What is a Trace?
A trace represents a single AI interaction captured from your systems. Every time your AI makes a request, returns a response, or triggers an event, it creates a trace. Traces are the foundation of monitoring in Velatir. They give you visibility into what your AI systems are doing and provide the data for policy evaluation and workflow execution.Trace Properties
| Property | Description |
|---|---|
| Session ID | Groups related traces together |
| Direction | Inlet, Response, or Signal |
| Source | The system or service that generated the trace |
| Function Name | What action was attempted |
| Arguments | Input data for the action |
| Metadata | Additional context |
| Status | Current state (Received, Assessed, Completed, Rejected) |
Trace Directions
Traces have three directions that describe the type of interaction:Inlet
An incoming request to an AI system. This is typically a user input or external trigger. Examples:- User sends a message to a chatbot
- Query sent to an AI search system
- Request to generate content
Response
An outgoing response from an AI system. This is what the AI produces. Examples:- Chatbot’s reply to a user
- Generated content returned to the client
- AI’s decision or recommendation
Signal
A passive event or notification that doesn’t require a response. Useful for tracking tool calls, system events, or logging. Examples:- AI calling an external tool
- System health check
- Audit log entry
Trace Status
| Status | Description |
|---|---|
| Received | Trace just arrived, not yet processed |
| Assessed | Policies have evaluated the trace |
| Completed | Approved and finished |
| Rejected | Workflow rejected the trace |
How Traces Are Created
Traces are created automatically through Velatir integrations:- Browser Extension - Captures LLM interactions in the browser
- n8n Node - Creates traces from workflow automation
- LangChain Middleware - Captures agent tool calls and responses
- MCP Server - Traces from AI agent interactions
- SDKs - Programmatic trace creation from your applications
Viewing Traces
In the Velatir dashboard:- Go to Traces to see all traces
- Filter by session, source, direction, or status
- Click a trace to see full details including:
- Arguments and metadata
- Policy assessments
- Workflow execution history
- Related traces in the same session
What Happens After Creation
When a trace is created:- Policy Assessment - Active policies evaluate the trace
- Workflow Check - If a workflow exists, triggers are checked
- Workflow Execution - Matching triggers execute their nodes
- Status Update - Trace is marked Assessed, Completed, or Rejected