OWL Agent 🦉: The #1 GAIA Open Source Alternative to Manus AI

Pankaj Singh Last Updated : 16 Mar, 2025

19 min read

Ever wondered how we can make AI projects more efficient without relying too much on human help? In AI, we often face tricky tasks that need lots of problem-solving and human input. But too much human involvement can slow things down. The same goes for large language models (LLMs). They’re great at solving complex problems, but they often need constant human guidance, which can be a lot of work and isn’t always the best solution.That’s where OWL Agent comes in.

OWL stands for Optimized Workforce Learning for General Multi-Agent Assistance in Real-World Task Automation. It’s an open-source alternative to Manus AI, designed to go beyond the need for human-dependent LLMs. Instead, it helps AI agents work together on their own. By letting these agents talk to each other and collaborate, OWL Agent can handle complex tasks with less human help. This way, we can take task automation to new levels in all kinds of different areas.

What is an OWL Agent?
- Performance and Recognition
Core Features of OWL
How to Install and Use OWL?
- What You Need Before Installing?
- Option 2 : Setting Environment Variables Directly
How to Use OWL After Installation?
Use Case of Owl Agent
OWL Toolkits Explained
Vision and Impact
Conclusion

What is an OWL Agent?

OWL, which stands for Optimized Workforce Learning, is an advanced framework designed to enhance collaboration among multiple AI agents, thereby advancing task automation. Built upon the CAMEL-AI Framework, OWL aims to transform the way AI agents work together to tackle real-world challenges.

Central to OWL’s innovation is the introduction of a cooperative agent framework known as role-playing, which employs inception prompting to facilitate seamless agent cooperation. This methodology requires only an initial concept from humans, enabling the conversation to naturally evolve toward effective problem-solving.

In its pursuit of advancing multi-agent collaboration, the OWL project has curated several datasets—including AI Society, Code, Math, Science, and Misalignment—that serve as valuable resources for exploring conversational language models. Notably, solutions derived from the role-playing framework have demonstrated superior performance compared to those generated by other models, such as GPT-3.5 Turbo.

OWL represents a significant leap toward autonomous AI collaboration, offering a promising avenue for reducing reliance on human input in complex task automation and enhancing the overall efficiency and effectiveness of AI-driven solutions.

Performance and Recognition

OWL has demonstrated exceptional performance by achieving an average score of 58.18 on the GAIA benchmark, securing the top position among open-source frameworks. This accomplishment highlights its effectiveness and robustness in handling complex, real-world tasks.

Core Features of OWL

Online Search (Real-Time Information Retrieval)
- OWL can search multiple sources at once, including Google, Wikipedia, DuckDuckGo, Baidu, and more.
- This means it can quickly find and fetch the latest information.
Multimodal Processing (Works with Different Types of Data)
- It can handle text, images, videos, and audio.
- This makes it useful for tasks like image recognition, video analysis, and speech processing.
Browser Automation (Simulating Human Actions on a Website)
- OWL can scroll, click buttons, type in forms, download files, and navigate web pages.
- It uses Playwright, a tool for automating web interactions.
Document Parsing (Extracting Content from Files)
- It can open and read Word, Excel, PDF, and PowerPoint files.
- It converts them into plain text or Markdown, making them easier to analyze.
Code Execution (Running Python Code)
- OWL can write and run Python programs directly.
- This makes it great for data analysis, calculations, and automation.
Built-in Toolkits (Pre-Made Tools for Specific Tasks)
- OWL has many specialized toolkits to handle different needs.
- Examples:
  - SearchToolkit → Helps with online searches.
  - ImageAnalysisToolkit → Works with pictures.
  - VideoAnalysisToolkit → Handles videos.
  - MathToolkit → Solves math problems.
  - ExcelToolkit → Works with spreadsheets.
  - WeatherToolkit → Fetches weather updates.
  - GitHubToolkit → Helps with coding projects.
- And many more!
Model Context Protocol (MCP)
- This is a universal system that lets OWL connect with different AI models and tools easily.
- Think of it as a “translator” that helps AI understand and work with various data sources.

