Get started with Zep | Zep Documentation

Start with the information that the agent needs. Then identify who owns that context. Each row links to the solution overview and to a quickstart that builds the solution.

Solution	Use it when	Implementation path	Quickstart
Enterprise context graphs	Agents need shared context about projects, products, operations, or a business domain.	Create a Context Graph with `graph_id`, add business data and documents, then give an agent tools that search the graph.	Enterprise context graph quickstart
Agent memory	An agent needs context from one user’s previous conversations, activity, and changes.	Create a user and threads, ingest messages and user business data, then retrieve with `thread.get_user_context`.	Agent memory quickstart
Customer and account context	An agent needs personal context and shared customer or account records for the same task.	Keep personal data in a user graph, keep shared data in an account Context Graph, and combine authorized retrieval results.	Customer and account context quickstart

Choose how the agent retrieves context

Each solution supports two retrieval models. Select the model from the task.

Retrieval model	User graph	Shared Context Graph	Use it for
One-call grounding	`thread.get_user_context`	`graph.search` with `scope="auto"`	Low-latency grounding on each conversational turn
An agent with Zep tools	Tools that pin the `user_id`	Tools that pin the `graph_id`	Complex questions and tasks that need several targeted retrievals

To build an agent that plans its retrieval and uses Zep tools, see Build an Agent with Zep.

Combine solutions when a task requires multiple scopes

An agent can retrieve from more than one authorized Context Graph. For example, a support agent can use:

An account Context Graph for contracts, cases, and product history.
A user graph for the current person’s conversations and preferences.
An enterprise Context Graph for support policies and runbooks.

Keep each data set in the graph that matches its subject and access boundary. Combine the retrieved context in the application.

Next steps

Use Architecture patterns to select the graph, ingestion, and retrieval model.
Use Build an Agent with Zep to build an agent that plans its retrieval and uses Zep tools.
Use Working with Context to implement the ingest, shape, and retrieve lifecycle.
Use Governance to control access and review activity.