Design Datadog Dashboard

Design a dashboard layout that tells a clear story — from high-level health signals down to granular diagnostics — using proper widget types, group organization, and template variables for reusability.

Important: Always check for existing dashboards first with pup dashboards list --agent. Do not create a new dashboard if one already exists for the same service or purpose — update the existing one instead. Only create a new dashboard when no relevant one exists or the user explicitly asks for a new one.

Philosophy: The frameworks, layouts, and widget guides in this skill are starting points — not rigid rules. Every product and business is different. Understand the domain first, then adapt the frameworks to fit. The best dashboards reflect how the business actually works, not how a generic template says they should.

Interview

First, determine the mode:

• Design mode — user wants to create or redesign a dashboard → ask design questions, then run the full workflow
• Audit mode — user wants to review an existing dashboard with no intent to redesign → skip to Audit

Design Questions

Skip if ALL of these are already specified: dashboard purpose, target audience, data sources, template variable needs, dashboard strategy.