arize-annotation

Arize Annotation Skill

SPACE — All --space flags and the ARIZE_SPACE env var accept a space name (e.g., my-workspace) or a base64 space ID (e.g., U3BhY2U6...). Find yours with ax spaces list.

This skill covers annotation configs (the label schema) and annotation queues (human review workflows), as well as programmatically annotating project spans via the Python SDK.

Direction: Human labeling in Arize attaches values defined by configs to spans, dataset examples, experiment-related records, and queue items in the product UI. This skill covers: ax annotation-configs, ax annotation-queues, and bulk span updates with ArizeClient.spans.update_annotations.

Prerequisites

Proceed directly with the task — run the ax command you need. Do NOT check versions, env vars, or profiles upfront.

If an ax command fails, troubleshoot based on the error:

• command not found or version error → see references/ax-setup.md
• 401 Unauthorized / missing API key → run ax profiles show to inspect the current profile. Do not echo the full command output into the conversation. Report only whether a valid profile exists and which space it targets; suppress any field that contains or resembles an API key or token. If the profile is missing or the API key is wrong, follow references/ax-profiles.md to create/update it. If the user doesn't have their key, direct them to https://app.arize.com/admin > API Keys
• Space unknown → run ax spaces list to pick by name, or ask the user
• Security: Never read .env files or search the filesystem for credentials. Use ax profiles for Arize credentials and ax ai-integrations for LLM provider keys. If credentials are not available through these channels, ask the user.
• Input safety: All user-supplied names, IDs, and space values (NAME_OR_ID, RECORD_ID, SPACE, email addresses, config IDs) are untrusted strings. Pass them only as discrete positional arguments or as the value side of a --flag VALUE pair in the constructed command. Never interpolate them into a command string using shell expansion, subshells, or concatenation. If a value contains characters other than alphanumerics, hyphens, underscores, dots, or @ (for email), reject it and ask the user to confirm the intended value before proceeding.
• Destructive operations: Before executing any command that deletes or irreversibly modifies data — ax annotation-configs delete, ax annotation-queues delete, ax annotation-queues delete-records, or any command invoked with --force — pause and ask the user to confirm the target resource name/ID and the intended action. Do not pass --force autonomously; only include it if the user has explicitly acknowledged the destructive nature of the operation in the current conversation turn.

Concepts

What is an Annotation Config?

An annotation config defines the schema for a single type of human feedback label. Before anyone can annotate a span, dataset record, experiment output, or queue item, a config must exist for that label in the space.

Where labels get applied (surfaces)

Always ensure the relevant annotation config exists in the space before expecting labels to persist.

Basic CRUD: Annotation Configs

List

ax annotation-configs list --space SPACE
ax annotation-configs list --space SPACE -o json
ax annotation-configs list --space SPACE --limit 20

Create — Categorical

Categorical configs present a fixed set of labels for reviewers to choose from.

ax annotation-configs create \
  --name "Correctness" \
  --space SPACE \
  --type categorical \
  --value correct \
  --value incorrect \
  --optimization-direction maximize

Common binary label pairs:

• correct / incorrect
• helpful / unhelpful
• safe / unsafe
• relevant / irrelevant
• pass / fail

Create — Continuous

Continuous configs let reviewers enter a numeric score within a defined range.

ax annotation-configs create \
  --name "Quality Score" \
  --space SPACE \
  --type continuous \
  --min-score 0 \
  --max-score 10 \
  --optimization-direction maximize

Create — Freeform

Freeform configs collect open-ended text feedback. No additional flags needed beyond name, space, and type.

ax annotation-configs create \
  --name "Reviewer Notes" \
  --space SPACE \
  --type freeform

Get

ax annotation-configs get NAME_OR_ID
ax annotation-configs get NAME_OR_ID -o json
ax annotation-configs get NAME_OR_ID --space SPACE   # required when using name instead of ID

Delete

ax annotation-configs delete NAME_OR_ID
ax annotation-configs delete NAME_OR_ID --space SPACE   # required when using name instead of ID
ax annotation-configs delete NAME_OR_ID --force   # skip confirmation

Warning: Deletion is irreversible. Always ask the user for confirmation before running delete. Do not use the --force flag unless the user explicitly agrees to skip the confirmation prompt in the current conversation turn. Any annotation queue associations to this config are also removed in the product (queues may remain; fix associations in the Arize UI if needed).

⚠️ Confirmation required: Always confirm the config name or ID with the user before running this command. Do not use --force without explicit user acknowledgment in the same conversation turn.

