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Telemetry

The LangChain SDK uses LangChain middleware events and the shared OpenBox OpenTelemetry layer to attach operational evidence to governed runs. This lets OpenBox show model calls, tool calls, HTTP calls, data access, file operations, and traced functions alongside governance decisions.

Capture Surfaces​

LangChain Middleware​

The SDK captures:

  • agent run start and completion
  • user prompt signal
  • model call start and completion
  • tool call start and completion
  • tool classification through tool_type_map

HTTP​

The shared telemetry layer captures outbound HTTP operations when instrumentation is active. This is the primary path for model provider traffic and external API calls made during tools.

Databases​

Pass a SQLAlchemy engine to sqlalchemy_engine to enable database operation governance for queries executed through that engine.

from sqlalchemy import create_engine

middleware = create_openbox_langchain_middleware(
    api_url=os.environ["OPENBOX_URL"],
    api_key=os.environ["OPENBOX_API_KEY"],
    agent_did=os.environ["OPENBOX_AGENT_DID"],
    agent_private_key=os.environ["OPENBOX_AGENT_PRIVATE_KEY"],
    sqlalchemy_engine=create_engine(os.environ["DATABASE_URL"]),
)

File I/O​

File telemetry is captured by the shared hook layer when available in the runtime. Enable or rely on it only when you have a concrete file-governance requirement.

Custom Functions​

For work that does not naturally appear as a model call or tool boundary, use traced() to create a span that OpenBox can attach to the surrounding execution.

from openbox_langchain import traced

@traced
def enrich_customer_context(customer_id: str) -> dict:
    return {"customer_id": customer_id}

Where Telemetry Appears​

Telemetry is attached to the surrounding model call, tool call, or workflow context.

That means:

  • tool-related telemetry is usually attached to the tool call
  • model provider HTTP telemetry is usually associated with the model call path
  • internal telemetry does not create a new business event row by itself

Why Tool Health Can Be Empty​

Tool health is only meaningful for agents that actually execute tools. If an agent only performs model generation, you should not expect tool health metrics for that run.

Why Model Usage Can Be Empty​

Model and token usage depend on metadata returned by the underlying LangChain model/provider integration. If the provider does not expose usage metadata, the OpenBox run can still show model events without token totals.

SettingRecommended value
Model and tool middleware eventsEnabled
HTTP captureEnabled
SQLAlchemy instrumentationPass an engine when database governance matters
File I/O instrumentationUse only when needed
Traced functionsUse selectively for meaningful custom operations

Privacy And Noise Control​

Use these levers when telemetry is too noisy or too sensitive:

  • avoid tracing helper functions that do not matter to operators
  • classify only policy-relevant tools with tool_type_map
  • use skip_tool_types for low-value internal tool names
  • avoid enabling database or file capture unless operators need that evidence

Next Steps​