Trajectory and session logs

Every chat keeps a full record of its work, and the Trajectory view shows it: a ledger of turns, requests and tool calls, with the timings DataMind Oda measured as it worked. Use it to see exactly what happened in a chat, and to take the chat's log with you as a file.

Open the Trajectory view

1. Open a chat.
2. At the top of the conversation, select the Trajectory tab next to Chat.

• The tab shows while Developer tools is on. If you do not see it, turn the switch on in Settings > General.
• If you turn Developer tools off while the Trajectory view is open, the view returns to Chat.
• Reading the view changes nothing: it replays what the chat already recorded, and it sends nothing to a model.
• The turn rail and statistics strip that the Chat view itself shows are covered in Chat navigation and stats.

Read the ledger

The ledger lists the chat's recorded activity in order: what Oda added to the request itself, your messages, Oda's answers, each tool call with its arguments and result, and any context compaction. Every row carries a tag for the kind of record, such as SYSTEM, USER, ASSISTANT or TOOL, and each turn begins with a row that carries Turn 1, Turn 2 and so on. Calls to the model are numbered Request #1, Request #2, and so on.

• Collapse turns folds every turn at once; once the turns are folded, the same control reads Expand turns. Collapse calls does the same for the tool calls under each answer, and Expand calls opens them again.
• The Search trajectory box filters the ledger as you type. Matching ignores case, and every word you type must appear in a record for that record to stay. The timeline dims the records that do not match; clear the box to bring the whole ledger back.
• Select any row, or a Request number, to open the Event details panel. It shows the record's own details, with tabs such as Summary, Payload, Result, Schema and Timing. Drag its edge to change its width; double-click the edge to reset it; Close details closes it.
• Long code or JSON wraps on request: a Wrap lines control toggles wrapping, and the next code view you open keeps your last choice.

Check the timings

Above the ledger, the Trajectory timeline draws the same activity in three lanes: Input, Model and Tools.

• Point at a span to read its exact start time and length; scroll over the timeline to zoom into a time range.
• Drag across the timeline to focus the ledger on the records active in that range; right-click clears the focus.
• Open a record's Timing tab to read Started, Total duration, TTFT, Generation and Throughput, the last as a rate in tokens per second.

The figures come from the chat's own recording: TTFT is the wait from the start of the step to its first output. When the recording does not hold what a figure needs, the panel says so instead of estimating, for example First token unavailable.

Page through older history

A long chat opens the Trajectory view at its newest records, so the oldest part of the record is not loaded at first.

1. Select Load earlier history at the top of the ledger.
2. While the older page loads, the control is disabled and reads Loading earlier history….
3. When the page arrives, the older records appear above, and the row you were reading stays in place with any selection you made.

• The timeline carries the same control at its left edge: a … mark with the tooltip Click to load earlier history.
• The chat's earliest records, including its initial system prompt, appear only once you have paged back that far.

Download the chat's log

Everything the Trajectory view shows is kept in the chat's log on your computer. To take a copy:

1. Open More actions at the top of the chat and choose Download session log, or type /export in the message box and send it.
2. A dialog confirms the download, reading Session download started; the ZIP it saves holds the chat's log as a file at its top level.

• If the same chat is open in another window, that window shows Session log download requested. instead of starting a second download.
• The steps, what else the ZIP holds, and what to do when a download fails are in Download a chat log.

When a log cannot be read

If a session log is damaged or was changed outside Oda, Oda refuses to read it rather than guess, and leaves the file as it is. The messages a damaged log can produce, and what to send your administrator, are collected in Session log problems. Chats repaired after a sudden stop and logs written by older versions of Oda are covered in Recovering sessions after a crash and Opening sessions from other versions.

Questions, answered

Why did the Trajectory view switch back to Chat?

Because Developer tools was turned off while the view was open: the tab shows only while the switch is on, and an open Trajectory returns to Chat. Turn the switch back on in Settings > General to bring the tab back.

What do the row labels SYSTEM, USER, ASSISTANT and TOOL mean?

They name the kind of record: SYSTEM is what Oda added to the request itself, such as the initial system prompt; USER is a message from you; ASSISTANT is a reply from the model; TOOL is a tool call with its arguments and its result.

What is a request in the ledger?

One call Oda made to the model. Requests are numbered Request #1, Request #2, and so on, and the tool calls made for a request sit as their own rows beside it. Select a request number to open its recorded details.

Why does a search leave only some rows?

Search filters the ledger to the records that match. Matching ignores case, and every word you type must appear in a record for it to stay. Clear the box to see the whole ledger again; in the timeline, matching spans stay lit while the others dim.

Why is a timing figure shown as unavailable?

The figures come from the recording. When it does not hold what a figure needs, the panel says so instead of estimating, for example First token unavailable. A figure can also be missing while the part of the record it is measured from is still on an older page you have not loaded.

What does Load earlier history do?

It loads one older page of the chat's record above the rows you already have. While the page loads, the control reads Loading earlier history…; when it arrives, you stay where you were reading and your selection is kept.

Why can't I see the chat's first system prompt yet?

The Trajectory view opens at the chat's newest records. Page back with Load earlier history until you reach the start, and the earliest rows, including the initial system prompt, appear.

What happens in the Trajectory view while Oda is still working?

New records appear as the work happens, and the view follows them until you scroll up; from then on it stays where you are, so new output does not pull you away from what you are reading. A record that is still running shows that it is running, and the timeline gives it a start marker rather than a made-up duration.

Is the downloaded log the same record the Trajectory view shows?

Yes. The ZIP from Download session log or /export holds the chat's log as a file at its top level, and the Trajectory view replays that same record. See Download a chat log for the steps and what else the ZIP holds.

Does reading the Trajectory view send anything to the model?

No. The view replays what the chat already recorded: opening it, searching it and reading timings send nothing to a model and spend no tokens.