Environment:Openai Openai agents python Memory Extensions Dependencies

Knowledge Sources	openai-agents-python
Domains	Infrastructure, Memory
Last Updated	2026-02-11 14:00 GMT

Overview

Optional dependencies for persistent session memory backends: Redis, SQLAlchemy, Dapr, SQLite (async), and encrypted sessions.

Description

The Agents SDK supports multiple session memory backends beyond the default in-memory session. Each backend has its own optional dependency group. All memory extensions use lazy loading via `__getattr__` in the `extensions.memory` package, so imports only fail when you actually try to use a specific backend without its dependencies.

Usage

Use these dependencies when you need persistent conversation memory across agent runs. Choose the backend that matches your infrastructure: Redis for distributed caching, SQLAlchemy for relational databases, Dapr for microservice state stores, or EncryptedSession for at-rest encryption.

System Requirements

Category	Requirement	Notes
Python	>= 3.9	Same as core SDK
Redis Server	Redis 7+	Only for RedisSession
PostgreSQL/MySQL	Any supported version	Only for SQLAlchemySession
Dapr Sidecar	Dapr runtime	Only for DaprSession

Dependencies

Redis Session

`redis` >= 7

SQLAlchemy Session

`SQLAlchemy` >= 2.0
`asyncpg` >= 0.29.0

Encrypted Session

`cryptography` >= 45.0, < 46

Dapr Session

`dapr` >= 1.16.0
`grpcio` >= 1.60.0

SQLite Sessions (Advanced/Async)

`aiosqlite` >= 0.21.0 (dev dependency, for AdvancedSQLiteSession and AsyncSQLiteSession)

Credentials

Redis: Redis connection URL (host, port, password)
SQLAlchemy: Database connection string (e.g., `postgresql+asyncpg://user:pass@host/db`)
Dapr: Dapr sidecar configuration (state store component name)
Encrypted: Encryption key (generated via `cryptography.fernet.Fernet.generate_key()`)

Quick Install

# Install specific backends as needed
pip install 'openai-agents[redis]'
pip install 'openai-agents[sqlalchemy]'
pip install 'openai-agents[encrypt]'
pip install 'openai-agents[dapr]'

# Or install multiple extras at once
pip install 'openai-agents[redis,encrypt]'

Code Evidence

Lazy loading pattern from `extensions/memory/__init__.py:37-47`:

def __getattr__(name: str) -> Any:
    if name == "EncryptedSession":
        try:
            from .encrypt_session import EncryptedSession
            return EncryptedSession
        except ModuleNotFoundError:
            raise ImportError(
                "EncryptedSession requires the 'cryptography' extra. "
                "Install it with: pip install 'openai-agents[encrypt]'"
            )

Redis import guard from `extensions/memory/redis_session.py:29-35`:

try:
    import redis.asyncio as redis
    from redis.asyncio import Redis
except ImportError as e:
    raise ImportError(
        "RedisSession requires the 'redis' package. Install it with: pip install redis"
    ) from e

Dapr import guard from `extensions/memory/dapr_session.py:32-38`:

try:
    from dapr.aio.clients import DaprClient
    from dapr.clients.grpc._state import Concurrency, Consistency, StateOptions
except ImportError as e:
    raise ImportError(
        "DaprSession requires the 'dapr' package. Install it with: pip install dapr"
    ) from e

Common Errors

Error Message	Cause	Solution
`ImportError: EncryptedSession requires the 'cryptography' extra`	cryptography not installed	`pip install 'openai-agents[encrypt]'`
`ImportError: RedisSession requires the 'redis' package`	redis package not installed	`pip install 'openai-agents[redis]'`
`ImportError: SQLAlchemySession requires the 'sqlalchemy' extra`	SQLAlchemy not installed	`pip install 'openai-agents[sqlalchemy]'`
`ImportError: DaprSession requires the 'dapr' package`	dapr package not installed	`pip install 'openai-agents[dapr]'`

Compatibility Notes

Lazy loading: All memory extensions use `__getattr__` for lazy imports. You can safely import the `extensions.memory` package without having any backends installed.
Dapr concurrency: DaprSession implements optimistic concurrency with etag-based conflict detection and automatic retry with exponential backoff.
SQLite sessions: AdvancedSQLiteSession and AsyncSQLiteSession require `aiosqlite` which is a dev dependency (not in any optional extras group).

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