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Sentry Node.js / Bun / Deno SDK

Opinionated wizard that scans your project and guides you through complete Sentry setup for server-side JavaScript and TypeScript runtimes: Node.js, Bun, and Deno.

Invoke This Skill When

• User asks to "add Sentry to Node.js", "Bun", or "Deno"
• User wants to install or configure @sentry/node, @sentry/bun, or @sentry/deno
• User wants error monitoring, tracing, logging, profiling, crons, metrics, or AI monitoring for a backend JS/TS app
• User asks about instrument.js, --import ./instrument.mjs, bun --preload, or npm:@sentry/deno
• User wants to monitor Express, Fastify, Koa, Hapi, Connect, Bun.serve(), or Deno.serve()

NestJS? Use sentry-nestjs-sdk instead — it uses @sentry/nestjs with NestJS-native decorators and filters. Next.js? Use sentry-nextjs-sdk instead — it handles the three-runtime architecture (browser, server, edge).

Note: SDK versions below reflect current Sentry docs at time of writing (@sentry/node ≥10.42.0, @sentry/bun ≥10.42.0, @sentry/deno ≥10.42.0). Always verify against docs.sentry.io/platforms/javascript/guides/node/ before implementing.

Phase 1: Detect

Run these commands to identify the runtime, framework, and existing Sentry setup:

# Detect runtime
bun --version 2>/dev/null && echo "Bun detected"
deno --version 2>/dev/null && echo "Deno detected"
node --version 2>/dev/null && echo "Node.js detected"

# Detect existing Sentry packages
cat package.json 2>/dev/null | grep -E '"@sentry/'
cat deno.json deno.jsonc 2>/dev/null | grep -i sentry

# Detect Node.js framework
cat package.json 2>/dev/null | grep -E '"express"|"fastify"|"@hapi/hapi"|"koa"|"@nestjs/core"|"connect"'

# Detect Bun-specific frameworks
cat package.json 2>/dev/null | grep -E '"elysia"|"hono"'

# Detect Deno frameworks (deno.json imports)
cat deno.json deno.jsonc 2>/dev/null | grep -E '"oak"|"hono"|"fresh"'

# Detect module system (Node.js)
cat package.json 2>/dev/null | grep '"type"'
ls *.mjs *.cjs 2>/dev/null | head -5

# Detect existing instrument file
ls instrument.js instrument.mjs instrument.ts instrument.cjs 2>/dev/null

# Detect logging libraries
cat package.json 2>/dev/null | grep -E '"winston"|"pino"|"bunyan"'

# Detect cron / scheduling
cat package.json 2>/dev/null | grep -E '"node-cron"|"cron"|"agenda"|"bull"|"bullmq"'

# Detect AI / LLM usage
cat package.json 2>/dev/null | grep -E '"openai"|"@anthropic-ai"|"@langchain"|"@vercel/ai"|"@google/generative-ai"'

# Detect OpenTelemetry tracing
cat package.json 2>/dev/null | grep -E '"@opentelemetry/sdk-node"|"@opentelemetry/sdk-trace-node"|"@opentelemetry/sdk-trace-base"'
grep -rn "NodeTracerProvider\|trace\.getTracer\|startActiveSpan" \
  --include="*.ts" --include="*.js" --include="*.mjs" 2>/dev/null | head -5

# Check for companion frontend
ls frontend/ web/ client/ ui/ 2>/dev/null
cat package.json 2>/dev/null | grep -E '"react"|"vue"|"svelte"|"next"'

What to determine:

Phase 2: Recommend

Present a concrete recommendation based on what you found. Don't ask open-ended questions — lead with a proposal:

Route from OTel detection:

• OTel tracing detected (@opentelemetry/sdk-node or @opentelemetry/sdk-trace-node in package.json, or NodeTracerProvider in source) → use OTLP path: otlpIntegration() via @sentry/node-core/light; do not set tracesSampleRate; Sentry links errors to OTel traces automatically

Recommended (core coverage):

