IBM watsonx Orchestrate ADK
The IBM watsonx Orchestrate ADK extension allows for seamless development and deployment of agents, tools, and other watsonx Orchestrate resources, all integrated into your IDE: Bob, Cursor, Visual Studio Code, and Copilot.
Features
Automated Workspace Setup
Clicking "Initialize Workspace" handles the entire setup automatically:
- Environment check: Detects an existing healthy environment and skips redundant work. Corrupted virtual environments are cleaned up automatically.
- Python and ADK setup: Installs
uv if absent (with your consent), creates a Python 3.12 virtual environment, then installs or upgrades the ADK.
- MCP servers: Detects your IDE (Bob, Cursor, or VS Code Copilot) and configures two MCP servers automatically. Use the
Install MCP Servers and Update MCP Servers commands to re-run this step at any time.
watsonx-orchestrate-adk — manage agents, tools, toolkits, knowledge bases, connections, models, and channels on your live watsonx Orchestrate environment.watsonx-orchestrate-adk-docs — searchable ADK reference docs, guides, and API specs directly in your editor.
- Environment activation: Activates your local ADK environment or connects to a SaaS environment automatically. A single API key prompt is shown only when connecting to a remote cluster.
Initialize Workspace on IBM Bob
In Bob IDE, "Initialize Workspace" runs all 4 steps above plus a fifth step exclusive to Bob to load a curated set of watsonx Orchestrate skills. The skills covers the full development lifecycle: from solution architecture to agent implementation to documentation:
| Skill |
Purpose |
wxo-builder |
Implements a complete watsonx Orchestrate native solution (agents, flows, tools, knowledge bases) from an SOP or prompt. |
sop-builder |
Converts workflow diagrams or automation JSON into Standard Operating Procedure documents in plain business language. |
wxo-analyzer |
Analyses an existing watsonx Orchestrate project and generates a 3-report documentation set (solution overview, agents, and components) with Mermaid diagrams. |
solution-architect |
Analyses business requirements and generates three focused documents: business overview, technical architecture, and implementation plan. |
customercare-mcp-builder |
Guides building production-ready MCP servers specifically for customer care agents on watsonx Orchestrate. |
agent-instructions-evaluator |
Evaluates an agent's instructions or definition for achievability and produces a structured, evidence-backed report with per-dimension scores, findings, and high-impact recommendations. |
Once the workspace is ready, a context is pre-loaded in the Bob chat. Hit Send Message to load your skills and start building.
ADK Updates
You also receive notifications of any ADK updates via the status bar and upgrade without leaving your IDE.
Developer Edition Server Management
View the Developer Edition server status and stop/start the server through a handy control panel
Agent Chat
- Command Palette:
watsonx Orchestrate: Chat with agent – presents a list of currently imported wxo agents and launches chat with selected agent.
- Current YAML: When a YAML file is open,
watsonx Orchestrate: Chat with Current Agent imports the agent and opens the webchat.
- Context Menu: Right‑click a YAML under
agents/ → Open Chat imports the agent and opens webchat.
Environment Switcher
Manage ADK environments (local & remote):
- List and activate environments
- Add new environment
- Edit existing environment
- Remove environment
Environment Explorer / Resource List
Explore resources (Agents, Tools, Connections, Knowledge Bases, Toolkits) in the active watsonx Orchestrate environment.
Agent Import
Import Agents directly from the current spec file with a single command.
Orchestrate AI Builder Agent Creation & Refinement
Leverage the powerful Orchestrate AI Builder feature to create agents from scratch and refine existing agents to optimize their performance.
Speed up agent and tool creation using inbuilt snippets to automatically generate boilerplate spec files.
Extension Settings
ibm-watsonx-orchestrate.envFile: Sets the file path of the env file used to start the Development Edition serveribm-watsonx-orchestrate.statusRefreshInterval: Controls how frequently the status bar checks for updates in ADk package. (Default: 30 minutes)
Known Issues
- The create agent command only supports the creation of native agents
- Import current file only supports agent import
Important Links
License
This extension is licensed under an MIT license.
See License Details
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