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Works with Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, or any other coding agent. Once connected, you ask in plain language:

Connect your agent#

AgentSetup
Claude CodeInstall the Claude Code plugin. That is the MCP server and the Phoenix skills in one step. Optional: install the CLI so the agent can also run px commands.
CodexInstall the Codex plugin for the MCP server, then npx -y @arizeai/phoenix-cli setup skills for the skills.
Cursor, VS Code, Gemini CLI, OpenCodeInstall the CLI, then run px setup mcp --agent <agent> and px setup skills.
Any other agentInstall the CLI, add the MCP server from its per-client steps, and install skills with npx skills add.

Then ask your agent a question, such as List my Phoenix projects.

Example prompts#

Instrument an app:

Run the Evaluate flow end to end:

Every example scores 0 on that first run: the prompt knows nothing about this airline. Then reply Add the Basic fare policy to the prompt, rerun the experiment, and compare the scores.

Find your Phoenix endpoint#

Every setup needs your Phoenix endpoint: the base URL you open Phoenix at, with no trailing slash or path.

DeploymentEndpointMCP server URL the tools derive from it
Local Phoenix (phoenix serve)http://localhost:6006http://localhost:6006/mcp
Deployed Phoenixhttps://phoenix.example.com (your deployment’s hostname)https://phoenix.example.com/mcp

The plugins and px append /mcp themselves; only hand-written MCP config takes the full /mcp URL.

px and the Codex plugin read it from your shell:

Plugins#

The plugins bundle the MCP server and skills into one install that stays up to date. They need Phoenix 19.0.0 or later.

Claude Code plugin

Steps 1, 2, and 4 are slash commands inside a Claude Code session. If /plugin is not recognized, update Claude Code.

Add the marketplace

Install the plugin

Claude Code asks for a scope: user for all your projects, project to share it with collaborators through .claude/settings.json, or local for this repository only.

Set your Phoenix endpoint

Claude Code prompts for one setting, Phoenix endpoint, as it enables the plugin. Enter your Phoenix endpoint, or keep the default http://localhost:6006. The plugin appends /mcp itself, so a trailing slash or a pasted /mcp produces a wrong URL (…//mcp or …/mcp/mcp). This setting is stored in your user settings and applies to every project.

Verify

Run /mcp and select phoenix. If your Phoenix has auth enabled, a browser window opens to sign in with your Phoenix account; without auth, it connects straight away.

claude plugin details arize-phoenix@arize-phoenix lists what it added.

From a shell: claude plugin marketplace add Arize-ai/phoenix then claude plugin install arize-phoenix@arize-phoenix (add --scope project or --scope local to narrow it).

What it registers

ComponentWhat it is
phoenix MCP serverStreamable HTTP to <your-endpoint>/mcp, the Remote MCP Server.
phoenix-cli skillFetching traces, inspecting datasets and experiments, and querying GraphQL with the px CLI.
phoenix-evals skillBuilding and running evaluators.
phoenix-tracing skillInstrumenting apps with OpenInference.

It does not install the px CLI; add that separately if you want it.

Change the endpoint. claude plugin install arize-phoenix@arize-phoenix --config endpoint=https://phoenix.example.com at install time, /plugin configure afterward, or edit ~/.claude/settings.json:

Authentication. With auth on, the first use opens a browser sign-in. For headless use, register the server by hand with an API key instead.

Update or remove

Pass the scope you installed at, such as --scope local, to disable and uninstall.

Codex plugin

Registers the MCP server. Skills are separate: npx -y @arizeai/phoenix-cli setup skills.

Prerequisites: Phoenix 19.0.0 or later, and Node.js. The plugin starts its MCP bridge with npx. The codex plugin commands below run in your shell.

Add the marketplace

Codex clones the repository and reads the catalog from .agents/plugins/marketplace.json. The source can be owner/repo shorthand, owner/repo@ref, an HTTPS or SSH Git URL, or a local path; pass --ref to pin a Git ref.

Install the plugin

Codex caches the plugin under ~/.codex/plugins/cache/arize-phoenix/arize-phoenix/<version> and enables it in ~/.codex/config.toml. You can also browse and install from the /plugins browser inside Codex.

Export your Phoenix endpoint

The plugin reads PHOENIX_ENDPOINT from the shell you launch Codex from:

Unset, it defaults to http://localhost:6006.

Verify

The phoenix server appears as enabled. Then launch codex and run /mcp to confirm it connects. If your Phoenix has auth enabled and PHOENIX_API_KEY is not set, a browser window opens on first use to sign in; with the key set, or with auth disabled, no login happens.

VariableEffect
PHOENIX_ENDPOINTBase URL; /mcp is appended for you.
PHOENIX_API_KEYOptional. Sent as a bearer token, so no browser login.

Disable or remove. In ~/.codex/config.toml:

Learn more#

  • Tracing coding agents: have Phoenix record your coding agent’s own turns, tool calls, and token costs.