otel-instrumentation
Configures trace spans, defines custom metrics, sets up log exporters, and optimizes sampling strategies for OpenTelemetry instrumentation. Use when instrumenting applications with traces, metrics, or logs. Triggers on requests for observability, telemetry, tracing, metrics collection, logging integration, or OTel setup.
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Install
Works with every agent the skills CLI supports.
npx skills add https://github.com/dash0hq/agent-skills --skill otel-instrumentation- 01
Install
Run the command in your project. The CLI asks which agents to install for.
- 02
Describe the task
Ask your agent for something this skill covers. It loads otel-instrumentation automatically when relevant.
- 03
Review the result
The agent follows the SKILL.md steps, scripts and references bundled with the skill.
SKILL.md
The instructions your agent reads when the skill is triggered.
OpenTelemetry Instrumentation Guide
Expert guidance for implementing high-quality, cost-efficient OpenTelemetry telemetry.
Rules & Quick Reference
| Use Case / Rule | Description |
|---|---|
| telemetry | Entrypoint — signal types, correlation, and navigation |
| resolve-values | Resolving configuration values from the codebase |
| verify-dependencies | Verifying instrumentation packages and versions exist before adding them |
| resources | Resource attributes — service identity and environment |
| k8s | Kubernetes deployment — downward API, pod spec |
| spans | Spans — naming, kind, status, and hygiene |
| logs | Logs — structured logging, severity, trace correlation |
| metrics | Metrics — instrument types, naming, units, cardinality |
| sensitive-data | Sensitive data — PII prevention, sanitization, redaction |
| capture-database-query-parameters | Prepared-statement parameter capture per language (Java, .NET, Python, Node.js, Go) |
| validation | Telemetry validation — post-deployment verification checklist |
| nodejs | Node.js instrumentation setup |
| go | Go instrumentation setup |
| python | Python instrumentation setup |
| java | Java instrumentation setup |
| scala | Scala instrumentation setup |
| dotnet | .NET instrumentation setup |
| ruby | Ruby instrumentation setup |
| php | PHP instrumentation setup |
| browser | Browser instrumentation setup |
| nextjs | Next.js full-stack instrumentation (App Router) |
Official documentation
Getting started
Follow these steps when instrumenting an application from scratch:
- Pick your SDK rule — choose the language-specific rule from the table above (e.g., nodejs, python).
- Set up resource attributes — define service identity and environment per resources.
- Add spans, metrics, and logs — instrument your code following spans, metrics, and logs.
- Guard sensitive data — scrub PII before export per sensitive-data.
- Validate — confirm telemetry reaches the backend using the checklist in validation.
The snippet below shows a complete span with attributes and status for Node.js — see nodejs for full setup including SDK initialisation, exporter configuration, and auto-instrumentation:
import { trace, SpanStatusCode } from '@opentelemetry/api';
const tracer = trace.getTracer('my-service', '1.0.0');
tracer.startActiveSpan('operation-name', async (span) => {
try {
span.setAttribute('user.id', userId);
span.setAttribute('order.id', orderId);
const result = await processOrder(orderId);
span.setAttribute('order.status', result.status);
span.setStatus({ code: SpanStatusCode.OK });
return result;
} catch (err) {
// Record the exception as a structured log record, not span.recordException — see rules/spans.md
span.setStatus({ code: SpanStatusCode.ERROR, message: `${err.name}: ${err.message}` });
const spanContext = span.spanContext();
logger.error('operation-name.failed', {
'trace_id': spanContext.traceId,
'span_id': spanContext.spanId,
'exception.type': err.name,
'exception.message': err.message,
'exception.stacktrace': err.stack,
});
throw err;
} finally {
span.end();
}
});
Key principles
Signal density over volume
Every telemetry item should serve one of three purposes:
- Detect - Help identify that something is wrong
- Localize - Help pinpoint where the problem is
- Explain - Help understand why it happened
If it doesn't serve one of these purposes, don't emit it.
Sample in the pipeline, not the SDK
Set the AlwaysOn sampler explicitly in every SDK (OTEL_TRACES_SAMPLER=always_on).
This overrides the OpenTelemetry default, ParentBased(root=AlwaysOn), under which callers outside the trust boundary can silently switch off a service's tracing through the traceparent header.
Do not configure ratio-based SDK samplers either — they make irreversible decisions before the outcome of a request is known.
Defer all sampling to the Collector, where policies can be changed centrally without redeploying applications.
See SDK sampling for the full rationale and the conditions under which ParentBased is acceptable.
SDK (AlwaysOn, set explicitly) → Collector (sampling) → Backend (retention)
↓ ↓ ↓
All spans Head or tail Storage policies
exported sampling applied
FAQ
What does the otel-instrumentation skill do?
Configures trace spans, defines custom metrics, sets up log exporters, and optimizes sampling strategies for OpenTelemetry instrumentation. Use when instrumenting applications with traces, metrics, or logs. Triggers on requests for observability, telemetry, tracing, metrics collection, logging integration, or OTel setup.
How do I install otel-instrumentation?
Run npx skills add https://github.com/dash0hq/agent-skills --skill otel-instrumentation in your project. The skills CLI detects the agents you use and copies the skill into the right folder. For Claude Code you can also place the skill folder at ~/.claude/skills/otel-instrumentation/ (personal) or .claude/skills/otel-instrumentation/ (project).
Which AI agents can use otel-instrumentation?
Any agent that supports the open Agent Skills format (a folder with a SKILL.md file), including Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, Windsurf, Cline, OpenCode and more.
Is otel-instrumentation safe to install?
No partner security audit is available yet. Skills can run commands and scripts, so read the SKILL.md and any bundled files before installing.
Who maintains otel-instrumentation?
It is published by dash0hq in dash0hq/agent-skills, and it is an official skill from the maker of the technology it covers. It has 973 recorded installs.
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