Official agent skill

Explain Lading Config

Explains a lading.yaml config file from the regression test suite, using the lading Rust source as ground truth for field meanings and defaults.

OfficialApache-2.0Auto-check passedTesting & QA

Install Explain Lading Config

skills CLI

$ npx skills add DataDog/datadog-agent --skill explain-lading-config -a claude-code

Project install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install DataDog/datadog-agent explain-lading-config --agent claude-code

Project scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/DataDog/datadog-agent.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/.agents/skills/explain-lading-config .claude/skills/explain-lading-config && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.claude/skills/ instead of .claude/skills for a personal install. The folder must contain SKILL.md.

Claude Code skills documentation · loads skills from .claude/skills/

Paste into Claude Code

Install the "explain-lading-config" agent skill from https://github.com/DataDog/datadog-agent/tree/main/.agents/skills/explain-lading-config into .claude/skills/explain-lading-config/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "explain-lading-config", then confirm the skill loads.

Claude Code copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.

$skill-installer

$skill-installer install https://github.com/DataDog/datadog-agent/tree/main/.agents/skills/explain-lading-config

Type this inside Codex. $skill-installer <name> installs a curated skill from openai/skills. The installer writes to $CODEX_HOME/skills (default ~/.codex/skills). Restart Codex if the skill does not show up.

skills CLI

$ npx skills add DataDog/datadog-agent --skill explain-lading-config -a codex

Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.codex/skills/.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install DataDog/datadog-agent explain-lading-config --agent codex

Project scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/DataDog/datadog-agent.git skills-src && mkdir -p .agents/skills && cp -r skills-src/.agents/skills/explain-lading-config .agents/skills/explain-lading-config && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.agents/skills/ instead of .agents/skills for a personal install.

Codex skills documentation · loads skills from .agents/skills/

Paste into Codex

Install the "explain-lading-config" agent skill from https://github.com/DataDog/datadog-agent/tree/main/.agents/skills/explain-lading-config into .agents/skills/explain-lading-config/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "explain-lading-config", then confirm the skill loads.

Codex copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.

skills CLI

$ npx skills add DataDog/datadog-agent --skill explain-lading-config -a cursor

Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.cursor/skills/.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install DataDog/datadog-agent explain-lading-config --agent cursor

Project scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/DataDog/datadog-agent.git skills-src && mkdir -p .cursor/skills && cp -r skills-src/.agents/skills/explain-lading-config .cursor/skills/explain-lading-config && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.cursor/skills/ instead of .cursor/skills for a personal install.

Cursor skills documentation · loads skills from .cursor/skills/, .agents/skills/, .claude/skills/, .codex/skills/

Paste into Cursor

Install the "explain-lading-config" agent skill from https://github.com/DataDog/datadog-agent/tree/main/.agents/skills/explain-lading-config into .cursor/skills/explain-lading-config/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "explain-lading-config", then confirm the skill loads.

Cursor copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.

gemini skills install

$ gemini skills install https://github.com/DataDog/datadog-agent.git --path .agents/skills/explain-lading-config

--scope user (default) or --scope workspace; --path is the subfolder of the repo that holds the skill; --consent skips the security confirmation prompt.

skills CLI

$ npx skills add DataDog/datadog-agent --skill explain-lading-config -a gemini-cli

Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.gemini/skills/.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install DataDog/datadog-agent explain-lading-config --agent gemini-cli

Project scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/DataDog/datadog-agent.git skills-src && mkdir -p .gemini/skills && cp -r skills-src/.agents/skills/explain-lading-config .gemini/skills/explain-lading-config && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.gemini/skills/ instead of .gemini/skills for a personal install, then run /skills reload.

Gemini CLI skills documentation · loads skills from .gemini/skills/, .agents/skills/

Paste into Gemini CLI

Install the "explain-lading-config" agent skill from https://github.com/DataDog/datadog-agent/tree/main/.agents/skills/explain-lading-config into .gemini/skills/explain-lading-config/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "explain-lading-config", then confirm the skill loads.

Gemini CLI copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install DataDog/datadog-agent explain-lading-config

Installs for Copilot at project scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Preview a skill first with gh skill preview. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).

skills CLI

$ npx skills add DataDog/datadog-agent --skill explain-lading-config -a github-copilot

Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.copilot/skills/.

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/DataDog/datadog-agent.git skills-src && mkdir -p .github/skills && cp -r skills-src/.agents/skills/explain-lading-config .github/skills/explain-lading-config && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.copilot/skills/ instead of .github/skills for a personal install. Commit .github/skills so cloud agent and code review can use it.

