splunk

Splunk Integration

Overview

Splunk integration for querying log data during Root Cause Analysis. Splunk is a REMOTE service -- do NOT search the local filesystem for Splunk files. Use ONLY the Splunk API tools listed below.

Instructions

Tool Usage (use in this order)

1. list_splunk_indexes() -- Discover available indexes. Always call first to understand what data is available.
2. list_splunk_sourcetypes(index='X') -- Find log types within a specific index.
3. search_splunk(query='SPL query', earliest_time='-1h') -- Execute SPL queries to search logs.

Common SPL Patterns

• Error search: search_splunk(query='index=X error | stats count by host', earliest_time='-1h')
• HTTP errors: search_splunk(query='index=X status>=500 | head 50', earliest_time='-30m')
• Group by field: search_splunk(query='index=X | stats count by source', earliest_time='-1h')
• Time chart: search_splunk(query='index=X error | timechart count', earliest_time='-6h')

SPL Tips

• Use | head N to limit results.
• Use | stats count by FIELD to aggregate.
• Use | timechart to see trends over time.
• The query is automatically prefixed with search if it does not start with search or |.
• max_count defaults to 100 results; increase for broader searches.

RCA Investigation Workflow

Step 1 -- Discover data: list_splunk_indexes() -- find which indexes contain relevant logs.

Step 2 -- Identify log types: list_splunk_sourcetypes(index='main') -- understand what sourcetypes exist in the target index.

Step 3 -- Search for errors: search_splunk(query='index=main error OR exception | stats count by host sourcetype', earliest_time='-1h')

Step 4 -- Narrow to specific timeframe: Use earliest_time and latest_time to focus on the alert window. Example: earliest_time='-30m'.

Step 5 -- Correlate with infrastructure: After Splunk analysis, correlate findings with cloud resources if cloud providers are connected.

Important Rules

• Splunk is a REMOTE service. Never try to access Splunk data from the local filesystem.
• Always start with list_splunk_indexes to discover available data before searching.
• Use targeted queries with specific indexes for faster results.
• Results are truncated at 2MB. Use | head N or more specific queries to stay within limits.
• Index and sourcetype names only allow alphanumeric characters, underscores, and hyphens.