• ✅ Error Monitoring — always; captures unhandled exceptions, promise rejections, and framework errors
• ✅ Tracing — automatic HTTP, DB, and queue instrumentation via OpenTelemetry

Optional (enhanced observability):

• ⚡ Logging — structured logs via Sentry.logger.*; recommend when winston/pino/bunyan or log search is needed
• ⚡ Profiling — continuous CPU profiling (Node.js only; not available on Bun or Deno); not available with OTLP path
• ⚡ AI Monitoring — OpenAI, Anthropic, LangChain, Vercel AI SDK; recommend when AI/LLM calls detected
• ⚡ Crons — detect missed or failed scheduled jobs; recommend when node-cron, Bull, or Agenda is detected
• ⚡ Metrics — custom counters, gauges, distributions; recommend when custom KPIs needed
• ⚡ Runtime Metrics — automatic collection of memory, CPU, and event loop metrics; nodeRuntimeMetricsIntegration() (Node.js) / bunRuntimeMetricsIntegration() (Bun)

Recommendation logic:

OTel tracing detected: "I see OpenTelemetry tracing in the project. I recommend Sentry's OTLP integration for tracing (via your existing OTel setup) + Error Monitoring + Sentry Logging [+ Metrics/Crons/AI Monitoring if applicable]. Shall I proceed?"

No OTel: "I recommend setting up Error Monitoring + Tracing. Want me to also add Logging or Profiling?"

Phase 3: Guide

Runtime: Node.js

Option 1: Wizard (Recommended for Node.js)

You need to run this yourself — the wizard opens a browser for login and requires interactive input that the agent can't handle. Copy-paste into your terminal:

npx @sentry/wizard@latest -i node

It handles login, org/project selection, SDK installation, instrument.js creation, and package.json script updates.

Once it finishes, come back and skip to Verification.

If the user skips the wizard, proceed with Option 2 (Manual Setup) below.

Option 2: Manual Setup — Node.js

Install

npm install @sentry/node --save
# or
yarn add @sentry/node
# or
pnpm add @sentry/node

Create the Instrument File

CommonJS (instrument.js):

// instrument.js — must be loaded before all other modules
const Sentry = require("@sentry/node");

Sentry.init({
  dsn: process.env.SENTRY_DSN ?? "___DSN___",

  sendDefaultPii: true,

  // 100% in dev, lower in production
  tracesSampleRate: process.env.NODE_ENV === "development" ? 1.0 : 0.1,

  // Capture local variable values in stack frames
  includeLocalVariables: true,

  enableLogs: true,
});

ESM (instrument.mjs):

// instrument.mjs — loaded via --import flag before any other module
import * as Sentry from "@sentry/node";

Sentry.init({
  dsn: process.env.SENTRY_DSN ?? "___DSN___",

  sendDefaultPii: true,
  tracesSampleRate: process.env.NODE_ENV === "development" ? 1.0 : 0.1,
  includeLocalVariables: true,
  enableLogs: true,
});

Start Your App with Sentry Loaded First

CommonJS — add require("./instrument") as the very first line of your entry file:

// app.js
require("./instrument"); // must be first

const express = require("express");
// ... rest of your app

ESM — use the --import flag so Sentry loads before all other modules (Node.js 18.19.0+ required):

node --import ./instrument.mjs app.mjs

Add to package.json scripts:

{
  "scripts": {
    "start": "node --import ./instrument.mjs server.mjs",
    "dev": "node --import ./instrument.mjs --watch server.mjs"
  }
}

Or via environment variable (useful for wrapping existing start commands):

NODE_OPTIONS="--import ./instrument.mjs" npm start

Framework Error Handlers

Register the Sentry error handler after all routes so it can capture framework errors:

Express:

const express = require("express");
const Sentry = require("@sentry/node");

const app = express();

// ... your routes

// Add AFTER all routes — captures 5xx errors by default
Sentry.setupExpressErrorHandler(app);

// Optional: capture 4xx errors too
// Sentry.setupExpressErrorHandler(app, {
//   shouldHandleError(error) { return error.status >= 400; },
// });

app.listen(3000);

