TaskWeaver (6,178 Stars) 2026: Microsoft's Code-First Agent Framework for Data Analysis

TaskWeaver (6,178 stars) is Microsoft's code-first agent framework that turns natural language into Python for data analysis. Here is how to build your first analysis agent.

💡 What You Will Learn

TaskWeaver (6,178 stars) is Microsoft's code-first agent framework that turns natural language into Python for data analysis. Here is how to build your first analysis agent.

## The short answer **microsoft/TaskWeaver** (6,178 stars, Python) is a code-first agent framework from Microsoft. Instead of letting an LLM answer directly, TaskWeaver converts user requests into Python code, executes it in a sandbox, and returns the results - a design that makes it excellent for data analysis, plotting, and file processing tasks. ## Why code-first agents win for data - **Precision**: code either runs or it does not - no hallucinated tables - **Reuse**: generated code can be saved as plugins and called again - **Visualization**: matplotlib/seaborn charts are first-class outputs - **Sandboxed**: code executes in an isolated environment with guards ## Quick start ```bash pip install taskweaver # Generate the config and workspace taskweaver --gen_project cd project # Edit taskweaver_config.json to add your OpenAI/other API key ``` Start the console and ask a data question: ```bash taskweaver -p project ``` ```text >>> Load sales.csv and show monthly revenue as a bar chart ``` TaskWeaver writes the Python, runs it, shows you the chart and the code. ## Building custom plugins Add a Python file in `plugins/` with a documented function - TaskWeaver exposes it to the LLM automatically: ```python def compute_growth(series): """Compute month-over-month growth of a series.""" return series.pct_change() ``` ## Practical tips - Keep data files in the workspace so the agent can access them reliably. - Use the plugin mechanism to lock down domain-specific logic. - Review generated code in the logs - it is part of your audit trail. ## FAQ **Is it only for data analysis?** It is optimized for it, but the code-first pattern works for any task expressible as code. **Which LLMs does it support?** OpenAI, Azure OpenAI, and custom endpoints via configuration. **Is it free?** Yes - MIT licensed open source.