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agents-sdk-typescript-otel

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Updated 10-16 06:47

About this skill

OpenTelemetry for Agents SDK (JavaScript/TypeScript)

Goal

Configure traces, metrics, and logs for an Agents SDK application, including the SDK's built-in telemetry and a local Aspire Dashboard. Make the smallest complete change that fits the project's module system, build process, package manager, and existing observability architecture.

Non-negotiable rules

  • Inspect the project before editing. Extend an existing OpenTelemetry SDK registration instead of creating a second global provider.
  • Start the OpenTelemetry SDK before importing the Agents SDK, HTTP, Express, or the application entry point. Preload instrumentation with Node's --import or --require option.
  • Use a stable application-specific service.name.
  • Let OTLP exporters read standard environment variables. Never embed collector credentials, API keys, or connection strings in source.
  • Do not force all OpenTelemetry packages to the same version. The JavaScript package family intentionally mixes stable API/SDK versions and 0.x exporter/instrumentation versions. Install a compatible set together and preserve the lockfile.
  • Never add message text, prompts, responses, tokens, authorization headers, cookies, secrets, attachment contents, user names, user IDs, conversation IDs, activity IDs, or arbitrary HTTP headers to custom telemetry by default.
  • Keep custom metric attributes low-cardinality. Good dimensions include route type, activity type, channel ID, operation, status, and error type.
  • Do not configure always-on sampling as a production default. Honor OTEL_TRACES_SAMPLER and OTEL_TRACES_SAMPLER_ARG.
  • Explicitly flush telemetry during shutdown. Do not silently ignore exporter or shutdown errors.
  • Aspire Dashboard anonymous mode is local-development only. Bind it to loopback and never deploy that configuration.
  • Telemetry must record and rethrow application errors, not swallow them.

Workflow

Complete these steps in order.

1. Inspect the application

Find:

  • package.json, the lockfile, Node engine version, and package manager.
  • Whether the project uses ESM ("type": "module") or CommonJS.
  • The TypeScript output directory and current start/build scripts.
  • The application entry point and whether it uses startServer(), Express, or another host.
  • Existing imports from @opentelemetry/*, @microsoft/agents-telemetry, or logging integrations.
  • Existing NodeSDK, tracer provider, meter provider, logger provider, exporters, processors, instrumentations, and shutdown hooks.
  • Existing OTEL settings in .env templates, deployment manifests, container definitions, and CI/CD configuration.

If observability already exists, add the missing Agents SDK-compatible global providers and keep the existing exporters and instrumentations unless the user requested a change.

2. Add a compatible package set

Use the repository's package manager. For npm:

npm install @opentelemetry/api @opentelemetry/api-logs `
  @microsoft/agents-telemetry `
  @opentelemetry/sdk-node @opentelemetry/sdk-metrics `
  @opentelemetry/sdk-logs @opentelemetry/sdk-trace-base `
  @opentelemetry/exporter-trace-otlp-grpc `
  @opentelemetry/exporter-metrics-otlp-grpc `
  @opentelemetry/exporter-logs-otlp-grpc `
  @opentelemetry/instrumentation-http `
  @opentelemetry/resources @opentelemetry/semantic-conventions

Adapt the command for pnpm or yarn. Install the packages in one operation so the package manager can resolve compatible peers. Do not manually rewrite the resolved versions into one shared version number.

@microsoft/agents-telemetry is required as a direct dependency when application code imports SpanNames or MetricNames; do not rely on the Agents SDK's transitive copy.

Use OTLP/HTTP exporter packages instead of the gRPC exporters only when the collector requires http/protobuf.

3. Create the preload instrumentation module

Create src/instrumentation.ts or the equivalent path. Adapt the default service name and version:

import { randomUUID } from 'node:crypto'
import { OTLPLogExporter } from '@opentelemetry/exporter-logs-otlp-grpc'
import { OTLPMetricExporter } from '@opentelemetry/exporter-metrics-otlp-grpc'
import { OTLPTraceExporter } from '@opentelemetry/exporter-trace-otlp-grpc'
import { HttpInstrumentation } from '@opentelemetry/instrumentation-http'
import { resourceFromAttributes } from '@opentelemetry/resources'
import {
  BatchLogRecordProcessor,
  type LogRecordExporter
} from '@opentelemetry/sdk-logs'
import {
  PeriodicExportingMetricReader,
  type PushMetricExporter
} from '@opentelemetry/sdk-metrics'
import { NodeSDK } from '@opentelemetry/sdk-node'
import type { SpanExporter } from '@opentelemetry/sdk-trace-base'
import {
  ATTR_SERVICE_INSTANCE_ID,
  ATTR_SERVICE_NAME,
  ATTR_SERVICE_VERSION
} from '@opentelemetry/semantic-conventions'

const serviceName =
  process.env.OTEL_SERVICE_NAME ?? 'contoso-support-agent'
const serviceVersion =
  process.env.npm_package_version ?? '1.0.0'

