> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://praison.ai/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# OutputConfig

> Configure agent output behavior including verbosity, streaming, and formatting

Control how agents display output, from silent mode for programmatic use to verbose mode with rich formatting.

<Warning>
  `verbose=`, `stream=`, and `metrics=` are no longer accepted as top-level `Agent` kwargs. A top-level `verbose=True` raises `TypeError`, and the error names the fix:

  ```text theme={"theme":{"light":"vitesse-light","dark":"vitesse-dark"}}
  TypeError: Agent.__init__() got unexpected keyword argument(s): verbose
    verbose: verbosity moved into output=; use output='verbose'
             (or output=OutputConfig(verbose=True)).
  ```

  Use a preset like `output="verbose"`, or `output=OutputConfig(...)` for fine-grained control.

  ```python theme={"theme":{"light":"vitesse-light","dark":"vitesse-dark"}}
  # Old — raises TypeError on the current SDK
  agent = Agent(name="X", verbose=True, stream=True, metrics=True)

  # New — preset
  agent = Agent(name="X", output="verbose")

  # New — dataclass
  from praisonaiagents.config import OutputConfig
  agent = Agent(name="X", output=OutputConfig(verbose=True, stream=True, metrics=True))
  ```
</Warning>

```mermaid theme={"theme":{"light":"vitesse-light","dark":"vitesse-dark"}}
graph LR
    subgraph "Output Modes"
        A[🤖 Agent] --> B{Mode}
        B -->|silent| C[🔇 No Output]
        B -->|actions| D[⚡ Tool Trace]
        B -->|verbose| E[📊 Rich Panels]
        B -->|json| F[📋 JSONL]
    end
    
    classDef agent fill:#6366F1,stroke:#7C90A0,color:#fff
    classDef mode fill:#F59E0B,stroke:#7C90A0,color:#fff
    classDef output fill:#10B981,stroke:#7C90A0,color:#fff
    
    class A agent
    class B mode
    class C,D,E,F output
```

## Quick Start

<Steps>
  <Step title="Default (Silent Mode)">
    Silent mode is the default for programmatic use:

    ```python theme={"theme":{"light":"vitesse-light","dark":"vitesse-dark"}}
    from praisonaiagents import Agent

    # No output overhead - fastest performance
    agent = Agent(
        name="Silent Agent",
        instructions="Work quietly"
    )
    ```
  </Step>

  <Step title="With Presets">
    Use string presets for common configurations:

    ```python theme={"theme":{"light":"vitesse-light","dark":"vitesse-dark"}}
    from praisonaiagents import Agent

    # Actions mode - shows tool calls
    agent = Agent(
        name="Traced Agent",
        instructions="Show what I do",
        output="actions"
    )

    # Verbose mode - rich panels
    agent = Agent(
        name="Verbose Agent",
        instructions="Show everything",
        output="verbose"
    )
    ```
  </Step>

  <Step title="With Configuration">
    Fine-grained control:

    ```python theme={"theme":{"light":"vitesse-light","dark":"vitesse-dark"}}
    from praisonaiagents import Agent
    from praisonaiagents.config import OutputConfig

    agent = Agent(
        name="Custom Output Agent",
        instructions="Custom output settings",
        output=OutputConfig(
            verbose=True,
            markdown=True,
            stream=True,
            metrics=True
        )
    )
    ```
  </Step>
</Steps>

***

## Configuration Options

```python theme={"theme":{"light":"vitesse-light","dark":"vitesse-dark"}}
from praisonaiagents.config import OutputConfig

config = OutputConfig(
    # Verbosity
    verbose=False,
    
    # Formatting
    markdown=False,
    
    # Streaming
    stream=False,
    
    # Metrics display
    metrics=False,
    
    # Show reasoning steps
    reasoning_steps=False,
    
    # Output style
    style=None,
    
    # Actions trace mode
    actions_trace=False,
    
    # JSON output mode
    json_output=False,
    
    # Simple output (no panels)
    simple_output=False,
    
    # Show LLM parameters (debug)
    show_parameters=False,
    
    # Status trace mode
    status_trace=False,
    
    # Editor mode (numbered steps)
    editor_output=False,
    
    # Save response to file
    output_file=None,
    
    # Response format template
    template=None,
    
    # Max characters for tool output
    tool_output_limit=16000
)
```

