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Events

The Agent User Interaction Protocol uses a streaming event-based architecture. Events are the fundamental units of communication between agents and frontends, enabling real-time, structured interaction.

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Event Types Overview

Events in the protocol are categorized by their purpose:

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Base Event Properties

All events share a common set of base properties:

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Lifecycle Events

These events represent the lifecycle of an agent run. A typical agent run follows a predictable pattern: it begins with a RunStarted event, may contain multiple optional StepStarted/StepFinished pairs, and concludes with either a RunFinished event (success) or a RunError event (failure). Lifecycle events provide crucial structure to agent runs, enabling frontends to track progress, manage UI states appropriately, and handle errors gracefully. They create a consistent framework for understanding when operations begin and end, making it possible to implement features like loading indicators, progress tracking, and error recovery mechanisms. The RunStarted and either RunFinished or RunError events are mandatory, forming the boundaries of an agent run. Step events are optional and may occur multiple times within a run, allowing for structured, observable progress tracking.

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RunStarted

Signals the start of an agent run. The RunStarted event is the first event emitted when an agent begins processing a request. It establishes a new execution context identified by a unique runId. This event serves as a marker for frontends to initialize UI elements such as progress indicators or loading states. It also provides crucial identifiers that can be used to associate subsequent events with this specific run.

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RunFinished

Signals the successful completion of an agent run. The RunFinished event indicates that an agent has successfully completed all its work for the current run. Upon receiving this event, frontends should finalize any UI states that were waiting on the agent’s completion. This event marks a clean termination point and indicates that no further processing will occur in this run unless explicitly requested. The optional result field can contain any output data produced by the agent run.

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RunError

Signals an error during an agent run. The RunError event indicates that the agent encountered an error it could not recover from, causing the run to terminate prematurely. This event provides information about what went wrong, allowing frontends to display appropriate error messages and potentially offer recovery options. After a RunError event, no further processing will occur in this run.

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StepStarted

Signals the start of a step within an agent run. The StepStarted event indicates that the agent is beginning a specific subtask or phase of its processing. Steps provide granular visibility into the agent’s progress, enabling more precise tracking and feedback in the UI. Steps are optional but highly recommended for complex operations that benefit from being broken down into observable stages. The stepName could be the name of a node or function that is currently executing.

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StepFinished

Signals the completion of a step within an agent run. The StepFinished event indicates that the agent has completed a specific subtask or phase. When paired with a corresponding StepStarted event, it creates a bounded context for a discrete unit of work. Frontends can use these events to update progress indicators, show completion animations, or reveal results specific to that step. The stepName must match the corresponding StepStarted event to properly pair the beginning and end of the step.

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Text Message Events

These events represent the lifecycle of text messages in a conversation. Text message events follow a streaming pattern, where content is delivered incrementally. A message begins with a TextMessageStart event, followed by one or more TextMessageContent events that deliver chunks of text as they become available, and concludes with a TextMessageEnd event. This streaming approach enables real-time display of message content as it’s generated, creating a more responsive user experience compared to waiting for the entire message to be complete before showing anything. The TextMessageContent events each contain a delta field with a chunk of text. Frontends should concatenate these deltas in the order received to construct the complete message. The messageId property links all related events, allowing the frontend to associate content chunks with the correct message.

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TextMessageStart

Signals the start of a text message. The TextMessageStart event initializes a new text message in the conversation. It establishes a unique messageId that will be referenced by subsequent content chunks and the end event. This event allows frontends to prepare the UI for an incoming message, such as creating a new message bubble with a loading indicator. The role property identifies whether the message is coming from the assistant or potentially another participant in the conversation.

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TextMessageContent

Represents a chunk of content in a streaming text message. The TextMessageContent event delivers incremental parts of the message text as they become available. Each event contains a small chunk of text in the delta property that should be appended to previously received chunks. The streaming nature of these events enables real-time display of content, creating a more responsive and engaging user experience. Implementations should handle these events efficiently to ensure smooth text rendering without visible delays or flickering.

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TextMessageEnd

Signals the end of a text message. The TextMessageEnd event marks the completion of a streaming text message. After receiving this event, the frontend knows that the message is complete and no further content will be added. This allows the UI to finalize rendering, remove any loading indicators, and potentially trigger actions that should occur after message completion, such as enabling reply controls or performing automatic scrolling to ensure the full message is visible.

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TextMessageChunk

Convenience event that expands to Start → Content → End automatically. The TextMessageChunk event lets you omit explicit TextMessageStart and TextMessageEnd events. The client stream transformer expands chunks into the standard triad:

• First chunk for a message must include messageId and will emit TextMessageStart (role defaults to assistant when not provided).
• Each chunk with a delta emits a TextMessageContent for the current messageId.
• TextMessageEnd is emitted automatically when the stream switches to a new message ID or when the stream completes.

