Cisco AppDynamics Setup Automation

Prerequisites

Tool or access	Purpose	Verify
Bash and Python 3	Run bundled setup and validation helpers	bash --version && python3 --version
Required product/platform access	Inspect or configure the selected target	Complete the documented preflight
Credential files for live modes	Keep secrets out of chat	Verify paths only

Workflow Overview

┌───────────┐   ┌───────────────┐   ┌───────────────┐   ┌─────────────────┐
│ Preflight │ → │ Render/review │ → │ Apply/handoff │ → │ Validate evidence │
└───────────┘   └───────────────┘   └───────────────┘   └─────────────────┘

When to Activate

• AppDynamics setup, Splunk_TA_AppDynamics, controller connections, analytics connections, or AppDynamics dashboards in Splunk.
• Preview and review the cisco appdynamics setup workflow before any live apply phase.
• Diagnose failed prerequisites, generated assets, configuration, or validation evidence.

Scope

Follow the documented read-only or render-first path whenever it is available. This skill does not imply permission to mutate live systems. Require explicit apply flags, protected credentials, and operator review for state changes.

Examples

Inspect the supported setup modes before selecting one:

bash skills/cisco-appdynamics-setup/scripts/setup.sh --help

Expected output: usage, supported modes, and required arguments are displayed without changing the target environment.

Inspect validation modes before running completion checks:

bash skills/cisco-appdynamics-setup/scripts/validate.sh --help

Expected output: offline, live, and completion options are displayed when the skill supports them; help exits without mutation.

Troubleshooting

Issue	Cause	Resolution
Preflight fails	A required tool or access path is missing	Resolve it before rendering or applying
Rendered assets are incomplete	Required non-secret inputs are absent	Complete intake and render again
Apply is blocked	Review, credentials, or explicit acceptance is missing	Use the documented handoff
Validation is incomplete	Live evidence is unavailable	Record the gap and keep completion open

TA Completion Gate

For every TA/add-on or dashboard companion run, satisfy the shared TA completion gate: configure and enable the data ingest path owned by this skill or its required companion, validate events or metrics in the target indexes/source types, and verify any pre-built/package-shipped dashboards are visible, macro-aligned, and returning data. If the package ships no dashboards, record that evidence explicitly and hand off dashboard use to the consuming app, ES/ITSI/ARI content, or readiness doctor.

Automates the Cisco Splunk Add-on for AppDynamics (Splunk_TA_AppDynamics).

This package is a combined add-on plus built-in dashboards bundle. There is no separate companion Splunk app in the local package cache for this workflow.

Package Model

Pull from Splunkbase first (latest version), then fall back to local or custom packages.

Use splunk-app-install with --source splunkbase --app-id 3471 to get the latest release. Latest verified Splunkbase release is 3.2.1 as of 2026-05-16. If Splunkbase is unavailable, fall back to the local archive in splunk-ta/ (cisco-splunk-add-on-for-appdynamics_*.tar.gz) or a custom URL. This applies to both Splunk Cloud (ACS) and Splunk Enterprise.

After installation, use this skill to configure the AppDynamics index, add-on settings, controller connections, optional analytics connections, inputs, and validation over search-tier REST. Any splunk-ta/_unpacked/ tree is review-only.

Agent Behavior — Credentials

The agent must NEVER ask for passwords, API client secrets, or analytics secrets in chat.

Splunk credentials are read automatically from the project-root credentials file (falls back to ~/.splunk/credentials). If neither exists, guide the user to create it:

bash skills/shared/scripts/setup_credentials.sh

For the AppDynamics controller client secret, instruct the user to write it to a temporary file:

# User creates the file themselves (agent never sees the secret)
bash skills/shared/scripts/write_secret_file.sh /tmp/appd_client_secret

For the optional AppDynamics analytics secret:

# User creates the file themselves (agent never sees the secret)
bash skills/shared/scripts/write_secret_file.sh /tmp/appd_analytics_secret

Then the agent passes --client-secret-file or --analytics-secret-file to the configure scripts. After configuration completes, delete the temp files.

The agent may freely ask for non-secret values: connection names, controller URLs, analytics endpoint choice, global account names, index names, and input types.

For prerequisite collection, use skills/cisco-appdynamics-setup/template.example as the intake worksheet. Copy it to template.local, fill in non-secret values there, and keep the completed file local only.

Environment

Setup and validation use the Splunk search-tier REST API and can run from any host with network access to the Splunk management port (8089). In Splunk Cloud, app installation, index creation, and restarts are handled through ACS instead of the search-tier REST endpoints.

Item	Value
Search-tier API	SPLUNK_SEARCH_API_URI env var (legacy alias: SPLUNK_URI)
Cloud stack	SPLUNK_CLOUD_STACK for Cloud installs (SPLUNK_PLATFORM is only an override for hybrid runs)
App name	Splunk_TA_AppDynamics
Default index	appdynamics
Credentials	Project-root credentials file (falls back to ~/.splunk/credentials)
Skill scripts	skills/cisco-appdynamics-setup/scripts/ (relative to repo root)

Remote Splunk Connection

To run against a remote Splunk instance:

export SPLUNK_SEARCH_API_URI="https://splunk-host:8089"

Splunk Authentication

Scripts read Splunk credentials from the project-root credentials file (falls back to ~/.splunk/credentials) automatically.

bash skills/cisco-appdynamics-setup/scripts/validate.sh

Setup Workflow

Step 1: Create the Index and Set Add-on Defaults

bash skills/cisco-appdynamics-setup/scripts/setup.sh

Creates the appdynamics index, sets the add-on default output index in splunk_ta_appdynamics_settings.conf, and ensures the app is visible in Splunk Web.

