Agents
LLM Tracing
Recording each step of an LLM application as a tree of timed spans, so you can see which prompts, model responses, tool calls, and handoffs happened in one request and how long each took.
In depth
Recording each step of an LLM application as a tree of timed spans, so you can see which prompts, model responses, tool calls, and handoffs happened in one request and how long each took. A trace covers one end-to-end workflow. Each span has start and end timestamps plus a parent span, which is how nested agent steps are pieced back together. The OpenAI Agents SDK, for example, traces every agent run, LLM generation, function tool call, guardrail, and handoff by default.
Primary source: openai.github.io
Example
The OpenAI Agents SDK, for example, traces every agent run, LLM generation, function tool call, guardrail, and handoff by default.
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FAQ
Common questions
What is LLM Tracing?
Recording each step of an LLM application as a tree of timed spans, so you can see which prompts, model responses, tool calls, and handoffs happened in one request and how long each took.
Why does LLM Tracing matter for AI developers?
LLM Tracing sits in the Agents part of the AI stack. Understanding it helps you make better decisions when building, debugging, and shipping AI features.
Where can I learn more about LLM Tracing?
Developers Digest publishes tutorials and videos that cover Agents topics including LLM Tracing. Check the blog and YouTube channel for hands-on walkthroughs.
Related
Related terms
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Agent Handoffs
A multi-agent mechanism where one agent passes control of the conversation to a more specialized agent, rather than calling it as a subroutine.
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Eval Harness
The infrastructure that runs evals end to end: it feeds tasks to the model or agent, records every step, applies graders, and aggregates the results into scores.
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Lethal Trifecta
The lethal trifecta is Simon Willison's name for a dangerous mix of three agent capabilities: access to private data, exposure to untrusted content, and the ability to communicate externally.
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