Build Agents That Write and Execute Code with dspy.CodeAct

Guide the user through building DSPy agents that solve problems by generating and running Python code, rather than calling tools through a fixed interface.

What is CodeAct

dspy.CodeAct is a DSPy module that creates agents which write Python code to accomplish tasks. Instead of selecting from a predefined set of tool calls (like ReAct), CodeAct generates executable code snippets that use provided tools as Python functions.

The agent works in a loop:

1. Generate -- the LM writes a Python code snippet using the available tools
2. Execute -- the code runs in a sandboxed interpreter
3. Observe -- the agent sees the output and decides whether the task is done
4. Repeat -- if not done, writes more code incorporating previous results

CodeAct inherits from both ReAct and ProgramOfThought, combining reasoning-and-acting with code generation.

How CodeAct differs from ReAct