{"slug": "show-hn-zkit-go-libraries-for-building-agents-not-a-framework", "title": "Show HN: Zkit – Go libraries for building agents, not a framework", "summary": "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.", "body_md": "# zkit\n\n# zkit\n\nGo packages for building agents: a streaming loop, tool dispatch, guardrails, compaction, and provider adapters.\n\n```\ngo get github.com/zarldev/zarlmono/zkit\n```\n\nImport what you need. Compose the rest.\n\n## What is zkit?\n\n[Section titled “What is zkit?”](#what-is-zkit)\n\nzkit 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.\n\nThe **runner** is the streaming, tool-calling agent loop. Around it are tools,\nguardrails, compaction, providers, verified completion, and the foundation\npackages underneath.\n\nCore packages\n\n[zkit/agent](/zarlmono/runner/)\n\n### Runner\n\nStreaming loop with tool calls, steering, compaction hooks, and per-call timeouts.\n\n[zkit/ai](/zarlmono/tools/)\n\n### Tools\n\nRegistry, two-method Tool interface, reflection schemas, JSON repair, MCP.\n\n[zkit/agent](/zarlmono/guardrails/)\n\n### Guardrails\n\nMiddleware around tool dispatch: schema repair, shell policy, repetition detection, verifier feedback.\n\n[zkit/agent](/zarlmono/compaction/)\n\n### Compaction\n\nHistory-shrinking strategies behind one interface, with budget-driven triggers.\n\n[zkit/ai](/zarlmono/providers/)\n\n### Providers\n\nOpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, DeepSeek, llama.cpp, Ollama, and OAuth backends behind one contract.\n\n[zkit/agent](/zarlmono/pursue/)\n\n### Verified completion\n\nRe-drive attempts against real-world state — tests passing, files present — not the transcript.\n\nBuilt with zkit\n\nThese products share the same repo and the same packages.\n\n[TUI agent](/zarlmono/zarlcode/)\n\n### zarlcode\n\nA terminal coding agent: runner, guardrails, sandboxed shell, sub-agents, SQLite sessions.\n\n[Local assistant](/zarlmono/zarlai/)\n\n### zarlai\n\nA local multimodal assistant: speech, vision, home automation, autonomous tasks.\n\n[Evaluation](/zarlmono/swebench-eval/)\n\n### swebench-eval\n\nA SWE-bench driver built from the same packages as the TUI.\n\n## Where to go next\n\n[Section titled “Where to go next”](#where-to-go-next)\n\n— install zkit and run your first agent.**Getting started**— see how the packages layer.** Architecture**— understand the loop.** Runner**", "url": "https://wpnews.pro/news/show-hn-zkit-go-libraries-for-building-agents-not-a-framework", "canonical_source": "https://zarldev.github.io/zarlmono/", "published_at": "2026-06-17 16:06:41+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-06-17 16:23:48.112514+00:00", "lang": "en", "topics": ["ai-agents", "ai-tools", "ai-infrastructure", "developer-tools", "generative-ai"], "entities": ["OpenAI", "Anthropic", "Gemini", "DeepSeek", "llama.cpp", "Ollama", "Zkit", "zarldev"], "alternates": {"html": "https://wpnews.pro/news/show-hn-zkit-go-libraries-for-building-agents-not-a-framework", "markdown": "https://wpnews.pro/news/show-hn-zkit-go-libraries-for-building-agents-not-a-framework.md", "text": "https://wpnews.pro/news/show-hn-zkit-go-libraries-for-building-agents-not-a-framework.txt", "jsonld": "https://wpnews.pro/news/show-hn-zkit-go-libraries-for-building-agents-not-a-framework.jsonld"}}