diff --git a/packages/sample-app/.env.example b/packages/sample-app/.env.example
index 908920e587..79ece4d580 100644
--- a/packages/sample-app/.env.example
+++ b/packages/sample-app/.env.example
@@ -1,3 +1,6 @@
+# Groq API Configuration (free tier available at https://console.groq.com)
+GROQ_API_KEY=gsk-your-groq-api-key-here
+
 # OpenAI API Configuration
 OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-your-openai-api-key-here
 
diff --git a/packages/sample-app/README.md b/packages/sample-app/README.md
index 4c29bd6941..517677478e 100644
--- a/packages/sample-app/README.md
+++ b/packages/sample-app/README.md
@@ -1,3 +1,247 @@
-# sample-app
+# Sample App — Groq Getting Started Guide
 
-Project description here.
+Runnable examples for tracing LLM applications with [OpenLLMetry](https://github.com/traceloop/openllmetry).
+
+This guide walks you through **`groq_example.py`** step by step. Groq is a great first example because it has a **free API tier** and returns responses quickly.
+
+---
+
+## What you'll learn
+
+By the end of this guide you will:
+
+1. Set up the sample app locally
+2. Run a Groq LLM call with OpenLLMetry tracing enabled
+3. Read the trace output in your terminal
+4. Understand how **workflow**, **task**, and **LLM** spans relate to each other
+5. Confirm the LLM response (joke) printed in your terminal
+
+---
+
+## Prerequisites
+
+Before you start, make sure you have:
+
+| Requirement | Why |
+|-------------|-----|
+| Python 3.10–3.12 | See `.python-version` in this folder |
+| [Node.js](https://nodejs.org/) | Runs monorepo commands (`nx`) |
+| [uv](https://docs.astral.sh/uv/) | Python package manager used by this repo |
+| [Groq API key](https://console.groq.com/keys) | Free tier available — used to call the LLM |
+
+> **No Traceloop cloud account required.** This example prints traces directly to your terminal.
+
+---
+
+## Step 1 — Clone and install dependencies
+
+From the **repository root**:
+
+```bash
+git clone https://github.com/traceloop/openllmetry.git
+cd openllmetry
+npm ci
+npx nx run sample-app:install
+```
+
+**What this does:**
+- `npm ci` installs JavaScript tooling for the monorepo
+- `npx nx run sample-app:install` creates a Python virtual environment and installs all sample-app dependencies (including `traceloop-sdk` and Groq instrumentation)
+
+---
+
+## Step 2 — Get a Groq API key
+
+1. Go to [console.groq.com](https://console.groq.com/)
+2. Sign up (free tier is fine)
+3. Open **API Keys** → **Create API Key**
+4. Copy the key — it starts with `gsk_`
+
+---
+
+## Step 3 — Configure your environment
+
+```bash
+cd packages/sample-app
+cp .env.example .env
+```
+
+Edit `.env` and set your Groq key (**no space** after `=`):
+
+```bash
+GROQ_API_KEY=gsk-your-key-here
+```
+
+Load the variables into your terminal:
+
+```bash
+set -a
+source .env
+set +a
+```
+
+Verify the key is set (does not print the key itself):
+
+```bash
+echo "GROQ_API_KEY set: ${GROQ_API_KEY:+yes}"
+```
+
+For local terminal tracing, **do not set** `TRACELOOP_API_KEY` (or comment it out in `.env`):
+
+```bash
+unset TRACELOOP_API_KEY
+```
+
+---
+
+## Step 4 — Run the example
+
+```bash
+cd packages/sample-app
+uv run --with 'groq>=0.18' python sample_app/groq_example.py
+```
+
+> The `--with 'groq>=0.18'` flag avoids a known `groq`/`httpx` version mismatch in some environments.
+
+You should see tracing initialize, then JSON spans, then a joke:
+
+![Run command and tracing initialization](./docs/groq-step-run-command.png)
+
+---
+
+## Step 5 — Read the Groq LLM span
+
+OpenLLMetry automatically instruments the Groq API call. Look for a span named `chat openai/gpt-oss-120b` with `"status_code": "OK"`:
+
+![Groq chat span with OK status and token usage](./docs/groq-trace-chat-span.png)
+
+**Key fields to notice:**
+
+| Field | Meaning |
+|-------|---------|
+| `"gen_ai.provider.name": "groq"` | Which LLM provider was called |
+| `"gen_ai.request.model"` | Model used for the request |
+| `"gen_ai.usage.total_tokens"` | Tokens consumed (input + output) |
+| `"status_code": "OK"` | The Groq call succeeded |
+
+---
+
+## Step 6 — Read the task span
+
+The `@task` decorator wraps `generate_joke()`. Its span captures the function input/output:
+
+![Task span with joke captured in traceloop.entity.output](./docs/groq-trace-task-and-joke.png)
+
+---
+
+## Step 7 — See the joke printed in your terminal
+
+Between the JSON trace blocks, the script prints the Groq response as plain text — this is the actual LLM output:
+
+![Joke printed between trace spans](./docs/groq-joke-output.png)
+