| Parameter           | Type          | Default | Description                      |
| ------------------- | ------------- | ------- | -------------------------------- |
| `verbose`           | `bool`        | `False` | Enable verbose output            |
| `markdown`          | `bool`        | `False` | Format output as markdown        |
| `stream`            | `bool`        | `False` | Stream output tokens             |
| `metrics`           | `bool`        | `False` | Show performance metrics         |
| `reasoning_steps`   | `bool`        | `False` | Display reasoning process        |
| `style`             | `Any \| None` | `None`  | Custom output styling            |
| `actions_trace`     | `bool`        | `False` | Show tool calls and lifecycle    |
| `json_output`       | `bool`        | `False` | Emit JSONL events                |
| `simple_output`     | `bool`        | `False` | Plain text without panels        |
| `show_parameters`   | `bool`        | `False` | Show LLM parameters (debug)      |
| `status_trace`      | `bool`        | `False` | Inline status updates            |
| `editor_output`     | `bool`        | `False` | Beginner-friendly numbered steps |
| `output_file`       | `str \| None` | `None`  | Save response to file            |
| `template`          | `str \| None` | `None`  | Response format template         |
| `tool_output_limit` | `int`         | `16000` | Max characters per tool output   |

***

## Output Presets

Eight primary presets cover the common cases. Default is `"silent"`.

| Preset      | Description                          | Equivalent `OutputConfig(...)`                                                                    |
| ----------- | ------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `"silent"`  | No output (default, fastest)         | all flags `False`                                                                                 |
| `"status"`  | Tool calls without timestamps        | `actions_trace=True, simple_output=True`                                                          |
| `"trace"`   | Full execution trace with timestamps | `actions_trace=True, status_trace=True`                                                           |
| `"verbose"` | Detailed with rich panels            | `verbose=True, markdown=True`                                                                     |
| `"debug"`   | Trace + metrics + reasoning          | `metrics=True, reasoning_steps=True, actions_trace=True, status_trace=True, show_parameters=True` |
| `"stream"`  | Real-time token streaming            | `verbose=True, markdown=True, stream=True`                                                        |
| `"json"`    | Machine-readable JSONL events        | `actions_trace=True, json_output=True`                                                            |
| `"editor"`  | Beginner-friendly numbered steps     | `editor_output=True`                                                                              |

### Aliases

Aliases map to a primary preset for backward compatibility.

| Alias       | Maps To     |
| ----------- | ----------- |
| `"plain"`   | `"silent"`  |
| `"minimal"` | `"silent"`  |
| `"normal"`  | `"verbose"` |
| `"actions"` | `"status"`  |
| `"text"`    | `"status"`  |

***

## Common Patterns

### Pattern 1: Streaming Chat

```python theme={"theme":{"light":"vitesse-light","dark":"vitesse-dark"}}
from praisonaiagents import Agent
from praisonaiagents.config import OutputConfig

agent = Agent(
    name="Chat Agent",
    instructions="Interactive chat",
    output=OutputConfig(
        stream=True,
        markdown=True,
        simple_output=True
    )
)
```

### Pattern 2: Save to File

```python theme={"theme":{"light":"vitesse-light","dark":"vitesse-dark"}}
from praisonaiagents import Agent
from praisonaiagents.config import OutputConfig

agent = Agent(
    name="Writer Agent",
    instructions="Generate content",
    output=OutputConfig(
        output_file="output.md",
        template="# {title}\n\n{content}"
    )
)
```

### Pattern 3: JSON Pipeline

```python theme={"theme":{"light":"vitesse-light","dark":"vitesse-dark"}}
from praisonaiagents import Agent
from praisonaiagents.config import OutputConfig

agent = Agent(
    name="Pipeline Agent",
    instructions="Emit structured events",
    output=OutputConfig(json_output=True)
)
```

***

## Best Practices

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Use Silent Mode for Production">
    Silent mode has zero output overhead, making it ideal for programmatic use.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Use Actions Mode for Debugging">
    Actions trace shows tool calls and agent lifecycle without full verbosity.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Enable Streaming for Interactive Use">
    Streaming improves perceived responsiveness for chat interfaces.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

***

## Related

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Display System" icon="display" href="/docs/features/display-system">
    Learn about the display system
  </Card>

  <Card title="Output Styles" icon="palette" href="/docs/features/output-styles">
    Customize output styling
  </Card>
</CardGroup>