LangChain4j AI Services Patterns

This skill provides guidance for building declarative AI Services with LangChain4j using interface-based patterns, annotations for system and user messages, memory management, tools integration, and advanced AI application patterns that abstract away low-level LLM interactions.

When to Use

Use this skill when:

• Building declarative AI-powered interfaces with minimal boilerplate code
• Creating type-safe AI services with Java interfaces and annotations
• Implementing conversational AI systems with memory management
• Designing AI services that can call external tools and functions
• Building multi-agent systems with specialized AI components
• Creating AI services with different personas and behaviors
• Implementing RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation) patterns declaratively
• Building production AI applications with proper error handling and validation
• Creating AI services that return structured data types (enums, POJOs, lists)
• Implementing streaming AI responses with reactive patterns

Overview

LangChain4j AI Services allow you to define AI-powered functionality using plain Java interfaces with annotations, eliminating the need for manual prompt construction and response parsing. This pattern provides type-safe, declarative AI capabilities with minimal boilerplate code.

Instructions

Follow these steps to create declarative AI Services with LangChain4j:

1. Define AI Service Interface

Create a Java interface with method signatures for AI interactions:

public interface Assistant {
    String chat(String userMessage);
}

2. Add Annotations for Messages

Use @SystemMessage and @UserMessage annotations to define prompts:

public interface CustomerSupportBot {
    @SystemMessage("You are a helpful customer support agent for TechCorp")
    String handleInquiry(String customerMessage);

    @UserMessage("Analyze sentiment: {{it}}")
    Sentiment analyzeSentiment(String feedback);
}

3. Create AI Service Instance

Use AiServices builder to create implementation:

Assistant assistant = AiServices.builder(Assistant.class)
    .chatModel(chatModel)
    .build();

4. Configure Memory for Conversations

Add memory management for multi-turn conversations:

interface MultiUserAssistant {
    String chat(@MemoryId String userId, String userMessage);
}

Assistant assistant = AiServices.builder(MultiUserAssistant.class)
    .chatModel(model)
    .chatMemoryProvider(userId -> MessageWindowChatMemory.withMaxMessages(10))
    .build();

5. Integrate Tools for Function Calling

Register tools to enable AI to execute external functions:

class Calculator {
    @Tool("Add two numbers") double add(double a, double b) { return a + b; }
}

MathGenius mathGenius = AiServices.builder(MathGenius.class)
    .chatModel(model)
    .tools(new Calculator())
    .build();

Quick Start

Basic AI Service Definition

interface Assistant {
    String chat(String userMessage);
}

// Create instance - LangChain4j generates implementation
Assistant assistant = AiServices.create(Assistant.class, chatModel);

// Use the service
String response = assistant.chat("Hello, how are you?");

System Message and Templates

interface CustomerSupportBot {
    @SystemMessage("You are a helpful customer support agent for TechCorp")
    String handleInquiry(String customerMessage);

    @UserMessage("Analyze sentiment: {{it}}")
    String analyzeSentiment(String feedback);
}

CustomerSupportBot bot = AiServices.create(CustomerSupportBot.class, chatModel);

Memory Management

interface MultiUserAssistant {
    String chat(@MemoryId String userId, String userMessage);
}

Assistant assistant = AiServices.builder(MultiUserAssistant.class)
    .chatModel(model)
    .chatMemoryProvider(userId -> MessageWindowChatMemory.withMaxMessages(10))
    .build();

Tool Integration

class Calculator {
    @Tool("Add two numbers") double add(double a, double b) { return a + b; }
}

interface MathGenius {
    String ask(String question);
}

MathGenius mathGenius = AiServices.builder(MathGenius.class)
    .chatModel(model)
    .tools(new Calculator())
    .build();

Examples

See examples.md for comprehensive practical examples including:

• Basic chat interfaces
• Stateful assistants with memory
• Multi-user scenarios
• Structured output extraction
• Tool calling and function execution
• Streaming responses
• Error handling
• RAG integration
• Production patterns

API Reference

Complete API documentation, annotations, interfaces, and configuration patterns are available in references.md.

Best Practices

1. Use type-safe interfaces instead of string-based prompts
2. Implement proper memory management with appropriate limits
3. Design clear tool descriptions with parameter documentation
4. Handle errors gracefully with custom error handlers
5. Use structured output for predictable responses
6. Implement validation for user inputs
7. Monitor performance for production deployments

Dependencies

<!-- Maven -->
<dependency>
    <groupId>dev.langchain4j</groupId>
    <artifactId>langchain4j</artifactId>
    <version>1.8.0</version>
</dependency>
<dependency>
    <groupId>dev.langchain4j</groupId>
    <artifactId>langchain4j-open-ai</artifactId>
    <version>1.8.0</version>
</dependency>

// Gradle
implementation 'dev.langchain4j:langchain4j:1.8.0'
implementation 'dev.langchain4j:langchain4j-open-ai:1.8.0'

References

• LangChain4j Documentation
• LangChain4j AI Services – API References
• LangChain4j AI Services – Practical Examples

Constraints and Warnings

• AI Services rely on LLM responses which are non-deterministic; tests should account for variability.
• Memory providers store conversation history; ensure proper cleanup for multi-user scenarios.
• Tool execution can be expensive; implement rate limiting and timeout handling.
• Never pass sensitive data (API keys, passwords) in system or user messages.
• Large context windows can lead to high token costs; implement message pruning strategies.
• Streaming responses require proper error handling for partial failures.
• AI-generated outputs should be validated before use in production systems.
• Be cautious with tools that have side effects; AI models may call them unexpectedly.
• Token limits vary by model; ensure prompts and context fit within model constraints.