Block Creation with SDK¶

This guide explains how to create new blocks for the AutoGPT Platform using the SDK pattern with advanced features.

Overview¶

Blocks are reusable components that perform specific tasks in AutoGPT workflows. They can integrate with external services, process data, or perform any programmatic operation.

Basic Structure¶

1. Create Provider Configuration¶

First, create a _config.py file to configure your provider using the ProviderBuilder:

from backend.sdk import BlockCostType, ProviderBuilder

# Simple API key provider
my_provider = (
    ProviderBuilder("my_provider")
    .with_api_key("MY_PROVIDER_API_KEY", "My Provider API Key")
    .with_base_cost(1, BlockCostType.RUN)
    .build()
)

For OAuth providers:

from backend.sdk import BlockCostType, ProviderBuilder
from ._oauth import MyProviderOAuthHandler

my_provider = (
    ProviderBuilder("my_provider")
    .with_oauth(
        MyProviderOAuthHandler,
        scopes=["read", "write"],
        client_id_env_var="MY_PROVIDER_CLIENT_ID",
        client_secret_env_var="MY_PROVIDER_CLIENT_SECRET",
    )
    .with_base_cost(1, BlockCostType.RUN)
    .build()
)

2. Create the Block Class¶

Create your block file (e.g., my_block.py):

import uuid
from backend.sdk import (
    APIKeyCredentials,
    Block,
    BlockCategory,
    BlockOutput,
    BlockSchema,
    CredentialsMetaInput,
    SchemaField,
)
from ._config import my_provider


class MyBlock(Block):
    class Input(BlockSchema):
        # Define input fields
        credentials: CredentialsMetaInput = my_provider.credentials_field(
            description="API credentials for My Provider"
        )
        query: str = SchemaField(description="The query to process")
        limit: int = SchemaField(
            description="Number of results", 
            default=10,
            ge=1,  # Greater than or equal to 1
            le=100  # Less than or equal to 100
        )
        advanced_option: str = SchemaField(
            description="Advanced setting",
            default="",
            advanced=True  # Hidden by default in UI
        )

    class Output(BlockSchema):
        # Define output fields
        results: list = SchemaField(description="List of results")
        count: int = SchemaField(description="Total count")
        error: str = SchemaField(description="Error message if failed")

    def __init__(self):
        super().__init__(
            id=str(uuid.uuid4()),  # Generate unique ID
            description="Brief description of what this block does",
            categories={BlockCategory.SEARCH},  # Choose appropriate categories
            input_schema=self.Input,
            output_schema=self.Output,
        )

    async def run(
        self, 
        input_data: Input, 
        *, 
        credentials: APIKeyCredentials,
        **kwargs
    ) -> BlockOutput:
        try:
            # Your block logic here
            results = await self.process_data(
                input_data.query,
                input_data.limit,
                credentials
            )

            # Yield outputs
            yield "results", results
            yield "count", len(results)

        except Exception as e:
            yield "error", str(e)

    async def process_data(self, query, limit, credentials):
        # Implement your logic
        # Use credentials.api_key.get_secret_value() to access the API key
        pass

Key Components Explained¶

Provider Configuration¶

The ProviderBuilder allows you to: - .with_api_key(): Add API key authentication - .with_oauth(): Add OAuth authentication
- .with_base_cost(): Set resource costs for the block - .with_webhook_manager(): Add webhook support - .with_user_password(): Add username/password auth

Block Schema¶

Input/Output classes: Define the data structure using BlockSchema
SchemaField: Define individual fields with validation
CredentialsMetaInput: Special field for handling credentials

Block Implementation¶

Unique ID: Generate using uuid.uuid4()
Categories: Choose from BlockCategory enum (e.g., SEARCH, AI, PRODUCTIVITY)
async run(): Main execution method that yields outputs
Error handling: Always include error output field

Advanced Features¶

Testing¶

Add test configuration to your block:

def __init__(self):
    super().__init__(
        # ... other config ...
        test_input={
            "query": "test query",
            "limit": 5,
            "credentials": {
                "provider": "my_provider",
                "id": str(uuid.uuid4()),
                "type": "api_key"
            }
        },
        test_output=[
            ("results", ["result1", "result2"]),
            ("count", 2)
        ],
        test_mock={
            "process_data": lambda *args, **kwargs: ["result1", "result2"]
        }
    )

OAuth Support¶

Create an OAuth handler in _oauth.py:

from backend.integrations.oauth.base import BaseOAuthHandler

class MyProviderOAuthHandler(BaseOAuthHandler):
    PROVIDER_NAME = "my_provider"

    def _get_authorization_url(self, scopes: list[str], state: str) -> str:
        # Implementation
        pass

    def _exchange_code_for_token(self, code: str, scopes: list[str]) -> dict:
        # Implementation
        pass

Webhook Support¶

Create a webhook manager in _webhook.py:

from backend.integrations.webhooks._base import BaseWebhooksManager

class MyProviderWebhookManager(BaseWebhooksManager):
    PROVIDER_NAME = "my_provider"

    async def validate_event(self, event: dict) -> bool:
        # Implementation
        pass

File Organization¶

backend/blocks/my_provider/
├── __init__.py          # Export your blocks
├── _config.py           # Provider configuration  
├── _oauth.py           # OAuth handler (optional)
├── _webhook.py         # Webhook manager (optional)
├── _api.py             # API client wrapper (optional)
├── models.py           # Data models (optional)
└── my_block.py         # Block implementations

Best Practices¶

Error Handling: Always include an error field in outputs
Credentials: Use the provider's credentials_field() method
Validation: Use SchemaField constraints (ge, le, min_length, etc.)
Categories: Choose appropriate categories for discoverability
Advanced Fields: Mark complex options as advanced=True
Async Operations: Use async/await for I/O operations
API Clients: Use Requests() from SDK or external libraries
Testing: Include test inputs/outputs for validation

Common Patterns¶

Making API Requests¶

from backend.sdk import Requests

async def run(self, input_data: Input, *, credentials: APIKeyCredentials, **kwargs):
    headers = {
        "Authorization": f"Bearer {credentials.api_key.get_secret_value()}",
        "Content-Type": "application/json"
    }

    response = await Requests().post(
        "https://api.example.com/endpoint",
        headers=headers,
        json={"query": input_data.query}
    )

    data = response.json()
    yield "results", data.get("results", [])

Multiple Auth Types¶

async def run(
    self, 
    input_data: Input, 
    *, 
    credentials: OAuth2Credentials | APIKeyCredentials,
    **kwargs
):
    if isinstance(credentials, OAuth2Credentials):
        # Handle OAuth
        token = credentials.access_token.get_secret_value()
    else:
        # Handle API key
        token = credentials.api_key.get_secret_value()

Testing Your Block¶

# Run all block tests
poetry run pytest backend/blocks/test/test_block.py -xvs

# Test specific block
poetry run pytest 'backend/blocks/test/test_block.py::test_available_blocks[MyBlock]' -xvs

Integration Checklist¶

Example Blocks for Reference¶

Simple API: /backend/blocks/firecrawl/ - Basic API key authentication
OAuth + API: /backend/blocks/linear/ - OAuth and API key support
Webhooks: /backend/blocks/exa/ - Includes webhook manager

Study these examples to understand different patterns and approaches for building blocks.