
Arize Experiment
Fix Arize ax CLI profile and API-key auth (401, missing profile) so you can run experiments and tracing without guessing region or key flags.
Overview
arize-experiment is an agent skill most often used in Build (also Grow analytics, Operate monitoring) that repairs Arize ax CLI profiles and API-key auth when experiments or tracing return 401 or missing-profile errors.
Install
npx skills add https://github.com/arize-ai/arize-skills --skill arize-experimentWhat is this skill?
- Consult only when authentication fails—do not run profile checks proactively
- ax profiles show to diagnose missing API key, wrong region, or no profile
- ax profiles update patches api-key via ARIZE_API_KEY env var—never pass raw keys on CLI flags
- ax profiles update --region for endpoint/region mismatches
- Create flow when no profile exists, preserving other settings on partial updates
Adoption & trust: 857 installs on skills.sh; 31 GitHub stars; 2/3 security scanners passed (skills.sh audits).
What problem does it solve?
Arize ax commands fail with 401, no profile, or wrong region and you cannot run experiments until credentials are fixed safely.
Who is it for?
Builders already using Arize who hit auth errors and need CLI profile repair without exposing API keys in chat or shell history.
Skip if: First-time Arize onboarding with no API key yet—create keys in Arize console and export ARIZE_API_KEY before invoking this skill.
When should I use this skill?
When Arize authentication fails (401, missing profile, missing API key) or a profile has incorrect API key or region—not proactively.
What do I get? / Deliverables
A working ax profile with correct API key reference and region so experiment and observability workflows can proceed.
- Corrected ax profile (show output confirms key and region)
Recommended Skills
Journey fit
Spans multiple journey phases - primary shelf plus alternate fits below.
Experiment tooling is wired while you build agent pipelines; auth repair is the gate before eval runs in build and before monitoring in grow/operate. ax profiles and API keys are agent-tooling setup for Arize—not app frontend—so the canonical shelf is build agent-tooling.
Where it fits
First local experiment run returns 401 until ax profile gets ARIZE_API_KEY and region.
Scheduled eval script fails because the active profile points at the wrong Arize region endpoint.
Production trace export breaks after key rotation and profiles update is needed without recreating the whole config.
How it compares
Troubleshooting skill for ax CLI auth—not a substitute for designing eval datasets or experiment hypotheses in Arize UI.
Common Questions / FAQ
Who is arize-experiment for?
Indie and solo builders running LLM evals or production tracing with Arize ax who need profile and region fixes after auth failures.
When should I use arize-experiment?
In Build when standing up agent eval pipelines, in Grow when analytics jobs fail to connect, and in Operate when monitoring ingest breaks with 401 or missing profile.
Is arize-experiment safe to install?
Check the Security Audits panel on this page; the skill requires API keys via environment variables—never commit or pass secrets as CLI arguments.
SKILL.md
READMESKILL.md - Arize Experiment
# ax Profile Setup Consult this when authentication fails (401, missing profile, missing API key). Do NOT run these checks proactively. Use this when there is no profile, or a profile has incorrect settings (wrong API key, wrong region, etc.). ## 1. Inspect the current state ```bash ax profiles show ``` Look at the output to understand what's configured: - `API Key: (not set)` or missing → key needs to be created/updated - No profile output or "No profiles found" → no profile exists yet - Connected but getting `401 Unauthorized` → key is wrong or expired - Connected but wrong endpoint/region → region needs to be updated ## 2. Fix a misconfigured profile If a profile exists but one or more settings are wrong, patch only what's broken. **Never pass a raw API key value as a flag.** Always reference it via the `ARIZE_API_KEY` environment variable. If the variable is not already set in the shell, instruct the user to set it first, then run the command: ```bash # If ARIZE_API_KEY is already exported in the shell: ax profiles update --api-key $ARIZE_API_KEY # Fix the region (no secret involved — safe to run directly) ax profiles update --region us-east-1b # Fix both at once ax profiles update --api-key $ARIZE_API_KEY --region us-east-1b ``` `update` only changes the fields you specify — all other settings are preserved. If no profile name is given, the active profile is updated. ## 3. Create a new profile If no profile exists, or if the existing profile needs to point to a completely different setup (different org, different region): **Always reference the key via `$ARIZE_API_KEY`, never inline a raw value.** ```bash # Requires ARIZE_API_KEY to be exported in the shell first ax profiles create --api-key $ARIZE_API_KEY # Create with a region ax profiles create --api-key $ARIZE_API_KEY --region us-east-1b # Create a named profile ax profiles create work --api-key $ARIZE_API_KEY --region us-east-1b ``` To use a named profile with any `ax` command, add `-p NAME`: ```bash ax spans export PROJECT -p work ``` ## 4. Getting the API key **Never ask the user to paste their API key into the chat. Never log, echo, or display an API key value.** If `ARIZE_API_KEY` is not already set, instruct the user to export it in their shell: ```bash export ARIZE_API_KEY="..." # user pastes their key here in their own terminal ``` They can find their key at https://app.arize.com/admin > API Keys. Recommend they create a **scoped service key** (not a personal user key) — service keys are not tied to an individual account and are safer for programmatic use. Keys are space-scoped — make sure they copy the key for the correct space. Once the user confirms the variable is set, proceed with `ax profiles create --api-key $ARIZE_API_KEY` or `ax profiles update --api-key $ARIZE_API_KEY` as described above. ## 5. Verify After any create or update: ```bash ax profiles show ``` Confirm the API key and region are correct, then retry the original command. ## Space There is no profile flag for space. Save it as an environment variable — accepts a space **name** (e.g., `my-workspace`) or a base64 space **ID** (e.g., `U3BhY2U6...`). Find yours with `ax spaces list -o json`. **macOS/Linux** — add to `~/.zshrc` or `~/.bashrc`: ```bash export ARIZE_SPACE="my-workspace" # name or base64 ID ``` Then `source ~/.zshrc` (or restart terminal). **Windows (PowerShell):** ```powershell [System.Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable('ARIZE_SPACE', 'my-workspace', 'User') ``` Restart terminal for it to take effect. ## Save Credentials for Future Use At the **end of the session**, if the user manually provided any credentials during this conversation **and** those values were NOT already loaded from a saved profile or environment variable, offer to save them. **Skip this entirely if:** - The API key was already loaded from an existing profile or `ARIZE_API_KEY` env var - The space was already set via `ARIZE_SPACE` env var - The user only used base64 pr