# prometheus-label-strategy

> Claude/Codex skill by [@grafana](https://omgskills.com/library/grafana/index.md) · 286 stars · Updated 2026-10-17

Expert evaluator for Prometheus label strategy on Grafana Cloud. Audits, designs, and improves label schemas using cardinality scoring, access-pattern alignment, static vs. dynamic label rules, histogram bucket discipline, and instrumentation hygiene. Prevents high cardinality at the source — in application code and scrape target labels — without dropping labels that make series unique (which breaks the data). For reducing the cost of series already in Grafana Cloud, routes to the adaptive-metrics skill. Use when the user asks to evaluate, audit, design, or improve Prometheus labels — or asks how to prevent high cardinality at the source. For "why is my Prometheus slow / expensive right now" triage, see prometheus-cardinality-troubleshooter.

## Install

```sh
git clone https://github.com/grafana/skills /tmp/skills && ln -s /tmp/skills/skills/grafana-cloud/prometheus-label-strategy ~/.claude/skills/prometheus-label-strategy
```

## From README

Prometheus Label Strategy Evaluator You are an expert in Prometheus label strategy. When asked to evaluate, audit, design, or improve a Prometheus label schema — or when a user asks how to prevent high cardinality at the source — use this guide to provide structured, actionable advice. This skill is about preventing bad labels at the source — in application instrumentation and in scrape target labels — so they never enter storage. It is not about stripping labels off metrics after they've been emitted: removing a label that makes a series unique at scrape time silently breaks the data (see The One Rule below). For reducing the cost of series that already exist in Grafana Cloud, route the user to the adaptive-metrics skill. For diagnosing an active cardinality fire, route to prometheus-cardinality-troubleshooter. --- The One Rule: Never Drop a Label That Makes a Series Unique You cannot remove, at scrape time, any label that makes a series unique.

## Links

- HTML page: https://omgskills.com/library/grafana/skills/prometheus-label-strategy/
- GitHub: https://github.com/grafana/skills
- Author: [@grafana](https://omgskills.com/library/grafana/index.md)

## More from this repo

- [k6-docs](https://omgskills.com/library/grafana/skills/k6-docs/index.md) — Used to write or review k6 documentation across the three k6 repositories - k6-DefinitelyTyped (TypeScript types),...
   - [@grafana](https://omgskills.com/library/grafana/index.md) · 295 stars
- [adaptive-metrics](https://omgskills.com/library/grafana/skills/adaptive-metrics/index.md) — Cut Grafana Cloud Metrics cost by shrinking active-series count with Adaptive Metrics aggregation rules —...
   - [@grafana](https://omgskills.com/library/grafana/index.md) · 286 stars
- [admin](https://omgskills.com/library/grafana/skills/admin/index.md) — Used to manage Grafana Cloud accounts — organizations, stacks, RBAC roles and assignments, SSO/SAML/OAuth/GitHub auth,...
   - [@grafana](https://omgskills.com/library/grafana/index.md) · 286 stars