Viewing Traces

The trace view supports multiple ways to explore the same trace: Tree, Timeline, and Reader (via the View dropdown), plus Metadata and Ask AI (via dedicated buttons/toggles). In any view, selecting a span opens the full span detail pane on the right.

Tree View

Open Tree View

1. Open a trace (from Traces).
2. In the trace view toolbar, open the view mode dropdown.
3. Select Tree (you can switch back the same way).

• Hierarchy-first view: Shows parent/child nesting so you can follow the trace’s call structure.
• Collapsible branches: Collapse spans with children to hide entire subtrees and reduce noise.
• Inline metrics: Duration on every row; tokens/cost badges on LLM spans.
• Fast navigation: Virtualized list stays responsive even on large traces.
• Synced minimap: Jump to spans quickly and scrub the shared session-time cursor.

Use Tree View when you want to understand structure: what called what, and where time/cost sits in the hierarchy.

Reader Mode

Reader Mode gives you a readable, flattened view of a trace designed for fast scanning and review.

Open Reader Mode

1. Open a trace (from Traces).
2. In the trace view header, open the view mode dropdown.
3. Select Reader Mode (you can switch back the same way).

• High-signal view: Shows only LLM and tool-call spans by default (other spans hidden), making the trace much easier to parse.
• At-a-glance columns: Type/model, timing, tokens/cost, and breadcrumbs per row.
• Expandable rows: Open any row to see formatted outputs; selecting still opens the full span detail pane on the right.
• Lazy-loaded outputs: Fetches only what’s on screen to keep the UI fast.
• Templates per path: Apply saved Mustache templates per span path to reshape how outputs render.
• Synced minimap: Highlights spans in view and lets you jump or scrub session time.

Use Reader Mode when you want a narrative, high-signal view of a trace focused on LLM + tool calls, without drilling through nested spans.

Timeline

Open Timeline

1. Open a trace (from Traces).
2. In the trace header, click the Timeline toggle (Gantt icon) below the search bar.
3. The condensed timeline appears at the top of the trace view. Click the toggle again to hide it.

• Time-first overview: Spans render as colored bars on a single time axis.
• Zoom controls: Use the +/- buttons (or cmd/ctrl + scroll) to zoom in/ out.
• Hover needle: Move your cursor to see precise time markers.
• Span selection: Drag to select a range; non-selected spans dim and you can clear the selection.
• Session playhead (if available): Shows the browser session position on the timeline.

Use the condensed timeline when diagnosing latency, overlaps, gaps, or long- running steps.

Metadata

Open Metadata

1. Open a trace (from Traces).
2. In the trace view toolbar, click Metadata.

• Read-only source of truth: Shows the trace metadata exactly as stored.
• JSON-first: Defaults to a JSON view with formatting and syntax highlighting.
• Search/copy friendly: Quickly find keys/values and copy raw text as needed.

Use Metadata when you need to verify context fields (inputs, run config, tags, custom attributes) without digging through spans. See Metadata.

Chat with trace

Open Chat with trace

1. Open a trace (from Traces).
2. In the trace view toolbar, click Chat with trace.

• Automatic summary: Generates a trace summary (and deeper analysis) to orient you quickly.
• Span-aware answers: When the assistant cites spans, they show up as clickable chips that jump you to the referenced span.
• Iterate fast: Ask follow-ups about errors, unexpected outputs, tool calls, or performance.
• Resettable: Start a new chat when you want a fresh thread.

Use Chat with trace when you want a quick narrative explanation or guided debugging without manually scanning the whole trace.

Open in SQL Editor

1. Open a trace (from Traces).
2. In the trace view header, open the Trace dropdown.
3. Select Open in SQL editor (opens in a new tab).

• Pre-filled query (trace): Starts with SELECT * FROM spans WHERE trace_id = ... ORDER BY start_time ASC.
• Pre-filled query (span): From a span’s detail header dropdown, Open in SQL editor creates SELECT * FROM spans WHERE span_id = ....

Use SQL Editor when you need precise filtering, aggregation, or auditing on the raw spans table beyond what the UI exposes. See SQL Editor.