| name | apache-airflow-api |
| description | Execute Apache Airflow Stable REST API queries, manage DAGs, backfills, connections, variables, and assets. You MUST load this skill when interacting with the Airflow API. |
| license | MIT |
apache-airflow-api
WHEN TO USE
- Querying, triggering, or managing DAGs and DAG Runs via the Airflow REST API.
- Managing Airflow Variables, Connections, Pools, or Assets autonomously.
- Extracting Task Instance logs, XCom entries, or execution statistics.
- Handling backfill operations (pause, unpause, cancel) programmatically.
WHEN NOT TO USE
- When interacting with Airflow internal database directly (use standard SQL queries instead).
- When modifying DAG source files locally (use
python or standard editing skills instead).
- When using Airflow UI-only endpoints (endpoints under
/ui are subject to breaking changes).
Core Process
- Authentication: Determine the authentication method configured for the Airflow API (e.g., Basic Auth, OAuth2). For Basic Auth, use
--user <username>:<password>.
- Endpoint Identification: Identify the appropriate
/api/v2/ endpoint from the API mindmap or documentation.
- Payload Construction: For
POST, PUT, or PATCH requests, construct the correct JSON payload (e.g., {"is_paused": true}).
- Execution: Use
curl or a scripting tool (like Python's requests) to execute the API call. Include appropriate headers (e.g., -H "Content-Type: application/json").
- Response Validation: Ensure the response is HTTP
200, 201, or 204. If 401 or 403, verify credentials. If 422, verify payload format.
Best Practices
- Stable Endpoints: Always use the
/api/v2/ (or /api/v1/ depending on the Airflow environment version) stable endpoints, avoiding /ui endpoints.
- Filtering and Pagination: Use
limit, offset, and order_by query parameters when querying large collections like Task Instances or DAG Runs.
- Dry Runs: Use the
dry_run endpoints (e.g., /api/v2/backfills/dry_run, /api/v2/dags/{dag_id}/dagRuns/{dag_run_id}/taskInstances/{task_id}/dry_run) to validate operations before committing them.
Mindmap of API Paths
The following mindmap outlines the structure of the Apache Airflow Stable REST API endpoints:
mindmap
root(("Airflow API"))
/api
/v2
/assets
/aliases
/{asset_alias_id}
/events
/{asset_id}
/materialize
/queuedEvents
/auth
/login
/logout
/backfills
/dry_run
/{backfill_id}
/cancel
/pause
/unpause
/config
/section
/{section}
/option
/{option}
/connections
/defaults
/test
/{connection_id}
/dagSources
/{dag_id}
/dagStats
/dagTags
/dagWarnings
/dags
/{dag_id}
/assets
/queuedEvents
/{asset_id}
/queuedEvents
/clearTaskInstances
/dagRuns
/list
/{dag_run_id}
/clear
/hitlDetails
/taskInstances
/list
/{task_id}
/dependencies
/dry_run
/externalLogUrl
/{try_number}
/links
/listMapped
/logs
/{try_number}
/tries
/{task_try_number}
/xcomEntries
/{xcom_key}
/{map_index}
/dependencies
/dry_run
/hitlDetails
/tries
/{try_number}
/tries
/{task_try_number}
/upstreamAssetEvents
/wait
/dagVersions
/{version_number}
/details
/favorite
/tasks
/{task_id}
/unfavorite
/eventLogs
/{event_log_id}
/importErrors
/{import_error_id}
/jobs
/monitor
/health
/parseDagFile
/{file_token}
/plugins
/importErrors
/pools
/{pool_name}
/providers
/variables
/{variable_key}
/version
Common Pitfalls
- Authentication Missing: Forgetting to pass the bearer token or basic auth credentials, resulting in a
401 Unauthorized response.
- Incorrect Content Type: Omitting
-H "Content-Type: application/json" when executing POST or PATCH requests, which Airflow will reject.
- URL Encoding Paths: Forgetting to URL-encode variables, connection IDs, or DAG IDs that contain special characters.
- Timezone Mismatches: Airflow expects timestamps in strict ISO-8601 format (e.g.,
2026-05-20T12:00:00Z). Passing timezone-naive strings can cause validation errors.
References
