "Bash" and "rm -rf /" in str(input_data.get('tool_input', {})):
        return {
            'hookSpecificOutput': {
                'hookEventName': 'PreToolUse',
                'permissionDecision': 'deny',
                'permissionDecisionReason': 'Dangerous command blocked'
            }
        }
    return {}

config = ClaudeCodeConfig()
agent = ClaudeCode(
    config,
    signature="message:str -> answer:str",
    working_directory=".",
    hooks={
        'PreToolUse': [
            {'matcher': 'Bash', 'hooks': [pre_tool_logger]}
        ]
    },
    allowed_tools=["Read", "Write", "Bash"]
)

result = agent(message="List files in this directory")
```

### Loading Project Settings

Control which filesystem settings to load:

```python
from claude_dspy import ClaudeCode, ClaudeCodeConfig

config = ClaudeCodeConfig()

# Load only project settings (e.g., CLAUDE.md files)
agent = ClaudeCode(
    config,
    signature="message:str -> answer:str",
    working_directory=".",
    system_prompt={
        "type": "preset",
        "preset": "claude_code"
    },
    setting_sources=["project"],  # Load .claude/settings.json and CLAUDE.md
    allowed_tools=["Read", "Write"]
)

result = agent(message="Add a feature following project conventions")
```

## Usage Patterns

### Pattern 1: Multi-turn Conversation

Each agent instance maintains a stateful session:

```python
from claude_dspy import ClaudeCode, ClaudeCodeConfig

config = ClaudeCodeConfig()
agent = ClaudeCode(
    config,
    signature="message:str -> answer:str",
    working_directory=".",
)

# Turn 1
result1 = agent(message="What's the main bug?")
print(result1.answer)

# Turn 2 - has context from Turn 1
result2 = agent(message="How do we fix it?")
print(result2.answer)

# Turn 3 - has context from Turn 1 + 2
result3 = agent(message="Write tests for the fix")
print(result3.answer)

# All use same session_id
print(agent.session_id)
```

### Pattern 2: Fresh Context

Want a new conversation? Create a new agent:

```python
from claude_dspy import ClaudeCode, ClaudeCodeConfig

config = ClaudeCodeConfig()

# Agent 1 - Task A
agent1 = ClaudeCode(
    config,
    signature="message:str -> answer:str",
    working_directory=".",
)
result1 = agent1(message="Analyze bug in module A")

# Agent 2 - Task B (no context from Agent 1)
agent2 = ClaudeCode(
    config,
    signature="message:str -> answer:str",
    working_directory=".",
)
result2 = agent2(message="Analyze bug in module B")
```

### Pattern 3: Field Descriptions for Enhanced Context

Enhance prompts with signature docstrings and field descriptions - all automatically included in the prompt:

```python
import dspy
from claude_dspy import ClaudeCode, ClaudeCodeConfig

class MySignature(dspy.Signature):
    """Analyze code architecture."""  # Used as task description

    message: str = dspy.InputField(
        desc="Request to process"  # Provides input context
    )
    analysis: str = dspy.OutputField(
        desc="A detailed markdown report with sections: "
        "1) Architecture overview, 2) Key components, 3) Dependencies"  # Guides output format
    )

config = ClaudeCodeConfig()
agent = ClaudeCode(
    config,
    signature=MySignature,
    working_directory=".",
)
result = agent(message="Analyze this codebase")

# The prompt sent to Claude will include:
# 1. Task: "Analyze code architecture." (from docstring)
# 2. Input context: "Request to process" (from InputField desc)
# 3. Your message: "Analyze this codebase"
# 4. Output guidance: "Please produce the following output: A detailed markdown report..." (from OutputField desc)
```

### Pattern 4: Inspecting Execution Trace

Access detailed execution information:

```python
from claude_dspy import ClaudeCode, ClaudeCodeConfig, ToolUseItem, ToolResultItem

config = ClaudeCodeConfig()
agent = ClaudeCode(
    config,
    signature="message:str -> answer:str",
    working_directory=".",
)

result = agent(message="Fix the bug")

# Filter trace by type
tool_uses = [item for item in result.trace if isinstance(item, ToolUseItem)]
for tool in tool_uses:
    print(f"Tool: {tool.tool_name}")
    print(f"Input: {tool.tool_input}")

tool_results = [item for item in result.trace if isinstance(item, ToolResultItem)]
for result_item in tool_results:
    print(f"Result: {result_item.content}")
    print(f"Error: {result_item.is_error}")
```

### Pattern 5: Token Usage Tracking

Monitor API usage:

```python
result = agent(message="...")