GitHub Copilot skills documentation · loads skills from .github/skills/, .claude/skills/, .agents/skills/

Paste into GitHub Copilot

Install the "explain-lading-config" agent skill from https://github.com/DataDog/datadog-agent/tree/main/.agents/skills/explain-lading-config into .github/skills/explain-lading-config/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "explain-lading-config", then confirm the skill loads.

GitHub Copilot copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.

skills CLI

$ npx skills add DataDog/datadog-agent --skill explain-lading-config -a opencode

OpenCode documents no install command of its own. Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.config/opencode/skills/.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install DataDog/datadog-agent explain-lading-config --agent opencode

Project scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/DataDog/datadog-agent.git skills-src && mkdir -p .opencode/skills && cp -r skills-src/.agents/skills/explain-lading-config .opencode/skills/explain-lading-config && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.config/opencode/skills/ instead of .opencode/skills for a personal install.

OpenCode skills documentation · loads skills from .opencode/skills/, .claude/skills/, .agents/skills/

Paste into OpenCode

Install the "explain-lading-config" agent skill from https://github.com/DataDog/datadog-agent/tree/main/.agents/skills/explain-lading-config into .opencode/skills/explain-lading-config/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "explain-lading-config", then confirm the skill loads.

OpenCode copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.

Facts

Skill name: explain-lading-config
GitHub stars: 3.8k
Token cost: ~1.2k tokens
SKILL.md length: 516 words
Files: 5 (incl. scripts, references)
Skills in repo: 35
Repo updated: Oct 8, 2026
First seen: Oct 8, 2026
Licence: Apache-2.0

At a glance

Explains a lading.yaml config file from the regression test suite, using the lading Rust source as ground truth for field meanings and defaults.

Works in 4 steps: Validate lading checkout → Determine target file → Read the lading codebase for context → …
Testing & QA work in your project
SKILL.md covers Quick Start, Step 1: Validate lading checkout, Step 2: Determine target file and Step 3: Read the lading…, plus 1 more section
Runs Shell scripts from its folder; calls bash, yq and git

What it does

Explain Lading Config is an agent skill from DataDog/datadog-agent, published by the product's own GitHub organization. Explains a lading.yaml config file from the regression test suite, using the lading Rust source as ground truth for field meanings and defaults.

Its SKILL.md is about 1.2k tokens, which your agent loads only when the skill is triggered. The skill folder holds 6 other files, including scripts and reference files (for example `references/explanation-template.md`, `references/source-reading.md` and `scripts/resolve-lading-config.sh`).

It sits in Testing & QA. It works with Rust. The repository describes itself as: Main repository for Datadog Agent. The licence is Apache-2.0.

When your agent uses it

Testing & QA work in your project

Example prompts

“Use the explain-lading-config skill to explain a lading.yaml config file from the regression test suite, using the lading Rust source as ground…”
“/explain-lading-config”

Requirements

A Bash shell

Workflow steps

4 steps, taken from the step headings in SKILL.md.

Validate lading checkout
Determine target file
Read the lading codebase for context
Explain the config

What it can do on your machine

Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit 20eff25. It shows what the files ask for, not the result of running them.

Tool permissions
Pre-approves nothing: there is no allowed-tools line, so your agent's usual permission prompts apply.
From allowed-tools in the SKILL.md frontmatter.
Runs code
Ships 2 files in scripts/ (Shell), which the agent can run.
Shell commands in SKILL.md call:
- bash
- yq
- git
From the folder's file list and the shell code blocks in SKILL.md.
Network
No URLs in SKILL.md. Its commands use git, which can reach the network depending on how they are called.
From URLs in SKILL.md, links to its own repository left out.
Credentials
Names no API keys, tokens, secrets or passwords.
From names ending in _API_KEY, _TOKEN, _SECRET, _KEY or _PASSWORD in SKILL.md.

Context cost

Explain Lading Config loads about 1.2k tokens when it runs, and up to ~3k if it reads all its reference files. Until then it costs about 42 tokens; SKILL.md has 516 words of instructions outside code blocks.

Always · name and description, kept in context so the agent knows when to use it: ~42
When it runs · the whole SKILL.md, loaded when a task matches: ~1.2k
With references · SKILL.md plus every file in references/, read only if the agent opens them: ~3k

Estimates: characters ÷ 4, the usual rule of thumb; real counts depend on the model's tokenizer. Scripts and assets cost tokens only if the agent reads them.

Safety

Auto-check passed

The automated check found no risky patterns in SKILL.md.

