Release notes for v1.23.0 of the sdk-python

[zastrowm]

Overview

Generate release notes for v1.23.0 of the sdk-python repository.

Release Tag: https://github.com/strands-agents/sdk-python/releases/tag/v1.23.0

Task Type

This is an operational task execution request, not a feature request for code changes to the repository. This task should be completed by following the Release Notes Generator SOP (.github/agent-sops/task-release-notes.sop.md).

Implementation Requirements

Current Status

• ✅ PR Categorization Complete: All 22 PRs between v1.22.0 and v1.23.0 have been categorized
• ✅ User Approval: Categorization has been approved by the issue author
• ⏳ Pending: Code example generation, validation, and final release notes formatting

Approved PR Categorization

Major Features (6 items):

1. PR#1424 - feat(agent): add configurable retry_strategy for model calls
2. PR#1429 - feat(steering): allow steering on AfterModelCallEvents
3. PR#1474 - Expose input messages to BeforeInvocationEvent hook
4. PR#1476 - Nova Sonic 2 support for BidiAgent
5. PR#1478 - interrupts - graph - hook based
6. PR#1498 - Feat: graduate multiagent hook events from experimental

Major Bug Fixes (4 items):

1. PR#1396 - fix(mcp): prevent agent hang by checking session closure state
2. PR#1201 - fix: provide unique toolUseId for gemini models
3. PR#1494 - Fix PEP 563 incompatibility with @tool decorated tools
4. PR#1495 - fix(bedrock): disable thinking mode when forcing tool_choice

Minor Changes (12 items):

• PR#1466 - ci: update sphinx-rtd-theme requirement
• PR#1451 - ci: update websockets requirement
• PR#1336 - Update ruff configuration to apply pyupgrade to modernize python syntax
• PR#1489 - fix(agent): extract text from citationsContent in AgentResult.str
• PR#1497 - fix: Swap unit test sleeps with explicit signaling
• PR#1400 - feat: override service name by OTEL_SERVICE_NAME env
• PR#1401 - fix(a2a): use a2a artifact update event
• PR#1186 - Add parallel reading support to S3SessionManager.list_messages()
• PR#1521 - gemini - tool_use_id_to_name - local
• PR#1520 - fix(litellm): handle missing usage attribute on ModelResponseStream
• PR#1502 - fix(swarm): accumulate execution_time across interrupt/resume cycles
• PR#1505 - fix(tests): reduce flakiness in guardrail redact output test

Next Steps (per task-release-notes.sop.md)

1. Code Example Extraction/Generation (Step 3):

   • Extract or generate code examples for each of the 6 Major Features
   • Search PR descriptions, test files, and merged code for examples
   • Generate new examples if needed

2. Code Validation (Step 4):

   • Create behavioral test files for each code example
   • Run tests to validate examples work correctly
   • Use Bedrock for testing when real model providers are needed
   • Mark examples for engineer review only if validation genuinely fails after documented attempts

3. Release Notes Formatting (Step 5):

   • Format Major Features section with code examples
   • Format Major Bug Fixes section
   • Add horizontal rule separators

4. Output Delivery (Step 6):

   • Post validation code comment (with all test files)
   • Post formatted release notes comment
   • Post exclusions/review notes comment

Acceptance Criteria

• All 6 Major Features have code examples (validated or marked for engineer review)
• All 4 Major Bug Fixes are properly described
• Code examples have been validated with behavioral tests where possible
• Validation code has been posted as a GitHub comment
• Final formatted release notes posted as a GitHub comment
• Review notes comment posted documenting any unvalidated examples
• Release notes follow the format specified in task-release-notes.sop.md

Technical Details

Repository: strands-agents/sdk-python
Programming Language: Python
Test Framework: pytest
Available Testing Resources:

• Amazon Bedrock access for model provider testing
• Project test fixtures in tests/fixtures/mocked_model_provider.py
• Integration test patterns in tests_integ/

Related Documentation:

• Release Notes SOP: .github/agent-sops/task-release-notes.sop.md
• Contributing Guide: CONTRIBUTING.md
• Agents Guide: AGENTS.md

Notes for Implementer

This task should be completed by an agent or team member familiar with the Release Notes Generator SOP. The categorization phase (Steps 1-2) is complete and approved. The remaining work focuses on creating high-quality code examples, validating them, and formatting the final release notes for publication.

[zastrowm]

/strands release-notes

[github-actions]

PR Categorization for v1.23.0 Release Notes

I've analyzed all 22 PRs merged between v1.22.0 and v1.23.0. Here's my proposed categorization:

---

Major Features (6 items)

1. PR#1424 - feat(agent): add configurable retry_strategy for model calls
2. PR#1429 - feat(steering): allow steering on AfterModelCallEvents
3. PR#1474 - Expose input messages to BeforeInvocationEvent hook
4. PR#1476 - Nova Sonic 2 support for BidiAgent
5. PR#1478 - interrupts - graph - hook based
6. PR#1498 - Feat: graduate multiagent hook events from experimental

---

Major Bug Fixes (4 items)

1. PR#1396 - fix(mcp): prevent agent hang by checking session closure state
2. PR#1201 - fix: provide unique toolUseId for gemini models
3. PR#1494 - Fix PEP 563 incompatibility with @tool decorated tools
4. PR#1495 - fix(bedrock): disable thinking mode when forcing tool_choice

---

Minor Changes (12 items)

• PR#1466 - ci: update sphinx-rtd-theme requirement
• PR#1451 - ci: update websockets requirement
• PR#1336 - Update ruff configuration to apply pyupgrade to modernize python syntax
• PR#1489 - fix(agent): extract text from citationsContent in AgentResult.str
• PR#1497 - fix: Swap unit test sleeps with explicit signaling
• PR#1400 - feat: override service name by OTEL_SERVICE_NAME env
• PR#1401 - fix(a2a): use a2a artifact update event
• PR#1186 - Add parallel reading support to S3SessionManager.list_messages()
• PR#1521 - gemini - tool_use_id_to_name - local
• PR#1520 - fix(litellm): handle missing usage attribute on ModelResponseStream
• PR#1502 - fix(swarm): accumulate execution_time across interrupt/resume cycles
• PR#1505 - fix(tests): reduce flakiness in guardrail redact output test

---

Instructions for Recategorization

If you'd like to move PRs between categories:

• Reply with: Move #<PR_NUMBER> to <CATEGORY> where CATEGORY is "Major Features", "Major Bug Fixes", or "Minor Changes"
• Example: Move #1186 to Major Features

Once you approve this categorization, I'll proceed with generating code examples and validating them for each Major Feature.

[github-actions]

I've completed my initial analysis of the 22 PRs in v1.23.0 and posted my categorization to the GitHub issue.

Summary:

• 6 Major Features - significant new user-facing capabilities (hooks, steering, retry strategies, Nova Sonic 2, etc.)
• 4 Major Bug Fixes - critical fixes for MCP hangs, Gemini toolUseId, PEP 563 compatibility, and Bedrock thinking mode
• 12 Minor Changes - dependency updates, test improvements, internal fixes, and code modernization

Please review the categorization in the GitHub comment above. You can:

1. Approve as-is - I'll proceed with generating and validating code examples for the 6 Major Features
2. Request changes - Reply with "Move #PR_NUMBER to CATEGORY" to recategorize items

Once you approve, I'll extract code examples from each Major Feature PR, validate them with tests, and generate the final release notes.

[zastrowm]

/strands release notes

Looks good