> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs-v1.agno.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Basic State Management

This is a basic agent state management example which shows how to manage and update agent state by maintaining a dynamic shopping list.

## Code

```python cookbook/agent_concepts/state/session_state.py theme={null}
from agno.agent import Agent
from agno.models.openai import OpenAIChat


def add_item(agent: Agent, item: str) -> str:
    """Add an item to the shopping list."""
    agent.session_state["shopping_list"].append(item)
    return f"The shopping list is now {agent.session_state['shopping_list']}"


# Create an Agent that maintains state
agent = Agent(
    model=OpenAIChat(id="gpt-4o-mini"),
    # Initialize the session state with a counter starting at 0
    session_state={"shopping_list": []},
    tools=[add_item],
    # You can use variables from the session state in the instructions
    instructions="Current state (shopping list) is: {shopping_list}",
    # Important: Add the state to the messages
    add_state_in_messages=True,
    markdown=True,
)

# Example usage
agent.print_response("Add milk, eggs, and bread to the shopping list", stream=True)
print(f"Final session state: {agent.session_state}")

```

## Usage

<Steps>
  <Snippet file="create-venv-step.mdx" />

  <Step title="Set your API key">
    ```bash theme={null}
    export OPENAI_API_KEY=xxx
    ```
  </Step>

  <Step title="Install libraries">
    ```bash theme={null}
    pip install -U openai agno
    ```
  </Step>

  <Step title="Run Example">
    <CodeGroup>
      ```bash Mac theme={null}
      python cookbook/agent_concepts/state/session_state.py
      ```

      ```bash Windows theme={null}
      python cookbook/agent_concepts/state/session_state.py
      ```
    </CodeGroup>
  </Step>
</Steps>