content: Clarify when agentops agent register is needed in “Agent identity on traces”

[placerda]

Page

https://azure.github.io/agentops/observe/#agent-identity-on-traces

Summary

The current Agent identity on traces section explains how AgentOps registers or adopts an Entra Agent Identity, stamps it on traces as gen_ai.agent.id, and includes it in release evidence.

What is less clear is when users actually need to run agentops agent register.

The command can look like a general observability requirement, but it is really an optional governance and attribution capability.

Suggested clarification

Add a short note before “1. Register the identity”:

When should I register an agent identity?

Agent identity registration is optional. It is not required for tracing, Cockpit, evaluations, Application Insights, or Azure Monitor integration.

Use agentops agent register when you want runtime telemetry and release evidence to reference the same Microsoft Entra Agent ID.

Scenario	Recommendation
No existing Entra Agent ID	Use agentops agent register.
Custom/external agent without an Entra identity	Registration provides a governed identity that can be stamped as gen_ai.agent.id.
Agent already has an Entra Agent ID	Prefer adopting/reusing the existing identity.
Foundry Hosted Agent	Check whether Foundry already provisioned an Agent Identity Blueprint / instance identity before creating another identity.
Only using tracing, evals, or Cockpit	No registration required.

It would also help to clarify that gen_ai.agent.id is an OpenTelemetry correlation attribute. AgentOps adds governance value by populating it with a tenant-reconcilable Entra Agent ID and using the same identity in release evidence.

Finally, agentops agent register should be distinguished from:

• registering a custom agent in Foundry;
• publishing or syncing an agent to Agent 365;
• sending telemetry to Agent 365.

Its purpose here is identity-based attribution across traces and release evidence.

Acceptance criteria

• Clearly state that identity registration is optional.
• Clarify that it is not required for tracing, Cockpit, evals, or App Insights.
• Explain when to create versus adopt an identity.
• Explicitly mention Foundry Hosted Agents with an existing identity.
• Distinguish AgentOps identity registration from Foundry and Agent 365 registration.