+If you see a joke like this, your Groq API key and tracing setup are working correctly.
+
+---
+
+## Step 8 — Read the workflow span
+
+The `@workflow` decorator wraps `joke_generator()` — the top-level entry point:
+
+![Workflow span (top-level)](./docs/groq-trace-workflow-span.png)
+
+All spans share the same `trace_id`, which ties them together as one traced request.
+
+---
+
+## Trace hierarchy (big picture)
+
+```text
+joke_generator.workflow          ← @workflow (top level)
+└── generate_joke.task           ← @task (your function)
+    └── chat openai/gpt-oss-120b   ← auto-instrumented Groq API call
+```
+
+---
+
+## How the code works
+
+```python
+from traceloop.sdk import Traceloop
+from traceloop.sdk.decorators import task, workflow
+
+Traceloop.init(app_name="groq_example", disable_batch=True)
+
+@task(name="generate_joke")
+def generate_joke():
+    # Groq call is traced automatically
+    ...
+
+@workflow(name="joke_generator")
+def joke_generator():
+    generate_joke()
+```
+
+See the full script: [`sample_app/groq_example.py`](./sample_app/groq_example.py)
+
+**Design choices in this example:**
+
+- **`ConsoleSpanExporter`** — prints traces to your terminal when `TRACELOOP_API_KEY` is not set (no cloud account needed)
+- **`disable_batch=True`** — shows spans immediately instead of batching them
+- **`@workflow` / `@task`** — groups your code into readable trace hierarchy
+
+---
+
+## Exporting traces to the cloud (optional)
+
+To send traces to [Traceloop Cloud](https://app.traceloop.com) instead of the terminal, add to `.env`:
+
+```bash
+TRACELOOP_API_KEY=your-valid-traceloop-api-key
+```
+
+See the [getting started guide](https://traceloop.com/docs/openllmetry/getting-started-python) for Datadog, Grafana, and other backends.
+
+---
+
+## Troubleshooting
+
+| Problem | Fix |
+|---------|-----|
+| `Missing Traceloop API key` | Safe to ignore if traces print to terminal; or unset `TRACELOOP_API_KEY` |
+| `401 Unauthorized` from Traceloop | Invalid `TRACELOOP_API_KEY` — comment it out for local tracing |
+| `GROQ_API_KEY` not set / `Bearer ` error | Check `.env` has no space after `=`; run `source .env` |
+| Model not found (404) | Check [Groq models](https://console.groq.com/docs/models) and update `MODEL` in `groq_example.py` |
+| `proxies` TypeError | Run with `uv run --with 'groq>=0.18' python sample_app/groq_example.py` |
+| Watsonx warning | Harmless — optional dependency not installed |
+
+---
+
+## More examples
+
+Browse [`sample_app/`](./sample_app/) for other providers and frameworks:
+
+| Category | Examples |
+|----------|----------|
+| LLM providers | `openai_streaming.py`, `anthropic_joke_example.py`, `cohere_example.py` |
+| Local models | `ollama_streaming.py` |
+| Frameworks | `langchain_app.py`, `langgraph_example.py`, `crewai_example.py` |
+| Vector DBs | `chroma_app.py`, `pinecone_app.py`, `qdrant_app.py` |
+
+---
+
+## Development commands
+
+From the repository root:
+
+```bash
+npx nx run sample-app:lint
+npx nx run sample-app:test
+```
+
+---
+
+## Contributing
+
+- [Contributing guide](https://traceloop.com/docs/openllmetry/contributing/overview)
+- [Slack community](https://traceloop.com/slack)
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diff --git a/packages/sample-app/sample_app/groq_example.py b/packages/sample-app/sample_app/groq_example.py
index 2f11333679..f94643b9b9 100644
--- a/packages/sample-app/sample_app/groq_example.py
+++ b/packages/sample-app/sample_app/groq_example.py
@@ -1,16 +1,28 @@
 import os
 
-from traceloop.sdk.decorators import task, workflow
-
 from groq import Groq
+from opentelemetry.sdk.trace.export import ConsoleSpanExporter
 from traceloop.sdk import Traceloop
+from traceloop.sdk.decorators import task, workflow
 
-Traceloop.init(app_name="groq_example")
+# Print traces to the terminal when TRACELOOP_API_KEY is not set.
+# Set TRACELOOP_API_KEY to export traces to the Traceloop cloud instead.
+init_kwargs = {
+    "app_name": "groq_example",
+    "disable_batch": True,
+}
+if not os.getenv("TRACELOOP_API_KEY"):
+    init_kwargs["exporter"] = ConsoleSpanExporter()
+
+Traceloop.init(**init_kwargs)
 
 client = Groq(
     api_key=os.environ.get("GROQ_API_KEY"),
 )
 
+# See https://console.groq.com/docs/models for models available on your account.
+MODEL = "openai/gpt-oss-120b"
+
 
 @task(name="generate_joke")
 def generate_joke():
@@ -21,7 +33,7 @@ def generate_joke():
                 "content": "Tell me a joke about OpenTelemetry",
             }
         ],
-        model="llama3-8b-8192",
+        model=MODEL,
     )
 
     return completion.choices[0].message.content