Console & Traces
The console is the right-hand panel in Runtime mode. Open it with Test in an agent’s toolbar, or Toggle Console in the command palette. It lists the active runtime’s deployed agents; pick one and write.
How a run travels
Section titled “How a run travels”The console first opens a WebSocket to the runtime, /v1/ws/agent/{name}, which streams the
run as it happens. It falls back to POST /v1/agents/{name}/run when:
- the runtime is older than core 0.34 and its WebSocket only echoes,
- the socket closes before anything arrives, or
- you supplied test connections, which only the HTTP run accepts.
Stop closes the socket, and the runtime cancels the run. A blocking HTTP run cannot be stopped.
Each conversation has a session id, so the agent’s memory carries over between messages. The reset button starts a new session. Transcripts live in memory and are gone when Cortex closes.
While it runs
Section titled “While it runs”- Tool calls appear as they start, then turn into ✓ or ✗ with the result.
- Narration: the model’s reasoning between iterations, in italics. It is not the answer and is not kept once the answer arrives.
What each answer shows
Section titled “What each answer shows”| Section | Content | Available on |
|---|---|---|
| Steps | Number of steps, duration, tokens; expandable | HTTP runs |
| View Trace | Opens the trace (below) | HTTP runs |
| Proposed writes | Writes the agent proposed but did not execute | Both |
| Chain | The spec.chain links that ran, nested, with state and duration, and those that did not, with why | HTTP runs, core ≥ 0.38.1 |
| By model | Provider, model, role, calls, tokens in, cached tokens, tokens out, cost | Both, core ≥ 0.36 |
The footer adds up the session: tokens in and out, time and number of messages.
Proposed writes
Section titled “Proposed writes”An api or mcp operation marked writes: true with mode: propose is not executed by the
run. It is returned as a proposal: type, target, operation and
arguments. When a sub-agent made the proposal, it reads vía <sub-agent> (core ≥ 0.61). The
console only shows proposals; executing one is up to whoever consumes the run.
Chain links that did not fire
Section titled “Chain links that did not fire”A link that did not run is shown greyed with its reason: condition false, cycle, maximum depth, or cut before. That answers “why didn’t the follow-up agent run?” without opening the trace.
Traces
Section titled “Traces”View Trace splits the console: chat above, trace below. The trace header has the trace id, total duration, tokens and cost. Below it is the span tree, each span marked OK or ERR, with chips for output, tool calls, events, errors and guardrails.
Selecting a span opens its detail, with tabs Overview (model, provider, latency, cost and the thought, action, observation and result), Input, Output, Tool Calls, Guardrails, Events and Raw.
Test connections
Section titled “Test connections”Agents with integration, api or mcp tools need connections: base URLs and credentials
that a tenant normally stores in Nexus. To test them against a local runtime, open
Connections (JSON) under the message box and paste them:
{ "erp": { "base_url": "https://erp.example.com", "token": "…" } }They travel with that run only, over HTTP, so the run is not streamed.
Workflows and approvals
Section titled “Workflows and approvals”The Workflows panel lists the runtime’s workflows.
- ▶ runs one, with an optional query. The run opens in its own tab, showing the current step, the output, any error, and whether it is waiting for approval. Refresh it by hand.
- Runs lists the runs launched in this session, coloured by status.
- Approvals shows the steps waiting for a human, refreshed every 15 seconds. Enter your name as approver once, add an optional comment, and Approve or Reject.
The terminal has the same actions:
workflows run, approvals, approve, reject.
Activity log
Section titled “Activity log”The bottom panel’s Activity tab lists every request Cortex made to the runtime, with filters by type, a search box and errors highlighted. It is the first place to look when a panel shows nothing.