Introducing Dify Agent (Experimental): A New Agent Experience in Dify

Warning

You should provide Dify Agent services ⚠️only to trusted, non-malicious users⚠️.

As many of you know, the shell-based LLM agent paradigm has brought a major leap in agent capabilities and changed how we think about agents. Meanwhile, Skills provide a standardized way to package and distribute capabilities, making it easier to build powerful agents.

Today, we are experimentally launching Dify Agent. Like other leading agents, it runs in a Linux sandbox. This release includes:

A builder for creating Dify Agents
- You can build Dify Agents through the UI: set a base prompt, upload Skills and files, and connect tools and knowledge from the Dify ecosystem.
- We also provide an agent that helps you build Dify Agents. Through conversation, it can configure the Linux sandbox environment, install required packages, and create new Skills and files that your Dify Agent can use later.
Dify Workflow integration for Dify Agent
- You can use an existing Dify Agent in a Dify Workflow, or temporarily create an inline Dify Agent. It will execute the task defined by the workflow node, generate the required output, and pass it to the next node.
A new web app experience
- The Dify Agent you build can be published and used as a web app. While the user experience remains familiar, it is now powered by Dify Agent.

Docs: https://docs.dify.ai/en/self-host/use-dify/build/new-agent/overview

Limitations

Please note that in the current experimental release, all Dify Agents run in the same sandbox. This means:

Under normal circumstances, each Dify Agent configures its environment and executes tasks within its own workspace without interfering with others.
However, with simple instructions, any Dify Agent can read or interfere with the environments and data of other Dify Agents, including user data.

Strict isolation will be implemented in a future release. For now,

Warning

You should provide Dify Agent services ⚠️only to trusted, non-malicious users⚠️.

Similarly, because Dify Agent is not fully ready yet, you may find that some features are not available for Dify Agent. For example, Dify Workflow DSL export is unavailable when the workflow contains nodes that reference Dify Agent.

Upgrade Guide

Important

This release includes new database migrations. Run them as part of the upgrade.
Environment variables changed. Review the Environment Variable Changes section and update your .env accordingly.
Docker Compose configuration files changed. If you maintain a customized docker-compose.yaml, review the changes and re-apply local customizations carefully.

Docker Compose Deployments

Back up your customized docker-compose YAML and env files.

cd docker
cp docker-compose.yaml docker-compose.yaml.$(date +%s).bak
cp .env .env.$(date +%s).bak 2>/dev/null || true

Get the latest code for the 1.16.0-rc1 release.
```
git fetch --tags
git checkout 1.16.0-rc1
```
Stop the services (run inside the docker directory).
```
docker compose down
```

Back up data.

tar -cvf volumes-$(date +%s).tgz volumes

Review any env file changes and re-apply local customizations.
Upgrade services.
```
docker compose up -d
```

Source Code Deployments

Stop the API server, Worker, and Web frontend server.
Get the latest code for the 1.16.0-rc1 release.
```
git fetch --tags
git checkout 1.16.0-rc1
```
Update Python dependencies.
```
cd api
uv sync
```
Run database migrations.
```
uv run flask db upgrade
```
Restart the API server, Worker, and Web frontend server. To experiment with the new agent feature, you also need to start dify-agent and shellctl. Important: shellctl does not include built‑in authentication — for security, it is strongly recommended to run it inside a container.

