sentry-otel-exporter-setup

name	sentry-otel-exporter-setup
description	Configure the OpenTelemetry Collector with Sentry Exporter for multi-project routing and automatic project creation. Use when setting up OTel with Sentry, configuring collector pipelines for traces and logs, or routing telemetry from multiple services to Sentry projects.
license	Apache-2.0

Sentry OTel Exporter Setup

Terminology: Always capitalize "Sentry Exporter" when referring to the exporter component.

Configure the OpenTelemetry Collector to send traces and logs to Sentry using the Sentry Exporter.

Setup Overview

Copy this checklist to track your progress:

OTel Exporter Setup:
- [ ] Step 1: Check for existing configuration
- [ ] Step 2: Check collector version and install if needed
- [ ] Step 3: Configure project creation settings
- [ ] Step 4: Write collector config
- [ ] Step 5: Add environment variable placeholders
- [ ] Step 6: Run the collector
- [ ] Step 7: Verify setup

Step 1: Check for Existing Configuration

Search for existing OpenTelemetry Collector configs by looking for YAML files containing receivers:. Also check for files named otel-collector-config.*, collector-config.*, or otelcol.*.

If an existing config is found: Ask the user which approach they want:

• Modify existing config: Add Sentry Exporter to the existing file (recommended to avoid duplicates)
• Create separate config: Keep existing config unchanged and create a new one for testing

Wait for the user's answer and record their choice before proceeding to Step 2. The rest of the workflow depends on this decision.

If no config exists: Note that you'll create a new collector-config.yaml in Step 4, then proceed to Step 2.

Step 2: Check Collector Version

The Sentry Exporter requires otelcol-contrib v0.145.0 or later.

Check for existing collector

1. Run which otelcol-contrib to check if it's on PATH, or check for ./otelcol-contrib in the project
2. If found, run the appropriate version command and parse the version number
3. Record the collector path (e.g., otelcol-contrib if on PATH, or ./otelcol-contrib if local) for use in later steps

Existing Version	Action
≥ 0.145.0	Skip to Step 3 — existing collector is compatible
< 0.145.0	Proceed with installation below
Not installed	Proceed with installation below

Installation

Ask the user how they want to run the collector:

• Binary: Download from GitHub releases. No Docker required.
• Docker: Run as a container. Requires Docker installed.

Binary Installation

Fetch the latest release version from GitHub:

curl -s https://api.github.com/repos/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-collector-releases/releases/latest | grep '"tag_name"' | cut -d'"' -f4

Important: The GitHub API returns versions with a v prefix (e.g., v0.145.0). The download URL path requires the full tag with v prefix, but the filename and Docker tags use the numeric version without the prefix (e.g., 0.145.0).

Detect the user's platform and download the binary:

1. Run uname -s and uname -m to detect OS and architecture
2. Map to release values:
   • Darwin + arm64 → darwin_arm64
   • Darwin + x86_64 → darwin_amd64
   • Linux + x86_64 → linux_amd64
   • Linux + aarch64 → linux_arm64
3. Download and extract:

curl -LO https://github.com/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-collector-releases/releases/download/v<numeric_version>/otelcol-contrib_<numeric_version>_<os>_<arch>.tar.gz
tar -xzf otelcol-contrib_<numeric_version>_<os>_<arch>.tar.gz
chmod +x otelcol-contrib

Example: For version v0.145.0, the URL uses v0.145.0 in the path but 0.145.0 in the filename.

Perform these steps for the user—do not just show them the commands.

4. Ask the user if they want to delete the downloaded tarball to save disk space (~50MB):
   • Yes, delete it: Remove the tarball
   • No, keep it: Leave the tarball in place

Wait for the user's response. Only delete if they explicitly choose to:

rm otelcol-contrib_<numeric_version>_<os>_<arch>.tar.gz

Docker Installation

1. Verify Docker is installed by running docker --version
2. Fetch the latest release tag from GitHub (same as above)
3. Pull the image using the numeric version (without v prefix):

docker pull otel/opentelemetry-collector-contrib:<numeric_version>

Example: For GitHub tag v0.145.0, use docker pull otel/opentelemetry-collector-contrib:0.145.0.

