From 8bb734302042b38989affc4c9cb2da91f919bda8 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Pavol Loffay Date: Thu, 6 Nov 2025 10:56:42 +0100 Subject: [PATCH 1/7] Add Model Context Protocol (MCP) project proposal Signed-off-by: Pavol Loffay --- projects/mcp-server.md | 110 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 110 insertions(+) create mode 100644 projects/mcp-server.md diff --git a/projects/mcp-server.md b/projects/mcp-server.md new file mode 100644 index 000000000..c83007029 --- /dev/null +++ b/projects/mcp-server.md @@ -0,0 +1,110 @@ +# OpenTelemetry Collector Model Context Protocol (MCP) Server + +## Background and description + +The OpenTelemetry project consists of a large number of components, including collectors, SDKs, and instrumentation libraries, which are often configured and managed separately. This distribution of components poses a major operational challenge which is universally recognized by the community [1], [2]. + +Agentic workflows, powered by AI and language models, present a significant opportunity to simplify the deployment, configuration, and management of the OpenTelemetry stack. An agent could, for example, analyze telemetry data, suggest configuration changes to optimize performance, or automatically instrument new services. + +However, to support this process, a standardized interface is required for an AI agent to interact with the OpenTelemetry ecosystem. The Model Context Protocol (MCP) provides an idiomatic approach for this interaction. + +At the moment, the OpenTelemetry project does not have an official, standard MCP server. This has led to the creation of several independent, open-source projects to fill the gap. + +### Existing OpenTelemetry MCP Servers + +The proliferation of these projects demonstrates strong community interest and the clear potential of this technology: + +* [pavolloffay/opentelemetry-mcp-server](https://github.com/pavolloffay/opentelemetry-mcp-server): Focuses on collector configuration. +* [austinlparker/otel-mcp](https://github.com/austinlparker/otel-mcp): Handles collector configuration and data profiling. +* [mottibec/otelcol-mcp](https://github.com/mottibec/otelcol-mcp): Focuses on collector configuration. +* [shiftyp/otel-mcp-server](https://github.com/shiftyp/otel-mcp-server): Provides data profiling, but requires OpenSearch. +* [liatrio-labs/otel-instrumentation-mcp](https://github.com/liatrio-labs/otel-instrumentation-mcp ): Manages instrumentation. + +Each of these servers uses a different approach, particularly for collector configuration and data profiling. This fragmentation creates confusion for users and hinders the development of a unified, agent-driven management plan for OpenTelemetry. + +### Project Scope and Architecture + +The scope of this project is to create OpenTelemetry MCP server(s) to simplify deployment and management of the OpenTelemetry stack. + +### Goals, objectives, and requirements + +Goals: +* Simplify collector deployment, configuration and management +* Simplify writing OpenTelemetry Transformation Language (OTTL) +* Simplify writing PII rules in a given organization +* Simplify instrumentation configuration +* Identify instrumentation issues: single span traces, broken traces, high cardinality attributes + +## Deliverables + +* Collector MCP server + * Configuration use-cases + * Data profiling use-cases: writing PII rules, high cardinality attributes, broken traces, single span traces +* Standalone MCP Server + * Instrumentation use-cases + * Collector provisioning and configuration use-cases + * Understanding changes in released artifacts + +## Staffing / Help Wanted + +This project requires a blend of OpenTelemetry collector, documentation and instrumentation expertise and expertise in building MCP server. + +### SIG + +This project will be led by a cross-cutting effort coordinating with the Collector, and language SIGs. A +new dedicated SIG or working group will be formed to help manage and move this project forward. + +### Required staffing + +#### Project Leads(s) + +* @pavolloffay (Red Hat) +* Looking for other leads with experience in OpenTelemetry instrumentation and collector. + +#### TC Sponsor + +TBD + +#### GC Liaison + +* @austinlparker (Austin Parker - Honeycomb) + +#### Engineers + +TBD + +#### Other Staffing + +### Industry outreach (Optional) + +Who (people, companies) in the industry should be aware of this effort? Was there an attempt to get them onboard? What did they say? + +## Expected Timeline + +This timeline assumes project approval and resource allocation as outlined in the staffing section. Until staffing is +confirmed and expected time commitments are known, this timeline is in flux. + +Phase 1: Static collector configuration (Months 1-2) +- OpenTelemetry collector configuration + +Phase 2: Data profiling via collector (Months 1-2) +- OpenTelemetry collector extension which provides API to query and profile the processed telemetry data +- Data volume attribution + +Phase 3: Instrumentation (Months 1-2) +- Identify broken traces +- Identify single span traces +- Identify high cardinality traces +- Instrumentation configuration + +## Labels + +`mcp` for all PRs and issues related to this project. + +## GitHub Project (Post-Approval) + +TBD + +## SIG Meetings, Roadmap, and Other Info (Post-Approval) + +TBD \ No newline at end of file From 148122ba860f82b8ca8e8a47fc34d926dffa842f Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Pavol Loffay Date: Thu, 6 Nov 2025 11:05:45 +0100 Subject: [PATCH 2/7] Add Model Context Protocol (MCP) project proposal Signed-off-by: Pavol Loffay --- projects/mcp-server.md | 2 +- 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 1 deletion(-) diff --git a/projects/mcp-server.md b/projects/mcp-server.md index c83007029..7e5ecaeea 100644 --- a/projects/mcp-server.md +++ b/projects/mcp-server.md @@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ ## Background and description -The OpenTelemetry project consists of a large number of components, including collectors, SDKs, and instrumentation libraries, which are often configured and managed separately. This distribution of components poses a major operational challenge which is universally recognized by the community [1], [2]. +The OpenTelemetry project consists of a large number of components, including collector, SDKs, and instrumentation libraries, which are often configured and managed separately. This distribution of components poses a major operational challenge which is universally recognized by the community [1], [2]. Agentic workflows, powered by AI and language models, present a significant opportunity to simplify the deployment, configuration, and management of the OpenTelemetry stack. An agent could, for example, analyze telemetry data, suggest configuration changes to optimize performance, or automatically instrument new services. From e3b9af2584f18ee1155083caa49858469baee8a3 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Pavol Loffay Date: Thu, 6 Nov 2025 11:30:26 +0100 Subject: [PATCH 3/7] Fix CI Signed-off-by: Pavol Loffay --- .cspell.yaml | 6 ++++++ 1 file changed, 6 insertions(+) diff --git a/.cspell.yaml b/.cspell.yaml index b8fb89977..062b7e7de 100644 --- a/.cspell.yaml +++ b/.cspell.yaml @@ -18,9 +18,11 @@ ignoreRegExpList: - GitHub Handle in YML words: - Abinet + - agentic - Alff - Arize - Ashpole + - austinlparker - automations - Baeyens - calendar-localization-ptbr @@ -185,6 +187,7 @@ words: - mjwolf - mkorbi - molkova + - mottibec - msomasu - MSYS - PATHCONV @@ -207,6 +210,7 @@ words: - opentelemetrybot - ossf - otel + - otelcol - otel-agentmanwg - otel-comms - otel-ebpf @@ -221,6 +225,7 @@ words: - Prometheus - paixão - pająk + - pavolloffay - passcodes - poncelow - proto @@ -246,6 +251,7 @@ words: - severin - sguyon - sharma + - shiftyp - shkuro - sigelman - signup From 08b2ac3cd790f34ccc896a337112f464aca629c0 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Pavol Loffay Date: Mon, 17 Nov 2025 18:59:28 +0100 Subject: [PATCH 4/7] Update proposal Signed-off-by: Pavol Loffay --- projects/mcp-server.md | 15 +++++++++++---- 1 file changed, 11 insertions(+), 4 deletions(-) diff --git a/projects/mcp-server.md b/projects/mcp-server.md index 7e5ecaeea..58cec1877 100644 --- a/projects/mcp-server.md +++ b/projects/mcp-server.md @@ -58,8 +58,8 @@ new dedicated SIG or working group will be formed to help manage and move this p #### Project Leads(s) -* @pavolloffay (Red Hat) -* Looking for other leads with