Progressive Tutorials

ChatDev is a multi-agent collaboration system released by THUNLP and OpenBMB. It simulates the operation of a virtual software company (requirements, coding, testing, etc.) and uses role-based agent communication to automate the software development lifecycle.

• Repo: https://github.com/OpenBMB/ChatDev/tree/chatdev1.0
• Paper: https://arxiv.org/abs/2307.07924

This chapter reproduces a simplified ChatDev (1.0-style) from scratch using MASFactory in three paradigms:

• Declarative: express structure with nodes/edges and reuse configuration via NodeTemplate
• Imperative: assemble the graph using create_node / create_edge
• VibeGraph: draft a graph_design.json from intent, then compile and run

Note

THUNLP and OpenBMB released a more capable ChatDev 2.0 in December 2025. It is no longer limited to standard software-development workflows and supports low-code construction of general multi-agent workflows. This chapter focuses on a simplified version of ChatDev 1.0.

Suggested reading order:

• First time: start with Declarative, then compare Imperative
• Interested in “intent → structure”: go directly to VibeGraph

Entry points:

• Declarative ChatDev Lite
• Imperative ChatDev Lite
• VibeGraph ChatDev Lite