1. What the workspace records
During generation, the app may record visible status messages, tool activity, and agent-produced notes. These help you review the workflow, but they are not a complete transcript of a provider's private reasoning.
The interface may show when a model or agent starts a step.
Some multi-agent runs store role-labeled text with the assistant message.
A saved scratchpad contains accumulated agent text, not the complete provider request.
The app may record visible tool status or results during a run.
Review the generated answer and verify important output independently.
2. Two Different Traces — Don't Confuse Them
Some APIs return a separate thought or reasoning field. The app can display text the provider actually returns, but availability depends on the provider and model. It cannot retrieve private reasoning that the provider omits.
The app's visible activity entries and agent-produced text. Review the live activity drawer or, when saved on a message, open Detailed Thinking Process.
3. How to Open & Inspect Traces
- During Generation: Open the activity drawer to follow the status entries the current run records. Provider thinking text appears only when the response includes it.
- After Generation: Open Detailed Thinking Process on an assistant message when that message contains saved steps or agent notes.
- Activity Drawer: The drawer shows activity collected for the current run; it is not a searchable archive of every turn or a window into hidden model internals.
4. What Good vs Bad Reasoning Looks Like
Intent: Build Pomodoro app (React + Tailwind + localStorage).
Plan: Use useEffect for 1s interval cleanup; store sessions in localStorage; handle null safety on mount.
Check: Pinned lucide-react icons present; wrapping output in canvas preview.
Intent: Explain the Pomodoro technique in markdown.
Plan: Output 5 paragraphs explaining timer benefits.
-> Action: Stop generation immediately and re-prompt to enforce code generation.
5. How to Use Traces to Fix Prompts — Practical Workflows
Open trace and search for your missing feature term (e.g., "CSV export"). If absent, move the requirement into a prominent bullet list at the top of your prompt.
Review the recorded activity entries and the final output against the original requirement. Treat agent notes as a review aid, then verify the actual result.
Check which saved agent notes and project context appear in the message. If a dependency matters, name it in your request and inspect the generated code before using it.
6. Scratchpad vs Execution Steps — Key Differences
Execution Steps: App-generated labels and activity text saved for a run. The entries are not an exhaustive audit of every model operation.
Agent Scratchpad: Accumulated text produced during multi-agent work. It is not the complete request payload or the provider's private reasoning, and it may contain prompt details or drafts.
7. Copying Traces & Privacy Hardening
Saved steps and scratchpad text may be stored with the assistant message. Chat exports or backups can include saved message data, so review it and keep passwords, API keys, and other secrets out of prompts and agent context.
8. Pro Tips for Trace Inspection
Monitor visible activity messages during a multi-agent run. Stop generation if the recorded work diverges from your request.
If an activity note captures a reusable preference, add it explicitly to Folder Memory and review that setting before future requests.