Partial runs:

• --indexes-only
• --settings-only

Step 2: Configure the Controller Connection

Before running, the agent must ask the user for non-secret values:

• Connection name
• Controller URL
• AppDynamics client name
• Whether to enable common inputs immediately

Create or update the controller connection via the add-on REST handler:

bash skills/cisco-appdynamics-setup/scripts/configure_account.sh \
  --name "PROD" \
  --controller-url "https://example.saas.appdynamics.com" \
  --client-name "splunk-integration" \
  --client-secret-file /tmp/appd_client_secret \
  --create-inputs recommended

REST endpoint used:

• /servicesNS/nobody/Splunk_TA_AppDynamics/Splunk_TA_AppDynamics_account

Step 3: Configure the Optional Analytics Connection

Only needed if the user wants Analytics Search inputs.

bash skills/cisco-appdynamics-setup/scripts/configure_analytics.sh \
  --name "PROD_ANALYTICS" \
  --global-account-name "customer1_abcdef" \
  --analytics-secret-file /tmp/appd_analytics_secret

Optional follow-on: create an analytics input at the same time with --query.

REST endpoint used:

• /servicesNS/nobody/Splunk_TA_AppDynamics/Splunk_TA_AppDynamics_analytics_account

Step 4: Enable Inputs

Enable common controller-backed inputs:

bash skills/cisco-appdynamics-setup/scripts/setup.sh --enable-inputs \
  --account "PROD" --index "appdynamics" --input-type recommended

Input groups:

Input Type	Inputs Enabled	Notes
recommended	status, events, security, audit, licenses	Best default starting point
all	recommended + database + hardware + snapshots	Excludes analytics and custom
status	high-level status	Uses all built-in status categories
database	database metrics	Uses vendor defaults
hardware	hardware metrics	Uses vendor defaults
snapshots	application snapshots	Uses vendor defaults
security	Secure Application data	Uses vendor defaults
events	events data	Uses the package default event filter set
audit	controller audit logs	Controller connection only
licenses	controller license usage	Controller connection only
analytics	analytics search	Requires --analytics-account and --query
custom	custom metrics	Requires --metric-paths

Analytics example:

bash skills/cisco-appdynamics-setup/scripts/setup.sh --enable-inputs \
  --index appdynamics \
  --input-type analytics \
  --analytics-account "PROD_ANALYTICS" \
  --query "SELECT * FROM transactions LIMIT 100"

Custom metrics example:

bash skills/cisco-appdynamics-setup/scripts/setup.sh --enable-inputs \
  --account "PROD" \
  --index appdynamics \
  --input-type custom \
  --metric-paths "Overall Application Performance|Calls per Minute"

Step 5: Dashboards

The package already includes dashboards and forms. They appear in Splunk Web automatically after installation — no import or manual activation is needed.

To access them: Apps → Splunk Add-on for AppDynamics

Built-in dashboards:

• ingestion_statistics
• status
• events
• license_usage
• audit_log
• troubleshooting

There is no macro rewrite step for this add-on. Dashboard forms use an inline Index text token that defaults to appdynamics. If the user chooses a different index, they must enter that index in the dashboard form when viewing the built-in dashboards.

On Splunk Cloud, dashboards are available immediately after ACS installs the app. No additional activation step is required.

Step 6: Validate

bash skills/cisco-appdynamics-setup/scripts/validate.sh --completion

Checks: app installation, visibility, index, settings, controller connections, analytics connections, inputs, and data flow.

Sourcetypes

Primary sourcetypes:

• appdynamics_status
• appdynamics_databases
• appdynamics_hardware
• appdynamics_snapshots
• appdynamics_analytics
• appdynamics_security
• appdynamics_events
• appdynamics_audit
• appdynamics_licenses

Custom metrics default to the user-facing source type appdynamics_custom_data.

See reference.md for the input catalog, settings, dashboards, and sourcetype details.

Optional ITSI Path

If the user wants the Content Pack for Splunk AppDynamics or ITSI/ITE Work service modeling, treat that as a follow-on workflow. This skill only automates the Splunk_TA_AppDynamics package and its built-in dashboards.

MCP Server Integration

Load custom tools into the MCP Server:

bash skills/cisco-appdynamics-setup/scripts/load_mcp_tools.sh

Key Learnings / Known Issues

1. Single package: The local package is Splunk_TA_AppDynamics and already includes built-in dashboards.
2. Default index matters: The shipped dashboards default to appdynamics. Using that index avoids manual dashboard edits.
3. Two connection types: Controller and Analytics connections are separate REST handlers and should be configured separately.
4. No macro management: Unlike some Cisco app skills, there is no dashboard macro to rewrite for index selection.
5. Advanced inputs: Analytics Search and Custom Metrics need additional query/path parameters and are not part of the recommended bundle.
6. Restart behavior differs by platform: Enterprise may need a restart after index creation. Splunk Cloud uses ACS restart checks.
7. Visibility after install: The app can be present but hidden in Splunk Web after install. setup.sh forces visible=true.

Additional Resources

• reference.md — Connection fields, input catalog, dashboards, sourcetypes
• mcp_tools.json — MCP tool definitions

Validation Modes

Run scripts/validate.sh for a backward-compatible diagnostic report. Run scripts/validate.sh --completion (alias --strict) to require a configured connection, enabled input, event flow, and visible built-in dashboard views; missing completion evidence exits nonzero.