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Practice @ mentions in Grafana Assistant so prompts target a specific data source.

Estimated time: 2 min

Use @ mentions for better results

At-mentions specify which data source, dashboard, or panel the request should use. Without a mention, the reply might use a different data source or request more detail. With a mention, you point the request at the right place so answers are more accurate.

Use this rule when you choose:

  • Mention when you already know which data source (or dashboard/panel) should answer the question.
  • Omit when you are exploring what is available and don’t have a target yet.
  • Retry with a mention when the reply doesn’t use the source you meant, or stays too generic.

Here you send a vague prompt first, then the same kind of request with an at-mention so you can compare focus.

To compare a vague prompt with an at-mention, complete the following steps:

  1. Open Assistant from the top toolbar (sparkle icon) if the panel is closed.

  2. In the chat input, paste or type a vague prompt (no at-mention):

    Show me something useful from my stack

    Or try:

    What can you tell me about my data sources?

  3. Click Send.

  4. In a new message, type the at symbol (@) in the chat input.

    Pick a data source from the mention list (or type the name after the at symbol). Prefer one you already know from this path, for example a Prometheus or Loki source.

  5. Finish the prompt so it uses that mention.

    Example shapes (replace the mention with yours):

    Summarize what I can query from @prometheus-ds

    Show recent activity from @loki-logs

    List metrics available in @grafanacloud-usage

  6. Click Send.

  7. Compare the two replies for focus, not perfection:

    • The mentioned reply should stay scoped to the data source you picked (name it, include a query for it, or otherwise stay clearly limited to it).
    • The vague reply might cover several sources, use a different source, or request more detail.

    If the mentioned reply is clearer, keep using @ when you know the target. If you only needed a tour of what exists, omitting @ is fine.

You practiced turning a vague request into a targeted one with an at-mention, and when to mention versus explore without one.

For more examples, refer to Use mentions for better results.

In the next milestone, you’ll choose Learn mode in the Assistant panel.