experience in OpenTelemetry instrumentation and collector. +* [@pavolloffay](https://github.com/pavolloffay) (Red Hat) +* [@niwoerner](https://github.com/niwoerner) (OllyGarden) #### TC Sponsor @@ -71,13 +71,20 @@ TBD #### Engineers -TBD +* [adrielp](https://github.com/adrielp) +* [shiftyp](https://github.com/shiftyp) #### Other Staffing ### Industry outreach (Optional) -Who (people, companies) in the industry should be aware of this effort? Was there an attempt to get them onboard? What did they say? +Following users have built OpenTelemetry MCP servers: + +* [otel-mcp](https://github.com/austinlparker) - author of [otel-mcp](https://github.com/austinlparker/otel-mcp) +* [mottibec](https://github.com/mottibec) - author of [otelcol-mcp](https://github.com/mottibec/otelcol-mcp) +* [shiftyp](https://github.com/shiftyp) - author of [otel-mcp-server](https://github.com/shiftyp/otel-mcp-server) + +There will be [OpenTelemetry MCP blog post](https://github.com/open-telemetry/opentelemetry.io/pull/8331/) which promote the SIG. ## Expected Timeline From b5e2576c553f28357a9a654853b1a9cf61abd86c Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Pavol Loffay Date: Tue, 18 Nov 2025 11:55:45 +0100 Subject: [PATCH 5/7] Added review comments Signed-off-by: Pavol Loffay --- projects/mcp-server.md | 6 ++++-- 1 file changed, 4 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-) diff --git a/projects/mcp-server.md b/projects/mcp-server.md index 58cec1877..8b664ad52 100644 --- a/projects/mcp-server.md +++ b/projects/mcp-server.md @@ -18,13 +18,15 @@ The proliferation of these projects demonstrates strong community interest and t * [austinlparker/otel-mcp](https://github.com/austinlparker/otel-mcp): Handles collector configuration and data profiling. * [mottibec/otelcol-mcp](https://github.com/mottibec/otelcol-mcp): Focuses on collector configuration. * [shiftyp/otel-mcp-server](https://github.com/shiftyp/otel-mcp-server): Provides data profiling, but requires OpenSearch. -* [liatrio-labs/otel-instrumentation-mcp](https://github.com/liatrio-labs/otel-instrumentation-mcp ): Manages instrumentation. +* [liatrio-labs/otel-instrumentation-mcp](https://github.com/liatrio-labs/otel-instrumentation-mcp): Manages instrumentation. +* [traceloop/opentelemetry-mcp-server](https://github.com/traceloop/opentelemetry-mcp-server): Provides data profiling by connecting to Jaeger, Tempo and Traceloop Each of these servers uses a different approach, particularly for collector configuration and data profiling. This fragmentation creates confusion for users and hinders the development of a unified, agent-driven management plan for OpenTelemetry. ### Project Scope and Architecture -The scope of this project is to create OpenTelemetry MCP server(s) to simplify deployment and management of the OpenTelemetry stack. +The scope of this project is to create OpenTelemetry MCP server(s) to simplify deployment, management of the OpenTelemetry stack +and provide data profiling/intelligence capabilities. ### Goals, objectives, and requirements From e06255b3e15e05740ac7ed021d86d17667102047 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Pavol Loffay Date: Tue, 18 Nov 2025 14:17:37 +0100 Subject: [PATCH 6/7] Added review comments Signed-off-by: Pavol Loffay --- projects/mcp-server.md | 4 ++-- 1 file changed, 2 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-) diff --git a/projects/mcp-server.md b/projects/mcp-server.md index 8b664ad52..304b0842b 100644 --- a/projects/mcp-server.md +++ b/projects/mcp-server.md @@ -25,8 +25,8 @@ Each of these servers uses a different approach, particularly for collector conf ### Project Scope and Architecture -The scope of this project is to create OpenTelemetry MCP server(s) to simplify deployment, management of the OpenTelemetry stack -and provide data profiling/intelligence capabilities. +The scope of this project is to create OpenTelemetry MCP server(s) to simplify deployment and day-2 operations. +The MCP server should also provide data profiling/intelligence capabilities to support the day-2 operation use-cases. ### Goals, objectives, and requirements From 0e0e4b9b99e61c8ce8625b47ac9c9965c48bf997 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Pavol Loffay Date: Mon, 24 Nov 2025 