print(f"Input tokens: {result.usage.input_tokens}")
print(f"Cached tokens: {result.usage.cached_input_tokens}")
print(f"Output tokens: {result.usage.output_tokens}")
print(f"Total: {result.usage.total_tokens}")
```

### Pattern 6: Safe Execution with Permissions

Control what the agent can do:

```python
from claude_dspy import ClaudeCode, ClaudeCodeConfig

# Read-only (safest)
config = ClaudeCodeConfig()
agent = ClaudeCode(
    config,
    signature="message:str -> answer:str",
    working_directory=".",
    permission_mode="default",
    allowed_tools=["Read"],  # Only allow reading files
)

# Auto-accept file edits
config = ClaudeCodeConfig(model="claude-opus-4-5-20251101")
agent = ClaudeCode(
    config,
    signature="message:str -> answer:str",
    working_directory=".",
    permission_mode="acceptEdits",
    allowed_tools=["Read", "Write"],  # Allow reading and writing
)

# Full permissions with command execution
config = ClaudeCodeConfig()
agent = ClaudeCode(
    config,
    signature="message:str -> answer:str",
    working_directory=".",
    permission_mode="acceptEdits",
    allowed_tools=["Read", "Write", "Bash"],  # All tools enabled
)
```

## Advanced Examples

### Example 1: Code Review Agent

```python
from pydantic import BaseModel, Field
from claude_dspy import ClaudeCode, ClaudeCodeConfig

class CodeReview(BaseModel):
    summary: str = Field(description="High-level summary")
    issues: list[str] = Field(description="List of issues found")
    severity: str = Field(description="critical, high, medium, or low")
    recommendations: list[str] = Field(description="Actionable recommendations")

config = ClaudeCodeConfig(model="claude-opus-4-5-20251101")
agent = ClaudeCode(
    config,
    signature="message:str -> review:CodeReview",
    working_directory="/path/to/project",
    permission_mode="default",
    allowed_tools=["Read"],  # Read-only for code review
)

result = agent(message="Review the changes in src/main.py")

print(f"Severity: {result.review.severity}")
for issue in result.review.issues:
    print(f"- {issue}")
```

### Example 2: Iterative Debugging

```python
from claude_dspy import ClaudeCode, ClaudeCodeConfig

config = ClaudeCodeConfig()
agent = ClaudeCode(
    config,
    signature="message:str -> response:str",
    working_directory=".",
    permission_mode="acceptEdits",
    allowed_tools=["Read", "Write", "Bash"],
)

# Turn 1: Find the bug
result1 = agent(message="Find the bug in src/calculator.py")
print(result1.response)

# Turn 2: Propose a fix
result2 = agent(message="What's the best way to fix it?")
print(result2.response)

# Turn 3: Implement the fix
result3 = agent(message="Implement the fix")
print(result3.response)

# Turn 4: Write tests
result4 = agent(message="Write tests for the fix")
print(result4.response)
```

### Example 3: Async Usage

```python
import asyncio
from claude_dspy import ClaudeCode, ClaudeCodeConfig

async def main():
    config = ClaudeCodeConfig()
    agent = ClaudeCode(
        config,
        signature="message:str -> answer:str",
        working_directory=".",
    )

    # Use aforward in async context
    result = await agent.aforward(message="Analyze this code")
    print(result.answer)

    # Cleanup
    await agent.disconnect()

asyncio.run(main())
```

## Trace Item Types

When accessing `result.trace`, you'll see various item types:

| Type | Fields | Description |
|------|--------|-------------|
| `AgentMessageItem` | `text`, `model` | Agent's text response |
| `ThinkingItem` | `text`, `model` | Agent's internal reasoning |
| `ToolUseItem` | `tool_name`, `tool_input`, `tool_use_id` | Tool invocation |
| `ToolResultItem` | `tool_name`, `tool_use_id`, `content`, `is_error` | Tool result |
| `ErrorItem` | `message`, `error_type` | Error that occurred |

## How It Works

### Signature � Claude Flow

```
1. Define signature: 'message:str -> answer:str'

2. ClaudeCode validates (must have 1 input, 1 output)

3. __init__ creates ClaudeSDKClient with options

4. forward(message="...") extracts message

5. If output field has desc � append to message

6. If output type ` str � generate JSON schema

7. Call client.query(message) with optional output_format

8. Iterate through receive_response(), collect messages

9. Parse response (JSON if Pydantic, str otherwise)

10. Return Prediction(output=..., trace=..., usage=...)
```

### Output Type Handling

**String output:**
```python
sig = dspy.Signature('message:str -> answer:str')
# No schema passed to Claude Code
# Response used as-is
```

**Pydantic output:**
```python
sig = dspy.Signature('message:str -> report:BugReport')
# JSON schema generated from BugReport
# Schema passed to Claude Code via output_format
# Response parsed with BugReport.model_validate_json()
```

### Prompt Building

ClaudeCode automatically builds rich prompts from your signature to provide maximum context to Claude:

