Fix MCP Instrumentation: No OTLP Exporter Dependency

Nov 17, 2025 by Alex Johnson 53 views

🐛 Bug Report: MCP Instrumentation Should Not Depend on opentelemetry-exporter-otlp

Introduction

In the realm of software development, bugs are inevitable. Identifying and addressing these bugs promptly is crucial for maintaining the integrity and reliability of software systems. This article delves into a specific bug report concerning the mcp instrumentation within the Traceloop SDK, highlighting an unnecessary dependency on opentelemetry-exporter-otlp. We will explore the details of the bug, its impact, reproduction steps, and the proposed solution.

Which Component Is This Bug For?

This bug specifically affects the Traceloop SDK, a critical component for tracing and monitoring applications. Ensuring the SDK's efficiency and minimal dependencies is paramount for seamless integration and optimal performance.

📜 Description

The bug report indicates that the mcp instrumentation inadvertently includes opentelemetry-exporter-otlp as a dependency. This is problematic because the exporter is primarily intended for testing purposes and should not be a general dependency of the package. Including unnecessary dependencies bloats the package size and can lead to potential conflicts or performance issues.

👟 Reproduction Steps

To reproduce the bug, follow these simple steps:

pip install opentelemetry-instrumentation-mcp

This command installs the opentelemetry-instrumentation-mcp package, which should ideally not include opentelemetry-exporter-otlp as a mandatory dependency.

👍 Expected Behavior

The expected behavior is that installing opentelemetry-instrumentation-mcp should not automatically install opentelemetry-exporter-otlp. The exporter should only be included as a development or testing dependency, not as a general requirement for using the instrumentation.

👎 Actual Behavior with Screenshots

In reality, when you install opentelemetry-instrumentation-mcp, it also installs opentelemetry-exporter-otlp along with its transitive dependencies. This behavior is not ideal, as it adds unnecessary overhead and potential conflicts.

🤖 Python Version

This bug has been observed in Python 3.10.12, indicating that it is not specific to a particular Python version but rather a general issue with the package dependencies.

📃 Provide Any Additional Context for the Bug.

Further investigation using git blame revealed that the dependency was introduced by PR #3050. The exporter is only used for testing purposes, so it should be included in the dev and test dependencies and removed from general dependencies of the package. This ensures that users who are not actively involved in testing do not need to install the exporter.

👀 Have You Spent Some Time to Check if This Bug Has Been Raised Before?

The reporter has confirmed that they checked for similar issues and did not find any prior reports, indicating that this is a new and previously unreported bug.

Are You Willing to Submit PR?

The reporter has expressed their willingness to submit a pull request (PR) to address this bug, demonstrating a proactive approach to resolving the issue and improving the package.

Deep Dive into the Issue: Why Dependencies Matter

Dependencies are the lifeblood of modern software development. They allow developers to reuse existing code and libraries, saving time and effort. However, managing dependencies effectively is crucial to avoid issues such as dependency conflicts, increased package size, and performance degradation. In the case of the mcp instrumentation, the unnecessary dependency on opentelemetry-exporter-otlp introduces several potential problems.

The Problem with Unnecessary Dependencies

Bloated Package Size: Including opentelemetry-exporter-otlp increases the size of the opentelemetry-instrumentation-mcp package. This larger package size can lead to longer download and installation times, especially for users with limited bandwidth or slow internet connections.
Dependency Conflicts: The opentelemetry-exporter-otlp package may have its own dependencies, which could conflict with other libraries or packages in the user's environment. These conflicts can lead to unexpected errors and application instability.
Performance Overhead: Even if there are no direct conflicts, the presence of unnecessary dependencies can introduce a performance overhead. The Python interpreter needs to load and initialize these additional modules, which can slow down the application's startup time and overall performance.
Security Concerns: Unnecessary dependencies can also introduce security vulnerabilities. If the opentelemetry-exporter-otlp package has known security flaws, including it as a dependency exposes users of opentelemetry-instrumentation-mcp to these vulnerabilities.