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Tool Call Events

These events represent the lifecycle of tool calls made by agents. Tool calls follow a streaming pattern similar to text messages. When an agent needs to use a tool, it emits a ToolCallStart event, followed by one or more ToolCallArgs events that stream the arguments being passed to the tool, and concludes with a ToolCallEnd event. This streaming approach allows frontends to show tool executions in real-time, making the agent’s actions transparent and providing immediate feedback about what tools are being invoked and with what parameters. The ToolCallArgs events each contain a delta field with a chunk of the arguments. Frontends should concatenate these deltas in the order received to construct the complete arguments object. The toolCallId property links all related events, allowing the frontend to associate argument chunks with the correct tool call.

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ToolCallStart

Signals the start of a tool call. The ToolCallStart event indicates that the agent is invoking a tool to perform a specific function. This event provides the name of the tool being called and establishes a unique toolCallId that will be referenced by subsequent events in this tool call. Frontends can use this event to display tool usage to users, such as showing a notification that a specific operation is in progress. The optional parentMessageId allows linking the tool call to a specific message in the conversation, providing context for why the tool is being used.

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ToolCallArgs

Represents a chunk of argument data for a tool call. The ToolCallArgs event delivers incremental parts of the tool’s arguments as they become available. Each event contains a segment of the argument data in the delta property. These deltas are often JSON fragments that, when combined, form the complete arguments object for the tool. Streaming the arguments is particularly valuable for complex tool calls where constructing the full arguments may take time. Frontends can progressively reveal these arguments to users, providing insight into exactly what parameters are being passed to tools.

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ToolCallEnd

Signals the end of a tool call. The ToolCallEnd event marks the completion of a tool call. After receiving this event, the frontend knows that all arguments have been transmitted and the tool execution is underway or completed. This allows the UI to finalize the tool call display and prepare for potential results. In systems where tool execution results are returned separately, this event indicates that the agent has finished specifying the tool and its arguments, and is now waiting for or has received the results.

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ToolCallResult

Provides the result of a tool call execution. The ToolCallResult event delivers the output or result from a tool that was previously invoked by the agent. This event is sent after the tool has been executed by the system and contains the actual output generated by the tool. Unlike the streaming pattern of tool call specification (start, args, end), the result is delivered as a complete unit since tool execution typically produces a complete output. Frontends can use this event to display tool results to users, append them to the conversation history, or trigger follow-up actions based on the tool’s output.

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ToolCallChunk

Convenience event that expands to Start → Args → End automatically. The ToolCallChunk event lets you omit explicit ToolCallStart and ToolCallEnd events. The client stream transformer expands chunks into the standard tool-call triad:

• First chunk for a tool call must include toolCallId and toolCallName and will emit ToolCallStart (propagating any parentMessageId).
• Each chunk with a delta emits a ToolCallArgs for the current toolCallId.
• ToolCallEnd is emitted automatically when the stream switches to a new toolCallId or when the stream completes.

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State Management Events

These events are used to manage and synchronize the agent’s state with the frontend. State management in the protocol follows an efficient snapshot-delta pattern where complete state snapshots are sent initially or infrequently, while incremental updates (deltas) are used for ongoing changes. This approach optimizes for both completeness and efficiency: snapshots ensure the frontend has the full state context, while deltas minimize data transfer for frequent updates. Together, they enable frontends to maintain an accurate representation of agent state without unnecessary data transmission. The combination of snapshots and deltas allows frontends to efficiently track changes to agent state while ensuring consistency. Snapshots serve as synchronization points that reset the state to a known baseline, while deltas provide lightweight updates between snapshots.

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StateSnapshot

Provides a complete snapshot of an agent’s state. The StateSnapshot event delivers a comprehensive representation of the agent’s current state. This event is typically sent at the beginning of an interaction or when synchronization is needed. It contains all state variables relevant to the frontend, allowing it to completely rebuild its internal representation. Frontends should replace their existing state model with the contents of this snapshot rather than trying to merge it with previous state.

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StateDelta

Provides a partial update to an agent’s state using JSON Patch. The StateDelta event contains incremental updates to the agent’s state in the form of JSON Patch operations (as defined in RFC 6902). Each delta represents specific changes to apply to the current state model. This approach is bandwidth-efficient, sending only what has changed rather than the entire state. Frontends should apply these patches in sequence to maintain an accurate state representation. If a frontend detects inconsistencies after applying patches, it may request a fresh StateSnapshot.

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MessagesSnapshot

Provides a snapshot of all messages in a conversation. The MessagesSnapshot event delivers a complete history of messages in the current conversation. Unlike the general state snapshot, this focuses specifically on the conversation transcript. This event is useful for initializing the chat history, synchronizing after connection interruptions, or providing a comprehensive view when a user joins an ongoing conversation. Frontends should use this to establish or refresh the conversational context displayed to users.

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Activity Events

Activity Events expose structured, in-progress activity updates that occur between chat messages. They follow the same snapshot/delta pattern as the state system so that UIs can render a complete activity view immediately and then incrementally update it as new information arrives.

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ActivitySnapshot

Delivers a complete snapshot of an activity message. Frontends should either create a new ActivityMessage or replace the existing one with the payload supplied by the snapshot.

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ActivityDelta

Applies incremental updates to an existing activity using JSON Patch operations. Activity deltas should be applied in order to the previously synchronized activity content. If an application detects divergence, it can request or emit a fresh ActivitySnapshot to resynchronize.

