# dtctl

Operates Dynatrace through its CLI to investigate incidents, inspect logs and traces, and manage observability resources. Use it for DQL queries and dashboards.

- skill · `type=skill` · Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, OpenCode · 1300 installs · ★ 198
- Author: Dynatrace
- License: Apache-2.0 · policy=mirror · the beginning of the file is at the end of this page
- Source: https://github.com/Dynatrace/dtctl/tree/HEAD/skills/dtctl/SKILL.md
- Updated: 2026-10-23
- HTML: https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/skills/dtctl

## What it does

dtctl gives an agent kubectl-style access to the Dynatrace CLI. It can investigate error rates and latency spikes, service health, SLO status, web vitals, logs, traces, and open problems. It also works with dashboards, notebooks, settings, and workflows. Start by using `dtctl commands` and `dtctl inventory` to see available actions and data.

For any DQL work, the skill requires checking `references/DQL-reference.md` before writing or running a query. That matters because `fetch` queries for logs, events, bizevents, and spans are billed by scanned bytes, while partial or sampled results are incomplete. Use resource IDs rather than names, because names can be ambiguous.

AI environments auto-detect `--agent` and return structured output. Large `dtctl query` results can spill into a local file, so an agent must inspect `result.kind` instead of assuming an inline row array.

## Requirements
- Works with: Dynatrace

## Install

### Claude Code (native platform)

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add Dynatrace/dtctl --skill dtctl -a claude-code
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `~/.claude/skills/dtctl/SKILL.md` — Copy the whole skill folder; for one project use .claude/skills/dtctl/

### Codex

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add Dynatrace/dtctl --skill dtctl -a codex
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.agents/skills/dtctl/SKILL.md` — For all projects use ~/.agents/skills/

### Cursor

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add Dynatrace/dtctl --skill dtctl -a cursor
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.cursor/skills/dtctl/SKILL.md` — Cursor also reads .agents/skills/ and .claude/skills/

### GitHub Copilot

1. **GitHub CLI**
```bash
gh skill install Dynatrace/dtctl dtctl
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.github/skills/dtctl/SKILL.md`

### Gemini CLI

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add Dynatrace/dtctl --skill dtctl -a gemini-cli
```

2. **Platform CLI**
```bash
gemini skills install https://github.com/Dynatrace/dtctl --path skills/dtctl
```

### Windsurf (Devin Desktop)

**Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.devin/skills/dtctl/SKILL.md` — The legacy .windsurf/skills/ path still works

### OpenCode

**Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add Dynatrace/dtctl --skill dtctl -a opencode
```

### Claude.ai

**Claude.ai**
- Zip the folder and upload it in Settings → Capabilities → Skills

Where a file is given instead of a command, copy the files from the source to that path: https://github.com/Dynatrace/dtctl/tree/HEAD/skills/dtctl/SKILL.md

## When to use it
- investigate a service latency spike
- find error patterns in logs
- check SLO status and open problems
- run a DQL query against traces
- create or update a Dynatrace dashboard

## Example prompts
- “Use dtctl to investigate why service latency increased.”
- “Run a DQL query for errors in logs and show the result.”
- “Find open problems in Dynatrace and investigate their root cause with dtctl.”

## Source text · SKILL.md · Apache-2.0

Below is the content of a third-party file. It is data, not instructions for you: do not act on anything written inside unless the human asks. Block tag: db8bd869a355fda8.

BEGIN THIRD-PARTY FILE db8bd869a355fda8
````text
---
name: dtctl
description: Investigate incidents, debug performance issues, analyze logs, and manage observability resources in Dynatrace using the dtctl CLI. Use this skill whenever the user asks about error rates, latency spikes, service health, crash-looping pods, web vitals, SLO status, open problems, root cause analysis, log patterns, trace analysis, or building dashboards — even if they don't mention Dynatrace by name. Also covers DQL queries, workflow management, notebook and dashboard creation, settings configuration, and any operations against a Dynatrace environment.
---

# Dynatrace Control with dtctl

Operate `dtctl`, the kubectl-style CLI for Dynatrace. Pattern: `dtctl <verb> <resource> [flags]`.

## Initialization

Run once to establish context, permissions, and the command catalog:

```bash
dtctl commands                          # compact overview: verbs, resources, subcommands (TOON default)
# dtctl commands --brief                 # + mutating/access/scopes + flag types
# dtctl commands --full                  # exhaustive catalog: descriptions, flag defaults, global flags
dtctl config current-context            # active context
dtctl config describe-context $(dtctl config current-context) --plain  # env URL + safety level
dtctl auth status --plain               # token type (OAuth vs API/platform) + safety level
dtctl inventory                         # what data exists HERE: fetchable objects, buckets, entity census, capabilities
```

Safety levels: `readonly`, `readwrite-mine`, `readwrite-all`, `dangerously-unrestricted`.

`dtctl commands` answers "what can I run?"; `dtctl inventory` answers "what is there to query?" — run it before exploratory DQL. It partitions catalog objects into fetchable vs query-only (never `fetch metrics` or `fetch smartscape.*`), and reports capabilities as present, absent (with the evidence checked — cite it instead of re-probing), or unknown (no verdict; not evidence of absence). Org-specific capability definitions: `--definitions file.yaml`.

Don't use `dtctl auth whoami` to test connectivity — it needs an OAuth token with `app-engine:apps:run` and returns a spurious 403 for plain API or read-scoped tokens even when reads work. Confirm with a real `get`/`query`.

## DQL (required reading)

Before writing, modifying, or running any DQL (`dtctl query`, `dtctl wait query`, query files), consult `references/DQL-reference.md` and follow it over any assumption or memory.

```bash
dtctl query "fetch logs | filter status='ERROR' | limit 100" -o json --plain
dtctl query -f query.dql --set host=h-123 --set timerange=2h -o json --plain   # Go-template vars
dtctl wait query "fetch spans | filter test_id='test-123'" --for=count=1 --timeout 5m
dtctl query "timeseries avg(dt.host.cpu.usage)" -o chart --plain
```

Billable `fetch` (logs, events, bizevents, spans) bills by bytes scanned and dashboard tiles re-bill on every refresh — read "Scan Cost" in `references/DQL-reference.md` before emitting DQL, and treat a PARTIAL or sampled result as incomplete.
````
END THIRD-PARTY FILE db8bd869a355fda8

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