Monte Carlo Monitor Creation Skill

This skill teaches you to create Monte Carlo monitors correctly via MCP. Every creation tool runs in dry-run mode and returns monitors-as-code (MaC) YAML. No monitors are created directly -- the user applies the YAML via the Monte Carlo CLI or CI/CD.

Reference files live next to this skill file. Use the Read tool (not MCP resources) to access them:

• Metric monitor details:

  references/metric-monitor.md

  (relative to this file)
• Validation monitor details:

  references/validation-monitor.md

  (relative to this file)
• Custom SQL monitor details:

  references/custom-sql-monitor.md

  (relative to this file)
• Comparison monitor details:

  references/comparison-monitor.md

  (relative to this file)
• Table monitor details:

  references/table-monitor.md

  (relative to this file)

When to activate this skill

Activate when the user:

• Asks to create, add, or set up a monitor (e.g. "add a monitor for...", "create a freshness check on...", "set up validation for...")
• Mentions monitoring a specific table, field, or metric
• Wants to check data quality rules or enforce data contracts
• Asks about monitoring options for a table or dataset
• Requests monitors-as-code YAML generation
• Wants to add monitoring after new transformation logic (when the prevent skill is not active)

When NOT to activate this skill

Do not activate when the user is:

• Just querying data or exploring table contents
• Triaging or responding to active alerts (use the prevent skill's Workflow 3)
• Running impact assessments before code changes (use the prevent skill's Workflow 4)
• Asking about existing monitor configuration (use

  getMonitors

  directly)
• Editing or deleting existing monitors

Available MCP tools

All tools are available via the

monte-carlo

testConnection

search

include_fields

getTable

getValidationPredicates

getDomains

createMetricMonitorMac

createValidationMonitorMac

createComparisonMonitorMac

createCustomSqlMonitorMac

createTableMonitorMac

Monitor types

createMetricMonitorMac

createValidationMonitorMac

createCustomSqlMonitorMac

createComparisonMonitorMac

createTableMonitorMac

Procedure

Follow these steps in order. Do NOT skip steps.

Validation Phase (Steps 1-3) -- MUST complete before any creation tool is called

The number one error pattern is agents skipping validation and calling a creation tool with guessed or incomplete parameters. Every field in the creation call must be grounded in data retrieved during this phase. Do not proceed to Step 4 until Steps 1-3 are fully satisfied.

Step 1: Understand the request

Ask yourself:

• What does the user want to monitor? (a specific table, a metric, a data quality rule, cross-table consistency, freshness/volume at schema level)
• Which monitor type fits? Use the monitor types table above.
• Does the user have all the details, or do they need guidance?

If the user's intent is unclear, ask a focused question before proceeding.

Step 2: Identify the table(s) and columns

If you don't have the table MCON:

1. Use

   search

   with the table name and

   include_fields: ["field_names"]

   to find the MCON and get column names.
2. If the user provided a full table ID like

   database:schema.table

   , search for it.
3. Once you have the MCON, call

   getTable

   with

   include_fields: true

   and

   include_table_capabilities: true

   to verify capabilities and get domain info.

If you already have the MCON:

1. Call

   getTable

   with the MCON,

   include_fields: true

   , and

   include_table_capabilities: true

   .

CRITICAL: You need the actual column names from

getTable

For monitor types that require a timestamp column (metric monitors), review the column names and identify likely timestamp candidates. Present them to the user if ambiguous.

Step 3: Handle domain assignment

Monitors must be assigned to a domain that contains the table being monitored. The

getTable

domains

uuid

name

1. If

   domains

   is empty: skip domain assignment.
2. If

   domains

   has exactly one entry: default

   domain_id

   to that domain's UUID.
3. If

   domains

   has multiple entries: present only those domains and ask the user to pick.

Do NOT present all account domains as options -- only domains that contain the table are valid.

