> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://langchain-5e9cc07a-preview-naomid-1774286607-a0b81f6.mintlify.site/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Comparison with Claude Agent SDK and Codex
> Compare LangChain Deep Agents with Claude Agent SDK and Codex SDK to choose the right tool for your use case
This page helps you understand how [LangChain Deep Agents](/oss/python/deepagents/overview) compare to the [Claude Agent SDK](https://platform.anthropic.com/docs/en/agent-sdk/overview) and the [Codex SDK](https://developers.openai.com/codex/sdk).
## Overview
| Aspect | **LangChain Deep Agents** | **Claude Agent SDK** | **Codex SDK** |
| ---------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------ | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| **Use cases** | Custom general-purpose agents (including coding) | Custom AI coding agents | Prebuilt coding agent that can execute coding tasks |
| **Model support** | Flexible and model-agnostic (Anthropic, OpenAI, and 100s others) | Tightly integrated with Claude models (Anthropic, Azure, Vertex AI, AWS Bedrock) | Tightly integrated with OpenAI models (GPT-5.3-Codex and variants) |
| **Architecture** | Python SDK, TypeScript SDK, and CLI | Python SDK, TypeScript SDK | TypeScript SDK, CLI, desktop app, IDE extension, cloud interface |
| **Execution environment** | Local, remote sandboxes, virtual filesystem | Local | Local, cloud |
| **Deployment** | LangGraph Platform | Self-hosted | N/A |
| **Frontend** | [Integration with React](/oss/python/langchain/streaming/frontend) | Server-side only | Server-side only |
| **Observability** | LangSmith tracing & evaluations | N/A | OpenAI traces & command-line evaluations |
| **Security configurability** | Composable, per-tool human-in-the-loop | Permission system with modes, rules and hooks | Built-in tiers using approval modes and OS-level sandboxes |
| **License** | MIT | MIT (underlying Claude Code is proprietary) | Apache-2.0 |
### Key differences
**LangChain Deep Agents**:
* **Model flexibility**: Swap model providers (Anthropic, OpenAI, or 100+ others) at any time and run evaluations.
* **Long-term memory**: Persist context across sessions and threads with the [Memory Store](/oss/python/deepagents/long-term-memory)
* **Sandbox-as-tool pattern**: Run individual operations in isolated sandboxes from [different providers](/oss/python/deepagents/sandboxes) while the agent runs outside, or run the full agent inside a sandbox
* **Virtual filesystem**: Use pluggable backends (in-memory, disk, durable stores, sandboxes) for context and checkpoint management
* **Production deployment**: Deploy via [LangSmith](/oss/python/langgraph/deploy) or self-host with the Agent Server
* **Observability**: Use [LangSmith](/langsmith/home) for native tracing and debugging
**Claude Agent SDK**:
* **Standardize on Claude**: First-class support for Claude models across Anthropic, Azure, Vertex AI, and AWS Bedrock
* **Custom hosting**: Build your own HTTP/WebSocket layer and run the SDK in containers
* **Hooks**: Easily intercept and control agent behavior
**Codex SDK**:
* **Standardize on OpenAI**: GPT-5.3-Codex and OpenAI-specific tooling
* **OS-level sandbox modes**: Use built-in `read-only`, `workspace-write`, or `danger-full-access` modes
* **MCP server mode**: Expose your agent as an MCP server with `codex mcp-server`
* **Observability**: Use [OpenAI Traces](https://developers.openai.com/codex/guides/agents-sdk/#trace-the-workflow)
## Feature comparison
| Feature | **Deep Agents** | **Claude Agent SDK** | **Codex SDK** |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| | Core tools |
| | | |
| File Read/Write/Edit | ✅ [`read_file`, `write_file`, `edit_file`](/oss/python/deepagents/harness#virtual-filesystem-access) | ✅ [Read, write, edit](https://platform.claude.com/docs/en/agent-sdk/overview#capabilities) | ✅ Read, write, edit |
| Shell Execution | ✅ [`execute`](/oss/python/deepagents/) | ✅ [bash](https://platform.claude.com/docs/en/agent-sdk/overview#capabilities) | ✅ [`exec`](https://developers.openai.com/codex/cli/features#scripting-codex) |
| Glob/Grep | ✅ [`glob`, `grep`](/oss/python/deepagents/harness#virtual-filesystem-access) | ✅ [glob, grep](https://platform.claude.com/docs/en/agent-sdk/overview#capabilities) | ✅ Built-in |
| Web Search | ✅ support for [third-party](/oss/python/deepagents/customization#tools) and [provider-native](/oss/python/integrations/chat/openai#web-search) | ✅ [WebSearch, WebFetch](https://platform.claude.com/docs/en/agent-sdk/overview#capabilities) | ✅ [`web_search`](https://developers.openai.com/codex/cli/features#web-search) |
