About otel-java
otel-java is a reference skill for OpenTelemetry in Java services, directing users to material on configuration, sensitive-data capture, and emitted telemetry. It relies on upstream documentation and Ecosystem Explorer data, with version-specific evidence.
Key features
- 01Provides entry points for Java configuration
- 02Covers declarative YAML setup references
- 03Documents HTTP and SQL sensitive-data capture
- 04Uses Ecosystem Explorer for telemetry details
- 05Consults upstream facts by version
Use cases
- 01Configure declarative setup for a Java service
- 02Review HTTP parameter and header capture options
- 03Look up telemetry emitted for a Java library
- 04Compare instrumentation configuration across versions
Install
Copy the command and run it in a terminal.
npx skills add https:/ / github.com/ ollygarden/ opentelemetry-agent-skills --skill otel-javaAfter installing, type/otel-javain Claude Code to confirm it loaded.
Bundled filesreferences/declarative-setup.mdreferences/sensitive-data-capture.md
Details
From the project READMEOpenTelemetry 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 |
| Generated Java instrumentation config reference (names, types, defaults, deprecations) | WebFetch https://raw.githubusercontent.com/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-java-instrumentation/<selected-agent-tag>/docs/declarative-configuration-example.yaml |
| 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>).WebFetchthat JSON URL — one self-contained record (a few KB): resolvedconfigurations,telemetry(spans withspan_kind+ typed attributes, andmetrics),javaagent_target_versions,semantic_conventions, andscope.
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-configskill (language-agnostic YAML schema sources). - SDK version selection across languages:
otel-sdk-versionsskill. - Semantic conventions lookup:
otel-semantic-conventionsskill.