Why is OWL Useful?

OWL can search, analyze, automate, and process information quickly. It’s great for:

Researchers (finding and summarizing information)
Developers (writing and running code)
Businesses (automating web tasks and document handling)
Content creators (analyzing images, audio, and videos)

How to Install and Use OWL?

If you want to install OWL on your computer, you can do it in different ways. The best method (and the one we’re using here) is Option 1: Using uv, which is recommended because it ensures a clean installation with a virtual environment.

Here’s the GitHub Link: Click Here.

What You Need Before Installing?

Python 3.10, 3.11, or 3.12 (Check by running python --version)
A working terminal (Command Prompt, PowerShell, or a Terminal on macOS/Linux)

Step-by-Step Installation Guide

1. Clone the OWL Repository from GitHub

This will download the OWL project files to your computer.

git clone https://github.com/camel-ai/owl.git

2. Go Inside the Project Folder

Move into the OWL directory so you can run commands inside it.

cd owl

3. Install `uv` (if you don’t have it already)

uv is a package manager that helps manage dependencies.

pip install uv

4. Create a Virtual Environment

A virtual environment keeps OWL and its dependencies separate from other Python projects. This prevents conflicts.

uv venv .venv --python=3.10

Note: It also works with Python 3.11 or 3.12

6. Activate the Virtual Environment

Now you need to activate the virtual environment so Python knows to use it.

For macOS/Linux: source .venv/bin/activate
For Windows: .venv\Scripts\activate

7. Install OWL with All Dependencies

Now install OWL and everything it needs to run properly.

uv pip install -e .

What does this Installation do?

Clones OWL’s source code from GitHub
Sets up a virtual environment to keep dependencies organized
Installs everything OWL needs to run smoothly

Also, OWL requires various API keys to interact with different services. The owl/.env_template file contains placeholders for all necessary API keys along with links to the services where you can register for them.

Also Read: Is Manus AI Better than OpenAI Operator?

How to Install and Set Up a .env File for OWL

A .env file is used to store secret keys (like API keys) in a secure way. It helps keep sensitive data private and easy to manage.

Option 1: Using a `.env` File (Recommended)

This is the easiest and safest way to set up your API keys.

Step 1: Navigate to the OWL Directory

Open your terminal and go to the OWL folder:

cd owl

Step 2: Create a `.env` File

Copy the template .env_template and rename it to .env:

cp .env_template .env

Step 3: Add Your API Keys

Open the .env file in a text editor (e.g., VS Code, Nano, or Notepad) and enter your API keys:

OPENAI_API_KEY="your-openai-api-key-here"
OTHER_API_KEY="your-other-api-key-here"

Tip: If you’re using the minimal example (examples/run_mini.py), you only need to set the OPENAI_API_KEY.

Option 2: Setting Environment Variables Directly

If you don’t want to use a .env file, you can set environment variables directly in your terminal.

For macOS/Linux (Bash/Zsh Terminal)

Run:

export OPENAI_API_KEY="your-openai-api-key-here"

For Windows (Command Prompt)

Run:

set OPENAI_API_KEY="your-openai-api-key-here"

For Windows (PowerShell)

Run:

$env:OPENAI_API_KEY = "your-openai-api-key-here"

How to Use OWL After Installation?

1. To use OWL, activate the virtual environment:

source .venv/bin/activate # macOS/Linux

.venv\Scripts\activate # Windows

2. Run OWL commands or scripts as needed:

OWL supports various LLM backends, though capabilities may vary depending on the model’s tool calling and multimodal abilities. You can use the following scripts to run with different models:

# Run with Qwen model
python examples/run_qwen_zh.py

# Run with Deepseek model
python examples/run_deepseek_zh.py

# Run with other OpenAI-compatible models
python examples/run_openai_compatiable_model.py

# Run with Azure OpenAI
python examples/run_azure_openai.py

# Run with Ollama
python examples/run_ollama.py

For quick start: python examples/run.py

and

Here’s how you can experience Enhanced Web Interface:

# Start the Chinese version
python owl/webapp_zh.py

# Start the English version
python owl/webapp.py

When done, exit the environment with deactivate.

