complete validation

docs/concepts/flows.mdx

@@ -18,60 +18,63 @@ Flows allow you to create structured, event-driven workflows. They provide a sea
 
 4. **Flexible Control Flow**: Implement conditional logic, loops, and branching within your workflows.
 
+5. **Input Flexibility**: Flows can accept inputs to initialize or update their state, with different handling for structured and unstructured state management.
+
 ## Getting Started
 
 Let's create a simple Flow where you will use OpenAI to generate a random city in one task and then use that city to generate a fun fact in another task.
 
-```python Code
+### Passing Inputs to Flows
 
+Flows can accept inputs to initialize or update their state before execution. The way inputs are handled depends on whether the flow uses structured or unstructured state management.
+
+#### Structured State Management
+
+In structured state management, the flow's state is defined using a Pydantic `BaseModel`. Inputs must match the model's schema, and any updates will overwrite the default values.
+
+```python
 from crewai.flow.flow import Flow, listen, start
-from dotenv import load_dotenv
+from pydantic import BaseModel
-from litellm import completion
 
+class ExampleState(BaseModel):
+    counter: int = 0
+    message: str = ""
 
-class ExampleFlow(Flow):
+class StructuredExampleFlow(Flow[ExampleState]):
-    model = "gpt-4o-mini"
-
     @start()
-    def generate_city(self):
+    def first_method(self):
-        print("Starting flow")
+        # Implementation
 
-        response = completion(
+flow = StructuredExampleFlow()
-            model=self.model,
+flow.kickoff(inputs={"counter": 10})
-            messages=[
+```
-                {
-                    "role": "user",
-                    "content": "Return the name of a random city in the world.",
-                },
-            ],
-        )
 
-        random_city = response["choices"][0]["message"]["content"]
+In this example, the `counter` is initialized to `10`, while `message` retains its default value.
-        print(f"Random City: {random_city}")
 
-        return random_city
+#### Unstructured State Management
 
-    @listen(generate_city)
+In unstructured state management, the flow's state is a dictionary. You can pass any dictionary to update the state.
-    def generate_fun_fact(self, random_city):
-        response = completion(
-            model=self.model,
-            messages=[
-                {
-                    "role": "user",
-                    "content": f"Tell me a fun fact about {random_city}",
-                },
-            ],
-        )
 
-        fun_fact = response["choices"][0]["message"]["content"]
+```python
-        return fun_fact
+from crewai.flow.flow import Flow, listen, start
 
+class UnstructuredExampleFlow(Flow):
+    @start()
+    def first_method(self):
+        # Implementation
 
+flow = UnstructuredExampleFlow()
+flow.kickoff(inputs={"counter": 5, "message": "Initial message"})
+```
 
-flow = ExampleFlow()
+Here, both `counter` and `message` are updated based on the provided inputs.
-result = flow.kickoff()
 
-print(f"Generated fun fact: {result}")
+**Note:** Ensure that inputs for structured state management adhere to the defined schema to avoid validation errors.
+
+### Example Flow
+
+```python
+# Existing example code
 ```
 
 In the above example, we have created a simple Flow that generates a random city using OpenAI and then generates a fun fact about that city. The Flow consists of two tasks: `generate_city` and `generate_fun_fact`. The `generate_city` task is the starting point of the Flow, and the `generate_fun_fact` task listens for the output of the `generate_city` task.
@@ -94,14 +97,14 @@ The `@listen()` decorator can be used in several ways:
 
 1. **Listening to a Method by Name**: You can pass the name of the method you want to listen to as a string. When that method completes, the listener method will be triggered.
 
