Agent skill · software engineering · jeremylongshore
setting-up-distributed-tracing
Execute this skill automates the setup of distributed tracing for microservices.
Why this skill is useful
Adds executable scripts and configuration snippets for setting up distributed tracing with specific tools like OpenTelemetry, Jaeger, or Zipkin.
What it needs
Requires jaeger, opentelemetry, zipkin installed locally. About 2k tokens when loaded. Last updated 2026-08-07. 2,604 stars on the source repository.
What this skill does
Distributed Tracing Setup Set up distributed tracing for microservices using OpenTelemetry, Jaeger, or Zipkin with context propagation, span creation, and trace collection configuration. Overview This skill streamlines the process of setting up distributed tracing in a microservices environment. It guides you through the key steps of instrumenting your services, configuring trace context propagation, and selecting a backend for trace collection and analysis, enabling comprehensive monitoring and debugging. How It Works 1. Backend Selection: Determines the preferred tracing backend (e.g., Jaeger, Zipkin, Datadog). 2. Instrumentation Strategy: Designs an instrumentation strategy for each service, focusing on key operations and dependencies. 3. Configuration Generation: Generates the necessary configuration files and code snippets to enable distributed tracing. When to Use This Skill This skill activates when you need to: Implement distributed tracing in a microservices application. Gain end-to-end visibility into request flows across multiple services. Troubleshoot performance bottlenecks and latency issues. Examples Example 1: Adding Tracing to a New Microservice User request: "setup tracing for the new payment service" The skill will: 1. Prompt for the preferred tracing backend (e.g., Jaeger). 2. Generate code snippets for OpenTelemetry instrumentation in the payment service. Example 2: Troubleshooting Performance Issues User request: "implement distributed tracing to debug slow checkout process" The skill will: 1. Guide the user through instrumenting relevant services in the checkout flow. 2. Provide configuration examples for context propagation. Best Practices Backend Choice: Select a tracing backend that aligns with your existing infrastructure and monitoring tools. Sampling Strategy: Implement a sampling strategy to manage trace volume and cost, especially in high-traffic environments. …
How to use it
Reference it in AdaL, Claude Code, Cursor or any coding agent — nothing to install:
@skills jeremylongshore/setting-up-distributed-tracing--e588b4