microsoft/semantic-kernel · error · MemoryConnectorInitializationError

Failed to create Azure Cognitive Search settings.

Error message

Failed to create Azure Cognitive Search settings.

What it means

Raised in the `AzureCognitiveSearchMemoryStore` constructor when building the pydantic `AzureAISearchSettings` raises a `ValidationError`; it is re-raised as `MemoryConnectorInitializationError` (chained via `from exc`). Required settings such as endpoint and api_key are missing or invalid. Note the message is static and does not echo the validation detail, so inspect the chained cause.

Source

Thrown at python/semantic_kernel/connectors/memory_stores/azure_cognitive_search/azure_cognitive_search_memory_store.py:92

            azure_credentials (AzureKeyCredential | None): Azure Cognitive Search credentials (default: {None}).
            token_credentials (TokenCredential | None): Azure Cognitive Search token credentials
                (default: {None}).
            env_file_path (str | None): Use the environment settings file as a fallback
                to environment variables
            env_file_encoding (str | None): The encoding of the environment settings file

        """
        from semantic_kernel.connectors.azure_ai_search import AzureAISearchSettings

        try:
            acs_memory_settings = AzureAISearchSettings(
                env_file_path=env_file_path,
                endpoint=search_endpoint,
                api_key=admin_key,
                env_file_encoding=env_file_encoding,
            )
        except ValidationError as exc:
            raise MemoryConnectorInitializationError("Failed to create Azure Cognitive Search settings.") from exc

        self._vector_size = vector_size
        self._search_index_client = get_search_index_async_client(
            search_endpoint=str(acs_memory_settings.endpoint),
            admin_key=acs_memory_settings.api_key.get_secret_value() if acs_memory_settings.api_key else None,
            azure_credential=azure_credentials,
            token_credential=token_credentials,
        )

    async def close(self):
        """Async close connection, invoked by MemoryStoreBase.__aexit__()."""
        if self._search_index_client is not None:
            await self._search_index_client.close()

    async def create_collection(
        self,
        collection_name: str,
        vector_config: HnswAlgorithmConfiguration | None = None,

View on GitHub (pinned to c028a0c7dc)

Solutions

1. Set `AZURE_COGNITIVE_SEARCH_ENDPOINT` and `AZURE_COGNITIVE_SEARCH_ADMIN_KEY` env vars (or pass `search_endpoint`/`admin_key` args).
2. Point `env_file_path` at an existing `.env` file with correct values; verify `env_file_encoding`.
3. Inspect `exc.__cause__` (the wrapped `ValidationError`) for the exact missing fields.
4. Confirm secrets are present in the runtime environment (container/CI), not only locally.

Example fix

// before
store = AzureCognitiveSearchMemoryStore(vector_size=1536)  # no endpoint/key

// after
store = AzureCognitiveSearchMemoryStore(
    search_endpoint=os.environ["AZURE_COGNITIVE_SEARCH_ENDPOINT"],
    admin_key=os.environ["AZURE_COGNITIVE_SEARCH_ADMIN_KEY"],
    vector_size=1536,
)

import os

def acs_env_ready() -> bool:
    return bool(os.getenv("AZURE_COGNITIVE_SEARCH_ENDPOINT")
               and os.getenv("AZURE_COGNITIVE_SEARCH_ADMIN_KEY"))

# assert acs_env_ready() before constructing AzureCognitiveSearchMemoryStore

from semantic_kernel.exceptions import MemoryConnectorInitializationError
try:
    store = AzureCognitiveSearchMemoryStore(...)
except MemoryConnectorInitializationError as e:
    cause = e.__cause__  # pydantic ValidationError
    raise SystemExit(f"ACS settings invalid: {cause}") from e

When it happens

Trigger: Constructing `AzureCognitiveSearchMemoryStore(...)` without a search endpoint or admin key (neither as args nor from `AZURE_COGNITIVE_SEARCH_ENDPOINT` / `AZURE_COGNITIVE_SEARCH_ADMIN_KEY` env vars nor the `.env` file). Pydantic `ValidationError` -> wrapped exception.

Common situations: Missing `.env` or wrong `env_file_path`; env vars not set in the deployment; typo in env var name; passing an empty string; CI/container missing the ACS secrets.

Related errors

• Failed to create AstraDB settings.
• Failed to create Azure OpenAI settings: {exc}
• Failed to validate Google AI settings: {e}
• Failed to validate Google AI settings: {e}
• Invalid settings: {exc}

AI-assisted analysis of microsoft/semantic-kernel@c028a0c7dc (2026-08-13). Data as JSON: /api/errors/38864b292ff6c707. Report an issue: GitHub.