otel-go
OpenTelemetry in Go
Entry point for OpenTelemetry mechanics in Go 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 otelconf and YAML: providers, propagators, shutdown, env-var substitution. |
references/api.md |
Looking up import paths, global API access, tracer/meter/logger usage, attributes, propagation, log bridges (zap, slog). |
references/instrumentation-libraries.md |
Picking or wiring contrib libraries (otelhttp, otelgrpc, database, AWS, message queues, propagators, resource detectors), and writing manual instrumentation that follows semconv. |
references/performance.md |
Tuning sampling, batch processor, metric reader, exporter compression/retry, attribute allocation, log Enabled() short-circuiting, graceful shutdown. |
references/breaking-changes.md |
Auditing existing code for deprecated calls, renamed semantic conventions, and removed APIs across recent SDK / contrib releases. |
Sources of Truth
For YAML schema details, fetch the upstream sources listed in the otel-declarative-config skill.
For Go-specific facts:
| Fact | Fetch |
|---|---|
Latest go.opentelemetry.io/otel core release |
gh api repos/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-go/releases/latest -q '.tag_name' |
Latest go.opentelemetry.io/contrib release |
gh api repos/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-go-contrib/releases/latest -q '.tag_name' |
Latest otelconf module tag |
gh api repos/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-go-contrib/git/matching-refs/tags/otelconf -q '.[-1].ref' |
| Latest semconv package version | gh api repos/open-telemetry/semantic-conventions/releases/latest -q '.tag_name' |
otel-go CHANGELOG |
WebFetch https://raw.githubusercontent.com/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-go/main/CHANGELOG.md |
otel-go-contrib CHANGELOG |
WebFetch https://raw.githubusercontent.com/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-go-contrib/main/CHANGELOG.md |
Cross-References
- Schema-level facts:
otel-declarative-configskill (language-agnostic YAML schema sources). - SDK version selection across languages:
otel-sdk-versionsskill. - Semantic conventions lookup:
otel-semantic-conventionsskill.
More from ollygarden/opentelemetry-agent-skills
sdk-setup
OpenTelemetry SDK initialization and configuration. Use when setting up or reviewing TracerProvider, MeterProvider, or LoggerProvider; choosing exporters, processors, or propagators; configuring OTLP transport; or extending an existing SDK setup for new signals. Use this skill whenever the task involves wiring up the OpenTelemetry SDK, even if the user only mentions "add tracing" or "set up metrics" without saying "SDK.
8telemetrygen
Construct telemetrygen commands for generating synthetic OpenTelemetry traces, metrics, and logs via OTLP. Use this skill whenever the user wants to generate test telemetry, load test a collector or backend, create synthetic OTLP data, send sample traces/metrics/logs to an endpoint, test collector pipelines or processors, validate OTTL transforms, test tail sampling, or mentions telemetrygen in any context. Also trigger when the user asks how to simulate telemetry traffic, stress test an observability stack, or produce sample data for dashboards.
8sdk-versions
OpenTelemetry SDK and package version lookup across languages. Use when choosing the latest compatible released OpenTelemetry SDK or package version and locating setup docs or examples.
8semantic-conventions
OpenTelemetry semantic convention lookup and naming guidance. Use when selecting released semantic convention groups, attributes, or span naming rules, or when checking semantic convention compliance.
8manual-instrumentation
OpenTelemetry best practices for manual instrumentation. Use when adding, changing, or reviewing OpenTelemetry instrumentation in code. Guidance to choose runtime boundaries, choose signals, apply semantic conventions, handle propagation, control cardinality, and verify the result.
8span-events-to-logs-migration
Migrate OpenTelemetry Span Events (AddEvent, RecordException) to the Logs API following the OTEP 4430 deprecation plan. Use when migrating instrumentation from span events to log-based events, reviewing code that still uses AddEvent or RecordException, or planning a migration across a codebase.
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