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[ARTICLE · art-31380] src=zarldev.github.io ↗ pub= topic=ai-agents verified=true sentiment=↑ positive

Show HN: Zkit – Go libraries for building agents, not a framework

Zkit, a set of Go libraries for building AI agents, has been released as open-source software. The libraries provide modular components including a streaming runner, tool dispatch, guardrails, compaction, and provider adapters for multiple AI models. The project aims to offer a lightweight alternative to agent frameworks by allowing developers to compose only the pieces they need.

read1 min views1 publishedJun 17, 2026

Go packages for building agents: a streaming loop, tool dispatch, guardrails, compaction, and provider adapters.

go get github.com/zarldev/zarlmono/zkit

Import what you need. Compose the rest.

What is zkit? #

Section titled “What is zkit?”

zkit is a set of small Go packages for building agents. Take the pieces you need and ignore the rest. Each package has a narrow interface and no framework ceremony.

The runner is the streaming, tool-calling agent loop. Around it are tools, guardrails, compaction, providers, verified completion, and the foundation packages underneath.

Core packages

zkit/agent

Runner

Streaming loop with tool calls, steering, compaction hooks, and per-call timeouts.

zkit/ai

Tools

Registry, two-method Tool interface, reflection schemas, JSON repair, MCP.

zkit/agent

Guardrails

Middleware around tool dispatch: schema repair, shell policy, repetition detection, verifier feedback.

zkit/agent

Compaction

History-shrinking strategies behind one interface, with budget-driven triggers.

zkit/ai

Providers

OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, DeepSeek, llama.cpp, Ollama, and OAuth backends behind one contract.

zkit/agent

Verified completion

Re-drive attempts against real-world state — tests passing, files present — not the transcript.

Built with zkit

These products share the same repo and the same packages.

TUI agent

zarlcode

A terminal coding agent: runner, guardrails, sandboxed shell, sub-agents, SQLite sessions.

Local assistant

zarlai

A local multimodal assistant: speech, vision, home automation, autonomous tasks.

Evaluation

swebench-eval

A SWE-bench driver built from the same packages as the TUI.

Where to go next #

Section titled “Where to go next”

— install zkit and run your first agent.Getting started— see how the packages layer.** Architecture**— understand the loop.** Runner**

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