Here’s how I used it:

Use Case of Owl Agent

Prompt 1

Go to Analytics Vidhya’s official website and give me the latest articles

Here’s the process:

finally, it reaches the blog section, quite impressive.

Output

[Assistant Agent]: Solution: Yes, I have completed the task of finding the latest articles from Analytics Vidhya. The most recent articles identified are:

1. **”All You Need to Know About Cohere’s Command A”** by Nitika Sharma, dated 15 Mar, 2025.
2. **”Top 6 SOTA LLMs for Code, Web search, Research and More”** (author not specified).

These articles were sorted by the latest, ensuring that the most recent content was provided. If you have any further questions or need additional assistance, please let me know!

Conversation Record

[User Agent]:
We are using browser interaction to solve a complex task which needs multi-step actions.
Here are the overall task:
<overall_task>Find the latest articles on Analytics Vidhya\'s official website.</overall_task>

In order to solve the task, we made a detailed plan previously. Here is the detailed plan:
<detailed plan>### Task Restatement

The task is to find the latest articles on Analytics Vidhya\'s official website. This involves navigating the website to locate the section where the most recent articles are published and gathering information about these articles.

### Detailed Plan

1. **Open the Website:**
- Start by opening a web browser and entering the URL `https://www.analyticsvidhya.com/` to access the homepage of Analytics Vidhya.

2. **Locate the Articles Section:**
- Once the homepage loads, look for a section that typically features the latest articles. This could be labeled as "Latest Articles," "Recent Posts," or something similar.
- If there is a navigation menu, check for options like "Blog," "Articles," or "Resources" that might lead to a page dedicated to articles.

3. **Explore the Homepage:**
- Scroll through the homepage to see if the latest articles are displayed directly on the main page. Websites often showcase their newest content prominently.

4. **Use the Search Function:**
- If the latest articles are not immediately visible, use the website\'s search function. Look for a search bar, usually located at the top of the page, and enter keywords like "latest articles" or "recent posts."

5. **Check for a Blog or News Section:**
- If available, click on a "Blog" or "News" section from the main menu or footer links. This section often contains a chronological list of articles.

6. **Identify the Latest Articles:**
- Once in the appropriate section, identify the latest articles by looking at the publication dates. Articles are usually listed in reverse chronological order, with the newest at the top.

7. **Gather Information:**
- For each of the latest articles, note down the title, author, publication date, and a brief summary or introduction if available.

8. **Verify and Cross-Check:**
- Ensure that the articles you have identified are indeed the latest by cross-checking the publication dates and any timestamps provided.

9. **Document Findings:**
- Compile the information gathered into a document or list for easy reference.

10. **Stay Updated:**
- Consider subscribing to the website\'s newsletter or RSS feed if available, to receive updates on new articles directly.

This plan assumes that the website\'s layout and features are typical of content-driven sites, but be prepared to adapt if the website\'s structure is different.</detailed plan>

According to the task above, we have made a series of observations, reasonings, and actions. Here are the latest 5 trajectory (at most) we have taken:
<history>[{\'round\': 0, \'observation\': "The current viewport shows the homepage of Analytics Vidhya. The page has a prominent header with the text \'Building Next-Generation AI Professionals.\' There is a \'Login/Register\' button (ID: 52) and options to accept cookies (ID: 306) or use necessary cookies (ID: 307). The Analytics Vidhya logo is present at the top left (ID: 46).", \'thought\': \'To proceed with finding the latest articles, I should first accept all cookies to ensure smooth navigation. This might also reveal more interactive elements or sections on the page.\', \'action\': \'click_id(306)\', \'action_if_success\': True, \'info\': \'Action was successful.\', \'current_url\': \'https://www.analyticsvidhya.com/\

