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Agent Lightning

Microsoft's zero-code-change RL trainer for AI agents

Agent Lightning is Microsoft Research's open-source framework that makes AI agents trainable through reinforcement learning with virtually zero code changes. Supports RL, Automatic Prompt Optimization, and Supervised Fine-tuning across any agent framework including LangChain, OpenAI Agents SDK, AutoGen, and CrewAI. 14K+ GitHub stars, ranked among Microsoft's top 50 most-starred projects.

About Agent Lightning

Agent Lightning from Microsoft Research Asia separates agent execution from model training, enabling developers to add reinforcement learning to any existing agent with virtually zero code changes. Works with LangChain, OpenAI Agents SDK, AutoGen, CrewAI, or standalone agents.

Its LightningRL algorithm uses hierarchical credit assignment: after task completion, it scores each LLM request's contribution and feeds step-level rewards into RL algorithms like PPO or GRPO. This lets agents learn from experience rather than relying solely on prompt engineering.

Beyond RL, it supports Automatic Prompt Optimization and Supervised Fine-tuning. With 14K+ GitHub stars and top-50 Microsoft project status, it serves teams needing agents that improve task completion rates over deployment cycles.

Pricing & Platform Specs

Pricing Summary

100% free and open source under the MIT license ($0 software cost). Agent Lightning by Microsoft Research is a distributed optimization framework that trains AI agents via Reinforcement Learning, Automatic Prompt Optimization, and SFT.

full pricing breakdown →

Supported Platforms

Python (cross-platform)

Explore categories, tags & use cases

Framework for LLM applications

The most widely-used framework for building LLM-powered applications, available in Python and JavaScript. Provides abstractions for chains, agents, RAG, memory, tool usage, and structured output. Integrates with 100+ LLM providers, vector stores, document loaders, and tools. LangSmith offers tracing and evaluation. LangGraph enables stateful, multi-agent workflows with cycles. 100K+ GitHub stars. The de facto standard for LLM application development despite growing alternatives like LlamaIndex.

freemiumOpen Source

Microsoft's conversational multi-agent framework

AutoGen is an open-source programming framework from Microsoft Research for building AI agents and facilitating cooperation among multiple agents to solve complex tasks through multi-turn conversations. Pioneered conversable agents that interact, use tools, and involve humans in the loop for multi-agent workflows. v0.4 features a redesigned async event-driven architecture with stronger observability, flexible collaboration patterns, and reusable components.

Open Source

Multi-agent AI framework

Python framework for orchestrating autonomous AI agents that collaborate to accomplish complex tasks. Define agents with specific roles, goals, and backstories, then organize them into crews with sequential or parallel task execution. Supports tool usage (web search, file I/O, API calls), memory, delegation between agents, and human-in-the-loop input. Works with OpenAI, Anthropic, local models, and more. 25K+ GitHub stars. Leading multi-agent framework alongside LangGraph and AutoGen.

freemiumOpen Source

Stateful agent orchestration framework by LangChain

LangGraph is LangChain's framework for building stateful, multi-actor AI agent applications as controllable graphs. It models workflows as nodes and edges, enabling cycles, branching, and human-in-the-loop patterns that simple chains cannot express. Features built-in persistence for conversation memory, streaming support, and fault tolerance. Provides fine-grained control over execution flow while supporting single-agent and multi-agent architectures with shared or independent state.

freemiumOpen Source

Official Python SDK for OpenAI agents

OpenAI's Python framework for building multi-agent AI applications with GPT models. Provides primitives for creating agents with tool calling, handoffs between specialized agents, guardrails for input/output validation, and tracing for observability. Supports building complex workflows where agents collaborate on tasks. Includes built-in tools for file search, code execution, and web browsing. Designed for production agent systems with structured output and error recovery patterns.

Open Source

Community experience

Sources & verification

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FAQ

What is Agent Lightning?

Agent Lightning is Microsoft Research's open-source framework that makes AI agents trainable through reinforcement learning with virtually zero code changes. Supports RL, Automatic Prompt Optimization, and Supervised Fine-tuning across any agent framework including LangChain, OpenAI Agents SDK, AutoGen, and CrewAI. 14K+ GitHub stars, ranked among Microsoft's top 50 most-starred projects.

Is Agent Lightning free?

Yes — Agent Lightning is open source and free to use. 100% free and open source under the MIT license ($0 software cost). Agent Lightning by Microsoft Research is a distributed optimization framework that trains AI agents via Reinforcement Learning, Automatic Prompt Optimization, and SFT.

Is Agent Lightning open source?

Yes — Agent Lightning is open source.

Is Agent Lightning still maintained?

Yes — Agent Lightning is active. Its listing was last verified on September 6, 2026.

What are the best Agent Lightning alternatives?

The first editor-selected Agent Lightning alternatives are LangChain, AutoGen, CrewAI, and more.