-   ```python Code
+   ```python
    @listen("generate_city")
    def generate_fun_fact(self, random_city):
        # Implementation
    ```
 
 2. **Listening to a Method Directly**: You can pass the method itself. When that method completes, the listener method will be triggered.
-   ```python Code
+   ```python
    @listen(generate_city)
    def generate_fun_fact(self, random_city):
        # Implementation
@@ -118,7 +121,7 @@ When you run a Flow, the final output is determined by the last method that comp
 Here's how you can access the final output:
 
 <CodeGroup>
-```python Code
+```python
 from crewai.flow.flow import Flow, listen, start
 
 class OutputExampleFlow(Flow):
@@ -130,18 +133,17 @@ class OutputExampleFlow(Flow):
     def second_method(self, first_output):
         return f"Second method received: {first_output}"
 
-
 flow = OutputExampleFlow()
 final_output = flow.kickoff()
 
 print("---- Final Output ----")
 print(final_output)
-````
+```
 
-``` text Output
+```text
 ---- Final Output ----
 Second method received: Output from first_method
-````
+```
 
 </CodeGroup>
 
@@ -156,7 +158,7 @@ Here's an example of how to update and access the state:
 
 <CodeGroup>
 
-```python Code
+```python
 from crewai.flow.flow import Flow, listen, start
 from pydantic import BaseModel
 
@@ -184,7 +186,7 @@ print("Final State:")
 print(flow.state)
 ```
 
-```text Output
+```text
 Final Output: Hello from first_method - updated by second_method
 Final State:
 counter=2 message='Hello from first_method - updated by second_method'
@@ -208,10 +210,10 @@ allowing developers to choose the approach that best fits their application's ne
 In unstructured state management, all state is stored in the `state` attribute of the `Flow` class.
 This approach offers flexibility, enabling developers to add or modify state attributes on the fly without defining a strict schema.
 
-```python Code
+```python
 from crewai.flow.flow import Flow, listen, start
 
-class UntructuredExampleFlow(Flow):
+class UnstructuredExampleFlow(Flow):
 
     @start()
     def first_method(self):
@@ -230,8 +232,7 @@ class UntructuredExampleFlow(Flow):
 
         print(f"State after third_method: {self.state}")
 
-
+flow = UnstructuredExampleFlow()
-flow = UntructuredExampleFlow()
 flow.kickoff()
 ```
 
@@ -245,16 +246,14 @@ flow.kickoff()
 Structured state management leverages predefined schemas to ensure consistency and type safety across the workflow.
 By using models like Pydantic's `BaseModel`, developers can define the exact shape of the state, enabling better validation and auto-completion in development environments.
 
-```python Code
+```python
 from crewai.flow.flow import Flow, listen, start
 from pydantic import BaseModel
 
-
 class ExampleState(BaseModel):
     counter: int = 0
     message: str = ""
 
-
 class StructuredExampleFlow(Flow[ExampleState]):
 
     @start()
@@ -273,7 +272,6 @@ class StructuredExampleFlow(Flow[ExampleState]):
 
         print(f"State after third_method: {self.state}")
 
-
 flow = StructuredExampleFlow()
 flow.kickoff()
 ```
@@ -307,7 +305,7 @@ The `or_` function in Flows allows you to listen to multiple methods and trigger
 
 <CodeGroup>
 
-```python Code
+```python
 from crewai.flow.flow import Flow, listen, or_, start
 
 class OrExampleFlow(Flow):
@@ -324,13 +322,11 @@ class OrExampleFlow(Flow):
     def logger(self, result):
         print(f"Logger: {result}")
 
-
-
 flow = OrExampleFlow()
 flow.kickoff()
 ```
 
-```text Output
+```text
 Logger: Hello from the start method
 Logger: Hello from the second method
 ```
@@ -346,7 +342,7 @@ The `and_` function in Flows allows you to listen to multiple methods and trigge
 
 <CodeGroup>
 
-```python Code
+```python
 from crewai.flow.flow import Flow, and_, listen, start
 
 class AndExampleFlow(Flow):
@@ -368,7 +364,7 @@ flow = AndExampleFlow()
 flow.kickoff()
 ```
 
-```text Output
+```text
 ---- Logger ----
 {'greeting': 'Hello from the start method', 'joke': 'What do computers eat? Microchips.'}
 ```
@@ -385,7 +381,7 @@ You can specify different routes based on the output of the method, allowing you
 
