Framework structure
The Clerk framework is built around a central agent architecture with everything managed by the Clerk - the single central piece of the entire system.System Overview
Core Components
The Clerk
The Clerk is the heart of the system, defined by two fundamental elements:- Context - The memory and state management system
- Tools - The capabilities and actions the agent can perform
The Context
The context is the second most important component of the system, responsible for:- Memory Management - Maintaining all agent memory and conversation state
- Message Crafting - Building the list of messages to query the LLM
- Tool Selection - Determining which tools are available for each interaction
- Prompt Engineering - Crafting optimal prompts for the language model
- Context Engineering - Managing the overall context structure and flow
The Agentic Loop in Detail
Architecture Layers
Repository Structure
Modification Points
The framework is designed with clear separation of concerns:- Prompts and Tools - These are the single pieces of code and mechanics that users should modify for the bot to function
- Core Framework - The rest of the system must remain purely agnostic, blindly conducting reflection and code execution
Design Philosophy
This separation ensures that:- Business logic and customizations are isolated to prompts and tools
- The core agentic loop remains stable and reusable
- Users can focus on defining behavior without touching the execution engine
FastAPI Integration
Request Flow
FastAPI serves as the entry point that:- Redirects to Clerk - All requests are forwarded to the Clerk for processing
- Queue Verification - Performs verification that the message queue is not empty
- Minimal Logic - Contains minimal business logic, acting primarily as a gateway
Separation of Concerns
The FastAPI layer maintains clean separation by handling only:- Request validation and routing
- Queue management verification
- Response formatting and delivery