| Planning/Todos | ✅ [`write_todos`](/oss/python/deepagents/harness#planning-capabilities) | ✅ [Todo lists](https://platform.claude.com/docs/en/agent-sdk/todo-tracking) | ✅ [Plan before changes](https://developers.openai.com/codex/cli/features) |
| Subagents | ✅ [Subagents](/oss/python/deepagents/subagents) | ✅ [Subagents](https://platform.claude.com/docs/en/agent-sdk/subagents) | ✅ [Multi-agent workflows](https://developers.openai.com/codex/concepts/multi-agents) (experimental) via MCP + Agents SDK |
| MCP Client | ✅ | ✅ [MCP](https://platform.claude.com/docs/en/agent-sdk/mcp) | ✅ [MCP client](https://developers.openai.com/codex/mcp) |
| Human-in-the-Loop | ✅ [Approve/edit/reject](/oss/python/deepagents/human-in-the-loop#decision-types) | ✅ [Permission modes](https://platform.claude.com/docs/en/agent-sdk/permissions) | ✅ [Approval modes](https://developers.openai.com/codex/cli/features#approval-modes) (Full Access, Read-only, Auto) |
| Skills System | ✅ [Skills](/oss/python/deepagents/skills) | ✅ [Skills](https://platform.claude.com/docs/en/agent-sdk/skills) | ✅ [Skills](https://developers.openai.com/codex/skills) |
| Additional instructions | ✅ [Memory](/oss/python/deepagents/customization#memory) | ✅ [CLAUDE.md files](https://platform.claude.com/docs/en/agent-sdk/modifying-system-prompts#method-1-claude-md-files-project-level-instructions) | ✅ [AGENTS.md](https://developers.openai.com/codex/guides/agents-md) |
| Long-term memory | ✅ [Memory Store](/oss/python/deepagents/long-term-memory) | ❌ | ❌ |
| Streaming | ✅ [Streaming](/oss/python/deepagents/streaming/overview) | ✅ [Streaming](https://platform.claude.com/docs/en/agent-sdk/streaming-output) | ✅ [Streaming](https://github.com/openai/codex/blob/main/sdk/typescript/README.md#streaming-responses) |
| | Sandbox Integrations |
| | | |
| Agent runs in sandbox | ✅ [Can run in sandbox](/oss/python/deepagents/sandboxes#agent-in-sandbox-pattern) | ✅ [Can run in sandbox](https://platform.claude.com/docs/en/agent-sdk/hosting) | ✅ [Can run in sandbox](https://developers.openai.com/codex/security#os-level-sandbox) |
| Agent runs operations in sandboxes | ✅ [Uses sandboxes as tools](/oss/python/deepagents/sandboxes#sandbox-as-tool-pattern) | ❌ | ❌ |
| OS-level sandbox modes | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ `read-only`, `workspace-write`, and `danger-full-access` |
| | Architecture |
| | | |
| Composable Middleware | ✅ | ✅ [Hooks](https://platform.claude.com/docs/en/agent-sdk/hooks) | ❌ |
| Virtual Filesystems | ✅ [Virtual filesystem](/oss/python/deepagents/harness#virtual-filesystem-access) with [pluggable backends](/oss/python/deepagents/backends) | ❌ | ❌ |
| | Deployment |
| | | |
| Production hosting | ✅ [LangGraph Platform](/oss/python/langgraph/deploy), self-hosted, or standalone | Build your own HTTP/WebSocket layer; run SDK in [containers](https://platform.anthropic.com/docs/en/agent-sdk/hosting) | ❌ |
| Local execution environment | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Cloud execution environment | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ |
| | Supported protocols |
| | | |
| ACP server (IDE integration) | ✅ [ACP server](/oss/python/deepagents/acp) | ✅ (third-party) | ✅ (third-party) |
| MCP server mode | [MCP endpoint through Agent Server](/langsmith/server-mcp) | ❌ | ✅ [`codex mcp-server`](https://developers.openai.com/codex/guides/agents-sdk) |
| A2A endpoint | ✅ [A2A endpoint in Agent Server](https://docs.langchain.com/langsmith/server-a2a#a2a-endpoint-in-agent-server) | ✅ | ❌ |
| | State management |
| | | |
| Session Resume | ✅ | ✅ [Session management](https://platform.claude.com/docs/en/agent-sdk/sessions) | ✅ [Resume threads](https://developers.openai.com/codex/cli/features#resuming-conversations); SDK `resumeThread()` |
| File Checkpointing | ✅ [Backends and checkpoints](/oss/python/deepagents/backends#built-in-backends) | ✅ [File checkpointing](https://platform.claude.com/docs/en/agent-sdk/file-checkpointing) | ✅ [Git checkpoints](https://developers.openai.com/codex/config-basic) |
| Time Travel (state branching) | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| | Observability |
| | | |
| Native Tracing | ✅ [LangSmith](/langsmith/home) | ❌ | ✅ [OpenAI Traces](https://developers.openai.com/codex/guides/agents-sdk/#trace-the-workflow) |
| Evaluations | ✅ [LangSmith](/langsmith/evaluation-concepts) | ❌ | [Evals patterns](https://developers.openai.com/blog/eval-skills) (Command-line with `codex exec --json`) |
## Notice a mistake?
We drafted this comparison on March 4th, 2026.
If you notice mistakes or changes in products, please [file an issue](https://github.com/langchain-ai/docs/issues).
***
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