Connect OpenTelemetry, Langfuse, or LangSmith when your traces already carry the context Flowlines needs.
Book a setup meeting →Documentation
Connect Flowlines to production telemetry.
Application-agent traces can connect through OpenTelemetry, Langfuse, or LangSmith. MCP servers use a separate skill-guided instrumentation path.
Selected path
Point your exporter at Flowlines.
Use OTLP/JSON or protobuf and pass the namespace key in x-flowlines-api-key.
OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_TRACES_ENDPOINT=https://api.flowlines.ai/v1/tracesSelected path
Connect one project or add a second exporter.
Keep Langfuse as your trace store. Flowlines adds cross-session analysis.
Mode: read-only polling or OpenTelemetry pushSelected path
Read one project or mirror its runs.
Threads and runs become the production sessions Flowlines analyzes.
Mode: read-only polling or OpenTelemetry exportSelected path
Instrument the server tool boundary.
Review the data boundary, add compatible OpenTelemetry instrumentation, then verify one complete journey.
Use Flowlines MCP Observability to instrument this MCP server.01 / Choose a path
Connect what you already collect. Instrument what is missing.
Use the Flowlines skill when the server does not yet emit compatible MCP telemetry.
Open MCP setup ↓02 / Existing traces
Keep the tracing stack already running in production.
Connect Langfuse or LangSmith read-only, send standard OpenTelemetry, mirror a provider through OpenTelemetry, or import one public LangSmith trace share.
Flowlines analyzes behavior across sessions. Your existing provider can remain the place where engineers debug individual runs.
03 / OpenTelemetry
Send traces to the standard OTLP endpoint.
# OpenTelemetry exporter variables
OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_TRACES_ENDPOINT=https://api.flowlines.ai/v1/traces
OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_HEADERS="x-flowlines-api-key=<your-api-key>"
OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_PROTOCOL=http/jsonFlowlines accepts OTLP/JSON or protobuf, including gzipped payloads. Preserve stable session and user identifiers so cross-session analysis can group production behavior correctly.
04 / Instrument MCP
Add OpenTelemetry-compatible instrumentation at the server.
The Flowlines skill inspects the server and its existing telemetry, helps define the approved data boundary, makes the scoped change, and verifies a representative journey.
Review the framework, execution boundary, and current telemetry.
Choose the content and identity policy for telemetry export.
Add the smallest compatible OpenTelemetry-based change.
Run one journey and confirm the server, tools, and outcome appear correctly.
Read the public OpenTelemetry instrumentation guide for architecture, privacy, error handling, and acceptance testing.
05 / Verify data
Confirm one complete session before reading trends.
- Run a representative agent or MCP journey.
- Find the session by permitted identity, use case, server, or time.
- Confirm the server, tool sequence, status, data policy, and outcome are represented accurately.
- For MCP, verify that missing relationships and outcomes remain visibly unknown.
06 / Read an issue
Move from a recurring pattern to the original sessions.
The Issues view separates behavioral failures from reliability errors, groups related behavior, and shows the affected users, use cases, releases, and sessions.
Pattern→Impact→Sessions
07 / MCP journeys
Follow the path from use case to outcome.
See who uses each MCP server, what they are trying to accomplish, typical tool paths, repeated-call loops, failed sessions, outcome coverage, and the original evidence.
Explore MCP observability →Read the production monitoring framework or build an MCP analytics scorecard.
Common setup questions
Do I need a Flowlines application SDK?+
Not when your existing application-agent traces already contain enough session, user, call, and outcome context. Connect OpenTelemetry, Langfuse, or LangSmith instead.
Does MCP observability require instrumentation?+
Yes. The MCP server needs compatible telemetry. The Flowlines skill can add OpenTelemetry-based instrumentation after you review the export boundary.
Does installing the plugin change every project?+
No. You choose the MCP server repository. The skill inspects it, proposes the change, and waits for approval before editing code.
Can I keep my current trace provider?+
Yes. Flowlines works as the cross-session behavioral analysis layer while your current provider continues to store and debug individual traces.
MCP server setup
Connect your assistant. Instrument your MCP.
Choose the MCP instrumentation prompt in the widget. Your assistant guides setup in your server repository.
Your own server. Your own data.
Start where you already work.
one connection, then your use case
Inspect the framework and existing telemetry.
Approve which content and identities may be exported.
Apply OpenTelemetry-compatible instrumentation.
Run one tool flow and check its calls and outcome.