What's Changed

chore(api): surface pyrefly output on type-check failures by @QuantumGhost in #37934
test: replace logger mock with caplog in workflow collaboration test by @ojasarora77 in #37971
ci: emit pyrefly diagnostics as GitHub workflow commands by @ojasarora77 in #37974
refactor(api): migrate response contract tooling to BaseModel by @cqjjjzr in #37950
fix(cli): use a(n) article in difyctl prerelease warning by @GareArc in #37976
fix(api): require edit access for trace config changes by @laipz8200 in #37973
feat(webapp): display app description on chat and text-generation app screens by @kurokobo in #37345
fix: decouple deployment access control dialog by @hyoban in #37936
refactor(tests): use caplog in workflow collaboration service tests (#37468) by @hikariming in #37991
fix(web): make marketplace URL builder SSR-safe by @lyzno1 in #37944
refactor: simplify deployment access ownership by @hyoban in #37994
refactor: Use pytest caplog instead of logger patching in test_spec.py by @DevCube24 in #37997
refactor: align deployment detail state ownership by @hyoban in #38008
fix: isolate node selector keyboard events by @lyzno1 in #37998
fix(web): keep HITL input-field save button visible in the edit dialog by @manan-tech in #38007
refactor(api): enforce enums over string literals on openapi surface by @GareArc in #38009
chore: migrate account role test to testcontainers by @escape0707 in #38010
refactor: pass db session into service calls (#37403) by @xiejl001 in #38016
feat(api): cache workflow provider configurations by @linw1995 in #37980
fix(web): capture blog UTM/slug attribution reliably under CSP by @CodingOnStar in #38022
fix: plugin installation task popover layout when some failed too long by @hjlarry in #38000
feat(web): add customizable input placeholder for Agent/Chatflow/Chatbot web app by @CyberPU2099 in #37790
refactor: replace patch logger with caplog in test_version.py by @EvanYao826 in #38029
docs(web): fix testing guide link by @Harsh23Kashyap in #38006
feat(agent-v2): sync nightly updates to main (2026-06-25) by @BeautyyuYanli in #37915
chore: inject session by @asukaminato0721 in #37941
fix(web): download markdown file-preview links as attachments by @uxgnod in #38030
chore(i18n): sync translations with en-US by @github-actions[bot] in #38035
fix: remove aria-busy from loading button by @lyzno1 in #38036
fix: improve members role chip accessibility by @lyzno1 in #38037
fix: improve workflow run archive idempotency and batching by @41tair in #38027
refactor(web): organize deployment feature state by @hyoban in #38065
fix: prevent exiting toasts from blocking page clicks by @lyzno1 in #38063
fix: gate deployments in route layout by @lyzno1 in #38078
refactor: shell provider protocol by @wylswz in #38077
fix: simplify scroll area composition by @lyzno1 in #38113
fix(web): improve main nav focus outline by @lyzno1 in #38114
fix: CAN_REPLACE_LOGO should be false by @fatelei in #38126
chore: update deps by @hyoban in #38128
chore: downgrade openapi-ts by @hyoban in #38141
fix: support Unicode characters in form field names by @WTW0313 in #38138
feat: refine snippet siderbar and support RBAC. by @FFXN in #38134
fix(web): align web app nav item width by @lyzno1 in #38146
fix(api): isolate side-effect database writes by @lin-hongkuan in #37895
fix(api): wire dedicated timeout into inner RBAC requests by @GareArc in #38150
fix: multimodal segment attachment indexing by @Blackoutta in #38080
fix: agent app log detail modal not display well by @hjlarry in #38014
fix(vdb): remove deprecated SQL options for ADB-PG 7.0 compatibility by @shiyuanfang2nd in #38004
fix: editor should not query billing subscriptions by @hjlarry in #38157
perf(api): retrieve published workflows via app.workflow_id by @linw1995 in #38153
fix: editor can view the logs by @hjlarry in #38165
perf: make command rbac-migrate-member-roles use less mem and make it… by @fatelei in #38151
fix(api): skip uuidv7() creation when PostgreSQL 18 provides it natively by @zeeshan56656 in #36998
