Exec Connector

Configure the Exec connector to collect output from periodically executed commands and scripts for analysis by AI teammates.

5 minute read

Overview

The Exec connector collects output from periodically executed commands and scripts. It runs custom commands or shell scripts at specified intervals on hosts where Edge Delta agents are deployed, capturing stdout and stderr into Edge Delta Pipelines for analysis by AI teammates through the Edge Delta MCP connector.

When you add this streaming connector, it appears as a Exec source in your selected pipeline. AI teammates access this data by querying the Edge Delta backend with the Edge Delta MCP connector.

Add the Exec Connector

To add the Exec connector, you configure a command or script to execute at regular intervals, then deploy to an environment.

Prerequisites

Before configuring the connector, ensure you have:

Edge Delta agent deployed with permissions to execute commands
Commands, scripts, or binaries accessible from the agent host
Required command-line tools installed (curl, psql, jq, custom binaries)

Configuration Steps

Navigate to AI Team > Connectors in the Edge Delta application
Find the Exec connector in Streaming Connectors
Click the connector card
Configure the Command to execute (absolute path with arguments)
Set the Run Interval for execution frequency
Optionally add a Script if using shell executables
Select a Linux, macOS, or Windows environment
Click Save

The connector is now executing the command at the specified interval.

Exec connector configuration showing command, interval, and script settings

Configuration Options

Connector Name

Name to identify this Exec connector instance.

Command

Absolute path to an executable with optional arguments.

Format: /path/to/executable [arguments]

Examples:

/bin/bash -c - Execute bash commands (use with Script field)
/usr/bin/python3 /opt/scripts/health_check.py - Run Python script
/usr/bin/psql -h localhost -U postgres -c "SELECT count(*) FROM users" - Database query

Run Interval

How frequently the command executes. Balance data freshness against system resource consumption.

Format: Duration with unit (ms, s, m, h)

Examples:

30s - Every 30 seconds (critical health checks)
1m - Every minute (application metrics)
5m - Every 5 minutes (less time-sensitive diagnostics)

Script

Bash script content to execute when Command points to a shell executable (/bin/bash -c or /bin/sh -c). Allows multi-line scripts with complex logic.

Example:

#!/bin/bash
echo "Checking application health..."
curl -s http://localhost:8080/health | jq .

Advanced Settings

Metadata Level

This option is used to define which detected resources and attributes to add to each data item as it is ingested by Edge Delta. You can select:

Required Only: This option includes the minimum required resources and attributes for Edge Delta to operate.
Default: This option includes the required resources and attributes plus those selected by Edge Delta
High: This option includes the required resources and attributes along with a larger selection of common optional fields.
Custom: With this option selected, you can choose which attributes and resources to include. The required fields are selected by default and can’t be unchecked.

Based on your selection in the GUI, the source_metadata YAML is populated as two dictionaries (resource_attributes and attributes) with Boolean values.

See Choose Data Item Metadata for more information on selecting metadata.

Additional metadata automatically included:

Exit code - Command exit status
Execution duration - Time taken to execute
Command output - Captured stdout and stderr

Rate Limit

Rate limit configuration to control maximum execution frequency and manage processing capacity.

Target Environments

Select a Linux, macOS, or Windows environment where you want to deploy this connector.

How to Use the Exec Connector

The Exec connector integrates seamlessly with AI Team, enabling analysis of custom metrics, health checks, and system diagnostics. AI teammates automatically leverage the ingested data based on the queries they receive and the context of the conversation.

Use Case: Application Health Check Monitoring

Periodically query application health endpoints to track service status, database connectivity, and cache availability. AI teammates analyze health check output to identify degraded services, correlate health issues with other telemetry, and investigate incidents. When combined with PagerDuty alerts, teammates automatically query recent health check results during incident investigation.

Configuration: Command: /bin/bash -c, Script: curl -s http://localhost:8080/health | jq ., Run Interval: 30s

Use Case: Custom Database Metrics

Execute SQL queries via CLI tools to collect metrics unavailable through standard exporters. AI teammates analyze query results to identify capacity concerns, detect connection leaks, and predict when intervention is needed. This works for PostgreSQL, MySQL, Oracle, and legacy databases with CLI access.

Configuration: Command: /usr/bin/psql -h localhost -U metrics_user -t -c "SELECT 'active_connections', count(*) FROM pg_stat_activity", Run Interval: 1m

Use Case: Disk Space Monitoring

Monitor critical mount points across server fleets using standard disk commands. AI teammates identify hosts approaching capacity limits, track usage trends, and prioritize cleanup efforts. This lightweight approach is ideal when full node exporters aren’t feasible.

Configuration: Command: /bin/bash -c, Script: df -h | grep -E '/$|/data|/var' | awk '{print $6, $5, $4}', Run Interval: 5m

Troubleshooting

Command not found errors: Use absolute paths for all commands. Verify command exists at specified path (ls -l /path/to/command).

Scripts fail when run by connector: Use absolute paths within scripts. Set required environment variables explicitly in the script. Include proper shebang line (#!/bin/bash).

Permission denied errors: Ensure execute permissions (chmod +x /path/to/script.sh). Verify Edge Delta agent user can execute the command.

No output appearing: Verify script writes to stdout. Check Edge Delta logs for errors. Ensure proper shebang line.

High system load: Increase run interval. Optimize scripts for performance. Use rate limiting settings.

Agent unresponsive: Implement timeouts within scripts. Limit script output size. Ensure scripts terminate properly.

Next Steps

Learn about creating custom teammates that can use Exec output
Explore the Edge Delta MCP connector for querying command output

For additional help, visit AI Team Support.