| name | error-tracking |
| description | Add error tracking and performance monitoring to your project services. Use this skill when adding error handling, creating new controllers/routes, instrumenting background jobs, or tracking performance. Supports Sentry, Datadog, and other monitoring solutions. ALL ERRORS MUST BE CAPTURED - no exceptions. |
Error Tracking Integration Skill
Purpose
This skill enforces comprehensive error tracking and performance monitoring across all services. Customize the patterns below for your specific monitoring solution (Sentry, Datadog, New Relic, etc.).
When to Use This Skill
- Adding error handling to any code
- Creating new controllers or routes
- Instrumenting background jobs / cron tasks
- Tracking database or API performance
- Adding performance spans
- Handling async operation errors
CRITICAL RULE
ALL ERRORS MUST BE CAPTURED TO YOUR MONITORING SERVICE - No exceptions. Never use console.error alone.
Integration Patterns
1. Controller/Route Error Handling
Python (FastAPI)
import logging
import sentry_sdk # or your monitoring library
logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
@router.get("/items/{item_id}")
async def get_item(item_id: str):
try:
result = await item_service.get_item(item_id)
return result
except ItemNotFoundError as e:
logger.warning("Item not found", extra={"item_id": item_id})
raise HTTPException(status_code=404, detail=str(e))
except Exception as e:
logger.error("Unexpected error", extra={"item_id": item_id, "error": str(e)}, exc_info=True)
sentry_sdk.capture_exception(e)
raise HTTPException(status_code=500, detail="Internal server error")
TypeScript (Express/Node.js)
import * as Sentry from '@sentry/node';
router.get('/items/:id', async (req, res) => {
try {
const result = await itemService.getItem(req.params.id);
res.json(result);
} catch (error) {
Sentry.captureException(error, {
tags: { route: '/items/:id', method: 'GET' },
extra: { itemId: req.params.id, userId: req.user?.id }
});
res.status(500).json({ error: 'Internal server error' });
}
});
2. Service Layer Error Handling
# Python
class ItemService:
async def create_item(self, data: ItemCreate) -> Item:
try:
item = await self.repository.create(data)
return item
except IntegrityError as e:
logger.warning("Duplicate item", extra={"data": data.model_dump()})
raise DuplicateItemError("Item already exists")
except Exception as e:
logger.error("Failed to create item", extra={"error": str(e)}, exc_info=True)
sentry_sdk.capture_exception(e)
raise
// TypeScript
class ItemService {
async createItem(data: CreateItemDto): Promise<Item> {
try {
return await this.repository.create(data);
} catch (error) {
if (error instanceof DuplicateKeyError) {
logger.warn('Duplicate item', { data });
throw new ConflictError('Item already exists');
}
logger.error('Failed to create item', { error, data });
Sentry.captureException(error);
throw error;
}
}
}
3. Background Jobs / Cron Tasks
#!/usr/bin/env node
// CRITICAL: Import monitoring first!
