Send OpenTelemetry data to nOps

Overview

nOps accepts telemetry from your own software using OpenTelemetry (OTel), the open standard most AI gateways, coding agents, and application frameworks already support. Traces, logs, and metrics all work. This is push, not pull. nOps can’t fetch this data from your cloud account, because it only exists inside your running software. You configure your software once with the nOps address and an API key. After that it sends data every few seconds on its own until you remove the setting or revoke the key. Every record nOps receives is tagged with your organization automatically, based on the API key. You don’t add an ID yourself, and anything you send that tries to set one is overwritten.

You need nOps administrator access to create API keys, and the Inform + Operate plan, the same plan that includes the Public API.

What you need

You need	Value
Endpoint	`https://api.nops.io/otel`
Protocol	`http/protobuf`
Auth header	`Authorization: Bearer <your nOps API key>`
Key permission	`telemetry:write`

Only http/protobuf is supported. http/json and grpc are rejected. If your software can only send gRPC or can’t set a custom header, use the OpenTelemetry Collector option below.

Step 1: Create an API key

Sign in to nOps as an administrator.
Open Settings → Security → API Keys.
Create a key and name it after the sender, for example ai-gateway-prod or claude-code-engineering.
Give it only the telemetry:write permission.
Copy the key. nOps shows it once.

Create one key per sender. If a key leaks, you can revoke it without cutting off your other senders, and nOps can tell which sender each record came from. A telemetry-only key can do nothing except send data, so the damage from a leak is limited.

Step 2: Point your software at nOps

Pick the option that matches what you’re sending from.

Any OpenTelemetry SDK or tool

Every official OTel SDK reads the same standard environment variables:

OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_ENDPOINT=https://api.nops.io/otel
OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_PROTOCOL=http/protobuf
OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_HEADERS=Authorization=Bearer%20<your-key>
OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_COMPRESSION=gzip
OTEL_SERVICE_NAME=<name-for-this-service>

Set the endpoint without /v1/traces, /v1/logs, or /v1/metrics. The SDK adds the right path for each signal.
The %20 in the header stands for the space after Bearer. The OTel specification requires header values in this variable to be URL-encoded, and some SDKs reject a literal space.
OTEL_SERVICE_NAME is how you’ll tell your services apart in the data.

Claude Code

Claude Code can export usage, cost, and session events over OpenTelemetry. Administrators can turn it on for everyone through Claude Code’s managed settings file, in its env block:

{
  "env": {
    "CLAUDE_CODE_ENABLE_TELEMETRY": "1",
    "OTEL_METRICS_EXPORTER": "otlp",
    "OTEL_LOGS_EXPORTER": "otlp",
    "OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_PROTOCOL": "http/protobuf",
    "OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_ENDPOINT": "https://api.nops.io/otel",
    "OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_HEADERS": "Authorization=Bearer%20<your-key>"
  }
}

Individual developers can instead set the same values in their shell or in ~/.claude/settings.json. Claude Code ignores these settings when they come from a repository’s .claude/settings.json.

By default Claude Code does not include prompt text in telemetry. Leave OTEL_LOG_USER_PROMPTS and similar content settings off unless you intentionally want prompts and responses sent to nOps.

AI gateways

Most AI gateways, including LiteLLM, Portkey, and Kong, have an OpenTelemetry option in their config file or admin page. It asks for the same three things: an endpoint, a protocol, and an authorization header. Use the values from What you need. The exact field names differ by gateway, so check your gateway’s documentation for its OTel or OTLP settings.