 <CodeGroup>
 
-```python Code
+```python
 import random
 from crewai.flow.flow import Flow, listen, router, start
 from pydantic import BaseModel
@@ -416,12 +412,11 @@ class RouterFlow(Flow[ExampleState]):
     def fourth_method(self):
         print("Fourth method running")
 
-
 flow = RouterFlow()
 flow.kickoff()
 ```
 
-```text Output
+```text
 Starting the structured flow
 Third method running
 Fourth method running
@@ -484,7 +479,7 @@ The `main.py` file is where you create your flow and connect the crews together.
 
 Here's an example of how you can connect the `poem_crew` in the `main.py` file:
 
-```python Code
+```python
 #!/usr/bin/env python
 from random import randint
 
@@ -612,7 +607,7 @@ CrewAI provides two convenient methods to generate plots of your flows:
 
 If you are working directly with a flow instance, you can generate a plot by calling the `plot()` method on your flow object. This method will create an HTML file containing the interactive plot of your flow.
 
-```python Code
+```python
 # Assuming you have a flow instance
 flow.plot("my_flow_plot")
 ```

src/crewai/agent.py

@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ from pydantic import Field, InstanceOf, PrivateAttr, model_validator
 from crewai.agents import CacheHandler
 from crewai.agents.agent_builder.base_agent import BaseAgent
 from crewai.agents.crew_agent_executor import CrewAgentExecutor
+from crewai.cli.constants import ENV_VARS
 from crewai.llm import LLM
 from crewai.memory.contextual.contextual_memory import ContextualMemory
 from crewai.tools.agent_tools.agent_tools import AgentTools
@@ -131,8 +132,12 @@ class Agent(BaseAgent):
             # If it's already an LLM instance, keep it as is
             pass
         elif self.llm is None:
-            # If it's None, use environment variables or default
+            # Determine the model name from environment variables or use default
-            model_name = os.environ.get("OPENAI_MODEL_NAME", "gpt-4o-mini")
+            model_name = (
+                os.environ.get("OPENAI_MODEL_NAME")
+                or os.environ.get("MODEL")
+                or "gpt-4o-mini"
+            )
             llm_params = {"model": model_name}
 
             api_base = os.environ.get("OPENAI_API_BASE") or os.environ.get(
@@ -141,9 +146,39 @@ class Agent(BaseAgent):
             if api_base:
                 llm_params["base_url"] = api_base
 
-            api_key = os.environ.get("OPENAI_API_KEY")
+            # Iterate over all environment variables to find matching API keys or use defaults
-            if api_key:
+            for provider, env_vars in ENV_VARS.items():
-                llm_params["api_key"] = api_key
+                for env_var in env_vars:
+                    # Check if the environment variable is set
+                    if "key_name" in env_var:
+                        env_value = os.environ.get(env_var["key_name"])
+                        if env_value:
+                            # Map key names containing "API_KEY" to "api_key"
+                            key_name = (
+                                "api_key"
+                                if "API_KEY" in env_var["key_name"]
+                                else env_var["key_name"]
+                            )
+                            # Map key names containing "API_BASE" to "api_base"
+                            key_name = (
+                                "api_base"
+                                if "API_BASE" in env_var["key_name"]
+                                else key_name
+                            )
+                            # Map key names containing "API_VERSION" to "api_version"
+                            key_name = (
+                                "api_version"
+                                if "API_VERSION" in env_var["key_name"]
+                                else key_name
+                            )
+                            llm_params[key_name] = env_value
+                    # Check for default values if the environment variable is not set
+                    elif env_var.get("default", False):
+                        for key, value in env_var.items():
+                            if key not in ["prompt", "key_name", "default"]:
+                                # Only add default if the key is already set in os.environ
+                                if key in os.environ:
+                                    llm_params[key] = value
 
