Google Adk Code Executor

Google ADK — Code Executors

Overview

Code executors let agents write and execute Python code. ADK provides multiple backends with different isolation levels.

BuiltInCodeExecutor (Default)

Uses Gemini's built-in code execution capability. No additional setup.

from google.adk.agents import Agent
from google.adk.code_executors import BuiltInCodeExecutor

agent = Agent(
    name="coder",
    model="gemini-2.5-flash",
    instruction="Write and execute Python code to solve problems.",
    code_executor=BuiltInCodeExecutor(),
)

UnsafeLocalCodeExecutor (Development Only)

Executes code directly on the host machine. Never use in production.

from google.adk.code_executors import UnsafeLocalCodeExecutor

agent = Agent(
    name="dev_coder",
    model="gemini-2.5-flash",
    instruction="Write and run Python code locally.",
    code_executor=UnsafeLocalCodeExecutor(),
)

ContainerCodeExecutor (Docker)

Runs code inside a Docker container for isolation.

pip install google-adk[extensions]

from google.adk.code_executors import ContainerCodeExecutor

agent = Agent(
    name="sandboxed_coder",
    model="gemini-2.5-flash",
    instruction="Write and execute code safely.",
    code_executor=ContainerCodeExecutor(
        image="python:3.11-slim",
        packages=["pandas", "numpy"],
    ),
)

VertexAiCodeExecutor (Managed)

Google Cloud-managed sandbox. No container management needed.

pip install google-adk[extensions]

from google.adk.code_executors import VertexAiCodeExecutor

agent = Agent(
    name="cloud_coder",
    model="gemini-2.5-flash",
    instruction="Write and execute code in a managed sandbox.",
    code_executor=VertexAiCodeExecutor(
        project="my-gcp-project",
        location="us-central1",
    ),
)

GkeCodeExecutor (Kubernetes)

Executes code in a Kubernetes pod on GKE.

pip install google-adk[extensions]

from google.adk.code_executors import GkeCodeExecutor

agent = Agent(
    name="gke_coder",
    model="gemini-2.5-flash",
    instruction="Execute code on the cluster.",
    code_executor=GkeCodeExecutor(
        cluster_name="my-cluster",
        project="my-gcp-project",
        location="us-central1",
    ),
)

AgentEngineSandboxCodeExecutor

For agents deployed to Vertex AI Agent Engine:

from google.adk.code_executors import AgentEngineSandboxCodeExecutor

agent = Agent(
    name="engine_coder",
    model="gemini-2.5-flash",
    instruction="Execute code in the Agent Engine sandbox.",
    code_executor=AgentEngineSandboxCodeExecutor(),
)

Choosing an Executor

Key Rules

• BuiltInCodeExecutor is the safest default — uses Gemini's built-in sandbox
• UnsafeLocalCodeExecutor has NO isolation — code runs with full host access
• Production deployments should use Container, VertexAI, or GKE executors
• Extension executors require pip install google-adk[extensions]
• Code executor is set on the agent, not the runner
• Only ONE code executor per agent (set via code_executor field)

Related Skills

• google-adk-llm-agent — Agent configuration (where code_executor is set)
• google-adk-deploy — Production deployment considerations