---
title: "Send your first trace"
url: "/docs/proxy/lens/first-trace"
canonical_url: "https://docs.litellm.ai/docs/proxy/lens/first-trace"
type: "docs"
last_updated: "2026-10-03"
summary: "Connect agent instrumentation to the Lens trace endpoint and inspect a run."
related:
  - "/docs/proxy/lens/deployment"
  - "/docs/proxy/lens/integrations/deepagents"
---
# Send your first trace

> Index of all LiteLLM docs: https://docs.litellm.ai/llms.txt


## Connect your agent

Point your agent's OpenTelemetry OTLP/HTTP exporter to LiteLLM:

| Setting | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Trace endpoint | `https://<your-litellm-proxy>/v1/traces` |
| HTTP header | `Authorization: Bearer <your-litellm-key>` |

Use a LiteLLM key to authenticate. Record the agent's task, steps, tool calls, inputs, and final answer. Lens uses this content to check what happened.

For a working example, use [DeepLite](https://github.com/BerriAI/deeplite). Set `LITELLM_DEV_BASE=https://<your-litellm-proxy>/v1/traces` and `LITELLM_DEV_KEY=<your-litellm-key>` in its `.env` file, then run the agent.

## Configure the exporter {#send-your-first-trace}

Use your existing model configuration. Set the trace destination once, then choose an integration from the sidebar. Replace `research_agent` with your agent's name.

```bash
export OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_TRACES_ENDPOINT="https://<your-litellm-proxy>/v1/traces"
export OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_TRACES_HEADERS="Authorization=Bearer <your-litellm-key>"
export OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_PROTOCOL="http/protobuf"
export OTEL_METRICS_EXPORTER="none"
export OTEL_LOGS_EXPORTER="none"
```

Open an integration guide from the sidebar for dependencies, configuration, and runnable simple-agent and swarm examples. The examples send model calls and traces to your gateway. If your app already configures a tracer provider, keep it and point its exporter at the destination above.

To record personal coding sessions, follow the [Claude Code and Codex setup](./coding-agents.md).

## View your first trace

Open **Lens > Traces**. Select a time range that includes your run, then open it. For the examples above, look for **research_agent**. The same name is available under **Agent** when creating an investigation. Select a step to read its input, output, and attributes.

![A research_agent trace with its question, model call, and final answer.](/img/lens/first-agent-trace.png)

Check that you can see the task, tool results, and final answer. If these are missing, update your agent's instrumentation before running an investigation.

## Related pages

- [Deployment](https://docs.litellm.ai/docs/proxy/lens/deployment.md)
- [DeepAgents](https://docs.litellm.ai/docs/proxy/lens/integrations/deepagents.md)