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The langgraph.graph module provides the primary interfaces for building stateful, multi-actor applications with LangGraph. This module exports the core graph building classes and utilities.

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Module Exports

The graph module exports the following classes and constants:
  • StateGraph - Main graph builder class for state-based graphs
  • MessageGraph - Specialized graph for message-based workflows (deprecated)
  • MessagesState - TypedDict for message-based state
  • add_messages - Reducer function for merging message lists
  • START - Constant for the graph entry point
  • END - Constant for the graph exit point
Defined in: langgraph/graph/__init__.py

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Core Classes

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StateGraph

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StateGraph
class
A graph whose nodes communicate by reading and writing to a shared state.The signature of each node is State -> Partial<State>. Each state key can optionally be annotated with a reducer function that will be used to aggregate the values of that key received from multiple nodes.Warning: StateGraph is a builder class and cannot be used directly for execution. You must first call .compile() to create an executable graph that supports methods like invoke(), stream(), astream(), and ainvoke().See the StateGraph reference for detailed documentation.Defined in: langgraph/graph/state.py:113

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MessageGraph

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MessageGraph
class
A StateGraph where every node receives a list of messages as input and returns one or more messages as output.Deprecated: MessageGraph is deprecated in LangGraph v1.0.0 and will be removed in v2.0.0. Please use StateGraph with a messages key instead.MessageGraph is a subclass of StateGraph whose entire state is a single, append-only list of messages. Each node takes a list of messages as input and returns zero or more messages as output.See the MessageGraph reference for detailed documentation.Defined in: langgraph/graph/message.py:251

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MessagesState

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MessagesState
TypedDict
A pre-built TypedDict for message-based state.Provides a convenient state schema with a single messages key that uses the add_messages reducer.Defined in: langgraph/graph/message.py:307

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Attributes

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messages
Annotated[list[AnyMessage], add_messages]
List of messages with automatic merging via the add_messages reducer.

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Usage Example

from langgraph.graph import MessagesState, StateGraph, START
from langchain_core.messages import HumanMessage, AIMessage

# Use MessagesState as your graph's state schema
builder = StateGraph(MessagesState)

def chatbot(state: MessagesState):
    # Access messages from state
    user_msg = state["messages"][-1].content
    return {"messages": [AIMessage(content=f"You said: {user_msg}")]}

builder.add_node("chatbot", chatbot)
builder.add_edge(START, "chatbot")
graph = builder.compile()

result = graph.invoke({"messages": [HumanMessage(content="Hello")]})
# {'messages': [HumanMessage(content='Hello'), AIMessage(content='You said: Hello')]}

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Functions

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add_messages

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add_messages(left, right, *, format=None)
function
Merges two lists of messages, updating existing messages by ID.By default, this ensures the state is “append-only”, unless the new message has the same ID as an existing message. When messages have matching IDs, the new message replaces the old one.Defined in: langgraph/graph/message.py:61

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Parameters

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left
Messages
The base list of messages.
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right
Messages
The list of messages (or single message) to merge into the base list.
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format
Literal['langchain-openai'] | None
default:"None"
The format to return messages in. If None, messages are returned as-is. If 'langchain-openai', messages are formatted to match OpenAI message format.Requires langchain-core>=0.3.11 to use this feature.

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Returns

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return
Messages
A new list of messages with the messages from right merged into left. If a message in right has the same ID as a message in left, the message from right replaces the message from left.

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Usage Example

from typing import Annotated
from typing_extensions import TypedDict
from langgraph.graph import StateGraph, add_messages, START

class State(TypedDict):
    messages: Annotated[list, add_messages]

def chatbot_node(state: State):
    return {"messages": [("assistant", "Hello! How can I help you?")]}

builder = StateGraph(State)
builder.add_node("chatbot", chatbot_node)
builder.add_edge(START, "chatbot")
graph = builder.compile()

result = graph.invoke({"messages": [("user", "Hi there")]})
# {'messages': [HumanMessage(content='Hi there'), AIMessage(content='Hello! How can I help you?')]}

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Constants

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START

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START
str
The first (maybe virtual) node in graph-style Pregel.Use this constant to add edges from the graph entry point to your first node(s). Equivalent to the string "__start__".Defined in: langgraph/constants.py:30

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Usage Example

from langgraph.graph import StateGraph, START, END
from typing_extensions import TypedDict

class State(TypedDict):
    value: int

builder = StateGraph(State)
builder.add_node("process", lambda state: {"value": state["value"] * 2})

# Add edge from START to the first node
builder.add_edge(START, "process")
builder.add_edge("process", END)

graph = builder.compile()
result = graph.invoke({"value": 5})
# {'value': 10}

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END

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END
str
The last (maybe virtual) node in graph-style Pregel.Use this constant to mark terminal nodes in your graph. When execution reaches a node with an edge to END, the graph will cease execution. Equivalent to the string "__end__".Defined in: langgraph/constants.py:28

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Usage Example

from langgraph.graph import StateGraph, START, END
from typing_extensions import TypedDict

class State(TypedDict):
    done: bool
    value: int

def process(state: State):
    return {"value": state["value"] + 1, "done": True}

builder = StateGraph(State)
builder.add_node("process", process)
builder.add_edge(START, "process")

# Mark process as a terminal node
builder.add_edge("process", END)

graph = builder.compile()
result = graph.invoke({"value": 0, "done": False})
# {'value': 1, 'done': True}

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Import Paths

# Import the main graph classes
from langgraph.graph import StateGraph, MessageGraph, MessagesState

# Import utility functions
from langgraph.graph import add_messages

# Import constants
from langgraph.graph import START, END

# Alternative: import from submodules
from langgraph.graph.state import StateGraph
from langgraph.graph.message import MessageGraph, MessagesState, add_messages
from langgraph.constants import START, END