Installation | SignalWire

System Requirements

Language	Runtime	Package Manager	OS
Python	3.10+	pip	Linux, macOS, Windows
TypeScript	Node.js 18+	npm	Linux, macOS, Windows

Basic Installation

Python

TypeScript

$ pip install signalwire

Verify Installation

Python

TypeScript

$ python -c "from signalwire import AgentBase; print('SDK installed successfully!')"

Installation Extras (Python)

The Python SDK provides optional extras for additional features:

Search Capabilities

$ # Query-only (read .swsearch files) - ~400MB
$ pip install "signalwire[search-queryonly]"
$ 
$ # Build indexes + vector search - ~500MB
$ pip install "signalwire[search]"
$ 
$ # Full document processing (PDF, DOCX) - ~600MB
$ pip install "signalwire[search-full]"
$ 
$ # NLP features (spaCy) - ~600MB
$ pip install "signalwire[search-nlp]"
$ 
$ # All search features - ~700MB
$ pip install "signalwire[search-all]"

Database Support

$ # PostgreSQL vector database support
$ pip install "signalwire[pgvector]"

Development Dependencies

$ # All development tools (testing, linting)
$ pip install "signalwire[dev]"

Search extras and optional dependencies are available in all language SDKs. See each SDK’s repository for language-specific installation extras.

Installation from Source

For development or to get the latest changes:

$ # Clone the repository
$ git clone https://github.com/signalwire/signalwire-agents.git
$ cd signalwire-agents
$ 
$ # Create virtual environment
$ python -m venv venv
$ source venv/bin/activate  # On Windows: venv\Scripts\activate
$ 
$ # Install in development mode
$ pip install -e .
$ 
$ # Or with extras
$ pip install -e ".[search,dev]"

Virtual Environment Setup

Always use a virtual environment to avoid conflicts:

$ # Create virtual environment
$ python -m venv venv
$ 
$ # Activate (Linux/macOS)
$ source venv/bin/activate
$ 
$ # Activate (Windows Command Prompt)
$ venv\Scripts\activate
$ 
$ # Activate (Windows PowerShell)
$ venv\Scripts\Activate.ps1
$ 
$ # Install the SDK
$ pip install signalwire
$ 
$ # Verify activation (should show venv path)
$ which python

Quick Verification Script

1 #!/usr/bin/env python3
2 """Verify SignalWire Agents SDK installation."""
3 
4 def main():
5     print("Checking SignalWire Agents SDK installation...\n")
6 
7     # Check core import
8     try:
9         from signalwire import AgentBase
10         print("[OK] Core SDK: AgentBase imported successfully")
11     except ImportError as e:
12         print(f"[FAIL] Core SDK: Failed to import AgentBase - {e}")
13         return False
14 
15     # Check SWAIG function support
16     try:
17         from signalwire import FunctionResult
18         print("[OK] SWAIG: FunctionResult imported successfully")
19     except ImportError as e:
20         print(f"[FAIL] SWAIG: Failed to import FunctionResult - {e}")
21         return False
22 
23     # Check prefabs
24     try:
25         from signalwire.prefabs import InfoGathererAgent
26         print("[OK] Prefabs: InfoGathererAgent imported successfully")
27     except ImportError as e:
28         print(f"[FAIL] Prefabs: Failed to import - {e}")
29 
30     # Check search (optional)
31     try:
32         from signalwire.search import SearchEngine
33         print("[OK] Search: SearchEngine available")
34     except ImportError:
35         print("[SKIP] Search: Not installed (optional)")
36 
37     print("\n" + "=" * 50)
38     print("Installation verification complete!")
39     print("=" * 50)
40     return True
41 
42 if __name__ == "__main__":
43     main()

Run it:

$ python verify_install.py

Expected output:

Checking SignalWire Agents SDK installation...
[OK] Core SDK: AgentBase imported successfully
[OK] SWAIG: FunctionResult imported successfully
[OK] Prefabs: InfoGathererAgent imported successfully
[SKIP] Search: Not installed (optional)
==================================================
Installation verification complete!
==================================================

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Problem	Cause	Solution
`ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'signalwire'`	Package not installed	Run `pip install signalwire`
`pip: command not found`	pip not in PATH	Use `python -m pip install signalwire`
Permission errors	Installing globally without sudo	Use virtual environment or `pip install --user`
Old pip version	pip can’t resolve dependencies	Run `pip install --upgrade pip`
Conflicts with other packages	Dependency version mismatch	Use a fresh virtual environment

Python Version Check

Ensure you have Python 3.10+:

$ python --version
$ # or
$ python3 --version

If you have multiple Python versions:

$ # Use specific version
$ python3.10 -m venv venv
$ source venv/bin/activate
$ pip install signalwire

Upgrade Existing Installation

$ pip install --upgrade signalwire

Clean Reinstall

$ pip uninstall signalwire
$ pip cache purge
$ pip install signalwire

CLI Tools

The SDK includes command-line tools:

Tool	Purpose
`swaig-test`	Test agents and functions locally
`sw-search`	Build and query search indexes
`sw-agent-init`	Create new agent projects

Verify CLI tools are available:

$ swaig-test --help
$ sw-agent-init --help

What Gets Installed

The SDK installs these core dependencies:

Package	Purpose
`fastapi`	Web framework for serving SWML
`uvicorn`	ASGI server for running the agent
`pydantic`	Data validation and settings
`structlog`	Structured logging
`requests`	HTTP client for API calls