feat(mcp): support dynamic HTTP request headers in MCPClient by @Sanket2329 in #37938
chore(i18n): update role management permission keys for multiple languages by @WTW0313 in #38186
fix: update documentation links in permission set and role modals by @WTW0313 in #38188
test(e2e): add agent v2 test infrastructure by @lyzno1 in #38191
feat: support dataset permission migrate to rbac by @fatelei in #38166
chore: inject more db.session by @asukaminato0721 in #38045
fix(workflow): guard on_tool_execution stdout traces behind DEBUG by @MRZHUH in #38200
fix: stress test setup process and report structure workflow for Dify 1.15.0+ by @Blackoutta in #38194
fix: debug plugin permission setting not work by @hjlarry in #38197
chore(dify-ui): update theme tokens by @lyzno1 in #38189
fix(api): scope nested resource lookups by owner refs by @WH-2099 in #38177
fix(api): register rbac-migrate-dataset-permissions CLI command by @GareArc in #38204
fix(api): Fixing API contract generation infrastructure by @cqjjjzr in #38042
fix(api): prevent plugin provider cache stampedes by @VeraPyuyi in #37388
perf(web): improve vinext home startup time by @hyoban in #38219
fix(web): hide deployment access tab by @hyoban in #38222
fix(web): hide deployment access sidebar tab by @hyoban in #38229
perf(web): lazy load console contract shards by @hyoban in #38230
fix(api): avoid infinite loop in _delete_records when batch deletion fails by @p2003722 in #38118
refactor(web): migrate console contracts to generated types by @hyoban in #38231
feat(workflow-generator): enhance the AI auto-creation flow end-to-end by @crazywoola in #38175
chore(i18n): sync translations with en-US by @github-actions[bot] in #38239
build(deps): bump pydantic-ai-slim from 1.85.1 to 1.102.0 in /dify-agent by @dependabot[bot] in #38135
fix: handle integration marketplace install callbacks by @Jingyi-Dify in #38236
chore(agent-v2): sync daily changes by @lyzno1 in #38162
refactor(web): migrate console contracts to generated routes by @hyoban in #38233
refactor(web): decouple detail sidebars from main nav by @hyoban in #38241
refactor: pass db.session explicitly in DatasetIndexToolCallbackHandler by @sergioperezcheco in #38082
refactor: use Pydantic for sensitive word avoidance config (Fixes #37… by @escapefyh in #37660
fix: order main nav account classes by @hjlarry in #38251
chore(github): add e2e labeler and code owner by @lyzno1 in #38257
fix(web): improve card grid responsiveness by @hyoban in #38263
chore: remove useless tag params logic in use effect by @iamjoel in #38269
fix(web): clarify unpublished explore app handling by @euxx in #38260
refactor(ui): use inset ring utilities by @lyzno1 in #38275
refactor(web): migrate model provider console contracts by @hyoban in #38253
refactor(web): migrate trigger console contracts by @hyoban in #38255
refactor(web): migrate rbac access console contracts by @hyoban in #38256
refactor(web): migrate plugin console contracts by @hyoban in #38252
refactor(web): migrate snippet console contracts by @hyoban in #38258
refactor(web): migrate trial app console contracts by @hyoban in #38254
chore: remove empty .codex file by @QuantumGhost in #38286
fix(web): add missing i18n for CLI device flow login page by @GareArc in #38282
refactor(api): migrate console app common endpoints to BaseModel by @cqjjjzr in #37951
refactor(web): remove custom console contract loaders by @hyoban in #38284
refactor(api): migrate console app chat endpoints to BaseModel by @cqjjjzr in #37952
fix(api): keep provider refresh waiters single-flight by @WH-2099 in #38226
fix(api): tolerate legacy service_api end-user type on load by @manan-tech in #38271
fix(templates): make End output variable names unique in built-in templates by @manan-tech in #38293
fix: web detail adjustment before release by @iamjoel in #38296
test(e2e): add agent v2 core coverage by @lyzno1 in #38209
fix: sql injection by @FFXN in #38295
