Framework Landscape and Decision Matrix

~36 min · frameworks, decision-matrix

Level 0Observer

0 XP0/40 lessons0/12 achievements

0/100 XP to next level100 XP to go0% complete

The ecosystem is a menu, not a ladder

There is no universal progression from raw loop to framework to multi-agent team. The right abstraction depends on which primitive you need to stop building yourself.

What each family buys

OpenAI Agents SDK buys OpenAI-native tools, handoffs, guardrails, tracing, and hosted-agent integration. LangGraph buys durable graph state, checkpointing, replay, human-in-the-loop, and low-level orchestration. CrewAI buys role/task configuration and team-oriented flows. Claude Agent SDK buys a developer harness with files, shell, MCP, permissions, and long-running session behavior. Smolagents buys code-as-action simplicity. A raw loop buys maximum control and minimum dependency surface.

Prefer boring until boring breaks

If one model and three tools solve the task, the raw loop is not primitive in the bad sense. It is inspectable. Add a framework when the missing primitive has a name and the framework handles it better than your team would.

Code

Decision matrix·text

Need direct API control?              raw loop
Need OpenAI hosted tools + tracing?   OpenAI Agents SDK
Need durable graph execution?         LangGraph
Need role/task team configuration?    CrewAI
Need Claude-native coding harness?    Claude Agent SDK
Need code-as-action prototyping?      Smolagents
Need data-heavy retrieval workflows?  LlamaIndex
Need enterprise plugin orchestration? Semantic Kernel

Framework adoption test·text

1. Name the primitive you need.
2. Show the bug you would likely build yourself.
3. Confirm the framework owns that primitive.
4. Confirm debugging gets easier, not harder.
5. Write the exit plan if the abstraction becomes the problem.

External links

Exercise

Choose a framework for one real agent idea. The answer must name the primitive purchased, the debugging surface improved, and the exit plan.

Hint

A framework choice without an exit plan is just dependency optimism.

Progress

Progress is local-only — sign in to sync across devices.

← PreviousDIY or Framework?Next →OpenAI Agents SDK: Agents, Tools, Handoffs, Guardrails

Spotted a bug or have feedback on this page?Report an Issue

Comments 0

🔔 Reply notifications (sign in)

No comments yet — be the first.