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Prerequisites

If you haven't already, start with the Getting started page for an overview of what the ADK is and how to sign up for Agent Studio. If you run into any issues generating your API key, contact developers@poly-ai.com.

Before using the PolyAI ADK, you need the correct platform access and the required local tools.

Generate API key

Log in to Agent Studio and open your workspace. In the API Keys tab (next to the Users tab), click + API key in the top right to generate a key.

Generating an API key in Agent Studio — API Keys tab with the + API key button highlighted

Then set it as an environment variable:

export POLY_ADK_KEY=<your-api-key>

The POLY_ADK_KEY environment variable must be set before running any poly commands. To make it permanent, add the export line to your shell profile (for example, ~/.zshrc or ~/.bashrc).

Once the ADK is installed and your API key is set, you can use the poly command to interact with Agent Studio projects locally.

API keys are workspace-scoped

An API key grants access to one specific Agent Studio workspace. When you run poly init, it lists all projects visible to that key. If you see many projects that do not look like yours, you are likely using a key scoped to the wrong workspace — for example, an organization-wide key rather than one scoped to your personal workspace. Contact your PolyAI contact to confirm you have a key for the correct workspace.

Local requirements

Install the following tools before continuing:

Tool Version Notes
uv latest Manages Python and virtual environments
Git any Required to clone the repository or contribute

Install uv

uv manages Python versions for you, including the version required by the ADK. Install it with:

curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh

Alternatively, with Homebrew on macOS:

brew install uv

See the uv installation guide for more options.

Checklist

Before continuing, confirm:

  • You have access to an Agent Studio workspace
  • You have generated an API key in Agent Studio
  • uv is installed
  • git is available locally

Next step

Once these requirements are in place, continue to installation.