Quick Start

Get your first Shuttl agent running in under 5 minutes.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have:

• Node.js 18+ or Python 3.9+
• An OpenAI API key (or another supported LLM provider)
• A terminal and your favorite code editor

Step 1: Install the SDK

=== "TypeScript"

```bash
# Create a new project
mkdir my-agent && cd my-agent
npm init -y

# Install Shuttl
npm install @shuttl-io/core typescript ts-node @types/node

# Initialize TypeScript
npx tsc --init
```

=== "Python"

```bash
# Create a new project
mkdir my-agent && cd my-agent

# Create virtual environment
python -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate  # On Windows: .venv\Scripts\activate

# Install Shuttl
pip install shuttl
```

Step 2: Install the CLI

The Shuttl CLI provides development tools and deployment capabilities.

# Download for your platform
curl -fsSL https://shuttl.io/install.sh | bash

# Verify installation
shuttl version

Or download directly from GitHub Releases.

Step 3: Create Your Agent

=== "TypeScript"

Create `agent.ts`:

```typescript
import { Agent, Model, Secret, Schema } from "@shuttl-io/core";

// Define a simple tool
const greetTool = {
    name: "greet",
    description: "Generate a personalized greeting",
    schema: Schema.objectValue({
        name: Schema.stringValue("The person's name").isRequired(),
        style: Schema.enumValue("Greeting style", ["formal", "casual", "enthusiastic"])
            .defaultTo("casual"),
    }),
    execute: async (args: Record<string, unknown>) => {
        const { name, style } = args;
        const greetings = {
            formal: `Good day, ${name}. How may I assist you?`,
            casual: `Hey ${name}! What's up?`,
            enthusiastic: `${name}!!! So great to see you! 🎉`,
        };
        return { greeting: greetings[style as keyof typeof greetings] };
    },
};

// Create the agent
export const greeterAgent = new Agent({
    name: "GreeterAgent",
    systemPrompt: `You are a friendly greeter. Use the greet tool to 
    welcome users based on their preferences.`,
    model: Model.openAI("gpt-4", Secret.fromEnv("OPENAI_API_KEY")),
    tools: [greetTool],
});
```

=== "Python"

Create `agent.py`:

```python
import jsii
from shuttl.core import App, StdInServer, Agent, Model, Secret
from shuttl.core.tools import ITool, ToolArg


@jsii.implements(ITool)
class GreetTool:
    """A tool that generates personalized greetings.
    
    Note: JSII interfaces must be implemented using the @jsii.implements
    decorator, not by inheriting from the interface directly.
    See: https://aws.github.io/jsii/user-guides/lib-user/language-specific/python/
    """
    
    def __init__(self):
        self._name = "greet"
        self._description = "Generate a personalized greeting"
    
    @property
    def name(self) -> str:
        return self._name
    
    @name.setter
    def name(self, value: str):
        self._name = value
    
    @property
    def description(self) -> str:
        return self._description
    
    @description.setter
    def description(self, value: str):
        self._description = value
    
    def execute(self, args):
        name = args.get("name", "World")
        style = args.get("style", "casual")
        greetings = {
            "formal": f"Good day, {name}. How may I assist you?",
            "casual": f"Hey {name}! What's up?",
            "enthusiastic": f"{name}!!! So great to see you! 🎉",
        }
        return {"greeting": greetings.get(style, greetings["casual"])}
    
    def produce_args(self):
        return {
            "name": ToolArg(
                name="name",
                arg_type="string",
                description="The person's name",
                required=True,
                default_value=None,
            ),
            "style": ToolArg(
                name="style",
                arg_type="string",
                description="Greeting style: formal, casual, or enthusiastic",
                required=False,
                default_value="casual",
            ),
        }


def main():
    server = StdInServer()
    app = App("my-agent", server)
    
    model = Model.open_ai("gpt-4", Secret.from_env("OPENAI_API_KEY"))
    agent = Agent(
        name="GreeterAgent",
        system_prompt="You are a friendly greeter. Use the greet tool to welcome users based on their preferences.",
        model=model,
        tools=[GreetTool()],
    )
    
    app.add_agent(agent)
    app.serve()


if __name__ == "__main__":
    main()
```

Step 4: Configure Your App

Create shuttl.json in your project root:

{
    "app": "node --require ts-node/register ./agent.ts"
}

!!! tip "For Python" json { "app": "python agent.py" }

Step 5: Set Your API Key

export OPENAI_API_KEY="sk-your-key-here"

!!! warning "Keep it secret" Never commit API keys to version control. Use environment variables or a secrets manager.

Step 6: Run Your Agent

shuttl dev

This launches the Shuttl TUI (Terminal User Interface) with four screens:

Step 7: Test Your Agent

1. Use the Agent Select screen to choose GreeterAgent
2. Navigate to the Chat screen
3. Type: Say hello to Alex in an enthusiastic way!

Watch the agent:

1. Process your message
2. Call the greet tool with {"name": "Alex", "style": "enthusiastic"}
3. Return: Alex!!! So great to see you! 🎉

Use the Agent Debug screen to see the full tool call flow and LLM responses in real-time.

What's Next?