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Dashboarding

Grafana LabsOfficialPublished by Grafana Labs

  • Skill
  • Tool integration
  • Cloud and DevOps
  • Apache-2.0
  • No issues found

From the author

Build, modify, and ship Grafana dashboards as JSON via the HTTP API — panel types (timeseries / stat / gauge / table / heatmap / logs / traces / node-graph), `gridPos` 24-column layout, units, thresholds, template + datasource + chained variables, transformations (`organize` / `calculateField` / `filterByValue`), panel + dashboard links with `${__field.labels.x}` / `${__from}`, and Loki/Prometheus annotations. Use when scripting dashboard creation, writing the dashboard JSON for a new service, adding a `$job` dropdown variable, computing an "Error %" column with a transformation, overlaying deploys as annotations, or pushing a dashboard via `POST /api/dashboards/db` — even when the user says "create a dashboard for this metric", "add a service dropdown", "show errors as percentage", "overlay our deploys", or "export the dashboard JSON" without naming the API or schema. After every API push, verify with the returned `version` plus a GET on the dashboard UID.
— the description by Grafana Labs

AutoGineer summary

Written by AutoGineer from the skill’s own files, not by the author

This skill provides a structured approach to managing Grafana dashboards as code. By interacting with the Grafana HTTP API, users can automate the creation, modification, and deployment of dashboards. It covers the full lifecycle of dashboard management, including defining panel layouts, configuring data sources, setting up template variables, and applying data transformations. The skill emphasizes a workflow where dashboard configurations are maintained as JSON, pushed to the server, and verified through API responses to ensure consistency and correctness.

What it does

  • Automates dashboard creation and updates via the HTTP API
  • Defines dashboard layouts using a 24-column grid system
  • Configures panel types including timeseries, stat, gauge, and logs
  • Implements template variables for dynamic dashboard filtering
  • Applies data transformations like calculations and filtering
  • Validates dashboard state by verifying API responses and performing read-back checks

When to use it

  • When you need to script the deployment of dashboards for new services
  • When managing dashboard versions as code in a repository
  • When you need to apply consistent template variables or annotations across multiple dashboards
  • When performing complex data transformations that are easier to define in JSON
  • When you want to automate the synchronization of dashboards between environments

Advantages

  • Enables version control for dashboard configurations
  • Ensures consistency across multiple dashboards through programmatic definitions
  • Reduces manual effort in the Grafana UI for repetitive tasks
  • Provides a clear path for verifying dashboard deployment success

Usage examples

“Create a dashboard for this metric”
The agent generates a JSON payload with the specified panel type and data source, then pushes it to the Grafana API.
“Add a service dropdown to my dashboard”
The agent fetches the existing dashboard JSON, appends a query-based template variable for the service, and updates the dashboard via the API.
“Show errors as a percentage”
The agent modifies the panel configuration to include a calculateField transformation that computes the error percentage.
“Export the dashboard JSON”
The agent retrieves the current dashboard configuration from the API and provides the raw JSON structure.

Install

  1. Download the skill as a ZIP:

    https://mp-staging.autogineer.com/agent-skills/grafana/dashboarding/download
  2. Unzip it into the cross-client skills folder of your project:

    mkdir -p .agents/skills && unzip dashboarding.zip -d .agents/skills

Documentation by Grafana Labs

Grafana Dashboard Authoring

Docs: https://grafana.com/docs/grafana/latest/dashboards/

Dashboards are JSON. Author once, push via API, share by uid.

Prerequisites

  • Grafana stack (OSS, Enterprise, or Cloud) reachable from your machine

  • API token with dashboards:write (Authorization: Bearer <token>)

