docs / contributing / schema-changes

Schema Changes

The opentraces schema is open source. Feedback, questions, and proposals are welcome via GitHub Issues.

How to Propose a Change

When suggesting a schema change, include:

  1. What field or model you would add, change, or remove
  2. Why it matters for your use case (training, analytics, attribution, etc.)
  3. How it relates to existing standards (ATIF, Agent Trace, ADP, OTel) if applicable

What Counts as Breaking

ChangeVersion Bump
New optional fieldMinor
New optional modelMinor
Field renameMajor
Field removalMajor
Type changeMajor

See Versioning for full policy.

Adapter Contributions

To add support for a new live-capture agent, implement the SessionParser protocol in src/opentraces/capture/_base.py and register it in src/opentraces/capture/__init__.py.

For dataset or file imports, implement FormatImporter instead.

Review Process

  • Schema changes are reviewed by the maintainers
  • Breaking changes require a new rationale document
  • All changes are documented in the CHANGELOG