CustomJudge

CustomJudge

Create a fully customizable LLM-as-a-Judge evaluator with your own prompt and output schema.

The CustomJudge evaluator allows you to define arbitrary evaluation criteria by specifying a custom prompt template and structured output fields. This is the most flexible evaluator in the Fiddler Evals SDK, enabling you to build domain-specific evaluation logic without writing custom code.

Key Features:

• Custom Prompts: Define your own evaluation prompt with {{ placeholder }} syntax

• Structured Outputs: Specify typed output fields (string, boolean, integer, number)

• Categorical Choices: Constrain string outputs to predefined categories

• Multi-Field Outputs: Return multiple scores/labels from a single evaluation

• Field Descriptions: Guide the LLM with descriptions for each output field

Use Cases:

• Domain-Specific Evaluation: Create evaluators tailored to your industry or use case

• Custom Rubrics: Implement grading rubrics with specific criteria

• Multi-Aspect Scoring: Evaluate multiple dimensions (e.g., tone, accuracy, helpfulness)

• Classification Tasks: Categorize responses into predefined labels

• Compliance Checking: Verify responses meet specific guidelines or policies

Output Field Types:

• string: Free-form text output, or categorical if choices is specified

• boolean: True/False classification

• integer: Whole number scores (e.g., 1-5 rating scale)

• number: Floating-point scores (e.g., 0.0-1.0 confidence)

Parameters

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Description
prompt_template	str	✗	None	The evaluation prompt with {{ placeholder }} markers for dynamic content. Placeholders are filled from the inputs dict passed to the score() method.
output_fields	Dict[str, OutputField]	✗	None	Schema defining the expected outputs. Each field has: type: One of 'string', 'boolean', 'integer', 'number'; choices (optional): List of allowed values for categorical string fields; description (optional): Instructions for the LLM about this field
model	str	✗	None	LLM Gateway model name in {provider}/{model} format. E.g., openai/gpt-4o, anthropic/claude-3-sonnet
credential	str, optional	✗	None	Name of the LLM Gateway credential for the provider.

Returns

A list of Score objects, one for each output field defined. : Each Score contains:

• name: The output field name (e.g., "sentiment", "confidence")

• value: The numeric value (for number/integer/boolean fields)

• label: The string label (for string/categorical fields)

• reasoning: Always None for CustomJudge (reasoning is returned as a field)

Return type: list[Score]

Example

Basic sentiment analysis with categorical output:

from fiddler_evals.evaluators import CustomJudge

evaluator = CustomJudge(
    model="openai/gpt-4o",
    credential="my-openai-key",
    prompt_template="""
        Analyze the sentiment of the following customer review:

        Review: {{ review_text }}

        Classify the sentiment and explain your reasoning.
    """,
    output_fields={
        "sentiment": {
            "type": "string",
            "choices": ["positive", "negative", "neutral"],
        },
        "confidence": {
            "type": "number",
            "description": "Confidence score between 0 and 1"
        },
        "reasoning": {
            "type": "string",
        }
    }
)

scores = evaluator.score(inputs={
    "review_text": "The product exceeded my expectations! Fast shipping too."
})

# Access individual scores by index or iterate
for score in scores:
    print(f"{score.name}: {score.value or score.label}")
# Output:
# sentiment: positive
# confidence: 0.95
# reasoning: The review expresses satisfaction...

Example

Multi-criteria response quality evaluation:

evaluator = CustomJudge(
    model="anthropic/claude-3-sonnet",
    credential="my-anthropic-key",
    prompt_template="""
        Evaluate the quality of this customer support response.

        Customer Question: {{ question }}
        Support Response: {{ response }}

        Rate the response on multiple criteria.
    """,
    output_fields={
        "helpful": {
            "type": "boolean",
            "description": "Does the response address the customer's question?"
        },
        "professional_tone": {
            "type": "boolean",
            "description": "Is the tone professional and courteous?"
        },
        "quality_score": {
            "type": "integer",
            "description": "Overall quality rating from 1 (poor) to 5 (excellent)"
        }
    }
)

scores = evaluator.score(inputs={
    "question": "How do I reset my password?",
    "response": "Click 'Forgot Password' on the login page and follow the steps."
})

# Convert to dict for easy access
scores_dict = {s.name: s for s in scores}
print(f"Helpful: {scores_dict['helpful'].value}")  # True
print(f"Quality: {scores_dict['quality_score'].value}")  # 4

Example

Code review evaluator:

evaluator = CustomJudge(
    model="openai/gpt-4o",
    credential="my-openai-key",
    prompt_template="""
        Review this code change for potential issues:
```{{ language }}
        ```

Context: {{ pr_description }}
""",
output_fields={
    "has_bugs": {
        "type": "boolean",
        "description": "Are there any obvious bugs or logic errors?"
    },
    "severity": {
        "type": "string",
        "choices": ["critical", "major", "minor", "none"],
        "description": "Severity of issues found"
    },
    "feedback": {
        "type": "string",
        "description": "Specific feedback for the code author"
    }
}
)
```python
{{ code_diff }}

<div data-gb-custom-block data-tag="hint" data-style='info'>

- Placeholder names in `{{ }}` must exactly match keys in the `inputs` dict
- The LLM is instructed to return JSON matching your output schema
- For best results, include clear descriptions for each output field
- Use `choices` for categorical fields to ensure consistent outputs
- This evaluator requires an active connection to the Fiddler API

</div>

#### name *= 'custom_judge'*

#### score()

Score using the Custom Judge.

#### Parameters

| Parameter | Type | Required | Default | Description |
|-----------|------|----------|---------|-------------|
| `inputs` | `Dict[str, Any]` | ✗ | `None` | Values for the {{ placeholders }} in your prompt_template. Keys must match placeholder names exactly. |

#### Returns

A list of Score objects, one for each output field defined.

**Return type:** list[Score]

#### Raises
  **ValueError** -- If inputs is empty.