  • jq for inspecting responses

  • The JSON-schema cheat sheet in references/json-schema.md

Common Workflows

1. Push a new dashboard via the API + verify
# 1. Build the payload — wrap the dashboard JSON, set folder, mark overwrite
cat > /tmp/dash.json <<'JSON'
{
  "dashboard": {
    "uid": "demo-svc-v1",
    "title": "Demo Service",
    "schemaVersion": 41,
    "tags": ["demo"],
    "time": { "from": "now-1h", "to": "now" },
    "templating": { "list": [] },
    "panels": [{
      "id": 1, "type": "timeseries", "title": "Request Rate",
      "gridPos": { "x": 0, "y": 0, "w": 24, "h": 8 },
      "datasource": { "type": "prometheus", "uid": "prometheus" },
      "targets": [{
        "expr": "sum(rate(http_requests_total[5m])) by (status_code)",
        "legendFormat": "{{status_code}}", "refId": "A"
      }],
      "fieldConfig": { "defaults": { "unit": "reqps" }, "overrides": [] }
    }]
  },
  "folderUid": "",
  "overwrite": true,
  "message": "initial push"
}
JSON

# 2. Validate the JSON BEFORE you send it (catches trailing-comma typos)
jq empty /tmp/dash.json && echo "json ok"

# 3. POST
RESP=$(curl -s -X POST -H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  "$GRAFANA/api/dashboards/db" -d @/tmp/dash.json)
echo "$RESP" | jq '{status, uid, url, version}'
# Expect: status="success", url="/d/demo-svc-v1/...", version=1 (incremented on each push)

# 4. Verify the round-trip — read it back and confirm one panel + the expected title
curl -s -H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
  "$GRAFANA/api/dashboards/uid/demo-svc-v1" \
  | jq '{title: .dashboard.title, panels: (.dashboard.panels | length)}'
# Expect: {"title":"Demo Service","panels":1}

# 5. Open the dashboard in a browser — confirm the panel renders with data.
2. Add a $job template variable to an existing dashboard
# 1. Fetch existing dashboard
curl -s -H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
  "$GRAFANA/api/dashboards/uid/demo-svc-v1" > /tmp/dash.json

# 2. Edit templating.list — append:
#   { "name":"job", "type":"query",
#     "datasource":{"type":"prometheus","uid":"prometheus"},
#     "query":{"query":"label_values(up, job)","refId":"A"},
#     "refresh":2, "includeAll":true, "multi":true, "label":"Service" }
#  (Use jq, an editor, or the Grafana UI — schema in references/json-schema.md.)

# 3. Update the panel expr to use the variable: rate(http_requests_total{job=~"$job"}[5m])

# 4. POST it back with overwrite: true. Verify the variable appears in the UI dropdown.
3. Compute an "Error %" column with a transformation
{
  "id": "calculateField",
  "options": {
    "alias": "Error %", "mode": "reduceRow",
    "reduce": { "reducer": "last" },
    "binary": { "left": "errors", "right": "total", "operator": "/" }
  }
}

Add this to the panel's transformations: []. Verify in the UI panel inspector — the new field should appear and update with the variable selection.

Full schema (panels, units, all transformations, annotations, links): references/json-schema.md.

API reference

# Get
curl -s -H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
  "$GRAFANA/api/dashboards/uid/<uid>" | jq '.dashboard'

# Search
curl -s -H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
  "$GRAFANA/api/search?query=kubernetes&type=dash-db" | jq '.[] | {uid,title,folderTitle}'

# Create folder
curl -s -X POST -H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" "$GRAFANA/api/folders" \
  -d '{"uid":"platform-team","title":"Platform Team"}'

For dashboards embedded in app plugins, use @grafana/scenes (skill grafana-o11y:grafana-scenes).

Resources

Files

SKILL.md

Grafana Dashboard Authoring

Docs: https://grafana.com/docs/grafana/latest/dashboards/

Dashboards are JSON. Author once, push via API, share by uid.

Prerequisites

  • Grafana stack (OSS, Enterprise, or Cloud) reachable from your machine

  • API token with dashboards:write (Authorization: Bearer <token>)

  • jq for inspecting responses

  • The JSON-schema cheat sheet in references/json-schema.md

Common Workflows

1. Push a new dashboard via the API + verify
# 1. Build the payload — wrap the dashboard JSON, set folder, mark overwrite
cat > /tmp/dash.json <<'JSON'
{
  "dashboard": {
    "uid": "demo-svc-v1",
    "title": "Demo Service",
    "schemaVersion": 41,
    "tags": ["demo"],
    "time": { "from": "now-1h", "to": "now" },
    "templating": { "list": [] },
    "panels": [{
      "id": 1, "type": "timeseries", "title": "Request Rate",
      "gridPos": { "x": 0, "y": 0, "w": 24, "h": 8 },
      "datasource": { "type": "prometheus", "uid": "prometheus" },
      "targets": [{
        "expr": "sum(rate(http_requests_total[5m])) by (status_code)",
        "legendFormat": "{{status_code}}", "refId": "A"
      }],
      "fieldConfig": { "defaults": { "unit": "reqps" }, "overrides": [] }
    }]
  },
  "folderUid": "",
  "overwrite": true,
  "message": "initial push"
}
JSON