[Assistant Agent]: ### Task Restatement

[Assistant Agent]: ```json
{
"if_need_replan": false,
"replanned_schema": ""
}
```
[Assistant Agent]: ```json
{
"observation": "The current viewport shows the homepage of Analytics Vidhya. The page has a prominent header with the text \'Building Next-Generation AI Professionals.\' There is a \'Login/Register\' button (ID: 52) and options to accept cookies (ID: 306) or use necessary cookies (ID: 307). The Analytics Vidhya logo is present at the top left (ID: 46).",
"reasoning": "To proceed with finding the latest articles, I should first accept all cookies to ensure smooth navigation. This might also reveal more interactive elements or sections on the page.",
"action_code": "click_id(306)"
}
```

[Assistant Agent]: ```json
{
"observation": "A pop-up is displayed on the homepage with information about an AI Battlefield event. There is a close button (ID: 284) at the top right of the pop-up and a \'Participate Now\' button (ID: 285). The main content of the homepage is partially visible in the background.",
"reasoning": "To continue navigating the website and locate the latest articles, I need to close the pop-up. This will allow me to see the full homepage and access any navigation menus or sections that might lead to the latest articles.",
"action_code": "click_id(284)"
}
```

[Assistant Agent]: ```json
{
"observation": "The homepage of Analytics Vidhya is visible with a header \'Building Next-Generation AI Professionals.\' There is a \'Login/Register\' button (ID: 52) and a \'Download now\' button (ID: 48) at the bottom. The Analytics Vidhya logo is at the top left (ID: 46).",
"reasoning": "To find the latest articles, I should look for a navigation menu or section that might lead to articles. Since the current viewport doesn\'t show such a section, scrolling down might reveal more content or a menu.",
"action_code": "scroll_down()"
}
```

[Assistant Agent]: ```json
{
"observation": "The page shows statistics about Analytics Vidhya\'s impact, such as \'100M+ People Benefited\' and \'4M+ Community Members.\' Below, there is a section titled \'Trusted by 500+ Enterprises\' with logos of various companies. The \'Download now\' button (ID: 48) is still visible at the bottom.",
"reasoning": "The current section does not display the latest articles. I should continue scrolling down to explore more of the homepage, as the articles section might be further down.",
"action_code": "scroll_down()"
}
```

[Assistant Agent]: ```json
{
"observation": "The page displays a section titled \'Fuel your AI journey\' with steps like \'Discover,\' \'Upskill,\' \'Engage,\' and \'Contribute.\' Logos of various companies are visible above this section. The \'Download now\' button (ID: 48) remains at the bottom.",
"reasoning": "The current section still does not show the latest articles. I should continue scrolling down to explore more of the homepage, as the articles section might be further down.",
"action_code": "scroll_down()"
}
```
[User Agent]:
We are using browser interaction to solve a complex task which needs multi-step actions.
Here are the overall task:
<overall_task>Find the latest articles on Analytics Vidhya\'s official website.</overall_task>

In order to solve the task, we made a detailed plan previously. Here is the detailed plan:
<detailed plan>### Task Restatement

### Replanned Detailed Plan

1. **Open the Website:**
- Start by opening a web browser and entering the URL `https://www.analyticsvidhya.com/` to access the homepage of Analytics Vidhya.

2. **Accept Cookies and Close Pop-ups:**
- Accept all cookies to ensure smooth navigation and close any pop-ups that may obstruct the view of the homepage.

3. **Locate the Articles Section:**
- Look for a section that typically features the latest articles. This could be labeled as "Latest Articles," "Recent Posts," or something similar.
- If there is a navigation menu, check for options like "Blog," "Articles," or "Resources" that might lead to a page dedicated to articles.

5. **Check for a Blog or News Section:**
- If available, click on a "Blog" or "News" section from the main menu or footer links. This section often contains a chronological list of articles.

7. **Gather Information:**
- For each of the latest articles, note down the title, author, publication date, and a brief summary or introduction if available.

8. **Verify and Cross-Check:**
- Ensure that the articles you have identified are indeed the latest by cross-checking the publication dates and any timestamps provided.

