The gap between powerful backend AI agents and intuitive user-facing interfaces is closing fast. The Agent Development Kit (ADK)—an open-source toolkit for building AI agents—now integrates seamlessly with AG-UI, an open protocol designed for interactive AI user experiences.
This new combination allows developers to pair sophisticated agent reasoning and planning with production-ready, collaborative frontends—without reinventing the wheel.
What ADK Brings to the Table
ADK helps developers go from idea to working AI agent prototypes in hours. It comes with:
Multi-step planning – Agents can break down and execute tasks step by step.
Tool use – Agents connect to APIs, services, and real-world data sources.
State management – Tracks memory and progress without complex chaining logic.
While ADK includes its own playground for local development and debugging, it was not designed to be user-facing. That’s where AG-UI comes in.
How AG-UI Completes the Picture
AG-UI, built by the CopilotKit team, is an open protocol and UI layer that standardizes how agents communicate with frontend applications. It enables:
Rich, real-time collaboration between users and agents.
Drop-in UI components (via CopilotKit’s React library) like polished chat windows, sidebars, and more.
Cross-platform support, generalizing for any frontend and backend setup.
Better Together: ADK + AG-UI
By connecting ADK with AG-UI, developers can now build truly interactive AI applications with features such as:
Generative UI – Agents generate UI components alongside text responses.
Shared state – Both frontend and backend stay aligned, enabling smoother interactions.
Human-in-the-loop control – Users can supervise, approve, or override agent actions.
Frontend-aware agents – Agents can fill forms, navigate pages, or annotate documents directly.
Get Started Today
Developers can jump in right away with starter projects and tutorials:
Quick Start Repo:
npx copilotkit@latest create -f adkStarter Project: GitHub – with-adk
AG-UI Tutorial: AG-UI Dojo
The ADK + AG-UI integration is a milestone for developers who want to connect intelligent backend agents to polished, collaborative frontends—and ship next-generation AI-powered apps faster.
Join the conversation! Your thoughts help the community grow.