Quickstart ↗
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Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.langchain.com/llms.txt Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
This quickstart demonstrates how to build a calculator agent using the LangGraph Graph API or the Functional API.
- Use the Graph API if you prefer to define your agent as a graph of nodes and edges.
- Use the Functional API if you prefer to define your agent as a single function.
For conceptual information, see Graph API overview and Functional API overview.
For this example, you will need to set up a Claude (Anthropic) account and get an API key. Then, set the ANTHROPIC_API_KEY environment variable in your terminal.
1. Define tools and model#
In this example, we’ll use the Claude Sonnet 4.5 model and define tools for addition, multiplication, and division.
from langchain.tools import tool
from langchain.chat_models import init_chat_model
model = init_chat_model(
"claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929",
temperature=0
)
# Define tools
@tool
def multiply(a: int, b: int) -> int:
"""Multiply `a` and `b`.
Args:
a: First int
b: Second int
"""
return a * b
@tool
def add(a: int, b: int) -> int:
"""Adds `a` and `b`.
Args:
a: First int
b: Second int
"""
return a + b
@tool
def divide(a: int, b: int) -> float:
"""Divide `a` and `b`.
Args:
a: First int
b: Second int
"""
return a / b
# Augment the LLM with tools
tools = [add, multiply, divide]
tools_by_name = {tool.name: tool for tool in tools}
model_with_tools = model.bind_tools(tools)
```
## 2. Define state
The graph's state is used to store the messages and the number of LLM calls.
<span class="callout-start" data-callout-type="tip"></span>
State in LangGraph persists throughout the agent's execution.
The `Annotated` type with `operator.add` ensures that new messages are appended to the existing list rather than replacing it.
<span class="callout-end"></span>
```python
from langchain.messages import AnyMessage
from typing_extensions import TypedDict, Annotated
import operator
class MessagesState(TypedDict):
messages: Annotated[list[AnyMessage], operator.add]
llm_calls: int
```
## 3. Define model node
The model node is used to call the LLM and decide whether to call a tool or not.
```python
from langchain.messages import SystemMessage
def llm_call(state: dict):
"""LLM decides whether to call a tool or not"""
return {
"messages": [
model_with_tools.invoke(
[
SystemMessage(
content="You are a helpful assistant tasked with performing arithmetic on a set of inputs."
)
]
+ state["messages"]
)
],
"llm_calls": state.get('llm_calls', 0) + 1
}
```
## 4. Define tool node
The tool node is used to call the tools and return the results.
```python
from langchain.messages import ToolMessage
def tool_node(state: dict):
"""Performs the tool call"""
result = []
for tool_call in state["messages"][-1].tool_calls:
tool = tools_by_name[tool_call["name"]]
observation = tool.invoke(tool_call["args"])
result.append(ToolMessage(content=observation, tool_call_id=tool_call["id"]))
return {"messages": result}
```
## 5. Define end logic
The conditional edge function is used to route to the tool node or end based upon whether the LLM made a tool call.
```python
from typing import Literal
from langgraph.graph import StateGraph, START, END
def should_continue(state: MessagesState) -> Literal["tool_node", END]:
"""Decide if we should continue the loop or stop based upon whether the LLM made a tool call"""
messages = state["messages"]
last_message = messages[-1]
# If the LLM makes a tool call, then perform an action
if last_message.tool_calls:
return "tool_node"
# Otherwise, we stop (reply to the user)
return END
```
## 6. Build and compile the agent
The agent is built using the [`StateGraph`](https://reference.langchain.com/python/langgraph/graph/state/StateGraph) class and compiled using the [`compile`](https://reference.langchain.com/python/langgraph/graph/state/StateGraph/compile) method.
```python
# Build workflow
agent_builder = StateGraph(MessagesState)
# Add nodes
agent_builder.add_node("llm_call", llm_call)
agent_builder.add_node("tool_node", tool_node)
# Add edges to connect nodes
agent_builder.add_edge(START, "llm_call")
agent_builder.add_conditional_edges(
"llm_call",
should_continue,
["tool_node", END]
)
agent_builder.add_edge("tool_node", "llm_call")
# Compile the agent
agent = agent_builder.compile()
# Show the agent
from IPython.display import Image, display
display(Image(agent.get_graph(xray=True).draw_mermaid_png()))
# Invoke
from langchain.messages import HumanMessage
messages = [HumanMessage(content="Add 3 and 4.")]
messages = agent.invoke({"messages": messages})
for m in messages["messages"]:
m.pretty_print()
```
<span class="callout-start" data-callout-type="tip"></span>
To learn how to trace your agent with LangSmith, see the [LangSmith documentation](/langsmith/trace-with-langgraph).
<span class="callout-end"></span>
Congratulations! You've built your first agent using the LangGraph Graph API.