fix(api): stop swallowing document indexing errors in create handler by @Harsh23Kashyap in #38192
chore(api): disallow builtins getattr variants in new code by @QuantumGhost in #38250
fix: Working outside of application context. by @fatelei in #38300
fix(agent-v2): preserve oauth2 credential refs when converting tool c… by @linw1995 in #38303
fix(web): align monitoring overview charts by @hyoban in #38292
fix(web): fill dataset create layout height by @lyzno1 in #38308
fix: support multi-worker workflow collaboration by @hjlarry in #38242
refactor(web): move marketplace contract to contracts package by @hyoban in #38311
chore(i18n): sync translations with en-US by @github-actions[bot] in #38301
fix: enhance SQL query safety and add metadata key validation by @FFXN in #38307
feat(agent-v2): resolve Dify core tools in agent runtime runner by @linw1995 in #38316
fix: Notion sync empty state width in knowledge creation by @hjlarry in #38321
fix: normalize query array params for oRPC by @hyoban in #38322
fix(workspace): expose last opened in contract by @lyzno1 in #38323
fix(web): keep app sort filter with header filters by @hyoban in #38324
test: migrate tag service tests to testcontainers by @escape0707 in #38313
refactor: thread explicit sessions through app retrieval paths by @41tair in #38309
fix(web): align main nav app item states by @lyzno1 in #38326
fix: prevent app card meta overflow by @Jingyi-Dify in #38349
perf(memory): batch-load message files in TokenBufferMemory to remove N+1 queries by @weijun-xia in #38002
feat(device-flow): redirect SSO-complete failures to a dedicated device error view by @GareArc in #38185
fix(web): align external API and service API buttons vertically in datasets header by @p2003722 in #38139
chore(api): upgrade graphon to v0.6.0, migrate HITL logic back to Dify by @QuantumGhost in #38247
fix: handle Xinference model credential context by @AsperforMias in #38348
chore(i18n): sync translations with en-US by @github-actions[bot] in #38355
feat(api): abort active workflow runs during Celery warm shutdown by @linw1995 in #38220
feat: snippet siderbar update by @JzoNgKVO in #38371
chore: compress large plugin_model obj in redis by @hjlarry in #38374
fix(cli): report GitHub API rate limits in difyctl install scripts by @lin-snow in #38375
refactor: manage rag pipeline sessions explicitly by @41tair in #38274
fix: incorrect backgroud when dark mode and no plugins by @hjlarry in #38378
chore: use zstd for plugin model provider cache by @hjlarry in #38382
fix(web): adjust snippets input count badge color by @JzoNgKVO in #38386
fix(chat): enhance pointer event handling in chat components by @WTW0313 in #38385
feat(api): add sandbox info endpoint for Agent App conversations by @linw1995 in #38390
refactor: make session boundaries explicit for migration flows by @41tair in #38379
refactor: replace db.paginate with plain SQLAlchemy pagination by @sergioperezcheco in #38280
test(dify-ui): remove low-value style assertions by @lyzno1 in #38418
fix(dify-ui): standardize story focus indicators by @lyzno1 in #38417
fix(models): correct onupdate typo on trigger.py updated_at columns by @SquabbyZ in #38341
refactor(dify-ui): render ContextMenu story trigger as a semantic area by @lyzno1 with @Copilot in #38420
chore(agent-v2): sync daily changes by @lyzno1 in #38298
style: fix provider card dropdown menu seperator margin by @lyzno1 in #38422
ci: extract external E2E into dedicated post-merge workflow by @lyzno1 with @Copilot in #38426
fix(web): prevent plugin cards from overlapping marketplace panel by @lyzno1 in #38427
fix(dify-ui): improve picker type inference by @lyzno1 in #38428
fix(dify-ui): preserve radio value generics by @lyzno1 in #38429
test(e2e): split agent build draft apply coverage by @lyzno1 in #38431
fix(api/tasks): use f-string for raise messages in resume_workflow_ex… by @Harsh23Kashyap in #37607
refactor(api): migrate console explore endpoints to BaseModel by @cqjjjzr in #37953
refactor: drop redundant len(tag_ids)==0 check in get_target_ids_by_tag_ids by @isheng-eqi in #38447