             self.llm = LLM(**llm_params)
         else:

src/crewai/cli/constants.py

@@ -1,19 +1,168 @@
 ENV_VARS = {
-    'openai': ['OPENAI_API_KEY'],
+    "openai": [
-    'anthropic': ['ANTHROPIC_API_KEY'],
+        {
-    'gemini': ['GEMINI_API_KEY'],
+            "prompt": "Enter your OPENAI API key (press Enter to skip)",
-    'groq': ['GROQ_API_KEY'],
+            "key_name": "OPENAI_API_KEY",
-    'ollama': ['FAKE_KEY'],
+        }
+    ],
+    "anthropic": [
+        {
+            "prompt": "Enter your ANTHROPIC API key (press Enter to skip)",
+            "key_name": "ANTHROPIC_API_KEY",
+        }
+    ],
+    "gemini": [
+        {
+            "prompt": "Enter your GEMINI API key (press Enter to skip)",
+            "key_name": "GEMINI_API_KEY",
+        }
+    ],
+    "groq": [
+        {
+            "prompt": "Enter your GROQ API key (press Enter to skip)",
+            "key_name": "GROQ_API_KEY",
+        }
+    ],
+    "watson": [
+        {
+            "prompt": "Enter your WATSONX URL (press Enter to skip)",
+            "key_name": "WATSONX_URL",
+        },
+        {
+            "prompt": "Enter your WATSONX API Key (press Enter to skip)",
+            "key_name": "WATSONX_APIKEY",
+        },
+        {
+            "prompt": "Enter your WATSONX Project Id (press Enter to skip)",
+            "key_name": "WATSONX_PROJECT_ID",
+        },
+    ],
+    "ollama": [
+        {
+            "default": True,
+            "API_BASE": "http://localhost:11434",
+        }
+    ],
+    "bedrock": [
+        {
+            "prompt": "Enter your AWS Access Key ID (press Enter to skip)",
+            "key_name": "AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID",
+        },
+        {
+            "prompt": "Enter your AWS Secret Access Key (press Enter to skip)",
+            "key_name": "AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY",
+        },
+        {
+            "prompt": "Enter your AWS Region Name (press Enter to skip)",
+            "key_name": "AWS_REGION_NAME",
+        },
+    ],
+    "azure": [
+        {
+            "prompt": "Enter your Azure deployment name (must start with 'azure/')",
+            "key_name": "model",
+        },
+        {
+            "prompt": "Enter your AZURE API key (press Enter to skip)",
+            "key_name": "AZURE_API_KEY",
+        },
+        {
+            "prompt": "Enter your AZURE API base URL (press Enter to skip)",
+            "key_name": "AZURE_API_BASE",
+        },
+        {
+            "prompt": "Enter your AZURE API version (press Enter to skip)",
+            "key_name": "AZURE_API_VERSION",
+        },
+    ],
+    "cerebras": [
+        {
+            "prompt": "Enter your Cerebras model name (must start with 'cerebras/')",
+            "key_name": "model",
+        },
+        {
+            "prompt": "Enter your Cerebras API version (press Enter to skip)",
+            "key_name": "CEREBRAS_API_KEY",
+        },
+    ],
 }
 
-PROVIDERS = ['openai', 'anthropic', 'gemini', 'groq', 'ollama']
+
+PROVIDERS = [
+    "openai",
+    "anthropic",
+    "gemini",
+    "groq",
+    "ollama",
+    "watson",
+    "bedrock",
+    "azure",
+    "cerebras",
+]
 
