> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.bindplane.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.bindplane.com/integrations/sources/bindplane-collector.md).

# Bindplane Collector

The Bindplane Collector source collects the agent's own logs and internal telemetry from the collector the configuration is applied to. Logs are read from the agent's log files with the filelog receiver. Metrics are scraped from the collector's internal Prometheus endpoint, filtered to the `otelcol_*` series, and labeled with host resource attributes. Use it to monitor the health of your fleet from within the pipelines they already run.

### Supported Telemetry

| Platform | Metrics | Logs | Traces |
| -------- | ------- | ---- | ------ |
| Linux    | ✓       | ✓    |        |
| Windows  | ✓       | ✓    |        |
| macOS    | ✓       | ✓    |        |

This is a Bindplane-internal source. It runs inside the Bindplane Collector (agent) and observes that same collector.

### Prerequisites

This source is internal and needs no external system. It requires:

* A Bindplane Collector (agent) running on the host. The source reads files written by that collector and scrapes its local metrics endpoint.
* Read access to the agent log directory. With the defaults this is `${OIQ_OTEL_COLLECTOR_HOME}/log`.
* For metrics, the collector's internal telemetry endpoint must be reachable on the configured port (default `8888`) on `localhost`. The agent exposes this Prometheus endpoint by default.

### Configuration

<figure><img src="/files/J0Sdncmo1Lswoo5kiwv6" alt="Bindplane docs - Bindplane Collector - image 1"><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

**Telemetry**

| Parameter             | Type               | Required | Default       | Description                                                                                                                       |
| --------------------- | ------------------ | -------- | ------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Choose Telemetry Type | Telemetry Selector | No       | Logs, Metrics | Which signals this source collects. Valid values are Logs and Metrics. The parameters shown below depend on the signals selected. |

**Logs**

Shown when Logs is selected.

| Parameter        | Type   | Required | Default                                        | Description                                           |
| ---------------- | ------ | -------- | ---------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------- |
| Agent Log Path   | String | Yes      | `${OIQ_OTEL_COLLECTOR_HOME}/log/collector.log` | The absolute path to the Bindplane agent log.         |
| Updater Log Path | String | Yes      | `${OIQ_OTEL_COLLECTOR_HOME}/log/updater.log`   | The absolute path to the Bindplane agent updater log. |

**Metrics**

Shown when Metrics is selected.

| Parameter          | Type    | Required | Default | Description                                                  |
| ------------------ | ------- | -------- | ------- | ------------------------------------------------------------ |
| Process Metrics    | Boolean | No       | `true`  | Collect `otelcol_process_*` metrics.                         |
| Receiver Metrics   | Boolean | No       | `true`  | Collect `otelcol_receiver_*` metrics.                        |
| Processor Metrics  | Boolean | No       | `true`  | Collect `otelcol_processor_*` metrics.                       |
| Exporter Metrics   | Boolean | No       | `true`  | Collect `otelcol_exporter_*` metrics.                        |
| Agent Metrics Port | Integer | Yes      | `8888`  | Port to scrape for agent metrics. Valid range is 0 to 65535. |

**Advanced**

| Parameter                         | Type                     | Required | Default                                                 | Description                                                                                                                                  |
| --------------------------------- | ------------------------ | -------- | ------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Collect Standard Error Log        | Boolean                  | No       | `true`                                                  | Collect the agent's standard error log. This file is only present on Windows and macOS agents. (Logs)                                        |
| Standard Error Log Path (Windows) | String                   | Yes      | `${OIQ_OTEL_COLLECTOR_HOME}/log/observiq_collector.err` | The absolute path to the agent standard error log on Windows. Shown when Collect Standard Error Log is enabled. (Logs)                       |
| Standard Error Log Path (macOS)   | String                   | Yes      | `/var/log/observiq_collector.err`                       | The absolute path to the agent standard error log on macOS. Shown when Collect Standard Error Log is enabled. (Logs)                         |
| Enable File Offset Storage        | Boolean                  | No       | `true`                                                  | When enabled, the current read position in each file is saved to disk so reading resumes where it left off after a collector restart. (Logs) |
| Offset Storage Directory          | String                   | No       | `${OIQ_OTEL_COLLECTOR_HOME}/storage`                    | Directory where the offset storage file is created. Shown when Enable File Offset Storage is enabled. (Logs)                                 |
| Start At                          | Enum: `beginning`, `end` | No       | `end`                                                   | Where in the log files to begin reading. (Logs)                                                                                              |
| Collection Interval               | Integer                  | No       | `60`                                                    | How often, in seconds, to scrape for metrics. (Metrics)                                                                                      |