Fastify:

const Fastify = require("fastify");
const Sentry = require("@sentry/node");

const fastify = Fastify();

// Add BEFORE routes (unlike Express!)
Sentry.setupFastifyErrorHandler(fastify);

// ... your routes

await fastify.listen({ port: 3000 });

Koa:

const Koa = require("koa");
const Sentry = require("@sentry/node");

const app = new Koa();

// Add as FIRST middleware (catches errors thrown by later middleware)
Sentry.setupKoaErrorHandler(app);

// ... your other middleware and routes

app.listen(3000);

Hapi (async — must await):

const Hapi = require("@hapi/hapi");
const Sentry = require("@sentry/node");

const server = Hapi.server({ port: 3000 });

// ... your routes

// Must await — Hapi registration is async
await Sentry.setupHapiErrorHandler(server);

await server.start();

Connect:

const connect = require("connect");
const Sentry = require("@sentry/node");

const app = connect();

// Add BEFORE routes (like Fastify and Koa)
Sentry.setupConnectErrorHandler(app);

// ... your middleware and routes

require("http").createServer(app).listen(3000);

NestJS — has its own dedicated skill with full coverage:

Use the sentry-nestjs-sdk skill instead. NestJS uses a separate package (@sentry/nestjs) with NestJS-native constructs: SentryModule.forRoot(), SentryGlobalFilter, @SentryTraced, @SentryCron decorators, and GraphQL/Microservices support. Load that skill for complete NestJS setup.

Vanilla Node.js http module — wrap request handler manually:

const http = require("http");
const Sentry = require("@sentry/node");

const server = http.createServer((req, res) => {
  Sentry.withIsolationScope(() => {
    try {
      // your handler
      res.end("OK");
    } catch (err) {
      Sentry.captureException(err);
      res.writeHead(500);
      res.end("Internal Server Error");
    }
  });
});

server.listen(3000);

Framework error handler summary:

Runtime: Bun

No wizard available for Bun. Manual setup only.

Install

bun add @sentry/bun

Create instrument.ts (or instrument.js)

// instrument.ts
import * as Sentry from "@sentry/bun";

Sentry.init({
  dsn: process.env.SENTRY_DSN ?? "___DSN___",

  sendDefaultPii: true,
  tracesSampleRate: process.env.NODE_ENV === "development" ? 1.0 : 0.1,
  enableLogs: true,
});

Start Your App with --preload

bun --preload ./instrument.ts server.ts

Add to package.json:

{
  "scripts": {
    "start": "bun --preload ./instrument.ts server.ts",
    "dev": "bun --watch --preload ./instrument.ts server.ts"
  }
}

Bun.serve() — Auto-Instrumentation

@sentry/bun automatically instruments Bun.serve() via JavaScript Proxy. No extra setup is required — just initialize with --preload and your Bun.serve() calls are traced:

// server.ts
const server = Bun.serve({
  port: 3000,
  fetch(req) {
    return new Response("Hello from Bun!");
  },
});

Framework Error Handlers on Bun

Bun can run Express, Fastify, Hono, and Elysia. Use the same @sentry/bun import and the @sentry/node error handler functions (re-exported by @sentry/bun):

import * as Sentry from "@sentry/bun";
import express from "express";

const app = express();
// ... routes
Sentry.setupExpressErrorHandler(app);
app.listen(3000);

Bun Feature Support

Runtime: Deno

No wizard available for Deno. Manual setup only. Requires Deno 2.0+. Deno 1.x is not supported. Use npm: specifier. The deno.land/x/sentry registry is deprecated.

