Managed Agents API

The Managed Agents API lets Anthropic run the agent loop server-side. You POST a user message; they run the tool loop, manage context, and stream results. You lose control but gain simplicity and durability.

When to Use

• Production agents where you don't want to operate infrastructure
• Long-running agents that span hours/days — server-side compaction handles it
• Multi-client agents (web + mobile + CLI) sharing sessions
• Scaling without worrying about loop-runner uptime

When NOT to Use

• Agents with heavy client-side context (local files, IDE state) — SDK fits better
• You need custom tool-execution environments not exposed by Managed
• Debug-heavy development — self-hosted gives you more visibility

Core Objects