# LangChain Deep Agents (/docs/agents/deep-agents) Related: [Amp](/docs/agents/amp.md), [Claude Code](/docs/agents/claude-code.md), [Claude Managed Agents](/docs/agents/claude-managed-agents.md), [Codex](/docs/agents/codex.md), [Crabbox with E2B](/docs/agents/crabbox.md), [Devin](/docs/agents/devin.md) [Deep Agents](https://docs.langchain.com/oss/python/deepagents/overview) is LangChain's agent harness for building LLM-powered agents, built on the [LangGraph](https://langchain-ai.github.io/langgraph/) runtime. In Deep Agents, a [sandbox backend](https://docs.langchain.com/oss/python/deepagents/sandboxes) defines the environment where the agent operates — E2B is a supported backend via the [`langchain-e2b`](https://pypi.org/project/langchain-e2b/) package. With the E2B backend, the agent's built-in tools all execute inside an isolated sandbox instead of your machine: * **Filesystem tools** — `ls`, `read_file`, `write_file`, `edit_file`, `glob`, and `grep` operate on the sandbox filesystem. * **Shell tool** — `execute` runs arbitrary shell commands in the sandbox. ## Install the dependencies [#install-the-dependencies] Set API keys for E2B and your model provider: ```bash export E2B_API_KEY="e2b_***" # get yours at https://e2b.dev/dashboard export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY="sk-ant-***" ``` Then install the packages: ```bash pip install deepagents langchain-e2b e2b ``` ## Basic example [#basic-example] Create an E2B sandbox, wrap it in the `E2BSandbox` backend, and pass it to `create_deep_agent`. You manage the sandbox lifecycle yourself — create it before the agent runs and kill it when you're done. ```python from deepagents import create_deep_agent from e2b import Sandbox from langchain_e2b import E2BSandbox sandbox = Sandbox.create(timeout=600) agent = create_deep_agent( model="anthropic:claude-sonnet-5", system_prompt="You are a coding agent working in an isolated Linux sandbox.", backend=E2BSandbox(sandbox=sandbox), ) result = agent.invoke({ "messages": [{ "role": "user", "content": "Create hello.py that prints 'Hello from E2B', run it, and show the output.", }] }) print(result["messages"][-1].content) sandbox.kill() ``` The agent's file operations and shell commands all run inside the sandbox — nothing touches your machine. Because the backend wraps the native E2B SDK sandbox, you can configure everything the SDK supports: [custom templates](/docs/template/quickstart), timeouts, [persistence](/docs/sandbox/persistence), or reconnecting to an existing sandbox by ID. ## Deep Agents Code (dcode) [#deep-agents-code-dcode] [Deep Agents Code](https://docs.langchain.com/oss/python/deepagents/sandboxes#deep-agents-code) is LangChain's terminal coding agent built on Deep Agents. `langchain-e2b` ships a sandbox provider for it, so every `dcode` session can run in an E2B sandbox: ```bash dcode --install langchain-e2b --package export E2B_API_KEY="e2b_***" dcode --sandbox e2b ``` Requires `dcode` >= 0.1.19 and `langchain-e2b` >= 0.0.4. Unlike the library path, `dcode` manages the sandbox lifecycle for you — it creates the sandbox on start and deletes it on exit. Configure it with: * `E2B_TEMPLATE` — custom sandbox template to start from * `E2B_SANDBOX_TIMEOUT` — sandbox timeout in seconds ## Custom templates [#custom-templates] By default, sandboxes start from the E2B base template. To pre-install languages, frameworks, or tools your agent needs — and cut setup time per run — build a [custom template](/docs/template/quickstart) and pass it when creating the sandbox: ```python sandbox = Sandbox.create(template="your-template-id-or-name", timeout=600) ``` ## Deep Agents vs. Open SWE [#deep-agents-vs-open-swe] [Open SWE](/docs/agents/open-swe) is LangChain's coding agent framework built on top of Deep Agents — both use the same `langchain-e2b` backend under the hood, but they sit at different layers: | | **Deep Agents** (this page) | **[LangChain Open SWE](/docs/agents/open-swe)** | | ----------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------ | -------------------------------------------------------------------- | | What it is | A Python library you embed in your own agent | A deployable internal coding agent you fork and run | | How you use E2B | Create the sandbox yourself and pass `E2BSandbox` to `create_deep_agent` | Set `SANDBOX_TYPE="e2b"` — sandboxes are created and managed for you | | Sandbox lifecycle | Yours to manage (`Sandbox.create()` / `sandbox.kill()`) | Per-thread persistent sandbox, reconnect by ID, auto-recreate | | Use it when | Building any custom agent that needs isolated code execution | You want a GitHub/Slack/Linear-driven coding agent for your org | Use this page's approach for custom agents; if you're deploying a coding agent for your team, start from [Open SWE](/docs/agents/open-swe) instead. ## Learn more [#learn-more] * [Deep Agents sandboxes](https://docs.langchain.com/oss/python/deepagents/sandboxes) — sandbox backends overview * [E2B integration reference](https://docs.langchain.com/oss/python/integrations/sandboxes/e2b) — LangChain's E2B provider page * [`langchain-e2b` on PyPI](https://pypi.org/project/langchain-e2b/) ## Related guides [#related-guides] Build custom sandbox templates with pre-installed dependencies Auto-pause, resume, and manage sandbox lifecycle LangChain's coding agent framework with E2B built in