Feature
OpenTelemetry request tracing in the SDKs. Two announcements complete SDK tracing parity so a module developer can trace gRPC RPCs end-to-end across service boundaries:
- Python SDK Tracing (announced 2026-06-25). Opt-in, zero-overhead by default: install the extra
pip install "viam-sdk[tracing]" and enable tracing in the module config. Brings Python in line with Go and C++.
- C++ Tracing (announced 2026-06-02). The C++ SDK generates a child span per component/service method under the RPC span when tracing is enabled.
(Go and C++ span creation already existed; this issue closes the developer-facing SDK enablement gap for Python and the C++-specific behavior.)
Current docs coverage
Partial. The server-side OpenTelemetry story is documented generically (docs/data/overview.md, docs/cli/manage-your-fleet.md, docs/monitor/troubleshoot.md) as "your SDK code, viam-server, and modules." Missing:
- The Python
viam-sdk[tracing] install extra and how to enable it (no hits anywhere; docs/build-apps/setup/python.md documents only the [mlmodel] extra).
- Any per-SDK / C++-specific note (child-span-per-method).
Verified state / source PRs
viamrobotics/viam-python-sdk#1223 — "RSDK-14017: Python tracing" (merged)viamrobotics/viam-cpp-sdk#638 — "RSDK-13855: Span creation" (merged)
Proposed docs work
- Type (Diátaxis): how-to — enable tracing per SDK and see the spans.
- Placement: extend the existing tracing coverage rather than spawn a thin new page. Add per-SDK enablement (Python
[tracing] extra + config; note Go/C++ behavior) where OpenTelemetry tracing is already described (docs/data/overview.md / docs/monitor/troubleshoot.md). Additive; consolidate Python + C++ in one edit to avoid two agents touching the same tracing files.
- Draft learning objectives — users will be able to:
- [Apply] Enable OpenTelemetry tracing in a Python module by installing the
viam-sdk[tracing] extra and turning it on in config, so RPC latency is visible end-to-end.
- [Understand] Explain that each component/service method emits a child span of the RPC span (Go, Python, C++).
- [Diagnose] Use the resulting traces to pinpoint latency or failures across service boundaries.
Target PR: additive edits to the tracing docs (Python + C++ together).
Feature
OpenTelemetry request tracing in the SDKs. Two announcements complete SDK tracing parity so a module developer can trace gRPC RPCs end-to-end across service boundaries:
pip install "viam-sdk[tracing]"and enable tracing in the module config. Brings Python in line with Go and C++.(Go and C++ span creation already existed; this issue closes the developer-facing SDK enablement gap for Python and the C++-specific behavior.)
Current docs coverage
Partial. The server-side OpenTelemetry story is documented generically (
docs/data/overview.md,docs/cli/manage-your-fleet.md,docs/monitor/troubleshoot.md) as "your SDK code, viam-server, and modules." Missing:viam-sdk[tracing]install extra and how to enable it (no hits anywhere;docs/build-apps/setup/python.mddocuments only the[mlmodel]extra).Verified state / source PRs
viamrobotics/viam-python-sdk#1223— "RSDK-14017: Python tracing" (merged)viamrobotics/viam-cpp-sdk#638— "RSDK-13855: Span creation" (merged)Proposed docs work
[tracing]extra + config; note Go/C++ behavior) where OpenTelemetry tracing is already described (docs/data/overview.md/docs/monitor/troubleshoot.md). Additive; consolidate Python + C++ in one edit to avoid two agents touching the same tracing files.viam-sdk[tracing]extra and turning it on in config, so RPC latency is visible end-to-end.Target PR: additive edits to the tracing docs (Python + C++ together).