How to Intermediate · 3 min read

How to use swarm in AutoGen 0.4

Q: How to use swarm in AutoGen 0.4

In AutoGen 0.4, use the Swarm class to coordinate multiple AI agents working collaboratively. Initialize a Swarm with a list of agents and call run() to execute the swarm workflow.

Quick answer

In AutoGen 0.4, use the Swarm class to coordinate multiple AI agents working collaboratively. Initialize a Swarm with a list of agents and call run() to execute the swarm workflow.

PREREQUISITES

Python 3.8+
pip install autogen==0.4
OpenAI API key (free tier works)
Set environment variable OPENAI_API_KEY

Setup

Install AutoGen 0.4 via pip and set your OpenAI API key as an environment variable.

bash

pip install autogen==0.4

Step by step

This example demonstrates creating a swarm of two AI agents that collaborate to answer a question.

python

import os
from autogen import Swarm, Agent

# Define two simple agents
class AgentA(Agent):
    def respond(self, message):
        return f"AgentA received: {message}"

class AgentB(Agent):
    def respond(self, message):
        return f"AgentB processed: {message.upper()}"

# Initialize swarm with agents
swarm = Swarm(agents=[AgentA(), AgentB()])

# Run swarm with initial input
result = swarm.run("Hello from AutoGen swarm!")
print(result)

output

['AgentA received: Hello from AutoGen swarm!', 'AgentB processed: HELLO FROM AUTOGEN SWARM!']

Common variations

Use async run_async() for concurrent agent execution.
Customize agents with different LLM models or prompt templates.
Adjust swarm coordination strategies via Swarm parameters.

python

import asyncio

async def main():
    result = await swarm.run_async("Async swarm execution")
    print(result)

asyncio.run(main())

output

['AgentA received: Async swarm execution', 'AgentB processed: ASYNC SWARM EXECUTION']

Troubleshooting

If agents do not respond, verify your API key is set in OPENAI_API_KEY.
Check for version mismatches by running pip show autogen.
Use logging to debug agent interactions by enabling verbose mode.

✅

Key Takeaways

Use the Swarm class in AutoGen 0.4 to coordinate multiple AI agents easily.
Run swarms synchronously with run() or asynchronously with run_async().
Customize agents by subclassing and overriding the respond method for tailored behavior.

Verified 2026-04

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