Automated static check — not a guarantee. Review scripts before installing. It scans the text of SKILL.md for risky patterns (piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files, hidden Unicode, destructive commands); the scripts in this folder are not scanned.

SKILL.md

The full file from DataDog/datadog-agent at commit 20eff25, republished under its Apache-2.0 licence (© DataDog). 516 words, ~1,210 tokens.

Download SKILL.mdSave it as .claude/skills/explain-lading-config/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder). This skill also uses 4 other files; get the full folder from GitHub.

name: explain-lading-config
description: Explains a lading.yaml config file from the regression test suite, using the lading Rust source as ground truth for field meanings and defaults.
user_invocable: true
argument-hint: [experiment name]
model: sonnet

explain-lading-config

Explain what a lading regression test config does, grounded in lading source code.

Quick Start

bash

# 1. Verify the lading checkout exists and is on a known branch
bash .agents/skills/explain-lading-config/scripts/validate-lading-checkout.sh

# 2. Resolve $ARGUMENTS to a lading.yaml path (exact/substring/glob/path)
bash .agents/skills/explain-lading-config/scripts/resolve-lading-config.sh "$ARGUMENTS"

# 3. Read the resolved file, then ground every field in lading source
#    (see references/source-reading.md for the full strategy).

# 4. Write up the explanation following references/explanation-template.md.

Defaults must be resolved to concrete values, not function names. Full workflow below.

Step 1: Validate lading checkout

Run .agents/skills/explain-lading-config/scripts/validate-lading-checkout.sh.

Exit 0: script prints the current branch on stdout. If it is not main, warn the user that explanations are grounded in a non-main branch, then continue.
Exit non-zero: the script prints a suggested git clone command on stderr. Relay that to the user and stop.

Override the checkout location with LADING_DIR if needed.

Step 2: Determine target file

Use .agents/skills/explain-lading-config/scripts/resolve-lading-config.sh to avoid ad-hoc matching. The script enumerates experiments under test/regression/cases/ (active) and test/regression/x-disabled-cases/ (disabled). Each experiment is a <case>/lading/lading.yaml addressed by its case-directory name; disabled rows are flagged with a trailing (disabled) column in the listing. ebpf/cases/ (split-mode) and ebpf/config-only/cases/ are intentionally out of scope; if a user asks about one, tell them this skill doesn't cover it yet.

The script handles path-like inputs, substring case names, and shell globs (*, ?).

If $ARGUMENTS is provided: run resolve-lading-config.sh "$ARGUMENTS".

Exit 0: stdout is the resolved absolute path; read it.
Exit 3 (ambiguous): stderr lists candidates.
- ≤ 4 candidates: use AskUserQuestion to pick one, then read that path.
- > 4 candidates (a broad substring like i can match 20+): do not try to force them into AskUserQuestion. Print the experiment names as a short bulleted list and ask the user to narrow the query and re-invoke /explain-lading-config <name>.
Exit 2 (not found): stderr may include "did you mean?" suggestions — if present, offer the suggestions to the user via AskUserQuestion (up to 4 options) or as a short list; if not, relay the error and stop.
Exit 4 (wrong repo): the script is being run from outside the agent repo. Relay the error verbatim and stop — the user needs to cd into the repo.

If the resolved path contains /x-disabled-cases/, flag this explicitly in the explanation — the experiment exists on disk but is not currently executed by SMP. Otherwise a user may assume it's live.

Show full SKILL.md (180 more words)Show less

Reading very large configs: multi-sender configs (e.g. uds_dogstatsd_20mb_12k_contexts_20_senders, ~870 lines) are usually block-copies of one template with a few fields varying (typically only seed). Before a full Read, check size and duplication:

bash

wc -l <path>                                    # scale check
grep -c '^  - ' <path>                          # top-level list entries
yq '.generator | length' <path> 2>/dev/null     # if yq is present

For highly-duplicated configs, Read only the first block (plus the blackhole/target_metrics sections) and report the generator as "N identical copies, seed differs" instead of walking every block. Spot- check one later block to confirm uniformity.

If $ARGUMENTS is omitted: run resolve-lading-config.sh with no argument. It emits <experiment>\t<path> lines for every discovered config.

Print the experiment names as a plain bulleted list to the user (preserving the (disabled) markers) and ask them to type the name (or re-invoke the skill with /explain-lading-config <name>).

Step 3: Read the lading codebase for context

Before explaining, read the lading source files that ground the populated sections of the config. The detailed strategy (variant-to-module mapping, grep-before-Read invariants, fallback for renamed files) lives in references/source-reading.md — read it now.

