Files
google__adk-docs/docs/get-started/kotlin.md
Shahin Saadati d49c698bc6 Upgrade Kotlin examples and install docs to adk-kotlin 0.8.0 (#2143)
* Upgrade Kotlin examples to adk-kotlin 0.8.0

The Kotlin examples project is pinned to adk-kotlin 0.7.0, which predates the
BigQuery agent analytics plugin and the JSON Schema constraint fields on
`Schema`. Bump the pin to 0.8.0 so snippets for those features can be written.

Only the three version strings change. Checked the 0.8.0 POM before bumping:
it still resolves Ktor 2.3.13 and kotlin-stdlib 2.1.20, so the explicit Ktor
pins and the 2.1.20 Kotlin/KSP plugin versions stay correct, and 0.8.0 removes
no API that the current snippets use.

Not compile-verified locally - no JDK 17 on hand, and the Gradle wrapper
rejects the JDK 26 that is. The PR check only builds .kt files changed in the
PR, so it will not cover this either; the first snippet PR on top of this one
is what will actually exercise the new version.

* Bump the Kotlin install instructions to 0.8.0

The dependency blocks readers copy from still pinned 0.5.0 - three releases
behind, and behind the examples project itself. Anyone following the quickstart
got an SDK without context caching, the Vertex AI memory and session services,
or the BigQuery analytics plugin, while the snippets on those same pages are
written against a newer API.

Verified on Maven Central that 0.8.0 is published for every artifact named
here: -core, -processor, -webserver, and -litertlm.

Only install instructions change. The `Kotlin v0.x` support badges are
deliberately left alone: they record the release a feature landed in, not the
current version.
2026-08-18 14:48:53 -07:00

9.1 KiB

Kotlin Quickstart for ADK

This guide shows you how to get up and running with Agent Development Kit for Kotlin. Before you start, make sure you have the following installed:

  • Java 17 or later
  • Gradle 8.0 or later

??? tip "Building for Android?"

This quickstart covers Kotlin on the JVM. If you're building an Android app,
complete this quickstart first to learn the agent API, then see [Build ADK
agents for Android](https://developer.android.com/ai/adk) for
Android-specific project setup and on-device models.

Create an agent project

Create an agent project with the following files and directory structure:

my_agent/
    src/main/kotlin/com/example/agent/
                        HelloTimeAgent.kt   # agent definition + tool
                        Main.kt             # entry point
    build.gradle.kts                        # project configuration
    .env                                    # API keys or project IDs

??? tip "Create this project structure using the command line"

=== "Windows"

    ```console
    mkdir my_agent\src\main\kotlin\com\example\agent
    type nul > my_agent\src\main\kotlin\com\example\agent\HelloTimeAgent.kt
    type nul > my_agent\src\main\kotlin\com\example\agent\Main.kt
    type nul > my_agent\build.gradle.kts
    type nul > my_agent\.env
    ```

=== "MacOS / Linux"

    ```bash
    mkdir -p my_agent/src/main/kotlin/com/example/agent && \
        touch my_agent/src/main/kotlin/com/example/agent/HelloTimeAgent.kt && \
        touch my_agent/src/main/kotlin/com/example/agent/Main.kt && \
        touch my_agent/build.gradle.kts my_agent/.env
    ```

Define the agent code

Create the code for a basic agent, including a simple implementation of an ADK Function Tool, called getCurrentTime(). Add the following code to the HelloTimeAgent.kt file in your project directory:

package com.example.agent

import com.google.adk.kt.agents.Instruction
import com.google.adk.kt.agents.LlmAgent
import com.google.adk.kt.annotations.Param
import com.google.adk.kt.annotations.Tool
import com.google.adk.kt.models.Gemini

class TimeService {
    /** Mock tool implementation */
    @Tool
    fun getCurrentTime(
        @Param("Name of the city to get the time for") city: String
    ): Map<String, String> {
        return mapOf("city" to city, "time" to "The time is 10:30am.")
    }
}

object HelloTimeAgent {
    @JvmField
    val rootAgent = LlmAgent(
        name = "hello_time_agent",
        description = "Tells the current time in a specified city.",
        model = Gemini(
            name = "gemini-flash-latest",
            apiKey = System.getenv("GOOGLE_API_KEY")
                ?: error("GOOGLE_API_KEY environment variable not set."),
        ),
        instruction = Instruction(
            "You are a helpful assistant that tells the current time in a city. "
                + "Use the 'getCurrentTime' tool for this purpose."
        ),
        tools = TimeService().generatedTools(),
    )
}

!!! note "About @Tool and KSP"

The `@Tool` annotation marks a function as a tool that the agent can
call. At compile time, a KSP (Kotlin Symbol Processing) annotation
processor generates the `.generatedTools()` extension function used above.
This is a zero-reflection approach to function tool registration. The
required KSP plugin and processor dependency are included in the
`build.gradle.kts` configuration below.

