CtrlK
BlogDocsLog inGet started
Tessl Logo

distributed-tracing

Implement distributed tracing with Jaeger and Tempo for request flow visibility across microservices.

48

Quality

52%

Does it follow best practices?

Run evals on this skill

Adds up to 20 points to the overall score

View guide

SecuritybySnyk

Passed

No findings from the security scan

Fix and improve this skill with Tessl

tessl review fix ./skills/distributed-tracing/SKILL.md
SKILL.md
Quality
Evals
Security

Quality

Content

43%Scale 1-5

Reviews the quality of instructions and guidance provided to agents. Good implementation is clear, handles edge cases, and produces reliable results.

This skill functions more as a comprehensive reference document than an actionable skill guide. While it provides solid, executable code examples across multiple languages and deployment methods, it suffers from significant verbosity (explaining concepts Claude knows, inlining content that should be in referenced files) and lacks a clear sequential workflow with validation checkpoints for what is inherently a multi-step infrastructure and instrumentation process.

Suggestions

Add a clear numbered workflow (e.g., 1. Deploy collector, 2. Verify collector health, 3. Instrument one service, 4. Verify traces appear in UI, 5. Instrument remaining services) with explicit validation at each step.

Move the multi-language instrumentation examples into the referenced `references/instrumentation.md` file and keep only one concise example inline.

Remove the 'Distributed Tracing Concepts' section entirely—Claude already understands traces, spans, and context propagation.

Replace the generic troubleshooting bullets with specific diagnostic commands (e.g., `curl http://jaeger:14269/` to check collector health, checking specific log lines).

DimensionReasoningScore

Conciseness

The skill is significantly verbose. It explains basic tracing concepts (Trace, Span, Context, Tags, Logs) that Claude already knows, provides full instrumentation examples in three languages (Python, Node.js, Go) that could be in reference files, and includes a 'Distributed Tracing Concepts' section with ASCII art that adds little value. The best practices list is generic and padded.

2 / 5

Actionability

The skill provides concrete, executable code examples for multiple languages and deployment methods (Kubernetes, Docker Compose). The instrumentation code is copy-paste ready. Minor gaps include undefined helper functions (fetch_users_from_db, query_database) and the troubleshooting section being vague bullet points rather than actionable diagnostic steps.

4 / 5

Workflow Clarity

There is no clear sequenced workflow for implementing distributed tracing end-to-end. The content reads as a reference document with disconnected sections rather than a guided process. There are no validation checkpoints (e.g., verify traces appear in Jaeger after instrumentation, validate collector connectivity before deploying to production). For a skill involving infrastructure deployment and multi-service instrumentation, the lack of verification steps is a significant gap.

2 / 5

Progressive Disclosure

The skill references external files (references/jaeger-setup.md, references/instrumentation.md, assets/jaeger-config.yaml.template) which is good structure, but no bundle files are provided to verify they exist. The main file inlines extensive code that should be in those reference files (full instrumentation examples in 3 languages, full Tempo Kubernetes config), undermining the purpose of the references.

3 / 5

Total

11

/

20

Passed

Description

61%Scale 1-5

Based on the skill's description, can an agent find and select it at the right time? Clear, specific descriptions lead to better discovery.

The description identifies a clear technical domain with specific tooling (Jaeger, Tempo) and a purpose (request flow visibility across microservices), making it reasonably distinctive. However, it lacks concrete action verbs describing what the skill actually does (e.g., instrument, configure, deploy) and critically missing a 'Use when...' clause that would help Claude select it appropriately.

Suggestions

Add a 'Use when...' clause with trigger phrases like 'Use when the user asks about tracing requests across services, setting up Jaeger or Tempo, or debugging latency in microservices'.

List specific concrete actions such as 'instrument services with OpenTelemetry, configure trace exporters, deploy Jaeger/Tempo collectors, query and visualize traces'.

Include additional trigger terms and synonyms like 'OpenTelemetry', 'spans', 'trace context propagation', 'observability', and 'latency debugging'.

DimensionReasoningScore

Specificity

Names the domain (distributed tracing) and mentions specific tools (Jaeger, Tempo) with a general purpose (request flow visibility across microservices), but doesn't list concrete actions like instrumenting services, configuring exporters, setting up collectors, or querying traces.

3 / 5

Completeness

Has a clear 'what' (implement distributed tracing with Jaeger and Tempo for request flow visibility) but no explicit 'when' clause. There is no 'Use when...' guidance to help Claude know when to select this skill.

3 / 5

Trigger Term Quality

Includes good natural keywords like 'distributed tracing', 'Jaeger', 'Tempo', 'microservices', and 'request flow visibility'. Missing some common variations like 'OpenTelemetry', 'spans', 'trace propagation', 'observability', or 'tracing instrumentation'.

4 / 5

Distinctiveness Conflict Risk

Fairly distinct due to naming specific tools (Jaeger, Tempo) and the specific domain of distributed tracing. Minor overlap risk with general observability or monitoring skills, but the tool-specific focus reduces conflict.

4 / 5

Total

14

/

20

Passed

Validation

90%

Checks the skill against the spec for correct structure and formatting. All validation checks must pass before discovery and implementation can be scored.

Validation10 / 11 Passed

Validation for skill structure

CriteriaDescriptionResult

frontmatter_unknown_keys

Unknown frontmatter key(s) found; consider removing or moving to metadata

Warning

Total

10

/

11

Passed

Repository
administrakt0r/AI-Agents-Safe-Coding-Skills
Reviewed

Table of Contents

Is this your skill?

If you maintain this skill, you can claim it as your own. Once claimed, you can manage eval scenarios, bundle related skills, attach documentation or rules, and ensure cross-agent compatibility.