The answer is that the skill endpoint is not publicly accessible via HTTPS. When a custom skill runs successfully in a local development environment but fails after deployment to Azure AI Search, the core issue is that the indexer, which executes in the cloud, cannot reach the external API over the internet. Azure AI Search requires all custom skill endpoints to be publicly resolvable and served over a secure HTTPS connection; localhost addresses or unencrypted HTTP endpoints are blocked by default, causing the skill invocation to time out or return an error. On the Microsoft Azure AI Engineer Associate AI-102 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of indexer execution context versus local testing—a common trap is assuming that because the skill works locally, the deployment configuration is correct. Remember the memory tip: “Cloud calls need HTTPS, not localhost.”
AI-102 Plan and manage an Azure AI solution Practice Question
This AI-102 practice question tests your understanding of plan and manage an azure ai solution. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
Your Azure AI Search solution uses a custom skill to call an external API. The skill runs locally but fails when deployed to the search service. What is the most likely cause?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "most likely"
Why it matters: Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
The skill endpoint is not publicly accessible via HTTPS.
When a custom skill runs locally but fails after deployment to Azure AI Search, the most common cause is that the skill's endpoint is not publicly accessible via HTTPS. Azure AI Search indexers execute skills in the cloud and must be able to reach the external API over the internet using a secure HTTPS connection; localhost or HTTP endpoints will fail.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✗
The skill's output field mappings are missing.
Why it's wrong here
Would result in missing enriched fields, not skill execution failure.
✗
The skill's input field mappings are incorrect.
Why it's wrong here
Would cause skill execution errors but not a connection issue.
✗
The indexer name is misspelled in the skillset.
Why it's wrong here
Would cause indexer start failure, not skill failure.
✓
The skill endpoint is not publicly accessible via HTTPS.
Why this is correct
The search service cannot reach a local or non-HTTPS endpoint.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "most likely" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates assume the skill logic is faulty (input/output mappings) rather than recognizing that the network connectivity and HTTPS requirement is the fundamental difference between local testing and cloud execution.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Azure AI Search custom skills must expose an HTTPS endpoint that is accessible from the Azure cloud; the indexer's skillset execution engine makes HTTP requests to the skill's URI using TLS 1.2 or higher. If the endpoint is on localhost, a private network, or uses HTTP, the indexer will receive a connection timeout or SSL error, causing the skill to fail silently. In real-world scenarios, developers often test with a local development server (e.g., localhost:5000) and forget to deploy the API to a publicly accessible HTTPS endpoint before updating the skillset.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
→Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
→Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A company's IT admin needs to give a contractor read-only access to production logs without sharing account credentials. Using role-based access control (RBAC) and temporary scoped permissions — not a permanent shared password — is the correct pattern. Questions like this test whether you can apply least-privilege access across cloud identity services.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Plan and manage an Azure AI solution — This question tests Plan and manage an Azure AI solution — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: The skill endpoint is not publicly accessible via HTTPS. — When a custom skill runs locally but fails after deployment to Azure AI Search, the most common cause is that the skill's endpoint is not publicly accessible via HTTPS. Azure AI Search indexers execute skills in the cloud and must be able to reach the external API over the internet using a secure HTTPS connection; localhost or HTTP endpoints will fail.
What should I do if I get this AI-102 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "most likely". Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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