cx-dashboards
Build and deploy a Coralogix dashboard for a given service from its logs, spans, metrics, and service specs. Discovers telemetry via cx CLI commands, emits importable Coralogix JSON, verifies every PromQL and DataPrime query live through the `cx` CLI, and creates or updates dashboards via `cx dashbo
By coralogix · 2,105 installs
npx skills add coralogix/cx-cli --skill cx-dashboards
Source repository · Upstream listing
Create Coralogix Dashboard
Produces a Coralogix dashboard for a target service and deploys it via the cx CLI. Workflow: discover the service's telemetry, align on intent with the user, draft a plan, emit the JSON, live verify every query through cx , then create the dashboard in a chosen folder.
Only use metric names, log fields, and span attributes you can cite from the service's code, README, configuration, or a live query that returned a result. Do not invent them.
Reference files
Load these files for domain specific guidance:
Task Reference
DataPrime query syntax [ references/dataprime reference.md ](references/dataprime reference.md)
PromQL query syntax, counters vs gauges, histograms [ references/promql guidelines.md ](references/promql guidelines.md)
Log field discovery, query patterns, wildfind policy [ references/logs querying.md ](references/logs querying.md)
Span field discovery, latency analysis, trace queries [ references/spans querying.md ](references/spans querying.md)
Dashboard specific query gotchas ( ${ range} , promqlQueryType ) [ references/query syntax.md ](references/query syntax.md)
Widget JSON templates [ references/widget templates.md ](references/widget templates.md)
For choosing the right signal (metrics / logs / traces), use cx telemetry querying .
Dashboard Management
Beyond creating dashboards, use these commands to manage existing ones:
Command Purpose
cx dashboards catalog o json List all dashboards in the catalog
cx dashboards get <id o json Get a dashboard definition (useful as a template)
cx dashboards folders list o json List dashboard folders
cx dashboards folders create name "Name" Create a dashboard folder
cx dashboards folders create name "Sub" parent id <id Create a nested folder
cx dashboards replace from file dashboard.json Replace an existing dashboard with updated JSON
cx dashboards check from file dashboard.json Validate a dashboard definition without persisting (server side strict check; exits non zero on errors)
cx dashboards check <dashboard id Validate a stored dashboard by id
To update an existing dashboard:
To duplicate a dashboard as a new copy:
Workflow
Track progress through this checklist:
Proceed in order. Don't jump to Phase 4 before the user approves the Phase 3 plan, and don't run Phase 8 before Phases 5–7 all pass. Phase 9 is mandatory — the workflow is not done until the user has a clickable link.
Phase 1: Discover telemetry & business meaning
For the target service, gather:
1. Business purpose read README.md and the top level entrypoint ( main. , index. , cmd/main.go , etc.). Summarize in 2–3 sentences what it does, its key stages, and what can go wrong.
2. Metrics for each candidate keyword (service name, subsystem, verbs like request , error , latency , dlq ) run cx metrics search name ' <keyword ' . When a metric looks promising, list its labels with cx metrics get labels <metric . Only use names cx metrics search returns this is what prevents invented metrics from reaching Phase 5. Cross check the service's instrumentation ( prometheus client , promauto.NewCounter/Histogram/Gauge , OTel meters, prom client , Micrometer, metrics.py ) for semantics and histogram buckets ( sum , count , bucket ).
3. Logs discover custom $d. fields with cx search fields "<description " dataset logs before assuming a field exists. Sample message templates and severity with cx logs "filter \$l.applicationname == '<app '" limit 5 o json . Standard fields ( $m.severity , $m.timestamp , $l.applicationname , $l.subsystemname ) don't need discovery.
4. Spans / traces discover span attributes with cx search fields "<description " dataset spans . Sample with cx spans "filter \$l.serviceName == '<svc '" limit 5 o json . Error conventions vary ( $d.tags.error , $d.http.status code ); check samples before filtering.
5. Message buses & DLQs grep for Kafka, RabbitMQ, SQS, Pub/Sub clients and any dlq / DLQ references. Note topic/queue names for DLQ panels.
6. Service configuration check meta.yaml , Helm values.yaml , Deployment , Dockerfile , chart.yaml . Extract:
The applicationname / subsystemname label values as they appear in Coralogix.
Tenant/account/team identifiers used as metric or log labels.
Deployment environments ( prod , staging , dev , …).
If the signal for a question is ambiguous (e.g. "how much revenue last week"), delegate to cx telemetry querying first.
Produce a short internal summary before moving on. If critical telemetry is missing (e.g. no metrics), surface that to the user and ask whether they want a log only or trace only dashboard.
Phase 2: Gather dashboard specifications
Ask the user a focused set (≤6). Prefer AskQuestion :
1. Audience & use on call triage, product/business tracking, capacity planning, customer success?
2. Default time range typical viewing window (e.g. 24h, 7d). Queries still use ${ range} so users can zoom.
3. Slicing dimensions top level filters ( tenant id , account id , subsystem name , region , env , …).
4. Environment scope which environments to include/exclude (common default: exclude dev , staging , test ).
5. SLO ish signals success rate, latency, or throughput targets to highlight?
6. Priorities what to see first (drives row ordering and which section is collapsed: true ).
Don't block on answers you can reasonably infer state the inference and continue.
Phase 3: Draft the internal plan
Write a markdown plan the user can approve before JSON generation:
Section design :
First section: at a glance health (gauges + key rates), always expanded.
Pair related time series in the same row (rate + latency).
