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otel-instrumentation

Configure OpenTelemetry SDKs and send trace data to Honeycomb.

20|7|Updated Feb 7, 2026
Search Tags:#observability#tracing#instrumentation#opentelemetry#distributed tracing#otel
One-click install
npx skills add https://github.com/honeycombio/agent-skill --skill otel-instrumentation-honeycombio
Or copy as Structured Prompt for Agent▼
Please help me install this Agent Skill.
Skill: otel-instrumentation
Source: https://github.com/honeycombio/agent-skill/tree/main/honeycomb/skills/otel-instrumentation
Command: npx skills add https://github.com/honeycombio/agent-skill --skill otel-instrumentation-honeycombio

SYSTEM DOCUMENTATION & REQUIREMENTS

💡 This Skill includes references (resource) components.

What problem does it solve?

This Skill provides comprehensive guidance on instrumenting applications with OpenTelemetry (OTel) to send tracing data to Honeycomb, enabling deep visibility into application performance and behavior.

Core Features & Use Cases

  • SDK Setup: Guides you through configuring OTel SDKs for various languages (Go, Python, Node.js, Java, Ruby, .NET, Rust).
  • Custom Instrumentation: Details how to add custom spans, attributes, span events, and span links for business logic and critical operations.
  • Best Practices: Offers advice on when to create spans, effective attribute usage, sampling strategies, and layered telemetry.
  • Use Case: You need to add distributed tracing to your new microservice. This Skill will walk you through setting up the OTel SDK, adding spans around key business operations like payment processing, and configuring it to send traces to Honeycomb.

Quick Start

Use the otel-instrumentation skill to get OpenTelemetry SDK setup instructions for Python.

Frequently Asked Questions about otel-instrumentation

High-intent search queries and answers about installing and using this skill.

FAQPage Schema
How do I set up OpenTelemetry SDK tracing to send data to Honeycomb?▼

To set up OpenTelemetry tracing for Honeycomb, configure the OTel SDK in your language of choice and point the OTLP exporter to your Honeycomb endpoint. This enables deep visibility into application performance and behavior.

What is the best way to add custom spans and attributes in OpenTelemetry?▼

The best way to add custom spans is by wrapping key business logic operations, like payment processing, and enriching them with specific attributes and span events for effective observability instrumentation.

Can I use OpenTelemetry instrumentation with Python or Node.js microservices?▼

Yes, OpenTelemetry instrumentation supports multiple programming languages including Python, Node.js, Go, Java, Ruby, .NET, and Rust for adding distributed tracing to your microservices.

What sampling strategies should I use for distributed tracing?▼

Effective distributed tracing sampling strategies depend on your traffic volume, balancing data completeness with cost. You should apply sampling best practices to manage telemetry overhead while capturing critical span events.

When should I create custom spans for business logic operations?▼

You should create custom spans for critical business operations when default SDK auto-instrumentation lacks the granularity needed. Adding custom span attributes and events provides deeper visibility into specific application behavior.

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