Migrate to Claude Agent SDK

Overview

The Claude Code SDK has been renamed to the Claude Agent SDK and its documentation has been reorganized. This change reflects the SDK's broader capabilities for building AI agents beyond just coding tasks.

What's Changed

Migration Steps

For TypeScript/JavaScript Projects

1. Uninstall the old package:

npm uninstall @anthropic-ai/claude-code

2. Install the new package:

npm install @anthropic-ai/claude-agent-sdk

3. Update your imports:

Change all imports from @anthropic-ai/claude-code to @anthropic-ai/claude-agent-sdk:

// Before
import { query, tool, createSdkMcpServer } from "@anthropic-ai/claude-code";

// After
import {
  query,
  tool,
  createSdkMcpServer,
} from "@anthropic-ai/claude-agent-sdk";

4. Update package.json dependencies:

If you have the package listed in your package.json, update it:

// Before
{
  "dependencies": {
    "@anthropic-ai/claude-code": "^1.0.0"
  }
}

// After
{
  "dependencies": {
    "@anthropic-ai/claude-agent-sdk": "^0.1.0"
  }
}

That's it! No other code changes are required.

For Python Projects

1. Uninstall the old package:

pip uninstall claude-code-sdk

2. Install the new package:

pip install claude-agent-sdk

3. Update your imports:

Change all imports from claude_code_sdk to claude_agent_sdk:

# Before
from claude_code_sdk import query, ClaudeCodeOptions

# After
from claude_agent_sdk import query, ClaudeAgentOptions

4. Update type names:

Change ClaudeCodeOptions to ClaudeAgentOptions:

# Before
from claude_agent_sdk import query, ClaudeCodeOptions

options = ClaudeCodeOptions(
    model="claude-sonnet-4-5"
)

# After
from claude_agent_sdk import query, ClaudeAgentOptions

options = ClaudeAgentOptions(
    model="claude-sonnet-4-5"
)

5. Review breaking changes

Make any code changes needed to complete the migration.

Breaking changes

Python: ClaudeCodeOptions renamed to ClaudeAgentOptions

What changed: The Python SDK type ClaudeCodeOptions has been renamed to ClaudeAgentOptions.

Migration:

# BEFORE (v0.0.x)
from claude_agent_sdk import query, ClaudeCodeOptions

options = ClaudeCodeOptions(
    model="claude-sonnet-4-5",
    permission_mode="acceptEdits"
)

# AFTER (v0.1.0)
from claude_agent_sdk import query, ClaudeAgentOptions

options = ClaudeAgentOptions(
    model="claude-sonnet-4-5",
    permission_mode="acceptEdits"
)

Why this changed: The type name now matches the "Claude Agent SDK" branding and provides consistency across the SDK's naming conventions.

System prompt no longer default

What changed: The SDK no longer uses Claude Code's system prompt by default.

Migration:

// BEFORE (v0.0.x) - Used Claude Code's system prompt by default
const result = query({ prompt: "Hello" });

// AFTER (v0.1.0) - Uses empty system prompt by default
// To get the old behavior, explicitly request Claude Code's preset:
const result = query({
  prompt: "Hello",
  options: {
    systemPrompt: { type: "preset", preset: "claude_code" }
  }
});

// Or use a custom system prompt:
const result = query({
  prompt: "Hello",
  options: {
    systemPrompt: "You are a helpful coding assistant"
  }
});

Why this changed: Provides better control and isolation for SDK applications. You can now build agents with custom behavior without inheriting Claude Code's CLI-focused instructions.

Settings Sources No Longer Loaded by Default

What changed: The SDK no longer reads from filesystem settings (CLAUDE.md, settings.json, slash commands, etc.) by default.

Migration:

// BEFORE (v0.0.x) - Loaded all settings automatically
const result = query({ prompt: "Hello" });
// Would read from:
// - ~/.claude/settings.json (user)
// - .claude/settings.json (project)
// - .claude/settings.local.json (local)
// - CLAUDE.md files
// - Custom slash commands

// AFTER (v0.1.0) - No settings loaded by default
// To get the old behavior:
const result = query({
  prompt: "Hello",
  options: {
    settingSources: ["user", "project", "local"]
  }
});

// Or load only specific sources:
const result = query({
  prompt: "Hello",
  options: {
    settingSources: ["project"]  // Only project settings
  }
});

Why this changed: Ensures SDK applications have predictable behavior independent of local filesystem configurations. This is especially important for:

• CI/CD environments - Consistent behavior without local customizations
• Deployed applications - No dependency on filesystem settings
• Testing - Isolated test environments
• Multi-tenant systems - Prevent settings leakage between users

Why the Rename?

The Claude Code SDK was originally designed for coding tasks, but it has evolved into a powerful framework for building all types of AI agents. The new name "Claude Agent SDK" better reflects its capabilities:

• Building business agents (legal assistants, finance advisors, customer support)
• Creating specialized coding agents (SRE bots, security reviewers, code review agents)
• Developing custom agents for any domain with tool use, MCP integration, and more

Getting Help

If you encounter any issues during migration:

For TypeScript/JavaScript:

1. Check that all imports are updated to use @anthropic-ai/claude-agent-sdk
2. Verify your package.json has the new package name
3. Run npm install to ensure dependencies are updated

For Python:

1. Check that all imports are updated to use claude_agent_sdk
2. Verify your requirements.txt or pyproject.toml has the new package name
3. Run pip install claude-agent-sdk to ensure the package is installed

Next Steps

• Explore the Agent SDK Overview to learn about available features
• Check out the TypeScript SDK Reference for detailed API documentation
• Review the Python SDK Reference for Python-specific documentation
• Learn about Custom Tools and MCP Integration