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Special Events

Special events provide flexibility in the protocol by allowing for system-specific functionality and integration with external systems. These events don’t follow the standard lifecycle or streaming patterns of other event types but instead serve specialized purposes.

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Raw

Used to pass through events from external systems. The Raw event acts as a container for events originating from external systems or sources that don’t natively follow the Agent UI Protocol. This event type enables interoperability with other event-based systems by wrapping their events in a standardized format. The enclosed event data is preserved in its original form inside the event property, while the optional source property identifies the system it came from. Frontends can use this information to handle external events appropriately, either by processing them directly or by delegating them to system-specific handlers.

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Custom

Used for application-specific custom events. The Custom event provides an extension mechanism for implementing features not covered by the standard event types. Unlike Raw events which act as passthrough containers, Custom events are explicitly part of the protocol but with application-defined semantics. The name property identifies the specific custom event type, while the value property contains the associated data. This mechanism allows for protocol extensions without requiring formal specification changes. Teams should document their custom events to ensure consistent implementation across frontends and agents.

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Reasoning Events

Reasoning events support LLM reasoning visibility and continuity, enabling chain-of-thought reasoning while maintaining privacy. These events allow agents to surface reasoning signals (e.g., summaries) and support encrypted reasoning items for state carry-over across turns—especially under store:false or zero data retention policies—without exposing raw chain-of-thought. See OpenAI ZTR documentation, OpenAI store parameter documentation, and Gemini Thought Signatures for the underlying concept of encrypted reasoning items, which inspired this design. See Reasoning for comprehensive documentation including privacy considerations, compliance guidance, and implementation examples.

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ReasoningStart

Marks the start of reasoning. The ReasoningStart event signals that the agent is beginning a reasoning process. It establishes a reasoning context identified by a unique messageId.

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ReasoningMessageStart

Signals the start of a reasoning message. The ReasoningMessageStart event begins a streaming reasoning message. This message will contain the visible portion of the agent’s reasoning that should be displayed to users (e.g., a summary or partial chain-of-thought).

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ReasoningMessageContent

Represents a chunk of content in a streaming reasoning message. The ReasoningMessageContent event delivers incremental reasoning content to the client. Multiple content events with the same messageId should be concatenated to form the complete visible reasoning.

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ReasoningMessageEnd

Signals the end of a reasoning message. The ReasoningMessageEnd event indicates that all content for the specified reasoning message has been sent. Clients should finalize any UI representing this reasoning message.

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ReasoningMessageChunk

A convenience event to auto start/close reasoning messages. The ReasoningMessageChunk event simplifies implementation by automatically managing message lifecycle. The first chunk with a messageId implicitly starts the message. An empty delta or the next non-reasoning event implicitly closes the message.

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ReasoningEnd

Marks the end of reasoning. The ReasoningEnd event signals that the agent has completed its reasoning process for the given context. No further reasoning events with the same messageId should be expected after this event.

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ReasoningEncryptedValue

Attaches encrypted chain-of-thought reasoning to a message or tool call. The ReasoningEncryptedValue event carries encrypted reasoning content that represents the LLM’s internal chain-of-thought related to a specific entity. This allows the agent to preserve reasoning state across conversation turns without exposing the raw content to the client. The client stores and forwards these encrypted values opaquely—only the agent (or authorized backend) can decrypt them. Use cases:

• Message reasoning: Attach encrypted reasoning to an AssistantMessage or ReasoningMessage to preserve context for follow-up turns
• Tool call reasoning: Attach encrypted reasoning to a tool call to capture why the agent chose specific arguments or how it interpreted results

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Deprecated Events

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Thinking Events (Deprecated)

The THINKING_* events have been replaced by REASONING_* events: See Reasoning Migration for detailed migration guidance.

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Draft Events

These events are currently in draft status and may change before finalization. They represent proposed extensions to the protocol that are under active development and discussion.

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Meta Events

DRAFT View Proposal Meta events provide annotations and signals independent of agent runs, such as user feedback or external system events.

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MetaEvent

A side-band annotation event that can occur anywhere in the stream.

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Modified Lifecycle Events

DRAFT View Proposal Extensions to existing lifecycle events to support interrupts and branching.

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RunFinished (Extended)

The RunFinished event gains new fields to support interrupt-aware workflows. See Serialization for lineage and input capture.

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RunStarted (Extended)

The RunStarted event gains new fields to support branching and input tracking.

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Event Flow Patterns

Events in the protocol typically follow specific patterns:

1. Start-Content-End Pattern: Used for streaming content (text messages, tool calls)
   • Start event initiates the stream
   • Content events deliver data chunks
   • End event signals completion
2. Snapshot-Delta Pattern: Used for state synchronization
   • Snapshot provides complete state
   • Delta events provide incremental updates
3. Lifecycle Pattern: Used for monitoring agent runs
   • Started events signal beginnings
   • Finished/Error events signal endings

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Implementation Considerations

When implementing event handlers:

• Events should be processed in the order they are received
• Events with the same ID (e.g., messageId, toolCallId) belong to the same logical stream
• Implementations should be resilient to out-of-order delivery
• Custom events should follow the established patterns for consistency