Use an OpenTelemetry Collector

Use a Collector when your software only speaks gRPC, can’t set custom headers, or already sends to a Collector. Run the standard OpenTelemetry Collector next to your software. It accepts telemetry on its normal ports and forwards it to nOps:

receivers:
  otlp:
    protocols:
      grpc: { endpoint: 0.0.0.0:4317 }
      http: { endpoint: 0.0.0.0:4318 }

processors:
  batch: {}

exporters:
  otlphttp/nops:
    endpoint: https://api.nops.io/otel
    compression: gzip
    headers:
      Authorization: "Bearer ${env:NOPS_TELEMETRY_KEY}"

service:
  pipelines:
    traces:  { receivers: [otlp], processors: [batch], exporters: [otlphttp/nops] }
    metrics: { receivers: [otlp], processors: [batch], exporters: [otlphttp/nops] }
    logs:    { receivers: [otlp], processors: [batch], exporters: [otlphttp/nops] }

Already sending to another tool such as Datadog or Grafana? Keep your existing exporter and add otlphttp/nops beside it in each pipeline. The Collector sends to both.

Step 3: Check that it works

Send a few test traces with telemetrygen, part of the OpenTelemetry Collector contrib project:

telemetrygen traces --traces 5 --otlp-http \
  --otlp-endpoint api.nops.io:443 \
  --otlp-http-url-path /otel/v1/traces \
  --otlp-header 'Authorization="Bearer <your-key>"'

A successful request returns HTTP 200. If you’d rather test with your real software, run it briefly and watch its logs for export errors.

Limits

Limit	Value
Request size	4 MB per request. Use gzip and keep batches modest
Rate	Requests are limited per organization. OTel exporters retry automatically when they hit the limit
Format	Protobuf only

Troubleshooting

Symptom	Likely cause
`401`	The key is wrong, revoked, or the header is malformed. If `Bearer%20<key>` fails in your tool, try a literal space instead
`403`	The key is missing the `telemetry:write` permission, or your organization isn’t on the Inform + Operate plan
`404`	The endpoint includes `/v1/traces` twice, or points at the wrong host. The base should be `https://api.nops.io/otel`
`413`	A request is too large. Lower your exporter’s batch size
`415`	Your software is sending JSON. Set the protocol to `http/protobuf`
`429`	You’re sending faster than your limit allows. Exporters retry on their own, so brief bursts are fine. If it persists, contact support
`503`	nOps is temporarily unable to accept data. Exporters retry automatically
No requests at all	Your software is using gRPC (port 4317). Switch to `http/protobuf`, or use a Collector
`200` but no data	The exporter for that signal is turned off, for example `OTEL_TRACES_EXPORTER=none`, or your software doesn’t emit that signal

FAQs

Can I send to nOps and another tool at the same time?

Yes. Use an OpenTelemetry Collector with more than one exporter, as shown above.

Can I set my own organization ID in the data?

No. nOps assigns your organization from the API key and removes any attribute you send whose name starts with nops_ or nops.. Other attributes pass through unchanged.

What happens if I revoke a key?

Sending stops within a couple of minutes. Data already received stays in your organization’s records.

Should I send prompt or response text?

Only if you need it. AI gateway and agent traces can include the full text of prompts and responses. Check your exporter’s settings and remove sensitive content you don’t want stored.

Does it work with the development environment?

If you’ve been given access to a nOps test environment, use the endpoint you were given in place of https://api.nops.io/otel, together with a key created in that environment.

Getting Started

Cloud provider integrations

Platform

Clara

Inform

AI

Operate

Optimize

Third-Party Integrations

Telemetry

Plugins

Portfolio Portal

Support

Overview

What you need

Step 1: Create an API key

Step 2: Point your software at nOps

Any OpenTelemetry SDK or tool

Claude Code

AI gateways

Use an OpenTelemetry Collector

Step 3: Check that it works

Limits

Troubleshooting

FAQs

​Overview

​What you need

​Step 1: Create an API key

​Step 2: Point your software at nOps

​Any OpenTelemetry SDK or tool

​Claude Code

​AI gateways

​Use an OpenTelemetry Collector

​Step 3: Check that it works

​Limits

​Troubleshooting

​FAQs

​Related

Overview

What you need

Step 1: Create an API key

Step 2: Point your software at nOps

Any OpenTelemetry SDK or tool

Claude Code

AI gateways

Use an OpenTelemetry Collector

Step 3: Check that it works

Limits

Troubleshooting

FAQs

Related