The docker run command comes later in Step 6 after the config is created.

Step 3: Configure Sentry Project Creation

Ask the user whether to enable automatic Sentry project creation. Do not recommend either option:

• Yes: Projects created from service.name. Requires at least one team in your Sentry org. All new projects are assigned to the first team found. Initial data may be dropped during creation.
• No: Projects must exist in Sentry before telemetry arrives.

Wait for the user's answer before proceeding to Step 4.

If user chooses Yes: Warn them that the exporter will scan all projects and use the first team it finds. All auto-created projects will be assigned to that team. If they don't have any teams yet, they should create one in Sentry first.

Step 4: Write Collector Config

Use the decision from Step 1 - if the user chose to modify an existing config, edit that file. If they chose to create a separate config, create a new file. Record the config file path for use in Steps 5 and 6.

Fetch the latest configuration from the Sentry Exporter documentation:

• Example config (use as template): https://raw.githubusercontent.com/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-collector-contrib/main/exporter/sentryexporter/docs/example-config.yaml
• Full spec (all available options): https://raw.githubusercontent.com/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-collector-contrib/main/exporter/sentryexporter/docs/spec.md

Use WebFetch to retrieve the example config as a starting template. Reference the spec if the user needs advanced options not shown in the example.

If editing an existing config (per Step 1 decision)

Add the sentry exporter to the exporters: section and include it in the appropriate pipelines (traces, logs). Do not remove or modify other exporters unless the user requests it.

If creating a new config (per Step 1 decision)

Create collector-config.yaml based on the fetched example. Ensure credentials use environment variable references (${env:SENTRY_ORG_SLUG}, ${env:SENTRY_AUTH_TOKEN}).

If user chose auto-create in Step 3, add auto_create_projects: true to the sentry exporter.

Add Debug Exporter (Recommended)

For troubleshooting during setup, add a debug exporter with verbosity: detailed to the pipelines. This logs all telemetry to console. Remove it once setup is verified.

Step 5: Add Environment Variable Placeholders

The Sentry Exporter requires two environment variables. You will add placeholder values that the user fills in themselves—never actual credentials.

Language constraint: NEVER say "add credentials", "add environment variables", or "add the token" without explicitly stating these are placeholders. Always clarify the user fills them in later.

DO NOT say:

• "Let me add the environment variables"
• "I'll add the credentials to your .env"
• "Adding the Sentry auth token"

SAY INSTEAD:

• "I'll add placeholder environment variables for you to fill in"
• "Adding placeholder values—you'll replace these with your actual credentials"
• "I'll set up the env var keys with placeholder values"

Search for existing .env files in the project using glob **/.env. Always ask the user which file to use—do not infer from context or guess based on open files.

Present the discovered options:

• [path to discovered .env file]: Add to existing file (list each discovered path)
• Create new at root: Create .env in project root

Wait for the user's explicit selection. Do not proceed until they choose. Record the env file path for use in Steps 5 (validation) and 6 (running).

Add these placeholder values to the chosen file:

SENTRY_ORG_SLUG=your-org-slug
SENTRY_AUTH_TOKEN=your-token-here

After adding the placeholders, tell the user how to get their real values from Sentry:

1. Sentry org slug: In Sentry, go to Settings → Organization Settings → Organization Slug. This is also your subdomain (e.g., myorg in https://myorg.sentry.io)
2. Sentry auth token: Create an Internal Integration in Sentry:
   • In Sentry, go to Settings → Developer Settings → Custom Integrations
   • Click Create New Integration → Choose Internal Integration
   • Set permissions:
     • Organization: Read — required
     • Project: Read — required
     • Project: Write — required only if using auto_create_projects
   • Save, then click Create New Token and copy it

Ensure the chosen .env file is in .gitignore.

