This tutorial shows how to set up Keywords AI tracing with Next.js and the Vercel AI SDK to monitor and trace your AI-powered applications.

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Start with the pre-built example

We have built a pre-built example for you to get started quickly. You can find the example here. Get up and running quickly with our pre-configured example: 
npx create-next-app --example https://github.com/Keywords-AI/keywordsai-example-projects/tree/main/vercel_ai_next_openai my-keywordsai-app

yarn create next-app --example https://github.com/Keywords-AI/keywordsai-example-projects/tree/main/vercel_ai_next_openai my-keywordsai-app

pnpm create next-app --example https://github.com/Keywords-AI/keywordsai-example-projects/tree/main/vercel_ai_next_openai my-keywordsai-app
Then:
  1. Add your API keys to .env.local (see Step 3 below)
  2. Run yarn dev to start the development server
  3. Start chatting and check your KeywordsAI dashboard

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Start from scratch

You can also follow the Step-by-Step Tutorial to build your own application. If you want to understand the setup process or add KeywordsAI tracing to an existing project, follow the tutorial below. Execute create-next-app with npm, Yarn, or pnpm to bootstrap the base example: 
npx create-next-app --example https://github.com/vercel/ai/tree/main/examples/next-openai next-openai-app

yarn create next-app --example https://github.com/vercel/ai/tree/main/examples/next-openai next-openai-app

pnpm create next-app --example https://github.com/vercel/ai/tree/main/examples/next-openai next-openai-app
To run the base example locally you need to:
  1. Sign up at OpenAI’s Developer Platform.
  2. Go to OpenAI’s dashboard and create an API KEY.
  3. If you choose to use external files for attachments, then create a Vercel Blob Store.
  4. Set the required environment variable as the token value as shown the example env file but in a new file called .env.local
  5. Run pnpm install to install the required dependencies.
  6. Run pnpm dev to launch the development server.

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KeywordsAI Telemetry Setup

Now let’s add KeywordsAI tracing to monitor your AI application’s performance and usage.

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Step 1: Install KeywordsAI Exporter

Install the KeywordsAI exporter package: 
npm install @keywordsai/exporter-vercel

yarn add @keywordsai/exporter-vercel

bun add @keywordsai/exporter-vercel

pnpm add @keywordsai/exporter-vercel

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Step 2: Set up OpenTelemetry Instrumentation

Next.js supports OpenTelemetry instrumentation out of the box. Following the Next.js OpenTelemetry guide, create an instrumentation.ts file in your project root: Install vercel’s opentelemetry instrumentation: 
yarn add @vercel/otel
Create instrumentation.ts in the root (where package.json lives) of your project
instrumentation.ts
import { registerOTel } from "@vercel/otel";
import { KeywordsAIExporter } from "@keywordsai/exporter-vercel";

export function register() {
  registerOTel({
    serviceName: "next-app",
    traceExporter: new KeywordsAIExporter({ // <---- Use Keywords AI exporter as the custom exporter
      apiKey: process.env.KEYWORDSAI_API_KEY,
      baseUrl: process.env.KEYWORDSAI_BASE_URL,
      debug: true
    }),
  });
}

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Step 3: Configure Environment Variables

Add your KeywordsAI credentials to your .env.local file:
.env.local
# OpenAI API Key (existing)
OPENAI_API_KEY=your_openai_api_key_here

# KeywordsAI Configuration
KEYWORDSAI_API_KEY=your_keywordsai_api_key_here
KEYWORDSAI_BASE_URL=https://api.keywordsai.co  # Optional: defaults to KeywordsAI API

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Step 4: Enable Telemetry in API Routes

In your API route files (e.g., app/api/chat/route.ts), enable telemetry by adding the experimental_telemetry option to your AI SDK functions:
app/api/chat/route.ts
// app/api/chat/route.ts
import { openai } from '@ai-sdk/openai';
import { streamText } from 'ai';

export const maxDuration = 30;

export async function POST(req: Request) {
  const { messages, id } = await req.json();

  console.log('chat id', id);

  const result = streamText({
    model: openai('gpt-4o'),
    messages,
    async onFinish({ text, toolCalls, toolResults, usage, finishReason }) {
      // implement your own logic here, e.g. for storing messages
      // or recording token usage
    },
    experimental_telemetry: {
      isEnabled: true,  // <---- Enable telemetry tracking
    },
  });

  return result.toDataStreamResponse();
}

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Step 5: Test Your Setup

  1. Start your development server:
pnpm dev

yarn dev
There might be broken dependencies in the @vercel/otel package, simply install them if you see them: 
yarn add @opentelementry/api-logs
If this fails, make sure you are use the right version of package manager
package.json
"packageManager" : "yarn@4.9.2"
And try again
  1. Make some chat requests through your application
  2. Check your KeywordsAI application:
  • Go to Signals -> Traces
  • Check the log that is traced

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What Gets Traced

With this setup, KeywordsAI will automatically capture:
  • AI Model Calls: All calls to OpenAI models through the AI SDK
  • Request/Response Data: Input messages and generated responses
  • Token Usage: Input and output token counts for cost tracking
  • Performance Metrics: Latency and throughput data
  • Error Tracking: Failed requests and error details
  • Custom Metadata: Any additional context you want to track

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Learn More

To learn more about the technologies used in this tutorial: