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+# OpenTelemetry C++
+
+OpenTelemetry C++ is a comprehensive telemetry SDK providing APIs and
+implementations for traces, metrics, and logs. It supports both CMake and Bazel
+build systems and runs on Linux, macOS, and Windows with modern C++ compilers
+(C++14/17/20).
+
+Always reference these instructions first and fallback to search or bash
+commands only when you encounter unexpected information that does not match the
+info here.
+
+## Working Effectively
+
+### Bootstrap, Build, and Test the Repository
+
+**CRITICAL: NEVER CANCEL builds or long-running commands. Set appropriate
+timeouts.**
+
+#### CMake Build (Recommended for Development)
+
+```bash
+# Install basic dependencies (Ubuntu/Debian)
+sudo apt-get update
+sudo apt-get install -y build-essential cmake git pkg-config
+
+# Configure CMake build
+mkdir -p build && cd build
+cmake ..
+# Takes ~12 seconds. Always completes quickly.
+
+# Build the project
+make -j$(nproc)
+# Takes ~3 minutes. NEVER CANCEL. Set timeout to 15+ minutes.
+
+# Run all tests
+ctest --output-on-failure
+# Takes ~24 seconds. Set timeout to 5+ minutes.
+```
+
+#### CI Build (Full Validation)
+
+```bash
+# Run the full CI validation (includes additional exporters)
+./ci/do_ci.sh cmake.test
+# Takes ~5.2 minutes. NEVER CANCEL. Set timeout to 20+ minutes.
+```
+
+#### Bazel Build (Alternative)
+
+```bash
+# Install bazelisk (managed Bazel)
+sudo ./ci/install_bazelisk.sh
+
+# Build simple example
+bazel build //examples/simple:example_simple
+# Time varies. NEVER CANCEL. Set timeout to 15+ minutes.
+
+# Run simple example
+bazel-bin/examples/simple/example_simple
+```
+
+**Note**: Bazel may have network connectivity issues in some environments when
+downloading the required Bazel version (7.1.1).
+
+### Validation
+
+Always validate your changes using these steps after making code modifications:
+
+#### Core Validation Scenario
+
+```bash
+# 1. Build and test successfully
+cd build && make -j$(nproc) && ctest --output-on-failure
+
+# 2. Run a simple example to verify functionality
+./examples/simple/example_simple
+# Should output telemetry spans with service.name, trace_id, span_id
+
+# 3. Format code properly
+./tools/format.sh
+# Takes ~30 seconds. Must complete without errors.
+
+# 4. Validate with maintainer mode (CRITICAL for warnings)
+./ci/do_ci.sh cmake.maintainer.sync.test
+# Takes ~4-6 minutes. NEVER CANCEL. Ensures all warnings are resolved.
+```
+
+#### Required Tools for Formatting
+
+```bash
+# Install formatting dependencies
+pip install cmake_format                    # For CMake files
+go install github.com/bazelbuild/buildtools/buildifier@latest  # For Bazel files
+# clang-format should already be available on most systems
+```
+
+### Maintainer Mode Validation
+
+**CRITICAL**: Always run maintainer mode builds to ensure warning-free code:
+
+```bash
+# Run maintainer mode validation
+./ci/do_ci.sh cmake.maintainer.sync.test
+
+# What this does:
+# - Enables -Wall -Werror -Wextra compiler flags
+# - Treats all warnings as errors
+# - Ensures strict code quality standards
+# - Required for all contributions
+```
+
+Maintainer mode (`-DOTELCPP_MAINTAINER_MODE=ON`) is essential for catching potential issues that would cause CI failures. It enables the strictest warning levels and treats warnings as compilation errors.
+
+### CI Integration
+
+Always run these before committing to ensure CI will pass:
+
+```bash
+# Format all code
+./tools/format.sh
+
+# Run linting (if shellcheck available for shell scripts)
+shellcheck --severity=error ci/*.sh
+
+# CRITICAL: Validate with maintainer mode to catch all warnings
+./ci/do_ci.sh cmake.maintainer.sync.test
+# Takes ~4-6 minutes. Enables -Wall -Werror -Wextra for strict validation.
+
+# Validate build with additional exporters
+./ci/do_ci.sh cmake.test
+```
+
+## Common Tasks
+
+### Building and Running Examples
+
+Examples demonstrate OpenTelemetry functionality and validate your environment:
+
+```bash
+# Build and run simple tracing example
+cd build
+make example_simple
+./examples/simple/example_simple
+
+# Build and run logs example
+make logs_simple_example
+./examples/logs_simple/logs_simple_example
+
+# Build and run batch processing example
+make batch_example
+./examples/batch/batch_example
+```
+
+### Testing Changes
+
+```bash
+# Run specific test groups
+ctest -R trace                    # Run only trace tests
+ctest -R metrics                  # Run only metrics tests
+ctest -R logs                     # Run only logs tests
+
+# Run tests with verbose output for debugging
+ctest --verbose --output-on-failure
+
+# Run a specific test by name
+ctest -R "trace.SystemTimestampTest.Construction" --verbose
+```
+
+### Key Directories and Navigation
+
+```text
+api/                  - Public OpenTelemetry API headers
+sdk/                  - SDK implementation (most business logic)
+exporters/            - Output plugins (ostream, memory, etc.)