```python
class MySignature(dspy.Signature):
    """Analyze code quality."""  # 1. Task description

    message: str = dspy.InputField(
        desc="Path to file or module"  # 2. Input context
    )
    report: str = dspy.OutputField(
        desc="Markdown report with issues and recommendations"  # 3. Output guidance
    )

config = ClaudeCodeConfig()
agent = ClaudeCode(
    config,
    signature=MySignature,
    working_directory="."
)
result = agent(message="Analyze src/main.py")  # 4. Your actual input
```

**The final prompt sent to Claude:**
```
Task: Analyze code quality.

Input context: Path to file or module

Analyze src/main.py

Please produce the following output: Markdown report with issues and recommendations
```

This automatic context enhancement helps Claude better understand:
- **What** the overall task is (docstring)
- **What** the input represents (InputField desc)
- **What** format the output should have (OutputField desc)

## Troubleshooting

### Error: "ClaudeCode requires exactly 1 input field"

Your signature has too many or too few fields. ClaudeCode expects exactly one input and one output:

```python
# L Wrong - multiple inputs
sig = dspy.Signature('context:str, question:str -> answer:str')

# Correct - single input
sig = dspy.Signature('message:str -> answer:str')
```

### Error: "Failed to parse Claude response as MyModel"

The model returned JSON that doesn't match your Pydantic schema. Check:
1. Schema is valid and clear
2. Field descriptions are helpful
3. Model has enough context to generate correct structure

### Error: "Claude Code CLI not found"

Install Claude Code CLI:
```bash
# Visit code.claude.com for installation instructions
# or use npm:
npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code
```

### Async event loop issues

Use `aforward()` when already in an async context:

```python
# L Don't do this in async context
async def main():
    result = agent(message="...")  # Can cause issues

#  Do this instead
async def main():
    result = await agent.aforward(message="...")
```

## Design Philosophy

### Why 1 input, 1 output?

ClaudeCode is designed for conversational agentic workflows. The input is always a message/prompt, and the output is always a response. This keeps the interface simple and predictable.

For complex inputs, compose them into the message:

```python
# Instead of: 'context:str, question:str -> answer:str'
message = f"Context: {context}\n\nQuestion: {question}"
result = agent(message=message)
```

### Why stateful sessions?

Agents often need multi-turn context (e.g., "fix the bug" � "write tests for it"). Stateful sessions make this natural without manual history management.

Want fresh context? Create a new agent instance.

### Why return trace + usage?

Observability is critical for agentic systems. You need to know:
- What tools were used
- What the agent was thinking
- How many tokens were consumed
- If any errors occurred

The trace provides full visibility into agent execution.

## Comparison with CodexAgent

| Feature | CodexAgent | ClaudeCode |
|---------|-----------|-------------|
| SDK | OpenAI Codex SDK | Claude Code Python SDK |
| Thread management | Built-in thread ID | Session-based (ClaudeSDKClient) |
| Streaming | Yes | Yes (via receive_response) |
| Async support | No | Yes (aforward) |
| Tool types | Codex-specific | Claude Code tools (Bash, Read, Write, etc.) |
| Sandbox | Simple mode enum | Detailed config dict |
| Permission control | Sandbox modes | Permission modes + allowed_tools |
| Configuration | Direct parameters | Config object (ClaudeCodeConfig) |

## Examples Directory

Check out the `examples/` directory for more:

- `basic_string_output.py` - Simple string output
- `pydantic_output.py` - Structured Pydantic output
- `multi_turn_conversation.py` - Multi-turn conversation
- `output_field_description.py` - Using output field descriptions
- `inspect_trace.py` - Inspecting execution trace
- `code_review_agent.py` - Advanced code review agent

## Contributing

Issues and PRs welcome! This is an implementation of Claude Code SDK integration with DSPy.

## License

See LICENSE file.

## Related Documentation

- [Claude Agent SDK - Python Reference](https://platform.claude.com/docs/en/agent-sdk/python) - Complete SDK API reference
- [Claude Agent SDK - Overview](https://platform.claude.com/docs/en/agent-sdk/overview) - SDK concepts and guides
- [DSPy Documentation](https://dspy-docs.vercel.app/) - DSPy framework documentation
- [Claude Code CLI](https://code.claude.com) - Claude Code command-line interface

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**Note:** This is a community implementation of Claude Code SDK integration with DSPy, inspired by the CodexAgent design pattern.