Step 4: Explain the config

Write the explanation following the structure in references/explanation-template.md (generator summary, aggregate load, blackhole sinks, target metrics, source references). Read it now.

Files

SKILL.md and 4 other files (scripts, references) in .agents/skills/explain-lading-config of DataDog/datadog-agent.

SKILL.md
references/explanation-template.md
references/source-reading.md
scripts/resolve-lading-config.sh
scripts/validate-lading-checkout.sh

Open the folder on GitHubat commit 20eff25

Compare with similar skills

Explain Lading Config next to the 5 skills that share the most tags, products or categories with it. Stars are the repository's; “used in” counts other GitHub owners with a copy.

Explain Lading Config compared with similar skills
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RTK Filter TDD in Rustrtk-ai/rtk	83k	—	~1.9k	Automated safety check: Notes	Apache-2.0	today
OpenLogi Device Fixture ContributionAprilNEA/OpenLogi	23k	—	~1.2k	Automated safety check: Pass	Apache-2.0	4 days ago

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Works with

Rust

Questions about Explain Lading Config

What does Explain Lading Config do?

Explains a lading.yaml config file from the regression test suite, using the lading Rust source as ground truth for field meanings and defaults. Explain Lading Config is an agent skill from DataDog/datadog-agent, published by the product's own GitHub organization.yaml config file from the regression test suite, using the lading Rust source as ground truth for field meanings and defaults.

When should I use Explain Lading Config?

Explain Lading Config fits situations like: testing & QA work in your project.

How do I install Explain Lading Config in Claude Code?

Run `npx skills add DataDog/datadog-agent --skill explain-lading-config -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (.agents/skills/explain-lading-config in DataDog/datadog-agent) into .claude/skills/explain-lading-config in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.

How do I install Explain Lading Config in Codex?

Run `npx skills add DataDog/datadog-agent --skill explain-lading-config -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (.agents/skills/explain-lading-config in DataDog/datadog-agent) into .agents/skills/explain-lading-config in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.

Can I use Explain Lading Config in Cursor, Gemini CLI or GitHub Copilot?

Cursor, Gemini CLI, GitHub Copilot and OpenCode also load SKILL.md folders. With the skills CLI, run `npx skills add DataDog/datadog-agent --skill explain-lading-config -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/explain-lading-config, .gemini/skills/explain-lading-config, .github/skills/explain-lading-config and .opencode/skills/explain-lading-config in your project.

What does Explain Lading Config need to run?

Going by SKILL.md and its folder, Explain Lading Config needs a shell for the scripts in its folder and the command-line tools its instructions call (bash, yq and git). Our summary lists: A Bash shell.

Does Explain Lading Config access the network?

SKILL.md contains no URLs. Its commands use git, which can reach the network depending on how they are called. This is read from the text; nothing was executed.

Is Explain Lading Config safe to install?

Our automated static check of SKILL.md found no risky patterns, such as piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files or hidden Unicode. It is not a guarantee. The check reads SKILL.md only: the scripts in the folder are not scanned, so read them before running anything.

What licence does Explain Lading Config use?

Explain Lading Config is published under the Apache-2.0 licence (the repository's licence). It allows redistribution, so the full SKILL.md is shown on this page.

How many tokens does Explain Lading Config use?

About 1.2k tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 4.8k characters). Agents keep only the skill's name and description in context until a task matches; then they load SKILL.md in full. Its references folder adds about 1.7k tokens, read only when the agent opens those files.

What are the alternatives to Explain Lading Config?

Skills that share tags, products or a category with Explain Lading Config: Rust TDD Workflow (rtk-ai/rtk, 83k stars), Remote Executor Integration Tests (openinterpreter/openinterpreter, 69k stars), Apple Container Test Runner (RustPython/RustPython, 22k stars) and RTK Filter TDD in Rust (rtk-ai/rtk, 83k stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.

Who maintains Explain Lading Config?

DataDog (a GitHub organization, an official publisher) maintains it in DataDog/datadog-agent, which has 3,757 GitHub stars. The repository holds 35 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on October 8, 2026.

Source: DataDog/datadog-agent on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.

Install Explain Lading Config

Facts

At a glance

What it does

When your agent uses it

Example prompts

Requirements

Workflow steps

What it can do on your machine

Tool permissions

Runs code

Network

Credentials

Context cost

Safety

SKILL.md

explain-lading-config

Quick Start

Step 1: Validate lading checkout

Step 2: Determine target file

Step 3: Read the lading codebase for context

Step 4: Explain the config

Files

Compare with similar skills

Similar skills

More from DataDog/datadog-agent

Related

Questions about Explain Lading Config