Glossary · AI-native development
Trace
A correlated record of one request or task across model calls, retrieval, tools, state transitions, retries, approvals, and evaluations.
Why it matters
It lets you reconstruct where time, cost, and failure entered a multi-step workflow.
In practice
Propagate one trace identifier through the agent harness and attach redacted spans for each model and tool operation.
Common confusion
A trace should record operational evidence, not expose hidden model reasoning, secrets, or unredacted sensitive content.
Related terms
Sources
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