otel-java

OpenTelemetry in Java — Javaagent zero-code instrumentation, Spring Boot Starter, manual autoconfigure SDK, declarative YAML configuration, BOM dependency management, sensitive-data capture and redaction (url.query, headers, request parameters, SQL sanitization). Use when adding, reviewing, or configuring OpenTelemetry in a Java service. Triggers on "setup otel in java", "java telemetry", "javaagent", "Spring Boot otel", "GlobalOpenTelemetry", "AutoConfiguredOpenTelemetrySdk", "TracerProvider java", "url.query redaction", "capture request headers", or any Java-related OTel question.

Quality

100%

Does it follow best practices?

Run evals on this skill

Adds up to 20 points to the overall score

View guide

Securityby

Passed

No findings from the security scan

OpenTelemetry in Java

Entry point for OpenTelemetry mechanics in Java services. Load a reference below based on the task; each reference is self-contained.

References

File	Use when
`references/declarative-setup.md`	Configuring the SDK via declarative YAML: Javaagent activation, Spring Boot Starter, autoconfigure SDK, BOM, agent-only properties, manual instrumentation entry points.
`references/sensitive-data-capture.md`	What HTTP instrumentation captures by default (query strings ON, headers/params OFF), query-parameter redaction (`sensitive-query-parameters`), header/servlet-parameter capture knobs, SQL sanitization.

Sources of Truth

For YAML schema details, fetch the upstream sources listed in the otel-declarative-config skill. For Java-specific facts:

Fact	Fetch
Latest BOM (`opentelemetry-bom`)	`gh api repos/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-java/releases/latest -q '.tag_name'`
Latest Javaagent	`gh api repos/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-java-instrumentation/releases/latest -q '.tag_name'`
SDK declarative-config accepted and preferred `file_format` for a selected BOM tag	`WebFetch https://raw.githubusercontent.com/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-java/<selected-sdk-tag>/sdk-extensions/declarative-config/src/main/java/io/opentelemetry/sdk/autoconfigure/declarativeconfig/OpenTelemetryConfigurationFactory.java`
Javaagent declarative-config docs (current activation flag, supported `file_format`)	`WebFetch https://opentelemetry.io/docs/zero-code/java/agent/declarative-configuration/`
Javaagent declarative-config smoke fixture (parser truth for selected agent tag)	`WebFetch https://raw.githubusercontent.com/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-java-instrumentation/<selected-agent-tag>/smoke-tests/src/test/resources/declarative-config.yaml`
Javaagent CHANGELOG (when each schema rc landed)	`WebFetch https://raw.githubusercontent.com/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-java-instrumentation/<selected-agent-tag>/CHANGELOG.md`
Spring Boot Starter declarative-config fixture (selected starter tag)	`WebFetch https://raw.githubusercontent.com/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-java-instrumentation/<selected-agent-tag>/smoke-tests-otel-starter/spring-boot-2/src/testDeclarativeConfig/resources/application.yaml`
Spring Boot starter docs	`WebFetch https://opentelemetry.io/docs/zero-code/java/spring-boot-starter/`
Per-instrumentation telemetry & config (resolved spans/attributes, metrics, config options, target versions)	`WebFetch https://explorer.opentelemetry.io/data/javaagent/instrumentations/<id>/<id>-<hash>.json` — get `<id>` and the latest `<hash>` from the index (see below)

What telemetry does an instrumentation emit?

For "what does the agent produce for library X" — which spans, attributes, metrics, or config knobs — use the OpenTelemetry Ecosystem Explorer, which fully maps the Java agent and exposes an agent-friendly surface (Markdown indexes and resolved JSON, no scraping). Do not answer from model memory.

Navigation:

WebFetch https://explorer.opentelemetry.io/agent/javaagent/index.md — table mapping display name → id → the instrumentation's JSON data URL (the URL embeds the content <hash>).
WebFetch that JSON URL — one self-contained record (a few KB): resolved configurations, telemetry (spans with span_kind + typed attributes, and metrics), javaagent_target_versions, semantic_conventions, and scope.

Version-specific or "what changed between releases": https://explorer.opentelemetry.io/agent/javaagent/versions.md lists versions and marks the latest; https://explorer.opentelemetry.io/data/javaagent/versions/<version>-index.json gives the id→hash map for a version — a differing hash for the same id across two versions means that instrumentation changed. Schema: https://explorer.opentelemetry.io/schemas/javaagent-instrumentation.schema.json; use /llms.txt for the agent-oriented index and /llms-full.txt for the full documentation.

Prefer this Explorer data over the raw ecosystem-registry YAML on GitHub: the Explorer applies upstream metadata corrections that the raw registry does not.

Cross-References

Schema-level facts: otel-declarative-config skill (language-agnostic YAML schema sources).
SDK version selection across languages: otel-sdk-versions skill.
Semantic conventions lookup: otel-semantic-conventions skill.

Repository: ollygarden/opentelemetry-agent-skills
Path: skills/otel-java/SKILL.md
Commit: c5d2edc

Last updated: 12 minutes ago
First committed: 30 days ago

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.