15:16:15 +0100 Subject: [PATCH 7/7] Review comments Signed-off-by: Pavol Loffay --- projects/mcp-server.md | 32 ++++++++++++++++++++++++-------- 1 file changed, 24 insertions(+), 8 deletions(-) diff --git a/projects/mcp-server.md b/projects/mcp-server.md index 304b0842b..72706aea4 100644 --- a/projects/mcp-server.md +++ b/projects/mcp-server.md @@ -4,9 +4,9 @@ The OpenTelemetry project consists of a large number of components, including collector, SDKs, and instrumentation libraries, which are often configured and managed separately. This distribution of components poses a major operational challenge which is universally recognized by the community [1], [2]. -Agentic workflows, powered by AI and language models, present a significant opportunity to simplify the deployment, configuration, and management of the OpenTelemetry stack. An agent could, for example, analyze telemetry data, suggest configuration changes to optimize performance, or automatically instrument new services. +Large language models (LLMs), present a significant opportunity to simplify the adoption, implementation, and management of the OpenTelemetry stack. An AI agent could, for example, analyze telemetry data, facilitate configuration changes, or assist and simplify the instrument process. -However, to support this process, a standardized interface is required for an AI agent to interact with the OpenTelemetry ecosystem. The Model Context Protocol (MCP) provides an idiomatic approach for this interaction. +However, to support this process, a standardized interface is required for LLMs to interact with the OpenTelemetry ecosystem. The Model Context Protocol (MCP) provides an idiomatic approach for this interaction. At the moment, the OpenTelemetry project does not have an official, standard MCP server. This has led to the creation of several independent, open-source projects to fill the gap. @@ -19,9 +19,11 @@ The proliferation of these projects demonstrates strong community interest and t * [mottibec/otelcol-mcp](https://github.com/mottibec/otelcol-mcp): Focuses on collector configuration. * [shiftyp/otel-mcp-server](https://github.com/shiftyp/otel-mcp-server): Provides data profiling, but requires OpenSearch. * [liatrio-labs/otel-instrumentation-mcp](https://github.com/liatrio-labs/otel-instrumentation-mcp): Manages instrumentation. -* [traceloop/opentelemetry-mcp-server](https://github.com/traceloop/opentelemetry-mcp-server): Provides data profiling by connecting to Jaeger, Tempo and Traceloop +* [traceloop/opentelemetry-mcp-server](https://github.com/traceloop/opentelemetry-mcp-server): Provides data profiling by connecting to Jaeger, Tempo and Traceloop. -Each of these servers uses a different approach, particularly for collector configuration and data profiling. This fragmentation creates confusion for users and hinders the development of a unified, agent-driven management plan for OpenTelemetry. +Each of these servers uses a different approach, particularly for collector configuration and data profiling. +This fragmentation creates confusion for users in terms of installation and configuration. It is less effective +as multiple competing tools fill up context window and provide overlapping functionality. ### Project Scope and Architecture @@ -30,13 +32,27 @@ The MCP server should also provide data profiling/intelligence capabilities to s ### Goals, objectives, and requirements -Goals: -* Simplify collector deployment, configuration and management +The goals are divided into categories. However, some common goals apply to all created MCP(s): + +* A common installation and configuration + +#### Collector + +* Deployment, configuration and management * Simplify writing OpenTelemetry Transformation Language (OTTL) -* Simplify writing PII rules in a given organization -* Simplify instrumentation configuration +* Simplify writing PII rules based on the received data + +#### Instrumentation + +* SDK configuration +* Auto-instrumentation configuration * Identify instrumentation issues: single span traces, broken traces, high cardinality attributes +#### Semantic conventions + +* Weaver schema generation +* Context optimized querying of the official semantic conventions registry + ## Deliverables * Collector MCP server