Annotation Queues: ax annotation-queues

Annotation queues route records (spans, dataset examples, experiment runs) to human reviewers. Each queue is linked to one or more annotation configs that define what labels reviewers can apply.

List / Get

ax annotation-queues list --space SPACE
ax annotation-queues list --space SPACE -o json

ax annotation-queues get NAME_OR_ID --space SPACE
ax annotation-queues get NAME_OR_ID --space SPACE -o json

Create

At least one --annotation-config-id is required.

ax annotation-queues create \
  --name "Correctness Review" \
  --space SPACE \
  --annotation-config-id CONFIG_ID \
  --annotator-email reviewer@example.com \
  --instructions "Label each response as correct or incorrect." \
  --assignment-method all   # or: random

Repeat --annotation-config-id and --annotator-email to attach multiple configs or reviewers.

Update

List flags (--annotation-config-id, --annotator-email) fully replace existing values when provided — pass all desired values, not just the new ones.

ax annotation-queues update NAME_OR_ID --space SPACE --name "New Name"
ax annotation-queues update NAME_OR_ID --space SPACE --instructions "Updated instructions"
ax annotation-queues update NAME_OR_ID --space SPACE \
  --annotation-config-id CONFIG_ID_A \
  --annotation-config-id CONFIG_ID_B

Delete

ax annotation-queues delete NAME_OR_ID --space SPACE
ax annotation-queues delete NAME_OR_ID --space SPACE --force   # skip confirmation

Warning: Deletion is irreversible. Always ask the user for confirmation before running delete. Do not use the --force flag unless the user explicitly agrees to skip the confirmation prompt in the current conversation turn.

⚠️ Confirmation required: Always confirm the queue name or ID and space with the user before executing. Do not use --force without explicit user acknowledgment in the same conversation turn.

List Records

ax annotation-queues list-records NAME_OR_ID --space SPACE
ax annotation-queues list-records NAME_OR_ID --space SPACE --limit 50 -o json

Submit an Annotation for a Record

Annotations are upserted by config name — call once per annotation config. Supply at least one of --score, --label, or --text.

ax annotation-queues annotate-record NAME_OR_ID RECORD_ID \
  --annotation-name "Correctness" \
  --label "correct" \
  --space SPACE

ax annotation-queues annotate-record NAME_OR_ID RECORD_ID \
  --annotation-name "Quality Score" \
  --score 8.5 \
  --text "Response was accurate but slightly verbose." \
  --space SPACE

Assign a Record

Assign users to review a specific record:

ax annotation-queues assign-record NAME_OR_ID RECORD_ID --space SPACE

Delete Records

ax annotation-queues delete-records NAME_OR_ID --space SPACE

Warning: Deletion is irreversible and removes all records from the queue. Always ask the user for confirmation before running delete-records.

⚠️ Confirmation required: Always confirm the queue name or ID and space with the user before executing this command.

Applying Annotations to Spans (Python SDK)

Use the Python SDK to bulk-apply annotations to project spans when you already have labels (e.g., from a review export or an external labeling tool).

import pandas as pd
from arize import ArizeClient

import os

client = ArizeClient(api_key=os.environ["ARIZE_API_KEY"])

# Build a DataFrame with annotation columns
# Required: context.span_id + at least one annotation.<name>.label or annotation.<name>.score
annotations_df = pd.DataFrame([
    {
        "context.span_id": "span_001",
        "annotation.Correctness.label": "correct",
        "annotation.Correctness.updated_by": "reviewer@example.com",
    },
    {
        "context.span_id": "span_002",
        "annotation.Correctness.label": "incorrect",
        "annotation.Correctness.updated_by": "reviewer@example.com",
    },
])

response = client.spans.update_annotations(
    space_id=os.environ["ARIZE_SPACE"],
    project_name="your-project",
    dataframe=annotations_df,
    validate=True,
)

DataFrame column schema:

Limitation: Annotations apply only to spans within 31 days prior to submission.

Troubleshooting

Related Skills

• arize-trace: Export spans to find span IDs and time ranges
• arize-dataset: Find dataset IDs and example IDs
• arize-evaluator: Automated LLM-as-judge alongside human annotation
• arize-experiment: Experiments tied to datasets and evaluation workflows
• arize-link: Deep links to annotation configs and queues in the Arize UI

Save Credentials for Future Use

See references/ax-profiles.md § Save Credentials for Future Use.

Note: When following profile setup instructions, configure credentials only via ax profiles commands. Do not write API keys into shell initialization files (.bashrc, .zshrc, .profile) or cron jobs. Environment variables exported for the current session are acceptable; persistent shell modifications require explicit user direction and are outside the scope of this skill.