### Examples

#### Logs only

Collect just the agent and updater logs, reading from the end of the files so existing history is skipped.

```yaml
apiVersion: bindplane.observiq.com/v1
kind: Source
metadata:
  name: bindplane-collector
spec:
  type: bindplane-agent
  parameters:
    - name: telemetry_types
      value:
        - Logs
    - name: log_path
      value: ${OIQ_OTEL_COLLECTOR_HOME}/log/collector.log
    - name: updater_log_path
      value: ${OIQ_OTEL_COLLECTOR_HOME}/log/updater.log
    - name: start_at
      value: end
```

#### Metrics only, exporter metrics narrowed

Scrape internal metrics on a non-default port and drop process metrics to keep cardinality down.

```yaml
apiVersion: bindplane.observiq.com/v1
kind: Source
metadata:
  name: bindplane-collector
spec:
  type: bindplane-agent
  parameters:
    - name: telemetry_types
      value:
        - Metrics
    - name: metrics_port
      value: 8889
    - name: collection_interval
      value: 30
    - name: process_metrics
      value: false
    - name: receiver_metrics
      value: true
    - name: processor_metrics
      value: true
    - name: exporter_metrics
      value: true
```

#### Logs and metrics with stderr collection on Windows or macOS

The standard error log only exists on Windows and macOS agents. The matching path is used automatically based on the platform the agent runs on.

```yaml
apiVersion: bindplane.observiq.com/v1
kind: Source
metadata:
  name: bindplane-collector
spec:
  type: bindplane-agent
  parameters:
    - name: telemetry_types
      value:
        - Logs
        - Metrics
    - name: enable_stderr_log
      value: true
    - name: stderr_log_path_macos
      value: /var/log/observiq_collector.err
    - name: enable_offset_storage
      value: true
    - name: collection_interval
      value: 60
```

### Configuration Tips

* The four metric toggles narrow the scraped series. They exclude `otelcol_process_*`, `otelcol_receiver_*`, `otelcol_processor_*`, and `otelcol_exporter_*` respectively. Other `otelcol_*` series are always included.
* The standard error log is only written on Windows and macOS. On Linux the stderr paths are ignored even if Collect Standard Error Log is enabled.
* Leave Enable File Offset Storage on for log collection so restarts do not re-read or skip records. The offset directory must be writable by the agent.

### Troubleshooting

#### No agent metrics appear

Symptoms: the source produces logs but no `otelcol_*` metrics, or the metrics pipeline reports a scrape failure.

Solutions:

1. Confirm Metrics is selected in Choose Telemetry Type.
2. Verify the agent's internal telemetry endpoint is listening on the configured Agent Metrics Port (default `8888`) on `localhost`. If the port was changed in the collector's telemetry settings, set Agent Metrics Port to match.
3. Check that at least one of the metric toggles is enabled. Disabling all four removes most `otelcol_*` series.

#### No agent logs appear

Symptoms: the source produces metrics but no logs, or the filelog receiver reports a missing file.

Solutions:

1. Confirm Logs is selected and that Agent Log Path and Updater Log Path point at files that exist on the host. The defaults assume `${OIQ_OTEL_COLLECTOR_HOME}` is set.
2. If you expect older entries but see none, set Start At to `beginning`. With the default `end`, only new lines written after the source starts are read.
3. Ensure the agent user can read the log directory and write the Offset Storage Directory.

#### Standard error log not collected

Symptoms: stderr entries are missing on a Windows or macOS host.

Solutions:

1. Confirm Collect Standard Error Log is enabled and the platform-specific path is correct (`...\observiq_collector.err` on Windows, `/var/log/observiq_collector.err` on macOS).
2. On Linux this is expected. The agent does not write a standard error log file there.

### Standalone Source

```yaml
apiVersion: bindplane.observiq.com/v1
kind: Source
metadata:
  name: bindplane-collector
spec:
  type: bindplane-agent
  parameters:
    - name: telemetry_types
      value:
        - Logs
        - Metrics
    - name: log_path
      value: ${OIQ_OTEL_COLLECTOR_HOME}/log/collector.log
    - name: updater_log_path
      value: ${OIQ_OTEL_COLLECTOR_HOME}/log/updater.log
    - name: enable_offset_storage
      value: true
    - name: offset_storage_dir
      value: ${OIQ_OTEL_COLLECTOR_HOME}/storage
    - name: start_at
      value: end
    - name: metrics_port
      value: 8888
    - name: collection_interval
      value: 60
    - name: process_metrics
      value: true
    - name: receiver_metrics
      value: true
    - name: processor_metrics
      value: true
    - name: exporter_metrics
      value: true
```

### Related Resources

* [Filelog Receiver](https://github.com/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-collector-contrib/tree/main/receiver/filelogreceiver) — reads the agent log files.
* [Prometheus Receiver](https://github.com/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-collector-contrib/tree/main/receiver/prometheusreceiver) — scrapes the collector's internal metrics endpoint.
* [Bindplane Agent (collector) documentation](https://bindplane.com/docs) — the collector this source observes.


---

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