ChatDev README

The project's README from github.com/OpenBMB/ChatDev. As one markdown file: README.md.

ChatDev 2.0 - DevAll

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A Zero-Code Multi-Agent Platform for Developing Everything

【English | 简体中文】

【📚 Developers | 👥 Contributors|⭐️ ChatDev 1.0 (Legacy)】

📖 Overview

ChatDev has evolved from a specialized software development multi-agent system into a comprehensive multi-agent orchestration platform.

🎉 News

• Jan 07, 2026: 🚀 We are excited to announce the official release of ChatDev 2.0 (DevAll)! This version introduces a zero-code multi-agent orchestration platform. The classic ChatDev (v1.x) has been moved to the chatdev1.0 branch for maintenance. More details about ChatDev 2.0 can be found on our official post.

Old News

•Sep 24, 2025: 🎉 Our paper Multi-Agent Collaboration via Evolving Orchestration has been accepted to NeurIPS 2025. The implementation is available in the puppeteer branch of this repository.

•May 26, 2025: 🎉 We propose a novel puppeteer-style paradigm for multi-agent collaboration among large language model based agents. By leveraging a learnable central orchestrator optimized with reinforcement learning, our method dynamically activates and sequences agents to construct efficient, context-aware reasoning paths. This approach not only improves reasoning quality but also reduces computational costs, enabling scalable and adaptable multi-agent cooperation in complex tasks. See our paper in Multi-Agent Collaboration via Evolving Orchestration.

•June 25, 2024: 🎉To foster development in LLM-powered multi-agent collaboration🤖🤖 and related fields, the ChatDev team has curated a collection of seminal papers📄 presented in a open-source interactive e-book📚 format. Now you can explore the latest advancements on the Ebook Website and download the paper list.

•June 12, 2024: We introduced Multi-Agent Collaboration Networks (MacNet) 🎉, which utilize directed acyclic graphs to facilitate effective task-oriented collaboration among agents through linguistic interactions 🤖🤖. MacNet supports co-operation across various topologies and among more than a thousand agents without exceeding context limits. More versatile and scalable, MacNet can be considered as a more advanced version of ChatDev's chain-shaped topology. Our preprint paper is available at https://arxiv.org/abs/2406.07155. This technique has been incorporated into the macnet branch, enhancing support for diverse organizational structures and offering richer solutions beyond software development (e.g., logical reasoning, data analysis, story generation, and more).

• May 07, 2024, we introduced "Iterative Experience Refinement" (IER), a novel method where instructor and assistant agents enhance shortcut-oriented experiences to efficiently adapt to new tasks. This approach encompasses experience acquisition, utilization, propagation and elimination across a series of tasks and making the pricess shorter and efficient. Our preprint paper is available at https://arxiv.org/abs/2405.04219, and this technique will soon be incorporated into ChatDev.

• January 25, 2024: We have integrated Experiential Co-Learning Module into ChatDev. Please see the Experiential Co-Learning Guide.

• December 28, 2023: We present Experiential Co-Learning, an innovative approach where instructor and assistant agents accumulate shortcut-oriented experiences to effectively solve new tasks, reducing repetitive errors and enhancing efficiency. Check out our preprint paper at https://arxiv.org/abs/2312.17025 and this technique will soon be integrated into ChatDev.

• November 15, 2023: We launched ChatDev as a SaaS platform that enables software developers and innovative entrepreneurs to build software efficiently at a very low cost and remove the barrier to entry. Try it out at https://chatdev.modelbest.cn/.

• November 2, 2023: ChatDev is now supported with a new feature: incremental development, which allows agents to develop upon existing codes. Try --config "incremental" --path "[source_code_directory_path]" to start it.

• October 26, 2023: ChatDev is now supported with Docker for safe execution (thanks to contribution from ManindraDeMel). Please see Docker Start Guide.

• September 25, 2023: The Git mode is now available, enabling the programmer to utilize Git for version control. To enable this feature, simply set "git_management" to "True" in ChatChainConfig.json. See guide.

• September 20, 2023: The Human-Agent-Interaction mode is now available! You can get involved with the ChatDev team by playing the role of reviewer and making suggestions to the programmer ; try python3 run.py --task [description_of_your_idea] --config "Human". See guide and example.

• September 1, 2023: The Art mode is available now! You can activate the designer agent to generate images used in the software; try python3 run.py --task [description_of_your_idea] --config "Art". See guide and example.

• August 28, 2023: The system is publicly available.

• August 17, 2023: The v1.0.0 version was ready for release.

• July 30, 2023: Users can customize ChatChain, Phasea and Role settings. Additionally, both online Log mode and replay mode are now supported.

• July 16, 2023: The preprint paper associated with this project was published.

• June 30, 2023: The initial version of the ChatDev repository was released.

🚀 Quick Start

📋 Prerequisites

📦 Installation

  1. Backend Dependencies (Python managed by uv):

    uv sync
    
  2. Frontend Dependencies (Vite + Vue 3):

    cd frontend && npm install
    

🔑 Configuration

⚡️ Run the Application

Start both Backend and Frontent:

make dev

Then access the Web Console at http://localhost:5173.

Manual Commands

  1. Start Backend:

    # Run from the project root
    uv run python server_main.py --port 6400 --reload
    

    --reload watches the server's Python source folders only; agent-generated files under WareHouse/ no longer trigger restarts. Pass --reload-dir or --reload-exclude (repeatable) to customise.

  2. Start Frontend:

    cd frontend
    VITE_API_BASE_URL=http://localhost:6400 npm run dev
    

    Then access the Web Console at http://localhost:5173.

