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openclaw/docs/diagnostics/flags.md
2026-05-02 07:49:12 +01:00

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---
summary: "Diagnostics flags for targeted debug logs"
read_when:
- You need targeted debug logs without raising global logging levels
- You need to capture subsystem-specific logs for support
title: "Diagnostics flags"
---
Diagnostics flags let you enable targeted debug logs without turning on verbose logging everywhere. Flags are opt-in and have no effect unless a subsystem checks them.
## How it works
- Flags are strings (case-insensitive).
- You can enable flags in config or via an env override.
- Wildcards are supported:
- `telegram.*` matches `telegram.http`
- `*` enables all flags
## Enable via config
```json
{
"diagnostics": {
"flags": ["telegram.http"]
}
}
```
Multiple flags:
```json
{
"diagnostics": {
"flags": ["telegram.http", "brave.http", "gateway.*"]
}
}
```
Restart the gateway after changing flags.
## Env override (one-off)
```bash
OPENCLAW_DIAGNOSTICS=telegram.http,telegram.payload
```
Disable all flags:
```bash
OPENCLAW_DIAGNOSTICS=0
```
## Timeline artifacts
The `timeline` flag writes structured startup and runtime timing events for
external QA harnesses:
```bash
OPENCLAW_DIAGNOSTICS=timeline \
OPENCLAW_DIAGNOSTICS_TIMELINE_PATH=/tmp/openclaw-timeline.jsonl \
openclaw gateway run
```
You can also enable it in config:
```json
{
"diagnostics": {
"flags": ["timeline"]
}
}
```
The timeline file path still comes from
`OPENCLAW_DIAGNOSTICS_TIMELINE_PATH`. When `timeline` is enabled only from
config, the earliest config-loading spans are not emitted because OpenClaw has
not read config yet; subsequent startup spans use the config flag.
`OPENCLAW_DIAGNOSTICS=1`, `OPENCLAW_DIAGNOSTICS=all`, and
`OPENCLAW_DIAGNOSTICS=*` also enable the timeline because they enable every
diagnostics flag. Prefer `timeline` when you only want the JSONL timing
artifact.
Timeline records use the `openclaw.diagnostics.v1` envelope. Events can include
process ids, phase names, span names, durations, plugin ids, dependency counts,
event-loop delay samples, provider operation names, child-process exit state,
and startup error names/messages. Treat timeline files as local diagnostics
artifacts; review them before sharing outside your machine.
## Where logs go
Flags emit logs into the standard diagnostics log file. By default:
```
/tmp/openclaw/openclaw-YYYY-MM-DD.log
```
If you set `logging.file`, use that path instead. Logs are JSONL (one JSON object per line). Redaction still applies based on `logging.redactSensitive`.
## Extract logs
Pick the latest log file:
```bash
ls -t /tmp/openclaw/openclaw-*.log | head -n 1
```
Filter for Telegram HTTP diagnostics:
```bash
rg "telegram http error" /tmp/openclaw/openclaw-*.log
```
Filter for Brave Search HTTP diagnostics:
```bash
rg "brave http" /tmp/openclaw/openclaw-*.log
```
Or tail while reproducing:
```bash
tail -f /tmp/openclaw/openclaw-$(date +%F).log | rg "telegram http error"
```
For remote gateways, you can also use `openclaw logs --follow` (see [/cli/logs](/cli/logs)).
## Notes
- If `logging.level` is set higher than `warn`, these logs may be suppressed. Default `info` is fine.
- `brave.http` logs Brave Search request URLs/query params, response status/timing, and cache hit/miss/write events. It does not log API keys or response bodies, but search queries can be sensitive.
- Flags are safe to leave enabled; they only affect log volume for the specific subsystem.
- Use [/logging](/logging) to change log destinations, levels, and redaction.
## Related
- [Gateway diagnostics](/gateway/diagnostics)
- [Gateway troubleshooting](/gateway/troubleshooting)