 MODELS = {
-    'openai': ['gpt-4', 'gpt-4o', 'gpt-4o-mini', 'o1-mini', 'o1-preview'],
+    "openai": ["gpt-4", "gpt-4o", "gpt-4o-mini", "o1-mini", "o1-preview"],
-    'anthropic': ['claude-3-5-sonnet-20240620', 'claude-3-sonnet-20240229', 'claude-3-opus-20240229', 'claude-3-haiku-20240307'],
+    "anthropic": [
-    'gemini': ['gemini-1.5-flash', 'gemini-1.5-pro', 'gemini-gemma-2-9b-it', 'gemini-gemma-2-27b-it'],
+        "claude-3-5-sonnet-20240620",
-    'groq': ['llama-3.1-8b-instant', 'llama-3.1-70b-versatile', 'llama-3.1-405b-reasoning', 'gemma2-9b-it', 'gemma-7b-it'],
+        "claude-3-sonnet-20240229",
-    'ollama': ['llama3.1', 'mixtral'],
+        "claude-3-opus-20240229",
+        "claude-3-haiku-20240307",
+    ],
+    "gemini": [
+        "gemini/gemini-1.5-flash",
+        "gemini/gemini-1.5-pro",
+        "gemini/gemini-gemma-2-9b-it",
+        "gemini/gemini-gemma-2-27b-it",
+    ],
+    "groq": [
+        "groq/llama-3.1-8b-instant",
+        "groq/llama-3.1-70b-versatile",
+        "groq/llama-3.1-405b-reasoning",
+        "groq/gemma2-9b-it",
+        "groq/gemma-7b-it",
+    ],
+    "ollama": ["ollama/llama3.1", "ollama/mixtral"],
+    "watson": [
+        "watsonx/google/flan-t5-xxl",
+        "watsonx/google/flan-ul2",
+        "watsonx/bigscience/mt0-xxl",
+        "watsonx/eleutherai/gpt-neox-20b",
+        "watsonx/ibm/mpt-7b-instruct2",
+        "watsonx/bigcode/starcoder",
+        "watsonx/meta-llama/llama-2-70b-chat",
+        "watsonx/meta-llama/llama-2-13b-chat",
+        "watsonx/ibm/granite-13b-instruct-v1",
+        "watsonx/ibm/granite-13b-chat-v1",
+        "watsonx/google/flan-t5-xl",
+        "watsonx/ibm/granite-13b-chat-v2",
+        "watsonx/ibm/granite-13b-instruct-v2",
+        "watsonx/elyza/elyza-japanese-llama-2-7b-instruct",
+        "watsonx/ibm-mistralai/mixtral-8x7b-instruct-v01-q",
+    ],
+    "bedrock": [
+        "bedrock/anthropic.claude-3-5-sonnet-20240620-v1:0",
+        "bedrock/anthropic.claude-3-sonnet-20240229-v1:0",
+        "bedrock/anthropic.claude-3-haiku-20240307-v1:0",
+        "bedrock/anthropic.claude-3-opus-20240229-v1:0",
+        "bedrock/anthropic.claude-v2:1",
+        "bedrock/anthropic.claude-v2",
+        "bedrock/anthropic.claude-instant-v1",
+        "bedrock/meta.llama3-1-405b-instruct-v1:0",
+        "bedrock/meta.llama3-1-70b-instruct-v1:0",
+        "bedrock/meta.llama3-1-8b-instruct-v1:0",
+        "bedrock/meta.llama3-70b-instruct-v1:0",
+        "bedrock/meta.llama3-8b-instruct-v1:0",
+        "bedrock/amazon.titan-text-lite-v1",
+        "bedrock/amazon.titan-text-express-v1",
+        "bedrock/cohere.command-text-v14",
+        "bedrock/ai21.j2-mid-v1",
+        "bedrock/ai21.j2-ultra-v1",
+        "bedrock/ai21.jamba-instruct-v1:0",
+        "bedrock/meta.llama2-13b-chat-v1",
+        "bedrock/meta.llama2-70b-chat-v1",
+        "bedrock/mistral.mistral-7b-instruct-v0:2",
+        "bedrock/mistral.mixtral-8x7b-instruct-v0:1",
+    ],
 }
 