const traceExporter: SpanExporter = new OTLPTraceExporter()
const metricExporter: PushMetricExporter = new OTLPMetricExporter()
const logExporter: LogRecordExporter = new OTLPLogExporter()

export const otelSdk = new NodeSDK({
  resource: resourceFromAttributes({
    [ATTR_SERVICE_NAME]: serviceName,
    [ATTR_SERVICE_VERSION]: serviceVersion,
    [ATTR_SERVICE_INSTANCE_ID]: randomUUID()
  }),
  traceExporter,
  metricReader: new PeriodicExportingMetricReader({
    exporter: metricExporter
  }),
  logRecordProcessors: [
    new BatchLogRecordProcessor(logExporter)
  ],
  instrumentations: [
    new HttpInstrumentation({
      ignoreIncomingRequestHook: request =>
        request.url?.startsWith('/health') === true
    })
  ]
})

otelSdk.start()

let shutdownStarted = false

const shutdown = async (signal: NodeJS.Signals): Promise<void> => {
  if (shutdownStarted) {
    return
  }

  shutdownStarted = true

  try {
    await otelSdk.shutdown()
  } catch (error) {
    console.error('Failed to shut down OpenTelemetry', error)
    process.exitCode = 1
  } finally {
    process.kill(process.pid, signal)
  }
}

process.once('SIGTERM', signal => {
  void shutdown(signal)
})

process.once('SIGINT', signal => {
  void shutdown(signal)
})

Before using the signal-handler example, check the application's existing shutdown behavior. Prefer integrating otelSdk.shutdown() into the existing graceful shutdown path so the HTTP server, storage, and telemetry all close in the correct order. Do not register duplicate signal handlers.

If the installed semantic-conventions package does not expose ATTR_SERVICE_INSTANCE_ID, use the literal stable semantic key 'service.instance.id'.

The NodeSDK installs global trace, metric, context, propagation, and log providers. Agents SDK telemetry uses those global APIs automatically; no Agents-specific instrumentation registration is required.

4. Preload instrumentation before the application

For an ESM TypeScript project that compiles to dist:

{
  "scripts": {
    "build": "tsc --build",
    "prestart": "npm run build",
    "start": "node --env-file .env --import ./dist/instrumentation.js ./dist/agent.js"
  }
}

For CommonJS, use --require:

"start": "node --require ./dist/instrumentation.cjs ./dist/agent.cjs"

Do not import instrumentation.ts from the bottom of the application entry point. By then, HTTP or framework modules may already be loaded and cannot be patched reliably.

If a test runner, worker, background process, or alternate start script executes the agent independently, preload instrumentation there too when that process should emit telemetry.

5. Configure OTLP

For the local Aspire Dashboard using OTLP/gRPC, add non-secret defaults to the uncommitted .env and document them in .env.example or env.TEMPLATE:

OTEL_SERVICE_NAME=contoso-support-agent
OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_ENDPOINT=http://localhost:4317
OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_PROTOCOL=grpc

Standard environment variables to support:

Variable Purpose
OTEL_SERVICE_NAME Stable application service name
OTEL_RESOURCE_ATTRIBUTES Stable resource metadata
OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_ENDPOINT Base OTLP collector endpoint
OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_PROTOCOL Usually grpc or http/protobuf
OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_HEADERS Collector authentication headers; keep secret
OTEL_TRACES_SAMPLER Trace sampling strategy
OTEL_TRACES_SAMPLER_ARG Sampling strategy argument
OTEL_METRIC_EXPORT_INTERVAL Metric export interval in milliseconds
AGENTS_TELEMETRY_DISABLED_SPAN_CATEGORIES Optional SDK span-category filter

Use deployment secrets for OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_HEADERS and Azure Monitor connection strings. Do not commit populated .env files.

6. Add custom business telemetry only when useful

The Agents SDK already emits adapter, application, turn, connector, storage, authentication, authorization, proactive, dialog, and Copilot Studio signals. Add custom telemetry only for application-specific operations.

Create one shared helper:

import { metrics, trace } from '@opentelemetry/api'
import { logs, SeverityNumber } from '@opentelemetry/api-logs'

const sourceName = 'Contoso.SupportAgent'
const version = process.env.npm_package_version

export const agentTracer = trace.getTracer(sourceName, version)
export const agentMeter = metrics.getMeter(sourceName, version)
export const agentLogger = logs.getLogger(sourceName, version)

export const routeExecutions = agentMeter.createCounter(
  'agent.route.executions',
  {
    unit: '{execution}',
    description: 'Number of application route executions.'
  })

export const routeDuration = agentMeter.createHistogram(
  'agent.route.duration',
  {
    unit: 'ms',
    description: 'Application route execution duration.'
  })

export const emitErrorLog = (
  message: string,
  attributes: Record<string, string | number | boolean>
): void => {
  agentLogger.emit({
    severityNumber: SeverityNumber.ERROR,
    severityText: 'ERROR',
    body: message,
    attributes
  })
}