build(deps): bump the github-actions-dependencies group across 1 directory with 12 updates by @dependabot[bot] in #38430
fix(web): update snippet placeholder icon color by @JzoNgKVO in #38445
fix(api): isolate side-effect session writes in multimodal and RAG handlers by @agarwalpranav0711 in #38210
docs(dify-ui): clarify radio composition stories by @lyzno1 in #38456
refactor(api): migrate workspace account endpoints to BaseModel by @cqjjjzr in #37954
refactor(api): migrate dataset rag pipeline endpoints to BaseModel by @cqjjjzr in #37958
refactor(api): remove member field compatibility by @cqjjjzr in #37966
test: example use sqlite3 as unittest backend by @asukaminato0721 in #38159
refactor(api): migrate web auth endpoints to BaseModel by @cqjjjzr in #37961
fix(api): resolve plugin external user ids in backwards invocation by @Harsh23Kashyap in #38098
feat(api): pass app_id to model plugins for provider-side cost attribution by @ryuta-kobayashi-ug in #35859
fix(web): redirect imported apps with creator permissions by @hjlarry in #38460
chore: Update sidebar web app menu translations by @hjlarry in #38473
refactor(dify-ui): consolidate radio family API by @lyzno1 in #38479
chore(agent-v2): sync changes by @lyzno1 in #38442
refactor(api): Stop masking refresh-token service errors as 401 by @QuantumGhost in #38463
fix(web): unify detail sidebar home control by @Jingyi-Dify in #38487
refactor(api): clarify DSL import and plugin migration boundaries by @WH-2099 in #38483
chore: set NEXT_PUBLIC_ENABLE_FEATURE_PREVIEW default to true by @crazywoola with @Copilot in #38362
feat(mcp): support MCP protocol 2025-06-18 for workflow-as-MCP server (version negotiation + structured output) by @CourTeous33 in #37892
test(e2e): stabilize Agent v2 external runtime checks by @hyoban in #38493
chore: add sqlite3 to conftest by @asukaminato0721 in #38475
fix: resolve 36288 mypy errors by @jashwanth-reddy-g in #37850
fix: editor should not manage member by @hjlarry in #38503
chore: update editor permission by @fatelei in #38505
chore: improve cherry pick missed message by @FFXN in #38496
docs(component): document focus-visible guidance by @lyzno1 in #38509
refactor(web): move app context layout styles to shell by @lyzno1 in #38511
fix(web): add backdrop blur to skip nav by @lyzno1 in #38517
fix: can't debug model plugins by @hjlarry in #38500
refactor(web): clarify app context bootstrap graph by @hyoban in #38516
chore(api): cache the setup status to cut down DB access by @cqjjjzr in #36966
refactor(test): replace SimpleNamespace with typed mocks in schedule service tests by @ojasarora77 in #38393
refactor(web): reduce query atom subscriptions by @hyoban in #38521
test(services): cover DSL import and plugin migration regressions by @Lillian68 in #36072
refactor(openapi): resource-oriented paths for /openapi/v1 + difyctl version gate by @lin-snow in #38367
refactor(web): migrate dataset access context by @hyoban in #38523
chore: clean Db session from service by @asukaminato0721 in #38227
test(dify-ui): remove brittle primitive assertions by @lyzno1 in #38529
refactor(web): migrate app context consumers by @hyoban in #38530
chore(deps): upgrade vite-plus toolchain by @lyzno1 in #38534
fix(web): cache server console context by @lyzno1 in #38535
test(web): align auth e2e with console home by @lyzno1 in #38538
fix: raise clear error on unsupported language in execute_code by @isheng-eqi in #38448
fix(ci): make no-new-getattr guard stable in shallow PR checkouts by @EvanYao826 in #38480
fix(web): guard invite-settings activate button against double-click by @SquabbyZ in #38337
refactor(web): migrate plugins and tools app context consumers by @hyoban in #38533
refactor(web): migrate billing app context consumers by @hyoban in #38541
feat(api): use billing quota for credit pool by @zyssyz123 in #38028
fix(cli): --insecure also skips TLS certificate verification by @GareArc in #38531
chore: remove superpowers artifacts by @lyzno1 in #38547