 JSON_URL = "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/BerriAI/litellm/main/model_prices_and_context_window.json"

src/crewai/cli/create_crew.py

@@ -1,11 +1,11 @@
+import shutil
 import sys
 from pathlib import Path
 
 import click
 
-from crewai.cli.constants import ENV_VARS
+from crewai.cli.constants import ENV_VARS, MODELS
 from crewai.cli.provider import (
-    PROVIDERS,
     get_provider_data,
     select_model,
     select_provider,
@@ -29,14 +29,14 @@ def create_folder_structure(name, parent_folder=None):
             click.secho("Operation cancelled.", fg="yellow")
             sys.exit(0)
         click.secho(f"Overriding folder {folder_name}...", fg="green", bold=True)
-    else:
+        shutil.rmtree(folder_path)  # Delete the existing folder and its contents
+
     click.secho(
         f"Creating {'crew' if parent_folder else 'folder'} {folder_name}...",
         fg="green",
         bold=True,
     )
 
-    if not folder_path.exists():
     folder_path.mkdir(parents=True)
     (folder_path / "tests").mkdir(exist_ok=True)
     if not parent_folder:
@@ -92,7 +92,10 @@ def create_crew(name, provider=None, skip_provider=False, parent_folder=None):
 
         existing_provider = None
         for provider, env_keys in ENV_VARS.items():
-            if any(key in env_vars for key in env_keys):
+            if any(
+                "key_name" in details and details["key_name"] in env_vars
+                for details in env_keys
+            ):
                 existing_provider = provider
                 break
 
@@ -118,6 +121,8 @@ def create_crew(name, provider=None, skip_provider=False, parent_folder=None):
                 "No provider selected. Please try again or press 'q' to exit.", fg="red"
             )
 
+        # Check if the selected provider has predefined models
+        if selected_provider in MODELS and MODELS[selected_provider]:
             while True:
                 selected_model = select_model(selected_provider, provider_models)
                 if selected_model is None:  # User typed 'q'
@@ -126,39 +131,38 @@ def create_crew(name, provider=None, skip_provider=False, parent_folder=None):
                 if selected_model:  # Valid selection
                     break
                 click.secho(
-                "No model selected. Please try again or press 'q' to exit.", fg="red"
+                    "No model selected. Please try again or press 'q' to exit.",
+                    fg="red",
                 )
+            env_vars["MODEL"] = selected_model
 
-        if selected_provider in PROVIDERS:
+        # Check if the selected provider requires API keys
-            api_key_var = ENV_VARS[selected_provider][0]
+        if selected_provider in ENV_VARS:
-        else:
+            provider_env_vars = ENV_VARS[selected_provider]
-            api_key_var = click.prompt(
+            for details in provider_env_vars:
-                f"Enter the environment variable name for your {selected_provider.capitalize()} API key",
+                if details.get("default", False):
-                type=str,
+                    # Automatically add default key-value pairs
-                default="",
+                    for key, value in details.items():
-            )
+                        if key not in ["prompt", "key_name", "default"]:
-
+                            env_vars[key] = value
-        api_key_value = ""
+                elif "key_name" in details:
-        click.echo(
+                    # Prompt for non-default key-value pairs
-            f"Enter your {selected_provider.capitalize()} API key (press Enter to skip): ",
+                    prompt = details["prompt"]
-            nl=False,
+                    key_name = details["key_name"]
-        )
+                    api_key_value = click.prompt(prompt, default="", show_default=False)
-        try:
-            api_key_value = input()
-        except (KeyboardInterrupt, EOFError):
-            api_key_value = ""
 
                     if api_key_value.strip():
-            env_vars = {api_key_var: api_key_value}
+                        env_vars[key_name] = api_key_value
+
+        if env_vars:
             write_env_file(folder_path, env_vars)
-            click.secho("API key saved to .env file", fg="green")
+            click.secho("API keys and model saved to .env file", fg="green")
         else:
             click.secho(
-                "No API key provided. Skipping .env file creation.", fg="yellow"
+                "No API keys provided. Skipping .env file creation.", fg="yellow"
             )
 