Why `opentelemetry-exporter-otlp` Should Be a Test Dependency

The opentelemetry-exporter-otlp package is primarily used for exporting telemetry data to an OpenTelemetry collector. This is typically done in testing or development environments to verify that the instrumentation is working correctly. In production environments, other exporters may be used, or the telemetry data may be processed directly by the application.

Including opentelemetry-exporter-otlp as a general dependency forces all users of opentelemetry-instrumentation-mcp to install it, even if they are not using it for exporting telemetry data. This is unnecessary and inefficient.

Instead, opentelemetry-exporter-otlp should be included as a test dependency. This means that it is only installed when running tests or building the package for development purposes. This ensures that the package remains lightweight and avoids unnecessary dependencies for users who are not actively involved in testing.

Proposed Solution: Removing the Unnecessary Dependency

The proposed solution is to remove opentelemetry-exporter-otlp from the general dependencies of the opentelemetry-instrumentation-mcp package and include it as a development and testing dependency instead. This can be achieved by modifying the package's setup file (e.g., setup.py or pyproject.toml) to move opentelemetry-exporter-otlp from the install_requires list to the extras_require or dev_requires list.

Steps to Implement the Solution

Identify the Package Setup File: Locate the setup file for the opentelemetry-instrumentation-mcp package. This is typically named setup.py or pyproject.toml and is located in the root directory of the package.
Modify the Dependencies: Open the setup file and locate the section that defines the package's dependencies. This may be a list called install_requires or a dictionary called extras_require or dev_requires.
Remove opentelemetry-exporter-otlp from install_requires: If opentelemetry-exporter-otlp is listed in the install_requires list, remove it from this list.
Add opentelemetry-exporter-otlp to extras_require or dev_requires: Add opentelemetry-exporter-otlp to the extras_require or dev_requires list. This ensures that it is only installed when running tests or building the package for development purposes.
Test the Changes: After modifying the setup file, run the package's tests to ensure that everything is still working correctly. This will also verify that opentelemetry-exporter-otlp is installed when running tests.
Submit a Pull Request: Once you have verified that the changes are correct and the tests are passing, submit a pull request (PR) to the package's repository. This will allow the package maintainers to review the changes and merge them into the main branch.

Example: Modifying `setup.py`

Here is an example of how to modify the setup.py file to remove opentelemetry-exporter-otlp from the general dependencies and include it as a development dependency:

from setuptools import setup, find_packages

setup(
    name='opentelemetry-instrumentation-mcp',
    version='0.1.0',
    packages=find_packages(),
    install_requires=[
        # other dependencies
    ],
    extras_require={
        'dev': [
            'opentelemetry-exporter-otlp',
            # other development dependencies
        ],
        'test': [
            'opentelemetry-exporter-otlp',
            # other testing dependencies
        ]
    },
)

In this example, the install_requires list contains the general dependencies of the package, while the extras_require dictionary defines additional dependencies for development and testing. By moving opentelemetry-exporter-otlp to the dev and test lists, it is only installed when these extras are specified during installation.

Conclusion

The bug report regarding the unnecessary dependency on opentelemetry-exporter-otlp in the mcp instrumentation highlights the importance of managing dependencies effectively. By removing this unnecessary dependency and including it as a development and testing dependency instead, the package can be made more lightweight, efficient, and secure. This proactive approach to bug fixing and dependency management ensures the continued reliability and performance of the Traceloop SDK.

By addressing this issue, the maintainers of the opentelemetry-instrumentation-mcp package can improve the user experience and reduce the risk of dependency conflicts and performance overhead. This is a valuable contribution to the OpenTelemetry ecosystem and helps to ensure that users can rely on these tools for tracing and monitoring their applications.

For more information about OpenTelemetry and its components, you can visit the official OpenTelemetry website.