Configure project and dependencies

An ADK Kotlin agent project requires the following dependencies in your build.gradle.kts project file:

dependencies {
    implementation("com.google.adk:google-adk-kotlin-core:0.8.0")
    ksp("com.google.adk:google-adk-kotlin-processor:0.8.0")
}

??? info "Complete build.gradle.kts configuration for project" The following code shows a complete build.gradle.kts configuration for this project:

```kotlin title="my_agent/build.gradle.kts"
plugins {
    kotlin("jvm") version "2.1.20"
    id("com.google.devtools.ksp") version "2.1.20-2.0.1"
    application
}

repositories {
    mavenCentral()
}

dependencies {
    implementation("com.google.adk:google-adk-kotlin-core:0.8.0")
    implementation("com.google.adk:google-adk-kotlin-webserver:0.8.0")
    ksp("com.google.adk:google-adk-kotlin-processor:0.8.0")
}

kotlin {
    jvmToolchain(17)
}

application {
    mainClass.set(
        project.findProperty("mainClass") as? String
            ?: "com.example.agent.MainKt"
    )
}

tasks.named<JavaExec>("run") {
    standardInput = System.`in`
}
```

Set your API key

This project uses the Gemini API, which requires an API key. If you don't already have Gemini API key, create a key in Google AI Studio on the API Keys page.

In a terminal window, write your API key into your .env file of your project to set environment variables:

=== "MacOS / Linux"

```bash title="Update: my_agent/.env"
echo 'export GOOGLE_API_KEY="YOUR_API_KEY"' > .env
```

=== "Windows PowerShell"

```console title="Update: my_agent/env.bat"
echo 'set GOOGLE_API_KEY="YOUR_API_KEY"' > env.bat
```

=== "Windows Command Prompt"

```console title="Update: my_agent/env.bat"
echo set GOOGLE_API_KEY="YOUR_API_KEY" > env.bat
```

??? tip "Using other AI models with ADK" ADK supports the use of many generative AI models. For more information on configuring other models in ADK agents, see Models & Authentication.

Create an entry point

Create a Main.kt file to run and interact with HelloTimeAgent from the command line. ReplRunner provides a built-in interactive REPL that handles user input, agent responses, and tool confirmation prompts.

package com.example.agent

import com.google.adk.kt.runners.ReplRunner

fun main() {
    ReplRunner(HelloTimeAgent.rootAgent).start()
}

Run your agent

You can run your ADK agent using the interactive command-line REPL or the ADK web user interface provided by AdkWebServer. Both options allow you to test and interact with your agent.

Run with command-line interface

Run your agent with the command-line interface using the Gradle run task:

# Remember to load keys and settings: source .env OR env.bat
gradle run

The agent starts an interactive session. Type a message and press Enter:

Agent hello_time_agent is ready. Type 'exit' to quit.

You > What time is it in New York?

hello_time_agent > The current time in New York is 10:30am.

You > exit
Exiting agent.

adk-run.png

Run with web interface

To run your agent with the ADK web interface, add the webserver dependency to your build.gradle.kts:

dependencies {
    implementation("com.google.adk:google-adk-kotlin-core:0.8.0")
    implementation("com.google.adk:google-adk-kotlin-webserver:0.8.0")
    ksp("com.google.adk:google-adk-kotlin-processor:0.8.0")
}

Then create a WebMain.kt file alongside your Main.kt:

package com.example.agent

import com.google.adk.kt.artifacts.InMemoryArtifactService
import com.google.adk.kt.sessions.InMemorySessionService
import com.google.adk.kt.webserver.AdkWebServer
import com.google.adk.kt.webserver.loaders.SingleAgentLoader
import com.google.adk.kt.webserver.telemetry.ApiServerSpanExporter

fun main() {
    val agent = HelloTimeAgent.rootAgent
    val sessionService = InMemorySessionService()
    val artifactService = InMemoryArtifactService()

    val server = AdkWebServer(
        port = 8080,
        sessionService = sessionService,
        artifactService = artifactService,
        agentLoader = SingleAgentLoader(agent),
        apiServerSpanExporter = ApiServerSpanExporter(),
    )

    println("Starting ADK web server on http://localhost:8080...")
    server.start(wait = true)
}

Run the web server using the -PmainClass property to select the web entry point:

# Remember to load keys and settings: source .env OR env.bat
gradle run -PmainClass=com.example.agent.WebMainKt

This command starts a web server with a chat interface for your agent. You can access the web interface at http://localhost:8080. Select your agent at the upper left corner and type a request.

adk-web-dev-ui-chat.png

!!! warning "Caution: ADK Web for development only"

ADK Web is ***not meant for use in production deployments***. You should
use ADK Web for development and debugging purposes only.

Next: Build your agent

Now that you have ADK installed and your first agent running, try building your own agent with our build guides: