KISS: Refactor LiteAgent integration in flows to use Agents instead. … (#2556)

* KISS: Refactor LiteAgent integration in flows to use Agents instead. Update documentation and examples to reflect changes in class usage, including async support and structured output handling. Enhance tests for Agent functionality and ensure compatibility with new features.

* lint fix

* dropped for clarity

src/crewai/agent.py

@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
-import re
 import shutil
 import subprocess
-from typing import Any, Dict, List, Literal, Optional, Sequence, Union
+from typing import Any, Dict, List, Literal, Optional, Sequence, Type, Union
 
 from pydantic import Field, InstanceOf, PrivateAttr, model_validator
 
@@ -11,6 +10,7 @@ from crewai.agents.crew_agent_executor import CrewAgentExecutor
 from crewai.knowledge.knowledge import Knowledge
 from crewai.knowledge.source.base_knowledge_source import BaseKnowledgeSource
 from crewai.knowledge.utils.knowledge_utils import extract_knowledge_context
+from crewai.lite_agent import LiteAgent, LiteAgentOutput
 from crewai.llm import BaseLLM
 from crewai.memory.contextual.contextual_memory import ContextualMemory
 from crewai.security import Fingerprint
@@ -449,3 +449,74 @@ class Agent(BaseAgent):
 
     def set_fingerprint(self, fingerprint: Fingerprint):
         self.security_config.fingerprint = fingerprint
+
+    def kickoff(
+        self,
+        messages: Union[str, List[Dict[str, str]]],
+        response_format: Optional[Type[Any]] = None,
+    ) -> LiteAgentOutput:
+        """
+        Execute the agent with the given messages using a LiteAgent instance.
+
+        This method is useful when you want to use the Agent configuration but
+        with the simpler and more direct execution flow of LiteAgent.
+
+        Args:
+            messages: Either a string query or a list of message dictionaries.
+                     If a string is provided, it will be converted to a user message.
+                     If a list is provided, each dict should have 'role' and 'content' keys.
+            response_format: Optional Pydantic model for structured output.
+
+        Returns:
+            LiteAgentOutput: The result of the agent execution.
+        """
+        lite_agent = LiteAgent(
+            role=self.role,
+            goal=self.goal,
+            backstory=self.backstory,
+            llm=self.llm,
+            tools=self.tools or [],
+            max_iterations=self.max_iter,
+            max_execution_time=self.max_execution_time,
+            respect_context_window=self.respect_context_window,
+            verbose=self.verbose,
+            response_format=response_format,
+            i18n=self.i18n,
+        )
+
+        return lite_agent.kickoff(messages)
+
+    async def kickoff_async(
+        self,
+        messages: Union[str, List[Dict[str, str]]],
+        response_format: Optional[Type[Any]] = None,
+    ) -> LiteAgentOutput:
+        """
+        Execute the agent asynchronously with the given messages using a LiteAgent instance.
+
+        This is the async version of the kickoff method.
+
+        Args:
+            messages: Either a string query or a list of message dictionaries.
+                     If a string is provided, it will be converted to a user message.
+                     If a list is provided, each dict should have 'role' and 'content' keys.
+            response_format: Optional Pydantic model for structured output.
+
+        Returns:
+            LiteAgentOutput: The result of the agent execution.
+        """
+        lite_agent = LiteAgent(
+            role=self.role,
+            goal=self.goal,
+            backstory=self.backstory,
+            llm=self.llm,
+            tools=self.tools or [],
+            max_iterations=self.max_iter,
+            max_execution_time=self.max_execution_time,
+            respect_context_window=self.respect_context_window,
+            verbose=self.verbose,
+            response_format=response_format,
+            i18n=self.i18n,
+        )
+
+        return await lite_agent.kickoff_async(messages)

src/crewai/lite_agent.py

@@ -1,6 +1,4 @@
 import asyncio
-import json
-import re
 import uuid
 from datetime import datetime
 from typing import Any, Callable, Dict, List, Optional, Type, Union, cast