    💡 Tip: If the frontend fails to connect to the backend, the default port 6400 may already be occupied. Please switch both services to an available port, for example:

    • Backend: start with --port 6401
    • Frontend: set VITE_API_BASE_URL=http://localhost:6401

Utility Commands

🦞 Run with OpenClaw

OpenClaw can integrate with ChatDev by invoking existing agent teams or dynamically creating new agent teams within ChatDev. To get started:

  1. Start the ChatDev 2.0 backend.

  2. Install the required skills for your OpenClaw instance:

    clawdhub install chatdev
    
  3. Ask your OpenClaw to create a ChatDev workflow. For example:

🐳 Run with Docker

Alternatively, you can run the entire application using Docker Compose. This method simplifies dependency management and provides a consistent environment.

  1. Prerequisites:

    • Docker and Docker Compose installed.
    • Ensure you have a .env file in the project root for your API keys.
  2. Build and Run:

    # From the project root
    docker compose up --build
    
  3. Access:

    • Backend: http://localhost:6400
    • Frontend: http://localhost:5173

The services will automatically restart if they crash, and local file changes will be reflected inside the containers for live development.


💡 How to Use

🖥️ Web Console

The DevAll interface provides a seamless experience for both construction and execution

🧰 Python SDK

For automation and batch processing, use our lightweight Python SDK to execute workflows programmatically and retrieve results directly.

from runtime.sdk import run_workflow

# Execute a workflow and get the final node message
result = run_workflow(
    yaml_file="yaml_instance/demo.yaml",
    task_prompt="Summarize the attached document in one sentence.",
    attachments=["/path/to/document.pdf"],
    variables={"API_KEY": "sk-xxxx"} # Override .env variables if needed
)

if result.final_message:
    print(f"Output: {result.final_message.text_content()}")

We have released the ChatDev Python SDK (PyPI package chatdev), so you can also run YAML workflow and multi-agent tasks directly in Python. For installation and version details, see PyPI: chatdev 0.1.0.


⚙️ For Developers

For secondary development and extensions, please proceed with this section.

Extend DevAll with new nodes, providers, and tools. The project is organized into a modular structure:

Relevant reference documentation:


We provide robust, out-of-the-box templates for common scenarios. All runnable workflow configs are located in yaml_instance/.

📋 Workflow Collection

Category Workflow Case
📈 Data Visualization data_visualization_basic.yaml
data_visualization_enhanced.yaml

Prompt: "Create 4–6 high-quality PNG charts for my large real-estate transactions dataset."
🛠️ 3D Generation
(Requires Blender & blender-mcp)
blender_3d_builder_simple.yaml
blender_3d_builder_hub.yaml
blender_scientific_illustration.yaml

Prompt: "Please build a Christmas tree."
🎮 Game Dev GameDev_v1.yaml
ChatDev_v1.yaml

Prompt: "Please help me design and develop a Tank Battle game."
📚 Deep Research deep_research_v1.yaml
Prompt: "Research about recent advances in the field of LLM-based agent RL"
🎓 Teach Video teach_video.yaml (Please run command uv add manim before running this workflow)
Prompt: "讲一下什么是凸优化"

💡 Usage Guide

For those implementations, you can use the Launch tab to execute them.

  1. Select: Choose a workflow in the Launch tab.
  2. Upload: Upload necessary files (e.g., .csv for data analysis) if required.
  3. Prompt: Enter your request (e.g., "Visualize the sales trends" or "Design a snake game").

🤝 Contributing

We welcome contributions from the community! Whether you're fixing bugs, adding new workflow templates, or sharing high-quality cases/artifacts produced by DevAll, your help is much appreciated. Feel free to contribute by submitting Issues or Pull Requests.

By contributing to DevAll, you'll be recognized in our Contributors list below. Check out our Developer Guide to get started!

👥 Contributors

Primary Contributors


NA-Wen

zxrys

swugi

huatl98

Contributors


LaansDole

zivkovicp

ACE-Prism

shiowen

kilo2127

AckerlyLau

rainoeelmae

conprour

Br1an67

NINE-J

ChatDev (OpenBMB/ChatDev)

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34.5K ·GitHub
What is this?ChatDev 2.0 (DevAll) is a zero-code multi-agent orchestration platform: you configure agents, workflows and tasks instead of writing code, and it can run as a virtual software company (CEO, CTO, Programmer agents) or handle other jobs like data visualization, 3D generation and deep research.
Is this a no-code platform or do I need to write Python?It's primarily no-code: workflows, agents and tasks are defined in YAML and built visually in the Web Console. A lightweight Python SDK (PyPI package 'chatdev') is also provided if you want to run workflows programmatically.
How do I get it running?Install backend deps with 'uv' (needs Python 3.12+) and frontend deps for the Vite+Vue3 console (needs Node.js 18+), then run `make` to start both, or use `docker compose` to run the whole stack.
Do I need an LLM API key?Yes, you set APIKEY and BASEURL for your chosen LLM provider in a .env file, and YAML workflow configs reference them with ${VAR} placeholders.
Do all the built-in workflows work right out of the box?No, some need extra local tools first: the 3D Generation workflows require Blender plus blender-mcp installed, and the Teach Video workflow needs you to run 'uv add manim' before launching it.
What is the OpenClaw integration for?OpenClaw can connect to a running ChatDev 2.0 backend to invoke existing agent teams or dynamically spin up new ones, letting an OpenClaw instance trigger ChatDev workflows such as information collection and content publishing.
What kind of workflows come built in?Ready-made YAML workflows under yamlinstance/ cover data visualization, Blender-based 3D generation, game development, deep research, and teaching-video creation, each runnable from the Launch tab with a text prompt.
Why did ChatDev move beyond software development?ChatDev started as a virtual software company with CEO/CTO/Programmer agents automating the coding lifecycle; version 2.0 generalizes that communicative multi-agent paradigm into a configurable orchestration platform usable for any task, not just coding.
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