9. **Document Findings:**
- Compile the information gathered into a document or list for easy reference.

10. **Stay Updated:**
- Consider subscribing to the website\'s newsletter or RSS feed if available, to receive updates on new articles directly.

This replanned schema emphasizes the use of the search function and navigation menus more prominently, as scrolling alone has not yet revealed the latest articles.</detailed plan>

According to the task above, we have made a series of observations, reasonings, and actions. Here are the latest 5 trajectory (at most) we have taken:
<history>[{\'round\': 1, \'observation\': "A pop-up is displayed on the homepage with information about an AI Battlefield event. There is a close button (ID: 284) at the top right of the pop-up and a \'Participate Now\' button (ID: 285). The main content of the homepage is partially visible in the background.", \'thought\': \'To continue navigating the website and locate the latest articles, I need to close the pop-up. This will allow me to see the full homepage and access any navigation menus or sections that might lead to the latest articles.\', \'action\': \'click_id(284)\', \'action_if_success\': True, \'info\': \'Action was successful.\', \'current_url\': \'https://www.analyticsvidhya.com/\

[Assistant Agent]: ```json
{
"if_need_replan": true,
"replanned_schema": "### Task Restatement\
\
The task is to find the latest articles on Analytics Vidhya\'s official website. This involves navigating the website to locate the section where the most recent articles are published and gathering information about these articles.\
\
### Replanned Detailed Plan\
\
1. **Open the Website:**\
- Start by opening a web browser and entering the URL `https://www.analyticsvidhya.com/` to access the homepage of Analytics Vidhya.\
\
2. **Accept Cookies and Close Pop-ups:**\
- Accept all cookies to ensure smooth navigation and close any pop-ups that may obstruct the view of the homepage.\
\
3. **Locate the Articles Section:**\
- Look for a section that typically features the latest articles. This could be labeled as \\"Latest Articles,\\" \\"Recent Posts,\\" or something similar.\
- If there is a navigation menu, check for options like \\"Blog,\\" \\"Articles,\\" or \\"Resources\\" that might lead to a page dedicated to articles.\
\
4. **Use the Search Function:**\
- If the latest articles are not immediately visible, use the website\'s search function. Look for a search bar, usually located at the top of the page, and enter keywords like \\"latest articles\\" or \\"recent posts.\\"\
\
5. **Check for a Blog or News Section:**\
- If available, click on a \\"Blog\\" or \\"News\\" section from the main menu or footer links. This section often contains a chronological list of articles.\
\
6. **Identify the Latest Articles:**\
- Once in the appropriate section, identify the latest articles by looking at the publication dates. Articles are usually listed in reverse chronological order, with the newest at the top.\
\
7. **Gather Information:**\
- For each of the latest articles, note down the title, author, publication date, and a brief summary or introduction if available.\
\
8. **Verify and Cross-Check:**\
- Ensure that the articles you have identified are indeed the latest by cross-checking the publication dates and any timestamps provided.\
\
9. **Document Findings:**\
- Compile the information gathered into a document or list for easy reference.\
\
10. **Stay Updated:**\
- Consider subscribing to the website\'s newsletter or RSS feed if available, to receive updates on new articles directly.\
\
This replanned schema emphasizes the use of the search function and navigation menus more prominently, as scrolling alone has not yet revealed the latest articles."
}
```
[Assistant Agent]: ```json
{
"observation": "The page shows a section titled \'Experience the Analytics Vidhya difference\' with options like \'Discover,\' \'Upskill,\' and \'Engage.\' There is a link labeled \'Blogs\' (ID: 58) and \'Expert Sessions\' (ID: 59).",
"reasoning": "The \'Blogs\' link likely leads to a section where the latest articles are published. Clicking on this link will help us find the latest articles.",
"action_code": "click_id(58)"
}
```
[User Agent]:
We are using browser interaction to solve a complex task which needs multi-step actions.
Here are the overall task:
<overall_task>Find the latest articles on Analytics Vidhya\'s official website.</overall_task>