Final section (raw logs, rare breakdowns): collapsed: true .
Aim for 3–5 sections, 6–20 widgets total.
Widget type selection :
Signal Widget type
Single headline number (count, % success, totals) gauge (Coralogix calls this "stat")
Breakdown across ≤8 categories pieChart
Change over time (rate, latency, count per bucket) lineChart
Top N tables, last errors, per entity listings dataTable
Don't use other widget types unless the user asks.
Wait for the user to approve or adjust the plan before emitting JSON.
Phase 4: Generate the Coralogix JSON
Produce a single JSON document following [ references/widget templates.md ](references/widget templates.md). Key rules:
1. Top level shape :
2. IDs fresh UUIDs for every section , row , widget , and query id .
3. Row height "appearance": { "height": 19 } unless there's a reason to change.
4. Section options include options.custom.name , collapsed , and color.predefined: "SECTION PREDEFINED COLOR UNSPECIFIED" .
5. Filters one entry per slicing dimension from Phase 2. Default operator equals with empty values so users can fill in. Use notEquals for environment exclusions (see [ references/widget templates.md ](references/widget templates.md)).
6. relativeTimeFrame default "172800s" (48h) unless the user specified otherwise.
For query syntax follow [ references/query syntax.md ](references/query syntax.md); for the full query languages load [ references/dataprime reference.md ](references/dataprime reference.md) and [ references/promql guidelines.md ](references/promql guidelines.md).
Phase 5: Live verify every query through the cx CLI
Every PromQL and DataPrime query in the draft has to successfully run through cx before Phase 8. This catches invented metric names, typoed field paths, and malformed pipelines.
Frequent vs Archive (what / when / where in JSON)
What :
Frequent ( TIER FREQUENT SEARCH ): hot tier for fast search on recent logs/spans.
Archive ( TIER ARCHIVE ): cold tier for older logs/spans (long term).
When to choose :
Choose Frequent for on call and recent investigations (hours/days).
Choose Archive for long lookbacks (weeks/months) or when the time range is beyond hot retention.
The two languages are verified against different windows:
PromQL : map relativeTimeFrame to a $RANGE token (e.g. 48h for 172800s ), substitute ${ range} with [$RANGE] for the CLI call, then restore ${ range} in the JSON before Phase 6. Range vectors are window sensitive, so the check has to match what the dashboard will evaluate.
DataPrime : verify against a fixed short window ( now 15m → now , limit 1 ). The goal is syntax / field / pipeline validation, not data presence on the dashboard's window — a short window is faster and a cleaner fail signal.
Full procedure (CLI invocations, $RANGE mapping table, retry budget, failure modes): [ references/verification.md ](references/verification.md).
If a query can't be made to pass within the retry budget, surface it to the user with the CLI error verbatim don't ship a broken widget.
Phase 6: Self verify structure
Run this checklist against the final JSON. Fix and re check if any item fails before Phase 7.
Query syntax (dashboard specific)
[ ] Every PromQL range vector in a metrics widget uses [${ range}] never [$ range] , never [5m] (unless the panel is intentionally a sliding window).
[ ] promqlQueryType is PROM QL QUERY TYPE INSTANT for single value widgets (gauge, pieChart, dataTable). Omitted for lineChart .
[ ] DataPrime log queries use $d.message / $l.applicationname / unquoted severity enums (full rules: [ references/dataprime reference.md ](references/dataprime reference.md)).
[ ] Every DataPrime widget query starts with source logs or source spans (dashboard widgets require the source prefix; Phase 5 verification strips it before handing the pipeline to cx logs / cx spans ).
[ ] Success rate denominators wrapped in clamp min(..., 1) .
[ ] Histogram queries use the correct suffix ( sum , count , bucket ).
[ ] Widget queries are valid without the dashboard level filters Coralogix injects them at render time.
Structure
[ ] Each section has id.value , rows , and options.custom .
[ ] Each row has id.value , appearance.height , and widgets .
[ ] Each widget has a unique id.value and a definition with exactly one of gauge / pieChart / lineChart / dataTable .
[ ] Every gauge has numeric min and max , and min < max .
[ ] Success rate gauges use thresholdType: "THRESHOLD TYPE ABSOLUTE" with green at high values; error/DLQ gauges use red at high values.
[ ] "Total" / "stat" widgets are encoded as gauge , not as a stat type.
[ ] Top level filters includes each slicing dimension from Phase 2.
[ ] All IDs are freshly generated UUIDs, unique within the document.
Content
[ ] Dashboard name is descriptive ( "<Service <Purpose " ).
[ ] Widget titles are short, human readable, and match what the query computes.
[ ] The logs/errors section is collapsed: true unless the user said otherwise.
Phase 7: Server side validation via cx dashboards check
Phase 6 caught structural issues by hand. This phase runs the whole dashboard through the Coralogix Dashboard Service's strict validator ( CheckDashboard ) — the same validation create / replace apply on write, plus a superset that compiles every PromQL/DataPrime query and enforces required ids for variables and filters.
1. Run cx dashboards check from file /tmp/cx dashboard <slug .json .
2. If the command exits non zero, the output lists issues with severity , location (an RFC 6901 JSON Pointer into the dashboard, e.g. /sections/0/rows/1/widgets/2 ), and message . Fix each issue in the JSON (loop back to Phase 4), re run Phase 5 for any query that changed, then re run this phase.
3. When check exits 0 (text output: Dashboard is valid (no issues) ), proceed to Phase 8.
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