import './instrument';
import * as Sentry from '@sentry/node';
async function main() {
return await Sentry.startSpan({
name: 'cron.job-name',
op: 'cron',
attributes: {
'cron.job': 'job-name',
'cron.startTime': new Date().toISOString(),
}
}, async () => {
try {
// Your job logic here
await processItems();
} catch (error) {
Sentry.captureException(error, {
tags: {
'cron.job': 'job-name',
'error.type': 'execution_error'
}
});
console.error('[Job] Error:', error);
process.exit(1);
}
});
}
main()
.then(() => {
console.log('[Job] Completed successfully');
process.exit(0);
})
.catch((error) => {
console.error('[Job] Fatal error:', error);
process.exit(1);
});
# Python (Celery)
import sentry_sdk
from celery import Celery
@celery_app.task(bind=True, max_retries=3)
def process_items(self):
try:
# Your task logic here
result = do_processing()
return result
except TransientError as e:
logger.warning("Transient error, retrying", extra={"error": str(e)})
raise self.retry(exc=e, countdown=60)
except Exception as e:
logger.error("Task failed", extra={"error": str(e)}, exc_info=True)
sentry_sdk.capture_exception(e)
raise
4. Performance Monitoring
import * as Sentry from '@sentry/node';
// Wrap slow operations with spans
const result = await Sentry.startSpan({
name: 'database.query',
op: 'db.query',
attributes: {
'db.operation': 'findMany',
'db.table': 'items'
}
}, async () => {
return await prisma.item.findMany({ take: 100 });
});
# Python with Sentry
import sentry_sdk
with sentry_sdk.start_span(op="db.query", description="Find items") as span:
span.set_tag("db.table", "items")
result = await db.items.find_many(limit=100)
Error Levels
Use appropriate severity levels:
| Level | When to Use |
|---|---|
| fatal | System is unusable (database down, critical service failure) |
| error | Operation failed, needs immediate attention |
| warning | Recoverable issues, degraded performance |
| info | Informational messages, successful operations |
| debug | Detailed debugging information (dev only) |
Required Context
Always include relevant context with errors:
import * as Sentry from '@sentry/node';
Sentry.withScope((scope) => {
// User context
scope.setUser({ id: userId, email: userEmail });
// Service/environment tags
scope.setTag('service', 'api');
scope.setTag('environment', process.env.NODE_ENV);
// Operation-specific context
scope.setContext('operation', {
type: 'item.create',
itemId: itemId,
timestamp: new Date().toISOString()
});
Sentry.captureException(error);
});
import sentry_sdk
with sentry_sdk.push_scope() as scope:
scope.set_user({"id": user_id, "email": user_email})
scope.set_tag("service", "api")
scope.set_context("operation", {
"type": "item.create",
"item_id": item_id,
})
sentry_sdk.capture_exception(error)
Configuration Templates
Sentry (Node.js)
// instrument.ts - Import this FIRST in your app
import * as Sentry from '@sentry/node';
import { nodeProfilingIntegration } from '@sentry/profiling-node';
Sentry.init({
dsn: process.env.SENTRY_DSN,
environment: process.env.NODE_ENV || 'development',
integrations: [
nodeProfilingIntegration(),
],
tracesSampleRate: process.env.NODE_ENV === 'production' ? 0.1 : 1.0,
profilesSampleRate: 0.1,
});
Sentry (Python)
# instrument.py - Import this FIRST in your app
import sentry_sdk
from sentry_sdk.integrations.fastapi import FastApiIntegration
from sentry_sdk.integrations.celery import CeleryIntegration
sentry_sdk.init(
dsn=os.environ.get("SENTRY_DSN"),
environment=os.environ.get("ENVIRONMENT", "development"),
integrations=[
FastApiIntegration(),
CeleryIntegration(),
],
traces_sample_rate=0.1 if os.environ.get("ENVIRONMENT") == "production" else 1.0,
)
Environment Variables
# .env
SENTRY_DSN=https://your-dsn@sentry.io/project
ENVIRONMENT=development
Common Mistakes to Avoid
| Don't | Do Instead |
|---|---|
console.error(error) only |
logger.error() + captureException() |
| Swallow errors silently | Always log + capture |
| Expose internal errors to clients | Return generic error messages |
| Generic error messages without context | Add meaningful context to all errors |
| Skip error handling in async operations | Always wrap async with try-catch |
| Forget to import instrument first | Import monitoring setup as first import |
Implementation Checklist
When adding error tracking to new code:
- Imported monitoring library or helper
- All try/catch blocks capture to monitoring service
- Added meaningful context to errors
- Used appropriate error level (fatal/error/warning/info)
- No sensitive data in error messages
- Added performance tracking for slow operations
- Tested error handling paths
- For cron jobs: instrument file imported first
Customization Notes
Replace these for your project:
- Monitoring Service: Replace
Sentrywith your solution (Datadog, New Relic, etc.) - Import Statements: Update import paths for your project structure
- Environment Variables: Match your configuration pattern
- Service Names: Use your actual service names in tags
- Framework Integrations: Add integrations for your frameworks
Related Skills
- backend-dev-guidelines - General backend patterns
- frontend-dev-guidelines - Frontend error boundaries
- skill-developer - Creating monitoring-specific skills