ALWAYS check the table's

domains

Creation Phase (Steps 4-8)

Only enter this phase after the validation phase is complete with real data from MCP tools.

Step 4: Load the sub-skill reference

Based on the monitor type, read the detailed reference for parameter guidance:

• Metric -- Read the detailed reference:

  references/metric-monitor.md

  (relative to this file)
• Validation -- Read the detailed reference:

  references/validation-monitor.md

  (relative to this file)
• Custom SQL -- Read the detailed reference:

  references/custom-sql-monitor.md

  (relative to this file)
• Comparison -- Read the detailed reference:

  references/comparison-monitor.md

  (relative to this file)
• Table -- Read the detailed reference:

  references/table-monitor.md

  (relative to this file)

Step 5: Ask about scheduling

Skip this step for table monitors. Table monitors do not support the

schedule

montecarlo monitors apply

For all other monitor types, the creation tools default to a fixed schedule running every 60 minutes. Present these options:

1. Fixed interval -- any integer for

   interval_minutes

   (30, 60, 90, 120, 360, 720, 1440, etc.)
2. Dynamic -- MC auto-determines when to run based on table update patterns.
3. Loose -- runs once per day.

Schedule format in MaC YAML:

• Fixed:

  schedule: { type: fixed, interval_minutes: <N> }

• Dynamic:

  schedule: { type: dynamic }

• Loose:

  schedule: { type: loose, start_time: "00:00" }

Step 6: Confirm with the user

Before calling the creation tool, present the monitor configuration in plain language:

• Monitor type
• Target table (and columns if applicable)
• What it checks / what triggers an alert
• Domain assignment
• Schedule

Ask: "Does this look correct? I'll generate the monitor configuration."

NEVER call the creation tool without user confirmation.

Step 7: Create the monitor

Call the appropriate creation tool with the parameters built in previous steps. Always pass an MCON when possible. If only table name is available, also pass warehouse.

Step 8: Present results

CRITICAL: Always include the YAML in your response. The user needs copy-pasteable YAML.

1. If a non-default schedule was chosen, modify the schedule section in the YAML before presenting.
2. Wrap the YAML in the full MaC structure (see "MaC YAML format" section below).
3. ALWAYS present the full YAML in a ```yaml code block.
4. Explain where to put it and how to apply it (see below).
5. ALWAYS use ISO 8601 format for datetime values.
6. NEVER reformat YAML values returned by creation tools.

MaC YAML format

The YAML returned by creation tools is the monitor definition. It must be wrapped in the standard MaC structure to be applied:

montecarlo:
  <monitor_type>:
    - <returned yaml>

For example, a metric monitor would look like:

montecarlo:
  metric:
    - <yaml returned by createMetricMonitorMac>

Important:

montecarlo.yml

.yml

monitors/

Tell the user:

• Save the YAML to a

  .yml

  file (e.g.

  monitors/<table_name>.yml

  or in their dbt schema)
• Apply via the Monte Carlo CLI:

  montecarlo monitors apply --namespace <namespace>

• Or integrate into CI/CD for automatic deployment on merge

Common mistakes to avoid

• NEVER guess column names. Always get them from

  getTable

  .
• NEVER skip the confirmation step (Step 6).
• For metric monitors,

  aggregate_time_field

  MUST be a real timestamp column from the table.
• For validation monitors, conditions match INVALID data, not valid data.
• Always pass an MCON when possible. If only table name is available, also pass warehouse.
• ALWAYS check table's

  domains

  BEFORE calling any creation tool.
• ALWAYS use ISO 8601 format for datetime values.
• NEVER reformat YAML values returned by creation tools.
• Do not call creation tools before the validation phase is complete.

Limitations

• Use this skill only when the task clearly matches the scope described above.
• Do not treat the output as a substitute for environment-specific validation, testing, or expert review.
• Stop and ask for clarification if required inputs, permissions, safety boundaries, or success criteria are missing.