Wait for user to set credentials

After explaining how to get the values, ask the user to confirm when they've updated the .env file:

• Yes, credentials are set: Proceed to validate and run the collector
• Not yet: I'll wait while you update the .env file

If user selects "Not yet", wait and ask again. Do not proceed to Step 6 until credentials are confirmed.

Validate config

Once credentials are set, validate the configuration using the appropriate method based on the installation choice from Step 2.

Use the config file path from Step 1 (either the existing config you modified or the new collector-config.yaml).

Binary validation

Use the collector path recorded in Step 2 (either otelcol-contrib if on PATH, or ./otelcol-contrib if local).

Load environment variables first, then run validation:

set -a && source "<env_file>" && set +a && "<collector_path>" validate --config "<config_file>"

Docker validation

Note: Docker volume mounts require absolute paths. If <config_file> or <env_file> are relative paths, prefix them with $(pwd)/. If they're already absolute paths, use them directly.

docker run --rm \
  -v "<absolute_config_path>":/etc/otelcol-contrib/config.yaml \
  --env-file "<env_file>" \
  otel/opentelemetry-collector-contrib:<numeric_version> \
  validate --config /etc/otelcol-contrib/config.yaml

Use the .env file path chosen in Step 5.

If validation fails:

1. Review the error message carefully
2. Fix the issues in the config file
3. Run validation again
4. Repeat until validation passes

Once validation passes, ask the user if they're ready to run the collector:

• Yes, run it now: Proceed to Step 6 and start the collector
• Not yet: Wait. The user may want to review the config or prepare their environment first.

Wait for the user's confirmation before proceeding to Step 6.

Step 6: Run the Collector

Only reach this step after the user confirms they're ready to run the collector.

Give the user the run command but do not execute it automatically. The user will run it themselves.

Provide the appropriate command based on the installation method chosen in Step 2.

Use the actual paths chosen earlier:

• Config file: From Step 1 (existing config or new collector-config.yaml)
• Env file: From Step 5 (the .env file the user selected)
• Collector path: From Step 2 (either otelcol-contrib if on PATH, or ./otelcol-contrib if local)

Binary

Load environment variables first, then run the collector:

set -a && source "<env_file>" && set +a && "<collector_path>" --config "<config_file>"

Docker

Note: Docker volume mounts require absolute paths. If <config_file> or <env_file> are relative paths, prefix them with $(pwd)/. If they're already absolute paths, use them directly.

If re-running: Stop and remove any existing container first:

docker stop otel-collector 2>/dev/null; docker rm otel-collector 2>/dev/null

docker run -d \
  --name otel-collector \
  -p 4317:4317 \
  -p 4318:4318 \
  -p 13133:13133 \
  -v "<absolute_config_path>":/etc/otelcol-contrib/config.yaml \
  --env-file "<env_file>" \
  otel/opentelemetry-collector-contrib:<numeric_version>

Use the same numeric version (without v prefix) that was pulled in Step 2.

After providing the command, tell the user to run it when they're ready, then proceed to Step 7 for verification.

Step 7: Verify Setup

1. Check collector logs for successful startup (no errors about invalid config or failed connections)
2. Look for log messages indicating connection to Sentry
3. Send test telemetry from an instrumented service and verify it appears in Sentry

Success criteria:

• Collector starts without errors
• Traces and/or logs appear in Sentry within 60 seconds of sending

If using Docker, check logs with docker logs otel-collector.

Troubleshooting

Error	Cause	Fix
"failed to create project"	Missing Project:Write permission	Update Internal Integration permissions in Sentry
"no team found"	No teams in org	Create a team in Sentry before enabling auto-create
"invalid auth token"	Wrong token type or expired	Use Internal Integration token, not user auth token
"connection refused" on 4317/4318	Collector not running or port conflict	Check collector logs and ensure ports are available
Validation fails with env var errors	.env file not loaded or placeholders not replaced	Ensure real credentials are in .env and the file is sourced
"container name already in use"	Previous container exists	Run docker stop otel-collector && docker rm otel-collector