Snowflake

Overview

Snowflake is a cloud-based data platform that enables organizations to build data pipelines, analytics, and AI applications. Connect Akto Argus to your Snowflake account to discover Cortex-based agents and fetch related metadata.

The visibility helps you identify agentic workloads running in Snowflake and assess associated security risks. Once connected, Akto Argus automatically:

• Discovers Cortex AI Agents: Fetches all AI agents built using Snowflake Cortex from your account

• Monitors Agent Activity: Captures agent execution data, including prompts, responses, and API interactions

• Sends Traffic to Akto: Transmits API traffic data to Akto for comprehensive security analysis

Prerequisites

Before setting up the Snowflake connector, ensure you have completed the following:

1. Akto Traffic Processor – Configure the Akto Traffic Processor first. Follow the Hybrid SaaS Setup Guide for detailed instructions.

2. Snowflake Account – Active Snowflake account with Cortex AI capabilities enabled

3. Authentication Credentials – One of the following authentication methods:

   • Username and password

   • OAuth token

   • RSA key pair (recommended for production)

4. Network Access – Ensure connectivity between the connector service and:

   • Your Snowflake account URL

   • Akto Data Ingestion Service

   • Kafka broker endpoint

Steps to Connect

1

Open the Snowflake Connector in Akto Argus

1. Navigate to Akto Argus.

2. Open Connectors.

3. Under AI Agent Security, locate the Snowflake connector card.

4. Select Connect to open setup dialog.

   

2

Enter the Snowflake Account URL

Enter the base URL of your Snowflake account in the Snowflake Account URL field.

• Format: https://<account_identifier>.<region>.snowflakecomputing.com

• The value can be obtained from:

  • The browser address bar when accessing the Snowflake UI, or

  • Snowflake account settings.

3

Select the Authentication Method

Select the authentication method used to access your Snowflake account from the Authentication Method dropdown.

Available options:

Username & Password

• Enter the Snowflake username in the Username field.

  • The username must exist in the target Snowflake account.

  • The user must have permissions to query Cortex-related metadata.

• Enter the password for the specified Snowflake user in the Password field.

The password is used only for authentication. Akto Argus does not modify Snowflake configuration.

OAuth Token

Key Pair (RSA)

4

Specify Warehouse, Database, and Schema(Optional)

You may optionally specify:

• Warehouse

• Database

• Schema

These fields control query execution context.

5

Enter the Data Ingestion Service URL

Enter the URL of your self-hosted data ingestion service in the URL for Data Ingestion Service field in order to forward agent execution and telemetry data into your environment for processing.

Note

• The ingestion service must be deployed and exposed in your infrastructure.

• The URL must be reachable from Akto.

• The endpoint receives metadata collected by Akto for this connector.

6

Complete the Integration

1. Review all entered values.

2. Select Import to finalize the connection.

Data Collection

The Snowflake connector captures two categories of information:

Agent Metadata

• Cortex AI Agents: All AI agents built using Snowflake Cortex in your account

• Agent Configurations: Model selection, parameters, and settings

• Cortex Functions: Usage of built-in Cortex AI functions (COMPLETE, SENTIMENT, TRANSLATE, etc.)

Agent Execution Data

• Recent Activity: Agent executions from the past 60 minutes

• Input Data: Prompts, queries, and parameters sent to agents

• Output Data: Agent responses and generated content

• API Interactions: External API calls made by agents

• Performance Metrics: Execution time and resource consumption

Troubleshooting

Connection Issues

Problem: Cannot connect to Snowflake account

Solutions:

• Verify SNOWFLAKE_ACCOUNT_URL is correct and includes the region (e.g., xyz12345.us-east-1.snowflakecomputing.com)

• Ensure network connectivity from the connector to Snowflake

• Check firewall rules allow outbound HTTPS connections to Snowflake

Authentication Errors

Problem: Authentication failed

Solutions:

• For Password Auth: Verify username and password are correct

• For Token Auth: Ensure OAuth token is valid and not expired

• For Key Pair Auth:

  • Verify public key is registered in Snowflake (DESC USER username)

  • Ensure private key format is correct (PKCS#8 PEM format)

  • Check passphrase if the private key is encrypted

Permission Issues

Problem: Access denied to warehouse/database/schema

Solutions:

• Grant necessary permissions to your Snowflake user:

  -- Grant usage on warehouse
  GRANT USAGE ON WAREHOUSE COMPUTE_WH TO USER your_username;
  
  -- Grant usage on database
  GRANT USAGE ON DATABASE SNOWFLAKE TO USER your_username;
  
  -- Grant usage on schema
  GRANT USAGE ON SCHEMA SNOWFLAKE.PUBLIC TO USER your_username;
  
  -- Grant select on tables (for Cortex agent discovery)
  GRANT SELECT ON ALL TABLES IN SCHEMA SNOWFLAKE.PUBLIC TO USER your_username;

No Agents Appearing

Problem: Connector is running but no agents appear in Akto

Solutions:

• Verify Snowflake Cortex is enabled in your account

• Ensure you have AI agents deployed in Snowflake

• Check SNOWFLAKE_DATABASE and SNOWFLAKE_SCHEMA point to the correct location

• Review connector logs for errors:

  docker compose -f docker-compose-snowflake-cron.yaml logs -f

• Verify Traffic Processor is running and accessible

Get Support

If you need assistance with the Snowflake connector:

• In-app Chat: Use the chat widget in your Akto dashboard for instant support

• Discord Community: Join our community at discord.gg/Wpc6xVME4s

• Email Support: Contact us at [email protected]

• Contact Form: Submit a support request at https://www.akto.io/contact-us

Our team is available 24/7 to help with setup, troubleshooting, and best practices.