diff --git a/pages/validators/monitoring.mdx b/pages/validators/monitoring.mdx
index 1b5df4db..6db255ba 100644
--- a/pages/validators/monitoring.mdx
+++ b/pages/validators/monitoring.mdx
@@ -94,12 +94,27 @@ To contribute your node's metrics and logs to the centralized GenLayer Foundatio
 **Prerequisites**
 - Metrics enabled in `config.yaml` (`endpoints.metrics: true` — default in recent versions).
 - Ops port 9153 exposed in docker-compose (`ports: - "9153:9153"`).
-- Credentials from the Foundation team (ask in #testnet-asimov):
+- Credentials from the Foundation team (ask in the current validator support channel):
   - `CENTRAL_MONITORING_URL` — Prometheus remote write URL
   - `CENTRAL_LOKI_URL` — Loki push URL
   - `CENTRAL_MONITORING_USERNAME` / `CENTRAL_MONITORING_PASSWORD` — Metrics (Prometheus) credentials
   - `CENTRAL_LOKI_USERNAME` / `CENTRAL_LOKI_PASSWORD` — Logs (Loki) credentials
 
+<Callout type="warning">
+  Use the `docker-compose.yaml` and `alloy-config.river` files that ship with the validator node release. Only customize `.env` values such as credentials, `NODE_ID`, and `VALIDATOR_NAME`. Hand-editing the Alloy scrape component or labels can make metrics reach Grafana Cloud while still being invisible to dashboards, alerts, and uptime crediting.
+</Callout>
+
+### Telemetry label contract
+
+Foundation dashboards and validator health checks expect the stock Alloy labels. For a single node setup, the resulting `genlayer_node_*` metrics should include:
+
+- `job="prometheus.scrape.genlayer_node"` from the stock `prometheus.scrape "genlayer_node"` component.
+- `validator_name="<your validator name>"` from `VALIDATOR_NAME` in `.env`.
+- `instance="<your node id or address>"` from `NODE_ID` in `.env`.
+- `network="<network name>"` emitted by the node itself.
+
+If you run multiple nodes, every object in `SCRAPE_TARGETS_JSON` must include a stable `instance` and `validator_name`. Keep the scrape component name `genlayer_node` so the `job` label remains compatible with Foundation dashboards.
+
 **Steps**
 
 1. **Create or update .env** (next to your docker-compose.yaml):
@@ -128,7 +143,7 @@ LOG_FILE_PATTERN=/var/log/genlayer/node*.log
 METRICS_SCRAPE_INTERVAL=15s
 ```
 
-2. **Add or verify the Alloy service in docker-compose.yaml** (copy if missing):
+2. **Use the release-provided Alloy service in docker-compose.yaml**. The validator tarball includes the expected service and config wiring; avoid rewriting it by hand. If you are recovering an older install, compare against the current release and restore the stock service before starting telemetry:
 
 ```yaml
   # Grafana Alloy for both logs and metrics forwarding
@@ -205,7 +220,7 @@ volumes:
   alloy_data:
 ```
 
-3. **Create or update ./alloy-config.river** (use the provided version — it handles logs and metrics forwarding):
+3. **Create or update ./alloy-config.river** by copying the release-provided version. It handles logs and metrics forwarding and preserves the labels used by Foundation dashboards:
 
 ```river
 // Grafana Alloy Configuration for GenLayer Node Telemetry
@@ -429,6 +444,12 @@ curl http://localhost:9153/metrics
 
 - **Target showing DOWN in Alloy UI**: Verify your node is running and the ops port (9153) is accessible. Check that `NODE_METRICS_ENDPOINT` in `.env` is correct.
 
+- **Metrics arrive but dashboards do not show your validator**: compare your labels against the telemetry label contract above. A common sign of a modified Alloy config is `job="genlayer_node"` or a missing `validator_name` label. Restore the release-provided `alloy-config.river`, keep `prometheus.scrape "genlayer_node"`, set `VALIDATOR_NAME`/`NODE_ID` in `.env`, then recreate Alloy:
+
+```bash copy
+docker compose --profile monitoring up -d --force-recreate alloy
+```
+
 ### Getting Help
 
 Share Alloy logs when asking for assistance:
diff --git a/pages/validators/setup-guide.mdx b/pages/validators/setup-guide.mdx
index 08d86e39..ccee2c51 100644
--- a/pages/validators/setup-guide.mdx
+++ b/pages/validators/setup-guide.mdx
@@ -839,4 +839,8 @@ For a quick setup using Docker Compose:
 
 3. **Verify your node is pushing metrics** by checking the [GenLayer Foundation public dashboard](https://genlayerfoundation.grafana.net/public-dashboards/66a372d856ea44e78cf9ac21a344f792)
 
-For detailed monitoring setup including Prometheus metrics, Grafana dashboards, and centralized logging with Alloy, see the [Monitoring Guide](/validators/monitoring).
+<Callout type="warning">
+  Keep the `alloy-config.river` and monitoring service from the validator release tarball. Only change `.env` values such as credentials, `NODE_ID`, and `VALIDATOR_NAME`; custom Alloy labels can make data arrive in Grafana Cloud while still hiding the validator from dashboards and uptime checks.
+</Callout>
+
+For detailed monitoring setup including the required Alloy labels, Prometheus metrics, Grafana dashboards, and centralized logging, see the [Monitoring Guide](/validators/monitoring).