---
title: "07.14.2026: Command Palette, Session Tools, and Table Customization"
description: "Jump anywhere with the ⌘K command palette, customize and reorder table columns, inspect session stats, discover credentials from a .env.phoenix file, filter projects by name, and use the GPT 5.6 family in the Playground."
---

# Breaking Change: Session Time-Range Filters Now Use Interval Overlap

July 14, 2026

**Breaking change in arize-phoenix 18.0.0**

Session time-range filters now match on interval overlap. A session spans
`[start_time, end_time]` and belongs to a selected time window whenever the two
intervals overlap. Previously sessions were filtered by `start_time` alone, so a
long-running session that began before the window — but had activity inside it —
was excluded. Those sessions now appear.

- **Wider, more accurate results** — session lists, counts, and metrics for a
  time range now include every session active during the window, not only those
  that started inside it
- **Database migration** — upgrading to 18.0.0 runs a schema migration that adds
  a composite index supporting the new filter. On large PostgreSQL deployments,
  set `PHOENIX_MIGRATE_INDEX_CONCURRENTLY=true` to build indexes without locking
  writes. See [MIGRATION.md](https://github.com/Arize-ai/phoenix/blob/main/MIGRATION.md)
  for operator guidance.

# Batch Annotation Config Management

July 14, 2026

**Available in arize-phoenix 17.30.0+**

The annotation settings page now supports selecting multiple annotation
configurations at once. Select a range of configs and delete them in a single
action, with a confirmation dialog that reports how many will be removed.

# Customizable Data Tables

July 12, 2026

**Available in arize-phoenix 17.27.0+**

Tables across Phoenix now adapt to how you work. A redesigned column selector
lets you pick which columns appear and drag to reorder them, and your layout
persists per project.

- **Drag-and-drop reordering** — reorder columns on the traces, sessions, and
  experiments tables from the redesigned column selector
- **Customizable prompts table** — choose which columns the prompts table shows
- **Authorship columns** — datasets and prompts surface who last updated them
- **Span I/O previews** — hover a truncated input or output cell to preview the
  full value in a tooltip

# Dataset Metrics Tab

July 11, 2026

**Available in arize-phoenix 17.25.0+**

The dataset page gains a **Metrics** tab that charts experiment results over
time, so you can track how successive experiments on a dataset trend without
opening each one individually.

# Credential Discovery from a `.env.phoenix` File

July 11, 2026

**Available in arize-phoenix-client 2.13.0+ (Python) and @arizeai/phoenix-config 0.3.0+ (TypeScript)**

Phoenix SDKs can now discover configuration from a `.env.phoenix` file. When a
setting is not provided by argument or environment variable, the client walks up
from the current working directory to the nearest `.env.phoenix` file and reads
`PHOENIX_`-prefixed keys from it (dotenv format).

```bash
# .env.phoenix
PHOENIX_COLLECTOR_ENDPOINT=http://localhost:6006
PHOENIX_API_KEY=your-api-key
```

Explicit arguments and environment variables always take precedence — the file
never overrides anything already set. Set `PHOENIX_DISCOVER_CONFIG=false` to
disable discovery entirely.

```python
from phoenix.client import Client

# Endpoint and key are read from .env.phoenix if not otherwise set
client = Client()
```

The same discovery powers the TypeScript client, CLI, MCP server, and OpenTelemetry
setup through `@arizeai/phoenix-config`.

# Unified `PHOENIX_PROJECT` Environment Variable

July 11, 2026

**Available in arize-phoenix-client 2.13.0+ (Python) and @arizeai/phoenix-config 0.2.0+ (TypeScript)**

Project name resolution is now consistent across every SDK surface. Both
`PHOENIX_PROJECT` (canonical) and `PHOENIX_PROJECT_NAME` (supported alias) route
to the same project, with explicit arguments still taking precedence over both.
If the two variables are set to conflicting values, `PHOENIX_PROJECT` wins and a
one-time warning naming both values is emitted.

# Filter Projects by Name in the Python Client

July 11, 2026

**Available in arize-phoenix-client 2.13.0+ (Python)**

`projects.list()` accepts a `name_contains` argument for a case-insensitive
substring match, so you can locate projects without paging through the full list.

```python
from phoenix.client import Client

client = Client()
projects = client.projects.list(name_contains="agent")
```

# GPT 5.6 Family in the Playground

July 9, 2026

**Available in arize-phoenix 17.23.0+**

The OpenAI GPT 5.6 family (`gpt-5.6-sol`, `gpt-5.6-terra`, and `gpt-5.6-luna`) is
now selectable in the Playground and prompts for the OpenAI provider.

# Global Search Command Palette (⌘K)

July 8, 2026

**Available in arize-phoenix 17.21.0+**

Jump to anything in Phoenix without navigating the sidebar. Press `⌘K` (or click
the search affordance in the side navigation) to open a command palette that
searches projects, datasets, experiments, and prompts by name or description,
alongside top-level pages and the resources you viewed most recently.

- **Search everything** — projects, datasets, experiments, and prompts in one place
- **Recently viewed** — recent resources surface instantly for quick return trips
- **Keyboard-first** — open with `⌘K` and navigate results without the mouse

# Session Workflow Enhancements

July 8–13, 2026

**Available in arize-phoenix 17.21.0+ through 17.28.0+**

Working with sessions gets a set of upgrades across the sessions table and
detail view:

- **Session stats panel** — a collapsible aside on the sessions table shows the
  session count, average traces per session, session duration (average, P50, and
  P99), and per-label annotation summaries (arize-phoenix 17.21.0+)
- **Total session count** — project cards display the total number of sessions
  (arize-phoenix 17.21.0+)
- **Turn dividers** — session detail view separates turns with dividers and a
  copy control (arize-phoenix 17.21.0+)
- **Session annotation editing** — add and edit session-level annotations
  directly in the session detail view (arize-phoenix 17.28.0+)
- **Automatic cleanup** — orphaned sessions (those left without any traces) are
  swept after a one-hour grace period, keeping session lists clean (arize-phoenix 17.21.0+)

# Playground Refinements

July 11–14, 2026

**Available in arize-phoenix 17.26.0+ through 17.30.0+**

- **Output error count** — the Playground surfaces how many outputs errored in a run (arize-phoenix 17.30.0+)
- **Collapsible sections** — collapse Playground panels to focus on the parts you're editing (arize-phoenix 17.28.0+)
- **Clearer forced tool choice** — the tool-choice menu spells out what forcing a specific tool does (arize-phoenix 17.26.0+)

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Sessions" icon="layer-group" href="/docs/phoenix/tracing/llm-traces/sessions">
    Group related traces into sessions and inspect them together.
  </Card>
  <Card title="Python Client" icon="python" href="/docs/phoenix/sdk-api-reference/python/arize-phoenix-client">
    Manage projects, datasets, experiments, and annotations from Python.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>
