ax-java-refine

A Java coding guide for the Ax package, a library for generating outputs and improving them using evaluator feedback. It covers Ax's generation, optimization, and candidate-refinement APIs.

In plain words
What is it for?
Use it to write Java programs with Ax generation and optimization, apply evaluator feedback, and use optimizer-backed refinement patterns.
Why use it?
It helps developers use the Java API correctly when generated results need scoring, feedback, or repeated improvement.

Skill for Claude CodeCodex

Install

Getting it into your agent

One page per mod, every tool's command on it. A separate URL per tool would split the same page into five that compete with each other.

agentmods
npx agentmods add skills/ax-llm/ax/ax-java-refine
Any agent
npx skills add ax-llm/ax --skill ax-java-refine
Clone the repo
git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/ax-llm/ax

Made for: Claude Code, Codex.

Per session 38 Skills are progressive disclosure: only the name and description are preloaded; the body loads when the skill is used.
When invoked 441 The whole file, excluding the scripts and references it only reads on demand.
Security scan A 0 findings. Scan, not verified.
Origin 86% copy Near-identical to another mod in the catalogue.
Token cost

What it costs to keep this loaded

Counted locally with the o200k_base tokenizer, which is exact for GPT models; Claude uses its own tokenizer and its counts differ. Treat this as one consistent yardstick across the catalogue rather than a bill. Prices are per million input tokens.

ModelPer sessionOnce invoked
Fable 5 $0.00038 $0.00441
Opus 5 $0.00019 $0.00220
Sonnet 5 $0.00008 $0.00088
Haiku 4.5 $0.00004 $0.00044

Measured today against content hash 73befa155d55, method: parsed. Prices are Anthropic first-party input rates as of 2026-08-30, from the pricing page.

Security

Grade A, and why

ax-java-refine scanned grade A with 0 findings against 26 rules in 11 categories — prompt injection, anti-refusal, data exfiltration, privilege escalation, supply chain, agent snooping, system-prompt leakage, SSRF and excessive agency — measured today.

A static scan of the body, not an audit. Every finding is printed with the line that produced it so you can judge whether it matters here. A mod is markdown that instructs an agent; that is exactly why what it instructs is worth reading.

Nothing flagged

None of the 26 patterns this scan looks for appear in this file: no shell pipes, no recursive deletes, no credential paths, no hidden text, no instruction-override or anti-refusal phrasing, no agent-config snooping. That is not a guarantee, it is the absence of the things that are checkable.

Origin

This is a copy

86% identical to ax-java-playbook — 20 lines differ, which has more behind it and is treated as the original. This page carries a canonical link to it rather than competing with it.

packages/java/skills/ax-java-refine/SKILL.md · 45 lines

What it actually says

Ax Refinement Patterns For Java

This skill helps an agent write Java code with the generated Ax package dev.axllm:ax. Use the generated package API, examples, and manifests; do not import TypeScript-only APIs unless you are editing the TypeScript package.

When To Use

  • Improve generated outputs with evaluator feedback or optimizer artifacts.
  • Port TypeScript refinement intent into generated-language surfaces without assuming TypeScript-only helpers.
  • Use generated optimizer APIs when the target package does not expose a standalone refine helper.

Package Facts

  • Language: Java.
  • Package: dev.axllm:ax.
  • Package API docs: API.md and axir-api.json.
  • Capability manifest: axir-capabilities.json.
  • Runnable examples: examples/.
  • Real network support: yes.
  • Scripted no-key transport support: yes.
  • Runtime profiles: javascript-quickjs, python-pyodide.

Core Pattern

AxGEPA engine = new AxGEPA(reflectionClient, java.util.Map.of());
var result = engine.optimize(request, evaluator);

Relevant API Surface

  • AxGen: Ax.ax, AxGen
  • Optimizers: Ax.optimize, Ax.playbook, AxPlaybook, AxBootstrapFewShot, AxGEPA, OptimizerEngine, OptimizerEvaluator

Guardrails

  • Start from package examples for exact native syntax before inventing a new call shape.
  • Use provider-api examples only when the user explicitly has provider credentials available.
  • Use no-key examples for deterministic local checks and provider request mapping.
  • Treat AxIR as the source of generated package truth: if package docs disagree with source code, update the compiler and regenerate packages.
  • Do not copy repo-maintainer skills from tools/*/skills/ into user packages.
Changes

What this file has done since we first saw it

Hashed on every crawl. A supply-chain change to an agent config is a question of when, not whether, so the history is kept rather than the latest state alone.

  1. today Changed 73befa155d55
  2. 2d ago First seen · 45 lines · 38 tokens per session scan A 98362cd4a347

Subscribe to this mod's changes

ax-java-refine is a skill published in the GitHub repository ax-llm/ax (2,890 stars, last pushed yesterday), licensed Apache-2.0. It adds 38 tokens to every session and 441 once invoked, about $0.0002 per session on Opus 5. A static security scan graded it A with 0 findings. It is 86% identical to ax-java-playbook, differing in 20 lines, and is treated as a copy.

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