+examples/             - Sample applications demonstrating usage
+  ├── simple/         - Basic tracing example (start here)
+  ├── logs_simple/    - Basic logging example
+  ├── metrics_simple/ - Basic metrics example (may be disabled)
+  └── batch/          - Batch processing example
+ci/                   - CI scripts and build automation
+tools/                - Development tools (formatting, etc.)
+test_common/          - Shared test utilities
+third_party/          - External dependencies
+```
+
+### Important Files
+
+- `CMakeLists.txt` - Main CMake configuration
+- `WORKSPACE` - Bazel workspace configuration
+- `third_party_release` - Dependency version specifications
+- `ci/do_ci.sh` - Main CI script with build targets
+- `tools/format.sh` - Code formatting script
+- `.github/workflows/ci.yml` - GitHub Actions CI configuration
+
+## Build Targets and Options
+
+### CI Script Targets (./ci/do_ci.sh)
+
+```bash
+cmake.test                       # Standard CMake build with exporters (~5.2 min)
+cmake.maintainer.sync.test       # Maintainer mode: -Wall -Werror -Wextra (~4-6 min)
+cmake.maintainer.async.test      # Maintainer mode with async export enabled
+cmake.maintainer.cpp11.async.test # Maintainer mode with C++11
+cmake.maintainer.abiv2.test      # Maintainer mode with ABI v2
+cmake.legacy.test                # GCC 4.8 compatibility testing
+cmake.c++20.test                # C++20 standard testing
+bazel.test                      # Standard Bazel build and test
+format                          # Run formatting tools
+code.coverage                   # Build with coverage analysis
+```
+
+### CMake Configuration Options
+
+Key options you can pass to `cmake ..`:
+
+```bash
+-DWITH_EXAMPLES=ON           # Build examples (default ON)
+-DWITH_PROMETHEUS=ON         # Enable Prometheus exporter
+-DWITH_ZIPKIN=ON            # Enable Zipkin exporter
+-DWITH_OTLP_GRPC=ON         # Enable OTLP gRPC exporter
+-DWITH_OTLP_HTTP=ON         # Enable OTLP HTTP exporter
+-DBUILD_TESTING=ON          # Build tests (default ON)
+-DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Debug    # Debug build
+```
+
+## Timing Expectations
+
+**CRITICAL**: These are measured times. Always set longer timeouts to prevent
+premature cancellation.
+
+| Operation | Measured Time | Recommended Timeout |
+|-----------|---------------|-------------------|
+| CMake configure | 12 seconds | 2 minutes |
+| CMake build (parallel) | 3 minutes | 15 minutes |
+| Test execution (ctest) | 24 seconds | 5 minutes |
+| CI cmake.test | 5.2 minutes | 20 minutes |
+| CI cmake.maintainer.sync.test | 4-6 minutes | 20 minutes |
+| Format script | 17 seconds | 2 minutes |
+| Bazel build | Varies | 15+ minutes |
+
+**NEVER CANCEL** any build or test operation. Build systems may appear to hang
+but are typically downloading dependencies or performing intensive compilation.
+
+## Troubleshooting
+
+### Common Issues
+
+**Build Fails**:
+
+- Ensure all dependencies installed:
+  `sudo apt-get install build-essential cmake git pkg-config`
+- Clean build directory: `rm -rf build && mkdir build`
+
+**Tests Fail**:
+
+- Set `CTEST_OUTPUT_ON_FAILURE=1` for detailed test output
+- Run specific failing test: `ctest -R <test_name> --verbose`
+
+**Format Script Fails**:
+
+- Install missing tools: `pip install cmake_format` and buildifier via Go
+- Check clang-format version: should be 14+ (18+ preferred)
+
+**Bazel Issues**:
+
+- Network connectivity may prevent Bazel version download
+- Use CMake as primary build system for development
+- Check `.bazelversion` file for required version (7.1.1)
+
+### Network/Connectivity Issues
+
+Some tools require internet access:
+
+- Bazel downloading specific version
+- Third-party dependencies during first build
+- CI scripts pulling Docker images for benchmarks
+
+For offline development, use CMake with pre-installed dependencies.
+
+## Repository Structure Summary
+
+**Core Components**:
+
+- **API**: Header-only library in `api/` for instrumentation
+- **SDK**: Implementation in `sdk/` with resource detection, processors, exporters
+- **Exporters**: Output backends in `exporters/` (console, memory, Prometheus, etc.)
+
+**Development Workflow**:
+
+1. Make changes to relevant component
+2. Build and test: `cd build && make -j$(nproc) && ctest`
+3. Run example: `./examples/simple/example_simple`
+4. Format code: `./tools/format.sh`
+5. Validate warnings: `./ci/do_ci.sh cmake.maintainer.sync.test`
+6. Final validation: `./ci/do_ci.sh cmake.test`
+
+**Key Standards**:
+
+- C++14 minimum, C++17/20 supported
+- Google C++ Style Guide for naming
+- Automatic formatting via clang-format
+- Comprehensive test coverage with GoogleTest