-        env_vars["MODEL"] = selected_model
+        click.secho(f"Selected model: {env_vars.get('MODEL', 'N/A')}", fg="green")
-        click.secho(f"Selected model: {selected_model}", fg="green")
 
     package_dir = Path(__file__).parent
     templates_dir = package_dir / "templates" / "crew"

src/crewai/cli/templates/crew/main.py

@@ -1,7 +1,11 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env python
 import sys
+import warnings
+
 from {{folder_name}}.crew import {{crew_name}}Crew
 
+warnings.filterwarnings("ignore", category=SyntaxWarning, module="pysbd")
+
 # This main file is intended to be a way for you to run your
 # crew locally, so refrain from adding unnecessary logic into this file.
 # Replace with inputs you want to test with, it will automatically

src/crewai/flow/flow.py

@@ -1,8 +1,20 @@
 import asyncio
 import inspect
-from typing import Any, Callable, Dict, Generic, List, Set, Type, TypeVar, Union
+from typing import (
+    Any,
+    Callable,
+    Dict,
+    Generic,
+    List,
+    Optional,
+    Set,
+    Type,
+    TypeVar,
+    Union,
+    cast,
+)
 
-from pydantic import BaseModel
+from pydantic import BaseModel, ValidationError
 
 from crewai.flow.flow_visualizer import plot_flow
 from crewai.flow.utils import get_possible_return_constants
@@ -191,10 +203,66 @@ class Flow(Generic[T], metaclass=FlowMeta):
         """Returns the list of all outputs from executed methods."""
         return self._method_outputs
 
-    def kickoff(self) -> Any:
+    def _initialize_state(self, inputs: Dict[str, Any]) -> None:
+        """
+        Initializes or updates the state with the provided inputs.
+
+        Args:
+            inputs: Dictionary of inputs to initialize or update the state.
+
+        Raises:
+            ValueError: If inputs do not match the structured state model.
+            TypeError: If state is neither a BaseModel instance nor a dictionary.
+        """
+        if isinstance(self._state, BaseModel):
+            # Structured state management
+            try:
+                M = self._state.__class__
+
+                # Dynamically create a new model class with 'extra' set to 'forbid'
+                class ModelWithExtraForbid(M):
+                    model_config = M.model_config.copy()
+                    model_config["extra"] = "forbid"
+
+                # Create a new instance using the combined state and inputs
+                self._state = cast(
+                    T, ModelWithExtraForbid(**{**self._state.model_dump(), **inputs})
+                )
+
+            except ValidationError as e:
+                raise ValueError(f"Invalid inputs for structured state: {e}") from e
+        elif isinstance(self._state, dict):
+            # Unstructured state management
+            self._state.update(inputs)
+        else:
+            raise TypeError("State must be a BaseModel instance or a dictionary.")
+
+    def kickoff(self, inputs: Optional[Dict[str, Any]] = None) -> Any:
+        """
+        Starts the execution of the flow synchronously.
+
+        Args:
+            inputs: Optional dictionary of inputs to initialize or update the state.
+
+        Returns:
+            The final output from the flow execution.
+        """
+        if inputs is not None:
+            self._initialize_state(inputs)
         return asyncio.run(self.kickoff_async())
 
-    async def kickoff_async(self) -> Any:
+    async def kickoff_async(self, inputs: Optional[Dict[str, Any]] = None) -> Any:
+        """
+        Starts the execution of the flow asynchronously.
+
+        Args:
+            inputs: Optional dictionary of inputs to initialize or update the state.
+
+        Returns:
+            The final output from the flow execution.
+        """
+        if inputs is not None:
+            self._initialize_state(inputs)
         if not self._start_methods:
             raise ValueError("No start method defined")