Trace

A linked record of an AI execution, from the initial input to the final response or effect. In a system with agents, it can include messages, retrieved context, tool calls, results, intermediate decisions, cost, latency, and errors. It makes it possible to reconstruct the path that produced a behavior instead of judging only the final sentence.

A trace is not a synonym for a loose log. Logs describe events; a trace preserves causal relationships between them. An implementation needs request correlation, context propagation, sensitive-data handling, and retention rules. Without those, observability becomes a collection of events that cannot explain a production failure.