> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.chronosphere.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Annotate standard dashboards

> Create, view, edit, and delete manual annotations that mark points in time on Chronosphere standard dashboards.

<Note>
  This feature isn't available to all Chronosphere Observability Platform users and
  might not be visible in your app. For information about enabling this feature in your
  environment, contact [Chronosphere Support](/support).
</Note>

A *dashboard annotation* marks a specific point in time on a Chronosphere
Observability Platform [standard dashboard](/observe/dashboards). Use annotations to
record context that other telemetry doesn't capture, such as a manual configuration
change, a customer escalation, or the start of an incident. Anyone viewing the
dashboard then sees what happened and when.

Annotations belong to the dashboard where you create them. Each annotation stores a
title, a timestamp, and optional labels. Any user with access to the dashboard can
view, edit, or delete it.

## Annotations compared to change events

Dashboard annotations and [change events](/observe/enable-events/use-events) both
appear as markers on dashboard panels, but they're separate features.

* Dashboard annotations are attached to a single dashboard. Create and manage them
  from the dashboard itself. An annotation has a title, a timestamp, and labels.
* Change events represent activity across Observability Platform, such as deploys,
  alerts, or infrastructure changes. Each change event has a category, source, and
  type, and can appear on dashboards, service pages, and in Changes Explorer. To
  display change events on a dashboard, see
  [Enable change events on dashboards](/observe/enable-events/dashboards).

Choose an annotation when you want to mark a moment on one dashboard. Choose a change
event when you want to track an occurrence across Observability Platform.

## Create an annotation

Create an annotation from a [time series chart](/observe/dashboards/panels/time-series-chart)
on a standard dashboard. Annotations created this way apply to the whole dashboard, not
to a single panel.

To create an annotation:

1. On a time series chart, click a data point to
   [pin](/observe/dashboards/panels/time-series-chart#pin-a-point-in-time) that point
   in time.
2. In the pinned tooltip, click **Create annotation**.
3. In the **Create Annotation** drawer, enter a **Title** that describes the
   annotation. The title accepts up to 100 characters.
4. Confirm the **Timestamp**. This field defaults to the pinned time. Set a time within
   seven days before or after the current time.
5. Optional: Add labels to categorize the annotation. For each label, enter a **Key**
   and a **Value**. To add another label, click **Add Label**. To remove a label, click
   the <Icon icon="trash-2" /> trash can. For label limits, see [Labels](#labels).
6. Click **Create** to add the annotation.

The annotation appears as a marker on the dashboard's panels at the timestamp you set.

## View annotations

Annotations appear as markers on a dashboard's time series panels through a built-in
Annotations event layer. Toggle the Annotations layer to show or hide annotation
markers alongside other event layers.

When several annotations share the same timestamp, Observability Platform groups them
into a single marker that shows the number of annotations. Select the grouped marker,
then click **View all annotations** to open the annotation group and select an
individual annotation.

To view the details of a single annotation:

1. Click the annotation marker on the panel.
2. Click **View annotation details**. The **Annotation** drawer opens to the **Summary**
   tab, which shows the title, timestamp, and labels.

To discuss an annotation with your team, open the annotation and select the **Comments**
tab.

## Edit an annotation

1. Open the annotation details.
2. In the **Annotation** drawer, click **Edit**.
3. Update the title, timestamp, or labels.
4. Click **Save** to update the annotation.

## Delete an annotation

1. Open the annotation details.
2. In the **Annotation** drawer, click **Edit**.
3. Click **Delete annotation**.
4. In the confirmation dialog, click **Delete**.

## Labels

Labels are optional key-value pairs that categorize an annotation. The following
limits apply to annotation labels:

* An annotation can have up to 50 labels.
* A label key accepts up to 200 characters. A label value accepts up to 500 characters.
* A label key can't start with `__`.
* A label key or value can't contain any of these characters: `: = ~ ! * ?`.

## Manage annotations with the API

Manage dashboard annotations programmatically with the Panel Annotations API:

* [CreatePanelAnnotation](/tooling/api-info/data_definition/operations/CreatePanelAnnotation)
* [ListPanelAnnotation](/tooling/api-info/data_definition/operations/ListPanelAnnotation)
* [PutPanelAnnotation](/tooling/api-info/data_definition/operations/PutPanelAnnotation)
* [DeletePanelAnnotation](/tooling/api-info/data_definition/operations/DeletePanelAnnotation)