grafana-dashboard

Grafana Dashboard Skill

Use this skill to create, update, or inspect dashboards in Grafana.

The data you need is already in a table inside a Grafana datasource database — gen_dashboard does not move data. Your job: build panels against that table, assemble the dashboard, validate.

Key Differences from Superset

• Grafana charts (panels) embed SQL queries directly — no separate "dataset" concept.
• Panels belong to dashboards — dashboard_id is required for create_chart.
• The datasource is auto-resolved from the BI platform's dataset_db config.
• update_chart is not supported — delete and recreate the panel instead.

Dashboard Creation Workflow

Follow these steps in order.

Step 1: Confirm the Serving Datasource Contract

Grafana does not expose list_bi_databases. Use get_bi_serving_target() when available to confirm the configured serving datasource, or proceed with the configured dataset_db.bi_database_name; create_chart resolves the Grafana datasource automatically. If the datasource cannot be resolved, bail with a structured error. Do NOT try to auto-provision.

Step 2: Plan Dashboard Layout Before Creating Panels

Before calling create_dashboard or create_chart, make an internal layout plan. Do not expose a long plan to the user unless asked, but use it to decide the panel count, panel order, row grouping, and expected size before any dashboard or panel write calls.

The layout plan must include:

• Reading flow: KPI overview first, then trend, breakdown / ranking, composition, and optional detail.
• Row grouping: which panels should share a row and which panel should span a full row.
• Panel sizing intent: KPI cards are compact and share rows; trend and breakdown panels usually share rows; detail tables usually span the full row.
• Creation order: create panels in the same order users should read the dashboard because Grafana appends panels in creation order.

If the user provides a row-by-row layout, normalize it against these rules before creating resources. Avoid blindly creating one row per panel when panels can share a row.

Step 3: Create Dashboard (create_dashboard)

Create the dashboard first — Grafana requires dashboard_id to add panels.

create_dashboard(title="Dashboard Title", description="Optional description")

Returns dashboard_id — save it for Step 4.

Step 4: Create Charts (create_chart)

Create panels with SQL that queries the existing table in the Grafana-registered datasource.

create_chart(
    chart_type="line",           # bar, line, pie, table, big_number, scatter
    title="Chart Title",
    sql="SELECT date_col AS time, value_col FROM target_table ORDER BY date_col",
    dashboard_id="<from step 2>"
)

CRITICAL RULES for the sql parameter:

• The SQL must query the table already present in the Grafana datasource database. Do NOT reference source-warehouse names — Grafana's datasource doesn't reach the source.
• For time series charts: alias the time column as time (e.g., SELECT date_col AS time, ...).
• For table charts: use descriptive column aliases (e.g., SELECT date AS "Date", count AS "Count").
• Always include ORDER BY for time series data.
• The datasource is automatically resolved — do not worry about datasource configuration.

Multiple Charts

Repeat Step 3 for each chart. All panels use the same dashboard_id.

Create panels in this visual order because Grafana appends panels to the dashboard in creation order:

1. KPI overview: 3-5 big_number panels for headline totals, rates, averages, or sums.
2. Time trends: 1-2 line panels over a real time column.
3. Breakdowns / rankings: bar panels for top categories, statuses, teams, or owners.
4. Composition: pie only for fewer than 7 categories and exactly one metric.
5. Detail: one table panel only when users need row-level inspection.

For high-cardinality categories, write SQL that ranks or limits the result to the top 10-15 values. Avoid one panel per column. Do not use a fixed panel count; include the panels needed to answer distinct business questions, then stop. Keep panel titles short and business-facing, and put units in aliases or descriptions when useful.

If a chart needs a different data shape and the table isn't available, stop and return a structured error listing the missing table. The caller must prepare or refresh that data separately before retrying.

Step 5: Finish and Let Validation Run

After creating the dashboard and panels, finish the run and return the created IDs. bi-validation is a validator skill invoked automatically by ValidationHook.on_end; do not call load_skill("bi-validation") or try to run validator checks manually.

Publish is complete when the creation calls succeed and the dashboard / panel identifiers are known. The framework validates reachability and wiring after the agent run ends.

Viewing & Querying

Updating

• Update dashboard: update_dashboard(dashboard_id, title="New Title", description="New desc")
• Update chart: Not supported in Grafana. Delete the chart and create a new one instead.

Deleting

MUST confirm with user before any deletion.

• delete_dashboard(dashboard_id="...")
• delete_chart(chart_id="...")

Important Rules

1. Data movement is outside scope. If the target table doesn't exist in the Grafana datasource, stop and return a structured error naming the missing table. The caller must prepare or refresh data separately with gen_job or scheduler before retrying dashboard creation.
2. Chart SQL must reference tables the Grafana datasource can see — never use source-warehouse table names in create_chart(sql=...).
3. dashboard_id is required for create_chart — create the dashboard before creating charts.
4. Time series: Alias the time column as time for Grafana to recognize it.
5. Language: Match the user's language (Chinese input -> Chinese output).
6. Stat/big_number panels: Use a single aggregation query like SELECT COUNT(*) AS value FROM table.