OpenTelemetry Exporter

The OpenTelemetry (OTEL) exporter sends your AI traces to any OTEL-compatible observability platform using standardized OpenTelemetry Semantic Conventions for GenAI . This ensures broad compatibility with platforms like Datadog, New Relic, SigNoz, Dash0, Traceloop, Laminar, and more.

When to Use OTEL Exporter

The OTEL exporter is ideal when you need:

• Platform flexibility - Send traces to any OTEL-compatible backend
• Standards compliance - Follow OpenTelemetry GenAI semantic conventions
• Multi-vendor support - Configure once, switch providers easily
• Enterprise platforms - Integrate with existing observability infrastructure
• Custom collectors - Send to your own OTEL collector

Installation

Each provider requires specific protocol packages. Install the base exporter plus the protocol package for your provider:

For HTTP/Protobuf Providers (SigNoz, New Relic, Laminar)

npm install @mastra/otel-exporter @opentelemetry/exporter-trace-otlp-proto

pnpm add @mastra/otel-exporter @opentelemetry/exporter-trace-otlp-proto

yarn add @mastra/otel-exporter @opentelemetry/exporter-trace-otlp-proto

bun add @mastra/otel-exporter @opentelemetry/exporter-trace-otlp-proto

For gRPC Providers (Dash0)

npm install @mastra/otel-exporter @opentelemetry/exporter-trace-otlp-grpc @grpc/grpc-js

pnpm add @mastra/otel-exporter @opentelemetry/exporter-trace-otlp-grpc @grpc/grpc-js

yarn add @mastra/otel-exporter @opentelemetry/exporter-trace-otlp-grpc @grpc/grpc-js

bun add @mastra/otel-exporter @opentelemetry/exporter-trace-otlp-grpc @grpc/grpc-js

For HTTP/JSON Providers (Traceloop)

npm install @mastra/otel-exporter @opentelemetry/exporter-trace-otlp-http

pnpm add @mastra/otel-exporter @opentelemetry/exporter-trace-otlp-http

yarn add @mastra/otel-exporter @opentelemetry/exporter-trace-otlp-http

bun add @mastra/otel-exporter @opentelemetry/exporter-trace-otlp-http

Provider Configurations

Dash0

Dash0  provides real-time observability with automatic insights.

import { Mastra } from "@mastra/core";
import { OtelExporter } from "@mastra/otel-exporter";
 
export const mastra = new Mastra({
  observability: {
    configs: {
      otel: {
        serviceName: 'my-service',
        exporters: [
          new OtelExporter({
            provider: {
              dash0: {
                apiKey: process.env.DASH0_API_KEY,
                endpoint: process.env.DASH0_ENDPOINT, // e.g., 'ingress.us-west-2.aws.dash0.com:4317'
                dataset: 'production', // Optional dataset name
              }
            },
          }),
        ],
      },
    },
  },
});

SigNoz

SigNoz  is an open-source APM alternative with built-in AI tracing support.

new OtelExporter({
  provider: {
    signoz: {
      apiKey: process.env.SIGNOZ_API_KEY,
      region: 'us', // 'us' | 'eu' | 'in'
      // endpoint: 'https://my-signoz.example.com', // For self-hosted
    }
  },
})

New Relic

New Relic  provides comprehensive observability with AI monitoring capabilities.

new OtelExporter({
  provider: {
    newrelic: {
      apiKey: process.env.NEW_RELIC_LICENSE_KEY,
      // endpoint: 'https://otlp.eu01.nr-data.net', // For EU region
    }
  },
})

Traceloop

Traceloop  specializes in LLM observability with automatic prompt tracking.

new OtelExporter({
  provider: {
    traceloop: {
      apiKey: process.env.TRACELOOP_API_KEY,
      destinationId: 'my-destination', // Optional
    }
  },
})

Laminar

Laminar  provides specialized LLM observability and analytics.

new OtelExporter({
  provider: {
    laminar: {
      apiKey: process.env.LMNR_PROJECT_API_KEY,
      // teamId: process.env.LAMINAR_TEAM_ID, // Optional, for backwards compatibility
    }
  },
})

Custom/Generic OTEL Endpoints

For other OTEL-compatible platforms or custom collectors:

new OtelExporter({
  provider: {
    custom: {
      endpoint: 'https://your-collector.example.com/v1/traces',
      protocol: 'http/protobuf', // 'http/json' | 'http/protobuf' | 'grpc'
      headers: {
        'x-api-key': process.env.API_KEY,
      },
    }
  },
})

Configuration Options

Complete Configuration

new OtelExporter({
  // Provider configuration (required)
  provider: {
    // Use one of: dash0, signoz, newrelic, traceloop, laminar, custom
  },
 
  // Export configuration
  timeout: 30000,        // Export timeout in milliseconds
  batchSize: 100,        // Number of spans per batch
 
  // Debug options
  logLevel: 'info',      // 'debug' | 'info' | 'warn' | 'error'
})

OpenTelemetry Semantic Conventions

The exporter follows OpenTelemetry Semantic Conventions for GenAI , ensuring compatibility with observability platforms:

Span Naming

• LLM Operations: chat {model} or tool_selection {model}
• Tool Execution: tool.execute {tool_name}
• Agent Runs: agent.{agent_id}
• Workflow Runs: workflow.{workflow_id}

Key Attributes

• gen_ai.operation.name - Operation type (chat, tool.execute, etc.)
• gen_ai.system - AI provider (openai, anthropic, etc.)
• gen_ai.request.model - Model identifier
• gen_ai.usage.input_tokens - Number of input tokens
• gen_ai.usage.output_tokens - Number of output tokens
• gen_ai.request.temperature - Sampling temperature
• gen_ai.response.finish_reasons - Completion reason

Buffering Strategy

The exporter buffers spans until a trace is complete:

1. Collects all spans for a trace
2. Waits 5 seconds after root span completes
3. Exports complete trace with preserved parent-child relationships
4. Ensures no orphaned spans

Protocol Selection Guide

Choose the right protocol package based on your provider:

Troubleshooting

Missing Dependency Error

If you see an error like:

HTTP/Protobuf exporter is not installed (required for signoz).
To use HTTP/Protobuf export, install the required package:
  npm install @opentelemetry/exporter-trace-otlp-proto

Install the suggested package for your provider.

Common Issues

1. Wrong protocol package: Verify you installed the correct exporter for your provider
2. Invalid endpoint: Check endpoint format matches provider requirements
3. Authentication failures: Verify API keys and headers are correct
4. No traces appearing: Check that traces complete (root span must end)

Related

• AI Tracing Overview
• OpenTelemetry GenAI Conventions 
• OTEL Exporter Reference