Install via deno.json (Recommended)

{
  "imports": {
    "@sentry/deno": "npm:@sentry/deno@10.42.0"
  }
}

Or import directly with the npm: specifier:

import * as Sentry from "npm:@sentry/deno";

Initialize — Add to Entry File

// main.ts — Sentry.init() must be called before any other code
import * as Sentry from "@sentry/deno";

Sentry.init({
  dsn: Deno.env.get("SENTRY_DSN") ?? "___DSN___",

  sendDefaultPii: true,
  tracesSampleRate: Deno.env.get("DENO_ENV") === "development" ? 1.0 : 0.1,
  enableLogs: true,
});

// Your application code follows
Deno.serve({ port: 8000 }, (req) => {
  return new Response("Hello from Deno!");
});

Unlike Node.js and Bun, Deno does not have a --preload or --import flag. Sentry must be the first import in your entry file.

Required Deno Permissions

The SDK requires network access to reach your Sentry ingest domain:

deno run \
  --allow-net=o<ORG_ID>.ingest.sentry.io \
  --allow-read=./src \
  --allow-env=SENTRY_DSN,SENTRY_RELEASE \
  main.ts

For development, --allow-all works but is not recommended for production.

Deno Cron Integration

Deno provides native cron scheduling. Use denoCronIntegration for automatic monitoring:

import * as Sentry from "@sentry/deno";
import { denoCronIntegration } from "@sentry/deno";

Sentry.init({
  dsn: Deno.env.get("SENTRY_DSN") ?? "___DSN___",
  integrations: [denoCronIntegration()],
});

// Cron is automatically monitored
Deno.cron("daily-cleanup", "0 0 * * *", () => {
  // cleanup logic
});

Deno Feature Support

OTLP Integration (OTel-First Projects — Node.js Only)

Use this path only when OpenTelemetry tracing was detected in Phase 1 (e.g., @opentelemetry/sdk-node or @opentelemetry/sdk-trace-node in package.json). For projects without an existing OTel setup, use the standard @sentry/node path above.

The OTLP integration uses @sentry/node-core/light — a lightweight Sentry SDK that does not bundle its own OpenTelemetry. Instead, it hooks into the user's existing OTel TracerProvider and exports spans to Sentry via OTLP.

When to Use

Install

npm install @sentry/node-core @opentelemetry/api @opentelemetry/sdk-trace-node @opentelemetry/sdk-trace-base
# or
yarn add @sentry/node-core @opentelemetry/api @opentelemetry/sdk-trace-node @opentelemetry/sdk-trace-base
# or
pnpm add @sentry/node-core @opentelemetry/api @opentelemetry/sdk-trace-node @opentelemetry/sdk-trace-base

The @opentelemetry/* packages are peer dependencies. If the project already has them installed, skip duplicates.

Initialize

// instrument.mjs — load via --import flag before any other module
import { NodeTracerProvider } from '@opentelemetry/sdk-trace-node';
import * as Sentry from '@sentry/node-core/light';
import { otlpIntegration } from '@sentry/node-core/light/otlp';

// Register the user's OTel TracerProvider first
const provider = new NodeTracerProvider();
provider.register();

Sentry.init({
  dsn: process.env.SENTRY_DSN ?? '___DSN___',

  sendDefaultPii: true,
  enableLogs: true,

  // Do NOT set tracesSampleRate — OTel controls sampling
  integrations: [
    otlpIntegration({
      // Export OTel spans to Sentry via OTLP (default: true)
      setupOtlpTracesExporter: true,
    }),
  ],
});

With a custom Collector endpoint:

Sentry.init({
  dsn: process.env.SENTRY_DSN ?? '___DSN___',
  integrations: [
    otlpIntegration({
      collectorUrl: 'http://localhost:4318/v1/traces',
    }),
  ],
});

Start Your App

Same --import pattern as the standard Node.js setup:

node --import ./instrument.mjs app.mjs

Key Differences from Standard @sentry/node

For Each Agreed Feature

Load the corresponding reference file and follow its steps:

For each feature: read the reference file, follow its steps exactly, and verify before moving on.

Runtime Metrics

Automatically collect Node.js and Bun runtime health metrics (memory, CPU utilization, event loop delay/utilization, uptime) at a configurable interval. Metrics appear in Sentry's Metrics product under the node.runtime.* / bun.runtime.* namespace.