<Accordion title="Full code example">
```python
# Step 1: Define tools and model
from langchain.tools import tool
from langchain.chat_models import init_chat_model
model = init_chat_model(
"claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929",
temperature=0
)
# Define tools
@tool
def multiply(a: int, b: int) -> int:
"""Multiply `a` and `b`.
Args:
a: First int
b: Second int
"""
return a * b
@tool
def add(a: int, b: int) -> int:
"""Adds `a` and `b`.
Args:
a: First int
b: Second int
"""
return a + b
@tool
def divide(a: int, b: int) -> float:
"""Divide `a` and `b`.
Args:
a: First int
b: Second int
"""
return a / b
# Augment the LLM with tools
tools = [add, multiply, divide]
tools_by_name = {tool.name: tool for tool in tools}
model_with_tools = model.bind_tools(tools)
# Step 2: Define state
from langchain.messages import AnyMessage
from typing_extensions import TypedDict, Annotated
import operator
class MessagesState(TypedDict):
messages: Annotated[list[AnyMessage], operator.add]
llm_calls: int
# Step 3: Define model node
from langchain.messages import SystemMessage
def llm_call(state: dict):
"""LLM decides whether to call a tool or not"""
return {
"messages": [
model_with_tools.invoke(
[
SystemMessage(
content="You are a helpful assistant tasked with performing arithmetic on a set of inputs."
)
]
+ state["messages"]
)
],
"llm_calls": state.get('llm_calls', 0) + 1
}
# Step 4: Define tool node
from langchain.messages import ToolMessage
def tool_node(state: dict):
"""Performs the tool call"""
result = []
for tool_call in state["messages"][-1].tool_calls:
tool = tools_by_name[tool_call["name"]]
observation = tool.invoke(tool_call["args"])
result.append(ToolMessage(content=observation, tool_call_id=tool_call["id"]))
return {"messages": result}
# Step 5: Define logic to determine whether to end
from typing import Literal
from langgraph.graph import StateGraph, START, END
# Conditional edge function to route to the tool node or end based upon whether the LLM made a tool call
def should_continue(state: MessagesState) -> Literal["tool_node", END]:
"""Decide if we should continue the loop or stop based upon whether the LLM made a tool call"""
messages = state["messages"]
last_message = messages[-1]
# If the LLM makes a tool call, then perform an action
if last_message.tool_calls:
return "tool_node"
# Otherwise, we stop (reply to the user)
return END
# Step 6: Build agent
# Build workflow
agent_builder = StateGraph(MessagesState)
# Add nodes
agent_builder.add_node("llm_call", llm_call)
agent_builder.add_node("tool_node", tool_node)
# Add edges to connect nodes
agent_builder.add_edge(START, "llm_call")
agent_builder.add_conditional_edges(
"llm_call",
should_continue,
["tool_node", END]
)
agent_builder.add_edge("tool_node", "llm_call")
# Compile the agent
agent = agent_builder.compile()
from IPython.display import Image, display
# Show the agent
display(Image(agent.get_graph(xray=True).draw_mermaid_png()))
# Invoke
from langchain.messages import HumanMessage
messages = [HumanMessage(content="Add 3 and 4.")]
messages = agent.invoke({"messages": messages})
for m in messages["messages"]:
m.pretty_print()
```
</Accordion>
<span class="tab-end"></span>
<span class="tab-start" data-tab-title="Use the Functional API"></span>
## 1. Define tools and model
In this example, we'll use the Claude Sonnet 4.5 model and define tools for addition, multiplication, and division.
```python
from langchain.tools import tool
from langchain.chat_models import init_chat_model
model = init_chat_model(
"claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929",
temperature=0
)
# Define tools
@tool
def multiply(a: int, b: int) -> int:
"""Multiply `a` and `b`.
Args:
a: First int
b: Second int
"""
return a * b
@tool
def add(a: int, b: int) -> int:
"""Adds `a` and `b`.
Args:
a: First int
b: Second int
"""
return a + b
@tool
def divide(a: int, b: int) -> float:
"""Divide `a` and `b`.
Args:
a: First int
b: Second int
"""
return a / b
# Augment the LLM with tools
tools = [add, multiply, divide]
tools_by_name = {tool.name: tool for tool in tools}
model_with_tools = model.bind_tools(tools)
from langgraph.graph import add_messages
from langchain.messages import (
SystemMessage,
HumanMessage,
ToolCall,
)
from langchain_core.messages import BaseMessage
from langgraph.func import entrypoint, task
```
## 2. Define model node
The model node is used to call the LLM and decide whether to call a tool or not.
<span class="callout-start" data-callout-type="tip"></span>
The [`@task`](https://reference.langchain.com/python/langgraph/func/task) decorator marks a function as a task that can be executed as part of the agent. Tasks can be called synchronously or asynchronously within your entrypoint function.