Instrument a route with bounded attributes:

import { SpanStatusCode } from '@opentelemetry/api'

return agentTracer.startActiveSpan(
  'agent.route.execute',
  async span => {
    const started = performance.now()
    let status = 'ok'

    try {
      await handleMessage(context)
    } catch (error) {
      status = 'error'
      const exception =
        error instanceof Error ? error : new Error(String(error))

      span.recordException(exception)
      span.setStatus({
        code: SpanStatusCode.ERROR,
        message: exception.message
      })
      throw error
    } finally {
      const attributes = {
        'route.type': 'message',
        status
      }

      routeExecutions.add(1, attributes)
      routeDuration.record(performance.now() - started, attributes)
      span.end()
    }
  })

Do not add conversation, activity, user, prompt, response, URL, or exception message values to custom metrics. Use the standard application logger or the OpenTelemetry Logs API for operational messages, but keep sensitive content out of both.

7. Control SDK span categories when needed

All built-in categories are enabled by default. To reduce trace volume:

AGENTS_TELEMETRY_DISABLED_SPAN_CATEGORIES=STORAGE,AUTHORIZATION

Valid values are:

  • STORAGE
  • AUTHENTICATION
  • AUTHORIZATION
  • DIALOGS

Disable a category only after confirming those spans are not needed for diagnosis, security auditing, or service-level objectives.

8. Set up the Aspire Dashboard

Copy assets/start-aspire-dashboard.ps1 from this skill into a local scripts directory and run:

.\start-aspire-dashboard.ps1

Open http://localhost:18888. The script:

  • Binds the UI and OTLP ports to 127.0.0.1.
  • Exposes OTLP/gRPC on 4317 and OTLP/HTTP on 4318.
  • Enables unsecured access only for local development.
  • Pulls mcr.microsoft.com/dotnet/aspire-dashboard:latest.

Do not start a second container if aspire-dashboard already exists. Reuse or stop the existing container:

docker stop aspire-dashboard

9. Validate end to end

  1. Run the project's existing build or type-check command.
  2. Start Aspire Dashboard and confirm its container remains running.
  3. Start the agent through the script that preloads instrumentation.
  4. Send at least one message through Agents Playground or a configured channel. Metrics are exported periodically and can take one or more export intervals, plus dashboard processing time, to appear. Wait and refresh the dashboard before diagnosing missing metrics.
  5. In Aspire Dashboard, confirm:
    • Telemetry is grouped under the application's service.name.
    • Traces include agents.adapter.process or agents.app.run.
    • Metrics include agents.activities.received, agents.turn.count, or another exercised SDK operation.
    • Direct OpenTelemetry log records appear.
  6. Stop the application normally and confirm telemetry shutdown completes.
  7. Exercise a failure path when practical and confirm the error is recorded while the original error behavior remains intact.

See references/sdk-signals.md for the canonical Agents SDK spans, metrics, constants, and Aspire smoke test.

Exporter choices

Aspire Dashboard or another OTLP collector

Use the OTLP exporter packages matching the collector protocol. gRPC is the default for the included Aspire Dashboard setup.

Azure Monitor / Application Insights

When requested, use the current supported Azure Monitor OpenTelemetry exporter for Node.js and load its connection string from a secret source. Check the exporter's current initialization and compatibility documentation before editing because Azure Monitor's JavaScript OpenTelemetry integration evolves independently from the core OTel packages. Preserve OTLP only when dual export is intentional.

Existing application loggers

OpenTelemetry does not automatically export every console, pino, Winston, or other logger record. Use a compatible instrumentation/transport for the project's logger, or emit selected structured records through @opentelemetry/api-logs. Do not replace the application's logging framework solely to add telemetry.

Troubleshooting

Symptom Check
No SDK spans or metrics NodeSDK.start() ran before the Agents SDK was imported
HTTP spans missing Instrumentation was preloaded before node:http, Express, and the application
Custom telemetry missing The tracer, meter, and logger are obtained after the global SDK starts
Logs missing A log record processor/exporter exists and the app emits through an integrated logger
Dashboard empty Endpoint is http://localhost:4317; exporter and protocol are both gRPC
Traces appear but metrics do not Metrics can take one or more OTEL_METRIC_EXPORT_INTERVAL periods plus dashboard processing time to appear; wait and refresh before troubleshooting
OTLP protocol error Exporter package, endpoint port, and protocol do not match
Duplicate telemetry More than one SDK/provider or duplicate instrumentation preload exists
Process hangs during shutdown Integrate OTel shutdown with the server's existing graceful shutdown
Last spans or logs are absent Await sdk.shutdown() before process exit
High telemetry cost Remove high-cardinality attributes and reduce trace sampling
Some SDK spans are absent Check AGENTS_TELEMETRY_DISABLED_SPAN_CATEGORIES

Contributing

If SDK signals differ from references/sdk-signals.md, the sample no longer builds, or the Aspire setup changes, draft an issue containing the module system, Node and package versions, start command, expected signal, actual result, and any workaround: https://github.com/microsoft/agents/issues/new