# Open SWE

Open SWE is an open-source asynchronous coding agent built by LangChain. It autonomously handles GitHub issues by researching codebases, planning tasks, writing and testing code, self-reviewing, and opening pull requests — acting like a full-time software engineer on your team.

Canonical URL: https://a2a-mcp.org/entry/open-swe

Language: en

Category: AI Agents

Updated: 2026-03-25

## Overview

Open SWE (Open Software Engineering) is an open-source, cloud-native, asynchronous AI coding agent developed by LangChain. It functions as an autonomous teammate that takes GitHub issues (or tasks from a web UI, Slack, or Linear), researches the codebase, creates execution plans, writes code, runs tests, performs self-review, and opens polished pull requests.

Built on **LangGraph** and **Deep Agents**, Open SWE captures the internal coding agent architecture used by companies like Stripe, Coinbase, and Ramp, and makes it available to everyone under the MIT license.

## Key Features

- **Asynchronous & Long-Running**: Handles complex, multi-hour or multi-day tasks without blocking.
- **Multi-Agent Architecture**: Includes Manager, Planner, Programmer, and Reviewer sub-agents for robust execution.
- **Cloud Sandbox Execution**: Secure, isolated environments for code running and testing (supports Daytona and similar providers).
- **Native Integrations**: Trigger via GitHub issues/labels, Slack mentions, Linear comments, or custom web UI.
- **Automatic PR Creation**: Generates well-documented pull requests with changes, tests, and review notes.
- **Self-Review & Iteration**: The agent reviews its own work and iterates until quality standards are met.
- **Fully Customizable**: Easy to fork, modify prompts, add internal tools, or adapt to your tech stack.
- **Hosted Demo**: Try it at [swe.langchain.com](https://swe.langchain.com) with your own model key.

## How It Works

1. **Trigger**: Create a GitHub issue and add the `open-swe` or `open-swe-auto` label, or submit via the web UI.
2. **Planning**: The agent explores the repository, understands context, and builds a detailed step-by-step plan.
3. **Execution**: Uses cloud sandboxes to write, test, and debug code.
4. **Review**: Dedicated reviewer agent checks for errors and suggests improvements.
5. **Output**: Opens a PR with full context, or updates the issue with status.

## Use Cases

- Resolving complex GitHub issues autonomously.
- Implementing new features or bug fixes in large codebases.
- Internal tool development and maintenance for engineering teams.
- Accelerating open-source contributions or enterprise codebase modernization.
- Building custom internal coding agents tailored to company-specific workflows and security requirements.

## Getting Started

- Clone the repository: `git clone https://github.com/langchain-ai/open-swe.git`
- Follow the detailed [Installation Guide](https://github.com/langchain-ai/open-swe/blob/main/INSTALLATION.md) for local setup, GitHub App creation, LangSmith tracing, and production deployment.
- Try the hosted version at swe.langchain.com (requires Anthropic or OpenAI API key).
- Documentation is available in the repo under `/apps/docs`.

## Why Open SWE?

Unlike real-time copilots (Copilot, Cursor, etc.), Open SWE is designed for **autonomous, long-running workflows**. It shifts the paradigm from “assist me while I code” to “here’s a task — handle it like a senior engineer.”

It is production-ready yet fully extensible, making it ideal for teams wanting to deploy their own secure, internal AI software engineers.

## Technical Stack

- Core: LangGraph + Deep Agents
- Language: Python
- Integrations: GitHub, Slack, Linear, cloud sandboxes
- Tracing & Observability: LangSmith
- License: MIT

Open SWE represents the next evolution of AI agents in software engineering — fully open, customizable, and ready for real-world production use.

## Tags

- ai-agent
- coding-agent
- software-engineering
- langgraph
- langchain
- github-integration
- autonomous-agent
- async-agent
- python

## Sources

- [Project website](https://github.com/langchain-ai/open-swe)