GraphRAG Build fails with 401 Unauthorized from Zep Cloud API — simulation cannot progress past Step 1/5

[rino0999]

Bug Report

Engine version:** MiroFish-V1.0
Date:** 28 June 2026
Time:** ~08:52 GMT (18:52 AEST)
Project ID:** proj_72ceb484c490
Language setting:** English

---

Description

The simulation consistently fails at Step 1/5 (Graph Build) during the
GraphRAG Build phase (02). The Ontology Generation (01) completes
successfully every time, but the process errors out immediately when
attempting to build the knowledge graph via Zep Cloud.

---

Steps to Reproduce

1. Upload a reality seed document (tested with both PDF and TXT formats)
2. Enter simulated prompt words in the input field
3. Click "Start engine"
4. Ontology Generation completes successfully (COMPLETED status)
5. GraphRAG Build begins at 10% then immediately errors out
6. System Dashboard shows 401 Unauthorized from Zep Cloud API
7. Step 1/5 shows red "Error" status — simulation cannot proceed

---

Error Message (from System Dashboard)

core_api_error_ApiError(
zep_cloud.core.api_error.ApiError:
headers: {
'date': 'Sun, 28 Jun 2026 08:52:06 GMT',
'content-type': 'text/plain; charset=utf-8',
'content-length': '13',
'connection': 'keep-alive',
'vary': 'Origin',
'x-content-options': 'nosniff',
'strict-transport-security': 'max-age=31536000; includeSubDomains',
'cf-cache-status': 'DYNAMIC',
'server': 'cloudflare',
'cf-ray': 'a12b7418f92316f4-SYD'
},
status_code: 401,
body: unauthorized
)

---

Observed Behaviour

• Entity Nodes: 0 (never populates)
• Relation Edges: 0 (never populates)
• Schema Types: 10 (generated correctly)
• Graph Relationship Visualization: stuck on "Waiting for ontology generation..."
• GraphRAG Build stays at 10% then fails

---

Expected Behaviour

• GraphRAG Build should progress past 10%
• Entity nodes and relation edges should populate from the uploaded document
• Simulation should proceed to Step 2/5 Environment Setup

---

What I Tested

• Reproduced the error 3 times across separate runs
• Tested with PDF format (first attempt)
• Tested with TXT format (second and third attempts)
• Both formats produce identical 401 error at the same stage
• Ontology generation works correctly on every attempt
• The cf-ray ID ending in -SYD suggests the error is routing through
  Cloudflare Sydney — possible regional API key or quota issue

---

Impact

Cannot complete any simulation. The platform is unusable in its
current state. All runs fail at the same point regardless of file
format or content.

---

Environment

• Browser: Chrome (latest)
• Location: Sydney, NSW, Australia
• Cloudflare Ray ID: a12b7418f92316f4-SYD
• Project IDs tested: proj_736f761cd43a, proj_ce58f9a16477, proj_72ceb484c490

---

Suggestion

The 401 status from Zep Cloud indicates an authentication failure —
likely an expired API key, exhausted quota, or misconfigured token
on the MiroFish backend connecting to Zep Cloud. This does not appear
to be a user-side issue. Please check the Zep Cloud API key configuration
and quota limits on your server.

[666ghj]

Note

🤖 Automated maintainer response — Generated by the MiroFish triage agent and checked against main@96096ea on 2026-07-20. Posted with maintainer authorization; a maintainer may revise it.

A Zep 401 Unauthorized response means that Zep rejected the credential presented by the backend. It does not by itself establish exhausted quota or a Sydney regional-routing problem.

For a self-hosted deployment, verify ZEP_API_KEY against your own Zep account and restart the backend process or recreate the container after updating .env. Never post the key. This Issue does not identify the URL or deployment method, so we cannot determine whether the credential belongs to the reporter's deployment or to a third-party site's operator.

Provide the exact URL, deployment method, and commit SHA. If this is a third-party hosted site, its Zep credentials and backend are solely its operator's responsibility; the official repository will not perform customer support or operations for it. Leaving this Issue open for clarification.