Observability for Semantic Kernel (Python) with Opik
Semantic Kernel is a powerful open-source SDK from Microsoft. It facilitates the combination of LLMs with popular programming languages like C#, Python, and Java. Semantic Kernel empowers developers to build sophisticated AI applications by seamlessly integrating AI services, data sources, and custom logic, accelerating the delivery of enterprise-grade AI solutions.
Learn more about Semantic Kernel in the official documentation.
Getting started
Section titled “Getting started”To use the Semantic Kernel integration with Opik, you will need to have Semantic Kernel and the required OpenTelemetry packages installed:
pip install semantic-kernel opentelemetry-exporter-otlp-proto-httpEnvironment configuration
Section titled “Environment configuration”Configure your environment variables based on your Opik deployment:
If you are using Opik Cloud, you will need to set the following environment variables:
export OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_ENDPOINT=https://www.comet.com/opik/api/v1/private/otel
export OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_HEADERS='Authorization=<your-api-key>,Comet-Workspace=default'If you are using an Enterprise deployment of Opik, you will need to set the following environment variables:
export OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_ENDPOINT=https://<comet-deployment-url>/opik/api/v1/private/otel
export OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_HEADERS='Authorization=<your-api-key>,Comet-Workspace=default'If you are self-hosting Opik, you will need to set the following environment variables:
export OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_ENDPOINT=http://localhost:5173/api/v1/private/otelUsing Opik with Semantic Kernel
Section titled “Using Opik with Semantic Kernel”Semantic Kernel has built-in OpenTelemetry support. Enable telemetry and configure the OTLP exporter:
import asyncio
import os
# REQUIRED: Enable Semantic Kernel diagnostics
# Option 1: Include sensitive data (prompts and completions)
os.environ["SEMANTICKERNEL_EXPERIMENTAL_GENAI_ENABLE_OTEL_DIAGNOSTICS_SENSITIVE"] = (
"true"
)
# Option 2: Hide sensitive data (prompts and completions)
# os.environ["SEMANTICKERNEL_EXPERIMENTAL_GENAI_ENABLE_OTEL_DIAGNOSTICS"] = "true"
from opentelemetry.exporter.otlp.proto.http.trace_exporter import OTLPSpanExporter
from opentelemetry.sdk.resources import Resource
from opentelemetry.sdk.trace import TracerProvider
from opentelemetry.sdk.trace.export import BatchSpanProcessor
from opentelemetry.semconv.resource import ResourceAttributes
from opentelemetry.trace import set_tracer_provider
from semantic_kernel import Kernel
from semantic_kernel.connectors.ai.function_choice_behavior import (
FunctionChoiceBehavior,
)
from semantic_kernel.connectors.ai.open_ai import OpenAIChatCompletion
from semantic_kernel.connectors.ai.prompt_execution_settings import (
PromptExecutionSettings,
)
from semantic_kernel.functions.kernel_arguments import KernelArguments
from semantic_kernel.functions.kernel_function_decorator import kernel_function
class BookingPlugin:
@kernel_function(
name="find_available_rooms",
description="Find available conference rooms for today.",
)
def find_available_rooms(
self,
) -> list[str]:
return ["Room 101", "Room 201", "Room 301"]
@kernel_function(
name="book_room",
description="Book a conference room.",
)
def book_room(self, room: str) -> str:
return f"Room {room} booked."
def set_up_tracing():
# Create a resource to represent the service/sample
resource = Resource.create(
{ResourceAttributes.SERVICE_NAME: "semantic-kernel-app"}
)
exporter = OTLPSpanExporter()
# Initialize a trace provider for the application. This is a factory for creating tracers.
tracer_provider = TracerProvider(resource=resource)
# Span processors are initialized with an exporter which is responsible
# for sending the telemetry data to a particular backend.
tracer_provider.add_span_processor(BatchSpanProcessor(exporter))
# Sets the global default tracer provider
set_tracer_provider(tracer_provider)
# This must be done before any other telemetry calls
set_up_tracing()
async def main():
# Create a kernel and add a service
kernel = Kernel()
kernel.add_service(OpenAIChatCompletion(ai_model_id="gpt-4.1"))
kernel.add_plugin(BookingPlugin(), "BookingPlugin")
answer = await kernel.invoke_prompt(
"Reserve a conference room for me today.",
arguments=KernelArguments(
settings=PromptExecutionSettings(
function_choice_behavior=FunctionChoiceBehavior.Auto(),
),
),
)
print(answer)
if __name__ == "__main__":
asyncio.run(main())Further improvements
Section titled “Further improvements”If you have any questions or suggestions for improving the Semantic Kernel integration, please open an issue on our GitHub repository.