<span class="callout-end"></span>
```python
@task
def call_llm(messages: list[BaseMessage]):
"""LLM decides whether to call a tool or not"""
return model_with_tools.invoke(
[
SystemMessage(
content="You are a helpful assistant tasked with performing arithmetic on a set of inputs."
)
]
+ messages
)
```
## 3. Define tool node
The tool node is used to call the tools and return the results.
```python
@task
def call_tool(tool_call: ToolCall):
"""Performs the tool call"""
tool = tools_by_name[tool_call["name"]]
return tool.invoke(tool_call)
```
## 4. Define agent
The agent is built using the [`@entrypoint`](https://reference.langchain.com/python/langgraph/func/entrypoint) function.
<span class="callout-start" data-callout-type="note"></span>
In the Functional API, instead of defining nodes and edges explicitly, you write standard control flow logic (loops, conditionals) within a single function.
<span class="callout-end"></span>
```python
@entrypoint()
def agent(messages: list[BaseMessage]):
model_response = call_llm(messages).result()
while True:
if not model_response.tool_calls:
break
# Execute tools
tool_result_futures = [
call_tool(tool_call) for tool_call in model_response.tool_calls
]
tool_results = [fut.result() for fut in tool_result_futures]
messages = add_messages(messages, [model_response, *tool_results])
model_response = call_llm(messages).result()
messages = add_messages(messages, model_response)
return messages
# Invoke
messages = [HumanMessage(content="Add 3 and 4.")]
for chunk in agent.stream(messages, stream_mode="updates"):
print(chunk)
print("\n")
```
<span class="callout-start" data-callout-type="tip"></span>
To learn how to trace your agent with LangSmith, see the [LangSmith documentation](/langsmith/trace-with-langgraph).
<span class="callout-end"></span>
Congratulations! You've built your first agent using the LangGraph Functional API.
<Accordion title="Full code example" icon="code">
```python
# Step 1: Define tools and model
from langchain.tools import tool
from langchain.chat_models import init_chat_model
model = init_chat_model(
"claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929",
temperature=0
)
# Define tools
@tool
def multiply(a: int, b: int) -> int:
"""Multiply `a` and `b`.
Args:
a: First int
b: Second int
"""
return a * b
@tool
def add(a: int, b: int) -> int:
"""Adds `a` and `b`.
Args:
a: First int
b: Second int
"""
return a + b
@tool
def divide(a: int, b: int) -> float:
"""Divide `a` and `b`.
Args:
a: First int
b: Second int
"""
return a / b
# Augment the LLM with tools
tools = [add, multiply, divide]
tools_by_name = {tool.name: tool for tool in tools}
model_with_tools = model.bind_tools(tools)
from langgraph.graph import add_messages
from langchain.messages import (
SystemMessage,
HumanMessage,
ToolCall,
)
from langchain_core.messages import BaseMessage
from langgraph.func import entrypoint, task
# Step 2: Define model node
@task
def call_llm(messages: list[BaseMessage]):
"""LLM decides whether to call a tool or not"""
return model_with_tools.invoke(
[
SystemMessage(
content="You are a helpful assistant tasked with performing arithmetic on a set of inputs."
)
]
+ messages
)
# Step 3: Define tool node
@task
def call_tool(tool_call: ToolCall):
"""Performs the tool call"""
tool = tools_by_name[tool_call["name"]]
return tool.invoke(tool_call)
# Step 4: Define agent
@entrypoint()
def agent(messages: list[BaseMessage]):
model_response = call_llm(messages).result()
while True:
if not model_response.tool_calls:
break
# Execute tools
tool_result_futures = [
call_tool(tool_call) for tool_call in model_response.tool_calls
]
tool_results = [fut.result() for fut in tool_result_futures]
messages = add_messages(messages, [model_response, *tool_results])
model_response = call_llm(messages).result()
messages = add_messages(messages, model_response)
return messages
# Invoke
messages = [HumanMessage(content="Add 3 and 4.")]
for chunk in agent.stream(messages, stream_mode="updates"):
print(chunk)
print("\n")
```
</Accordion>
<span class="tab-end"></span>
<span class="tab-group-end"></span>
***
<span class="callout-start" data-callout-type="note"></span>
[Edit this page on GitHub](https://github.com/langchain-ai/docs/edit/main/src/oss/langgraph/quickstart.mdx) or [file an issue](https://github.com/langchain-ai/docs/issues/new/choose).
<span class="callout-end"></span>
<span class="callout-start" data-callout-type="note"></span>
[Connect these docs](/use-these-docs) to Claude, VSCode, and more via MCP for real-time answers.
<span class="callout-end"></span>Link last verified
June 7, 2026.
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Link last verified: 2026-02-26