Audit log
Also: audit trail, logs
A record of what the system did, when, and on whose instructions.
The fuller definition
An audit log records relevant events such as requests, tool actions, identities, input versions, and outcomes so activity can be inspected later.
- Request
Who asked for what
- Action
What operation ran
- Outcome
Success, failure, or review needed
A simplified relationship, not a screenshot or a complete design.
A concrete example
A workflow records which documents were read and whether an export actually succeeded.
The distinction that matters
Logs can contain sensitive information and need retention and access rules; a narrative status message is not always a reliable event record.
Related terms
Observability
Being able to see what an AI system is doing inside, so problems can be found and explained.
Documents & retrievalProvenance
The record of where a piece of information came from and how it got here.
Agents & automationAgent harness
The code that runs an agent's tools. It can keep logs and limit what the agent may do.
Where it is taught
Test an AI workflow on work you can assessSource and further reading
Anthropic · Evaluating AI agentsThe definition and example are written for this library. The link gives background, official documentation or legal authority as labelled. Legal scope depends on the jurisdiction and current text; product features depend on release and settings.