# Find Missing or Incomplete Step Logs (https://www.shipfox.io/docs/how-to/run-and-troubleshoot/inspect-logs)

Description: Select the correct attempt, inspect command or agent activity, and distinguish missing, delayed, and truncated logs.

Use this guide when a step's output is absent, still arriving, or marked
truncated.

## Before you begin [#before-you-begin]

You need access to the run and the job or step whose output you expect.

## Select the exact attempt [#select-the-exact-attempt]

Open the run and select the correct run attempt. Select the job execution when a
listening job ran more than once. Select the step attempt when a feedback loop
restarted it.

Many apparent log gaps come from viewing an older execution or attempt.

## Inspect the stream [#inspect-the-stream]

Run steps show standard output and standard error. Agent steps show messages,
tool calls, tool results, token use, cost, and the final response.

Start with the step state:

* **Pending or skipped:** the step has not produced a log stream.
* **Running:** output may still arrive while the runner drains new chunks.
* **Finished:** the stored stream should represent what Shipfox received for
  that attempt.

For an agent step, open tool calls as well as the final response. A short final
message can still follow a long tool session.

## If logs are missing [#if-logs-are-missing]

Confirm that the step actually started. Check the runner and job state when it
did not.

If the step finished but shows no expected command output:

1. Confirm that the command writes to standard output or standard error.
2. Select every step attempt to find output from an earlier retry.
3. Compare the saved workflow source with the command you expected.
4. Check whether the runner stopped before it could drain the stream.

Use [Diagnose a run](https://www.shipfox.io/docs/how-to/run-and-troubleshoot/inspect-runs-and-attempts) when
the missing stream is one symptom of a wider failure.

## If logs are delayed [#if-logs-are-delayed]

Check whether the step is still running and whether new chunks continue to
arrive. Long-running commands may buffer their own output before writing it.

If other steps on the same runner also stop updating, inspect runner health. Do
not rerun only to refresh the page; first decide whether the active work is
still making progress.

## If logs are truncated [#if-logs-are-truncated]

Shipfox marks a stream truncated when it exceeds its budget or the runner cannot
finish draining it. The visible stream is incomplete, but truncation alone does
not change the step result.

Reduce noisy output or split it into useful groups before the next run. Exact
budgets and retention live in [Limits](https://www.shipfox.io/docs/reference/limits#logs). Use [Group
command logs](https://www.shipfox.io/docs/how-to/author-workflows/group-command-logs) to make a long stream
easier to scan.

## Confirm the cause [#confirm-the-cause]

Record the run attempt, job execution, and step attempt you inspected. State
whether the output was in another attempt, still arriving, marked truncated, or
lost when the runner stopped. That result determines whether to change the
command, wait, reduce output, or repair the runner.