# Agent Prometheus PromQL and Alert Labels
Status: public
Confidence: medium (0.685) (verified)
Last verified: 2026-06-03
Generation: ai_structured


## TL;DR

PromQL evidence lets agents distinguish a real service regression from a query-window, label, or alert-rule misunderstanding.

## Core Explanation

Metrics are not raw truth; they are sampled and labeled time series. When an agent cites Prometheus, it should include the PromQL expression, evaluation time, range window, labels, and alert rule name rather than only the rendered dashboard number.

Instant vectors, range vectors, alert labels, and annotations encode different evidence. A failed rollout can look different depending on whether the agent queried current values, a rate over a window, or an alert expression with a pending duration.

## Source-Mapped Facts

- Prometheus documentation says an instant vector contains one sample for each selected time series at a single timestamp. ([source](https://prometheus.io/docs/prometheus/latest/querying/basics/))
- Prometheus documentation says a range vector contains a range of data points over time for each selected time series. ([source](https://prometheus.io/docs/prometheus/latest/querying/basics/))
- Prometheus documentation says alerting rules allow expressions to trigger alerts and can define alert labels and annotations. ([source](https://prometheus.io/docs/prometheus/latest/configuration/alerting_rules/))

## Further Reading

- [Prometheus Querying Basics](https://prometheus.io/docs/prometheus/latest/querying/basics/)
- [Prometheus Alerting Rules](https://prometheus.io/docs/prometheus/latest/configuration/alerting_rules/)