redis/go-redis · error

failed to create metrics recorder: %w

Error message

failed to create metrics recorder: %w

What it means

redisotel-native's Init sets up OpenTelemetry metrics instrumentation and creates a metrics recorder from the configured meter. If recorder creation fails (bad metric config, meter provider misconfigured), Init wraps and returns the underlying error via %w. The instrumentation is therefore not enabled and redis.SetOTelRecorder is never called.

Source

Thrown at extra/redisotel-native/redisotel.go:100

	if !cfg.Enabled {
		return nil
	}

	// Get meter provider (use global if not provided)
	meterProvider := cfg.MeterProvider
	if meterProvider == nil {
		meterProvider = otel.GetMeterProvider()
	}

	meter := meterProvider.Meter(
		"github.com/redis/go-redis",
		metric.WithInstrumentationVersion(redis.Version()),
	)

	internalCfg := o.configToInternal(cfg)
	recorder, err := o.createRecorder(meter, internalCfg)
	if err != nil {
		return fmt.Errorf("failed to create metrics recorder: %w", err)
	}

	o.recorder = recorder
	o.initialized = true
	redis.SetOTelRecorder(recorder)

	return nil
}

// IsEnabled returns true if observability is initialized and enabled.
func (o *ObservabilityInstance) IsEnabled() bool {
	o.mu.RLock()
	defer o.mu.RUnlock()
	return o.initialized && o.config != nil && o.config.Enabled
}

// Shutdown cleans up resources and flushes any pending metrics.
// This should be called at application shutdown.

View on GitHub (pinned to c5cad058c7)

Solutions

1. Unwrap the returned error (%w preserves it) to see the root cause from createRecorder.
2. Initialize and register the global/system meter provider (otel.SetMeterProvider) before calling Init.
3. Review the InstrumentationMetrics options for invalid values and fix them.
4. Ensure Init is called only once per client set of options and the provider is not shutdown mid-run.

Example fix

// before: no meter provider registered
err := instrumentor.Init(ctx, cfg) // failed to create metrics recorder: no meter provider

// after: set up the provider first
provider := sdkmetric.NewMeterProvider()
otel.SetMeterProvider(provider)
err := instrumentor.Init(ctx, cfg)

// ensure a meter provider exists before Init
if otel.GetMeterProvider() == otel.GetMeterProvider() &&
   os.Getenv("OTEL_SDK_DISABLED") != "true" {
    // proceed; otherwise configure sdkmetric provider first
}

if err := instrumentor.Init(ctx, cfg); err != nil {
    var root error
    errors.As(err, &root) // %w chain preserves createRecorder cause
    log.Printf("otel init failed: %v", root) // use internal.Logger in lib code
    // continue without instrumentation
}

When it happens

Trigger: Calling Init (public) with an InstrumentationMetrics config whose options make createRecorder fail — e.g. an invalid meter provider, closed provider, or conflicting instrument configuration — at redisotel.go:~100.

Common situations: Meter provider not registered or shut down before Init; invalid metrics options in redisotel.InstrumentMetrics config; duplicate instrument creation with the same name/options; missing OpenTelemetry SDK setup in the app.

Related errors

• failed to create operation duration histogram: %w
• failed to create connection count metric: %w
• failed to create connection handoff metric: %w
• failed to create Pub/Sub messages metric: %w
• failed to create connection create time histogram: %w

AI-assisted analysis of redis/go-redis@c5cad058c7 (2026-09-01). Data as JSON: /api/errors/145ad67006051b79. Report an issue: GitHub.