The addition of anti-agglomerants （AAs） is a promising solution for mitigating gas hydrate risks in deep water hydrocarbon flowlines and drilling operations. AAs have the ability to adsorb onto small hydrate particles， promoting their dispersion and preventing agglomeration. However， the exact influence of AAs on hydrate nucleation and growth during this process remains unclear. Here， we investigated various types and concentrations of AAs to elucidate their effect on the formation kinetics of CH₄ hydrate. We measured the induction time， amount of hydrate formation， and average rate of hydrate growth in these systems. The results demonstrate that AAs can enhance hydrate formation in pure water （100%） and high water cut （95%） systems. Conversely， in systems with relatively low water cut （20% and 60%）， AAs impede or even completely inhibit hydrate nucleation and growth under our experimental conditions. This inhibition is likely attributed to the mass transfer barrier associated with AAs. By shedding light on the kinetic inhibition mechanism of AAs on hydrate agglomeration， this study contributes to the safe implementation of multiphase flow transportation and deep water oil and gas exploration， and holds significance for these endeavors.