Back to Cookbook
KiloClaw

Trace/Log Correlation Baseline

Make every incident searchable by one ID

Ensure logs, traces, and error reports share correlation IDs so debugging doesn't require "grep archaeology." Adds a baseline instrumentation and logging contract.

CommunitySubmitted by CommunityWork20 min

INGREDIENTS

🐙GitHub

PROMPT

Create a skill called "Trace/Log Correlation Baseline". Inputs: - Service architecture (monolith vs microservices) - Current logging/tracing tools Output: - A correlation contract and propagation plan - Logging middleware plan (structured fields) - Verification steps (smoke tests and expected outputs)

How It Works

This recipe standardizes correlation: every request/job emits an ID, and that ID appears in

logs, traces, and errors consistently.

Triggers

  • Logs and traces can't be correlated
  • Debugging requires manual log archaeology
  • Distributed systems incidents take too long to pinpoint

Steps

  1. Choose correlation ID semantics (trace_id, request_id) and propagation rules.
  2. Ensure every inbound request generates/continues a trace context.
  3. Inject correlation IDs into structured logs at the logger middleware level.
  4. Add a "correlation smoke test" that verifies IDs are present end-to-end.
  5. Provide a quick "how to search" runbook: where to paste the ID and what to expect.

Expected Outcome

  • Debugging becomes faster and more deterministic.
  • Teams can follow a request across services and logs reliably.

Example Inputs

  • "Add trace_id to all logs."
  • "Ensure async jobs preserve trace context."
  • "Fix missing spans and missing log correlation."

Tips

  • Correlation is a contract; treat breakage as a production bug.
Tags:#observability#debugging#performance#ci-cd