fix: display errors for oauth page by @crazywoola in #38546
refactor(web): migrate account settings app context consumers by @hyoban in #38544
test: more caplog by @asukaminato0721 in #38452
refactor(web): migrate workflow app context consumers by @hyoban in #38552
refactor(web): migrate agent v2 app context consumers by @hyoban in #38558
refactor(api): migrate workspace tool endpoints to BaseModel by @cqjjjzr in #37959
refactor(api): remove remaining legacy field remnants by @cqjjjzr in #37967
refactor(web): migrate shell navigation app context consumers by @hyoban in #38560
test: scope agent build draft e2e selector by @lyzno1 in #38563
refactor(web): remove remaining app context consumers by @hyoban in #38565
chore(agent-v2): sync changes by @lyzno1 in #38513
perf: batch-load messages in advanced-chat workflow run list to remove N+1 by @weijun-xia in #38359
refactor(web): remove app context provider by @hyoban in #38568
test(e2e): stabilize agent build draft note scenario by @lyzno1 in #38571
refactor(web): sync app context effects with jotai by @hyoban in #38570
test(e2e): fix agent build note runtime connection by @lyzno1 in #38574
fix: preserve ResponseStreamFilter state across workflow pause/resume by @GareArc in #38540
chore: upgrade TypeScript 7 by @hyoban in #38575
fix: when delete custom model remove its cache by @hjlarry in #38577
refactor(web): add prefetched query atom by @hyoban in #38572
chore: generate fastopenapi console contracts by @hyoban in #38580
refactor(api): migrate workspace model endpoints to BaseModel by @cqjjjzr in #37963
refactor(api): migrate snippet workspace endpoints to BaseModel by @cqjjjzr in #37956
refactor(api): migrate dataset endpoints to BaseModel by @cqjjjzr in #37957
refactor(api): migrate web chat endpoints to BaseModel by @cqjjjzr in #37962
refactor(api): migrate service app endpoints to BaseModel by @cqjjjzr in #37960
fix: run user_connect authorization inside Flask app context by @GareArc in #38585
fix: guard chat tree against out-of-order parents by @iamjoel in #38590
fix(web): preserve attribution from auth redirect by @CodingOnStar in #38583
refactor(web): split app context state atoms by @hyoban in #38588
refactor(tests): replace logger mocks with caplog in trace provider tests by @melooooooo in #38569
fix: chunk workflow failure tracking data by @CodingOnStar in #38598
chore: batch example #38419 by @asukaminato0721 in #38474
fix: harden workflow archive DB retries by @zhaohao1004 in #38170
fix(api): ignore invalid utf8 cache payloads by @Harsh23Kashyap in #37835
docs: remove Dify Premium on AWS Marketplace section from all READMEs by @Inlei in #38607
feat: daily sync by @zyssyz123 in #38593
fix(web): update docs links by @hyoban in #38591
fix: fix miss session param by @fatelei in #38612
chore: Bump version to 1.16.0-rc1 by @QuantumGhost in #38600
fix: fix auth prefix duplicate by @fatelei in #38616
fix: remove hardcoded sandbox path in configuration file by @QuantumGhost in #38618

New Contributors

@ojasarora77 made their first contribution in #37971
@DevCube24 made their first contribution in #37997
@CyberPU2099 made their first contribution in #37790
@Harsh23Kashyap made their first contribution in #38006
@uxgnod made their first contribution in #38030
@shiyuanfang2nd made their first contribution in #38004
@zeeshan56656 made their first contribution in #36998
@Sanket2329 made their first contribution in #37938
@VeraPyuyi made their first contribution in #37388
@p2003722 made their first contribution in #38118
@sergioperezcheco made their first contribution in #38082
@escapefyh made their first contribution in #37660
@SquabbyZ made their first contribution in #38341
@isheng-eqi made their first contribution in #38447
@agarwalpranav0711 made their first contribution in #38210
@ryuta-kobayashi-ug made their first contribution in #35859
@melooooooo made their first contribution in #38569

Full Changelog: 1.15.0...1.16.0-rc1

langgenius/dify 1.16.0-rc1 v1.16.0-rc1 on GitHub