Node.js — add nodeRuntimeMetricsIntegration() to your instrument.js:

const Sentry = require("@sentry/node");

Sentry.init({
  dsn: process.env.SENTRY_DSN,
  integrations: [
    Sentry.nodeRuntimeMetricsIntegration(),
    // Optional: change collection interval (default 30 000 ms)
    // Sentry.nodeRuntimeMetricsIntegration({ collectionIntervalMs: 60_000 }),
  ],
});

Metrics collected by default: node.runtime.mem.rss, node.runtime.mem.heap_used, node.runtime.mem.heap_total, node.runtime.cpu.utilization, node.runtime.event_loop.delay.p50, node.runtime.event_loop.delay.p99, node.runtime.event_loop.utilization, node.runtime.process.uptime.

Bun — add bunRuntimeMetricsIntegration() to your instrument.ts:

import * as Sentry from "@sentry/bun";
import { bunRuntimeMetricsIntegration } from "@sentry/bun";

Sentry.init({
  dsn: process.env.SENTRY_DSN,
  integrations: [
    bunRuntimeMetricsIntegration(),
    // Optional: change collection interval (default 30 000 ms)
    // bunRuntimeMetricsIntegration({ collectionIntervalMs: 60_000 }),
  ],
});

Metrics collected: same as Node.js except no event loop delay percentiles (unavailable in Bun). Prefixed with bun.runtime.*.

Verification

After setup, verify Sentry is receiving events:

// Add temporarily to your entry file or a test route, then remove
import * as Sentry from "@sentry/node"; // or @sentry/bun / @sentry/deno

Sentry.captureException(new Error("Sentry test error — delete me"));

Or trigger an unhandled exception:

// In a route handler or startup — will be captured automatically
throw new Error("Sentry test error — delete me");

Then check your Sentry Issues dashboard — the error should appear within ~30 seconds.

Verification checklist:

Config Reference

Sentry.init() Core Options

nativeNodeFetchIntegration() Options

Configures outgoing fetch/undici span capture. Since @opentelemetry/instrumentation-undici@0.22.0, response headers like content-length are no longer captured automatically — use headersToSpanAttributes to opt in:

Sentry.init({
  integrations: [
    Sentry.nativeNodeFetchIntegration({
      headersToSpanAttributes: {
        requestHeaders: ["x-request-id"],
        responseHeaders: ["content-length", "content-type"],
      },
    }),
  ],
});

otlpIntegration() Options (@sentry/node-core/light/otlp)

For OTel-first projects using @sentry/node-core/light. Import: import { otlpIntegration } from '@sentry/node-core/light/otlp'.

Graceful Shutdown

Flush buffered events before process exit — important for short-lived scripts and serverless:

process.on("SIGTERM", async () => {
  await Sentry.close(2000); // flush with 2s timeout
  process.exit(0);
});

Environment Variables

Source Maps (Node.js)

Readable stack traces in production require source map upload. Use @sentry/cli or the webpack/esbuild/rollup plugins:

npm install @sentry/cli --save-dev

# Create a Sentry auth token at sentry.io/settings/auth-tokens/
# Set in .env.sentry-build-plugin (gitignore this file):
SENTRY_AUTH_TOKEN=sntrys_eyJ...

Add upload step to your build:

{
  "scripts": {
    "build": "tsc && sentry-cli sourcemaps inject ./dist && sentry-cli sourcemaps upload ./dist"
  }
}

Phase 4: Cross-Link

After completing backend setup, check for companion services:

# Frontend companion
ls frontend/ web/ client/ ui/ 2>/dev/null
cat package.json 2>/dev/null | grep -E '"react"|"vue"|"svelte"|"next"'

# Other backend services
ls ../go.mod ../requirements.txt ../Gemfile 2>/dev/null

If a frontend, framework-specific SDK, or other backend is found, suggest the matching skill:

Dedicated JavaScript framework skills (prefer these over generic node-sdk):

Frontend companions:

Other backend companions:

Connecting frontend and backend with the same DSN or linked projects enables distributed tracing — stack traces that span your browser, API server, and database in a single trace view.

Troubleshooting