# 2. Validate the JSON BEFORE you send it (catches trailing-comma typos)
jq empty /tmp/dash.json && echo "json ok"

# 3. POST
RESP=$(curl -s -X POST -H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  "$GRAFANA/api/dashboards/db" -d @/tmp/dash.json)
echo "$RESP" | jq '{status, uid, url, version}'
# Expect: status="success", url="/d/demo-svc-v1/...", version=1 (incremented on each push)

# 4. Verify the round-trip — read it back and confirm one panel + the expected title
curl -s -H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
  "$GRAFANA/api/dashboards/uid/demo-svc-v1" \
  | jq '{title: .dashboard.title, panels: (.dashboard.panels | length)}'
# Expect: {"title":"Demo Service","panels":1}

# 5. Open the dashboard in a browser — confirm the panel renders with data.
2. Add a $job template variable to an existing dashboard
# 1. Fetch existing dashboard
curl -s -H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
  "$GRAFANA/api/dashboards/uid/demo-svc-v1" > /tmp/dash.json

# 2. Edit templating.list — append:
#   { "name":"job", "type":"query",
#     "datasource":{"type":"prometheus","uid":"prometheus"},
#     "query":{"query":"label_values(up, job)","refId":"A"},
#     "refresh":2, "includeAll":true, "multi":true, "label":"Service" }
#  (Use jq, an editor, or the Grafana UI — schema in references/json-schema.md.)

# 3. Update the panel expr to use the variable: rate(http_requests_total{job=~"$job"}[5m])

# 4. POST it back with overwrite: true. Verify the variable appears in the UI dropdown.
3. Compute an "Error %" column with a transformation
{
  "id": "calculateField",
  "options": {
    "alias": "Error %", "mode": "reduceRow",
    "reduce": { "reducer": "last" },
    "binary": { "left": "errors", "right": "total", "operator": "/" }
  }
}

Add this to the panel's transformations: []. Verify in the UI panel inspector — the new field should appear and update with the variable selection.

Full schema (panels, units, all transformations, annotations, links): references/json-schema.md.

API reference

# Get
curl -s -H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
  "$GRAFANA/api/dashboards/uid/<uid>" | jq '.dashboard'

# Search
curl -s -H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
  "$GRAFANA/api/search?query=kubernetes&type=dash-db" | jq '.[] | {uid,title,folderTitle}'

# Create folder
curl -s -X POST -H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" "$GRAFANA/api/folders" \
  -d '{"uid":"platform-team","title":"Platform Team"}'

For dashboards embedded in app plugins, use @grafana/scenes (skill grafana-o11y:grafana-scenes).

Resources

Requirements and compatibility

Works with: Claude Code, Claude apps, OpenAI Codex, GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Gemini CLI, Kiro, OpenCode, Goose, Amp, Roo Code, JetBrains Junie, Factory Droid, Devin (ex-Windsurf), Mistral Vibe, OpenHands, Letta

“Works with” means the tool reads the open Agent Skills format; a skill written for one tool may use features others lack.

Security

No issues found by our static scan· No issues found

A static scan is not a guarantee. Skills are third-party content: review a skill before you let an agent use it.

Attribution and licence

Published by
Grafana Labs
Publisher
Grafana Labs (Official)
Source
grafana/skills · skills/grafana-core/dashboarding · commit 8fb72a5
Licence
Apache License 2.0 (redistribution allowed)
  • LICENSE (added by AutoGineer from LICENSE)
  • ATTRIBUTION.md (written by AutoGineer)
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Download ZIP

The ZIP holds the skill’s files, its licence files and an ATTRIBUTION.md. Download dashboarding.zip