Can't configure some of my vector stores on my foundry agents

Question

When configuring the file_search tool on my agents, on the "index option" dropdown, a lot of the indexes that I had created don't appear ( and some of those indexes were already configured on agents and now don't appear as configured on the UI, even tho the YAML does show them as the configured vector_storage )

Answer 1

Hello spacedevg,

Thanks for sharing the detailss I can see why this is confusing, especially since some indexes were previously visible and configured but are now missing from the UI.

From what you’ve described:

Some indexes don’t appear in the “index option” dropdown

Previously configured ones are missing in the UI, but still present in the agent YAML

This points to a likely UI vs backend state inconsistency or index discovery issue, rather than the indexes being deleted.

That said, here are the most common causes and checks that usually help in this scenario:

Things to verify

1. Vector search must be enabled

Go to your Azure AI Search (Cognitive Search) service → Indexes

Open the index → confirm Vector search is enabled

If vector search is not enabled, the FileSearch tool will not list that index in the dropdown.

2. Region & service alignment

Make sure:

Your Foundry project

Your Azure AI Search resource

Your indexes

are all in the same region and subscription

If there’s a mismatch, indexes may exist but won’t be discoverable in the UI.

3. Exact name match in YAML

In your agent YAML under vector_storages, verify that the index name matches exactly (case-sensitive) with the index name in Azure AI Search

Even a small mismatch will prevent the UI from linking the index correctly.

4. Resource type compatibility

• Ensure the indexes were created using a supported vector configuration for file_search
• Older or differently configured indexes may not show up in the dropdown even if they exist

5. Permissions / access

• Confirm your identity has access to:
  • The Azure AI Search resource
  • The Foundry project

Lack of access can prevent indexes from appearing in the UI.

6. Agent refresh / redeployment

After creating or modifying indexes:

The agent may need to refresh or redeploy to rediscover them

Depending on your setup:

• Restart/redeploy the agent or endpoint
• Ensure the FileSearch component reinitializes

7. Dropdown behavior (paging & search)

• The dropdown may only load a subset of indexes initially
• Try:
  • Typing the index name in the search box
  • Scrolling/pagination within the dropdown

8. Browser / UI caching

Try Hard refresh, Incognito/private session, Different browser

What your scenario suggests

The key signal is Indexes still exist in YAML

But are missing from the UI

This strongly suggests:

A portal/UI rendering issue, or

A backend discovery/sync issue affecting how indexes are listed

I Hope this helps. Do let me know if you have any further queries.

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