elsa-core/doc/wiki/diagnostics-console-logs.md

Diagnostics Console Logs

Elsa.Diagnostics.ConsoleLogs is an opt-in module that hosts ConsoleLogStream.Core, adds Elsa workflow metadata, and streams recent plus live console output to authorized callers over REST and SignalR. It is intentionally separate from Elsa.Diagnostics.StructuredLogs; the two modules cover different diagnostic surfaces.

Start in src/modules/Elsa.Diagnostics.ConsoleLogs.

Scope

This module captures raw process console output only. It does not parse ILogger records, write to durable audit storage, call orchestrator log APIs, or implement trace or metric exploration. For semantic ILogger capture see Diagnostics Structured Logs.

Feature Wiring

ConsoleLogsFeature:

• registers FastEndpoints assembly
• calls AddConsoleLogsServices
• adds FastEndpoints from the module

AddConsoleLogsServices registers:

• SignalR
• ConsoleLogStream.Core.Options.ConsoleLogOptions
• host-owned ConsoleLogStream.Core provider, source registry, redaction pipeline, formatter, capture services, and hosted service
• ConsoleLogContextAccessor for ambient workflow metadata
• subscription manager

The core hosted service initializes the process-wide ConsoleLogStream.Core.ConsoleLogStreamHost. Original stdout and stderr destinations are preserved by the core capture hook.

Core Contracts

Contract	Purpose
ConsoleLogStream.Core.IConsoleLogCapture	Capture pipeline entry point.
ConsoleLogStream.Core.IConsoleLogProvider	Provider used by endpoints and subscription manager.
ConsoleLogStream.Core.IConsoleLogSourceRegistry	Tracks source metadata and health.
ConsoleLogStream.Core.IConsoleLogRedactionPipeline	Runs registered redactors before buffering and streaming.
ConsoleLogStream.Core.IConsoleLogDroppedLineReporter	Reports dropped-line counts when buffers overflow.

Event Flow

Captured console writes pass through redaction before reaching any consumer:

sequenceDiagram
    participant Console as Process stdout/stderr
    participant Hook as ConsoleLogStreamHost
    participant Original as Original TextWriter
    participant Pipeline as Core redaction pipeline
    participant Provider as Core provider
    participant Manager as ConsoleLogStream.SignalR subscription manager
    participant Hub as ConsoleLogStream.SignalR hub
    participant Client as Authorized caller

    Console->>Hook: write bytes/chars
    Hook->>Original: pass through (preserved)
    Hook->>Pipeline: redact line and metadata
    Pipeline->>Provider: publish redacted line
    Provider->>Manager: live subscription event
    Manager->>Hub: live event
    Hub->>Client: SignalR stream
    Client->>Provider: recent query through REST

REST And SignalR Surface

REST endpoints:

• POST /elsa/api/diagnostics/console-logs/recent
• GET /elsa/api/diagnostics/console-logs/sources

Endpoint code is under Endpoints/ConsoleLogs.

SignalR:

• Hub: ElsaConsoleLogsHub (Elsa.Diagnostics.ConsoleLogs.RealTime)
• Route: /elsa/hubs/diagnostics/console-logs
• Mapping: MapConsoleLogsHub
• App extension: UseConsoleLogs

Authorization

All endpoints and the SignalR hub require read:diagnostics:console-logs, defined in ConsoleLogsResourcePermissions.

Safety Boundaries

• Redaction runs in ConsoleLogStream.Core before recent buffering, live streaming, and endpoint responses.
• ANSI escape sequences are preserved by default; set PreserveAnsi = false to strip them server-side.
• Partial writes (no trailing newline) are buffered until the line completes, reaches the maximum line length, or an idle flush occurs.
• Lines longer than MaxLineLength are truncated to one event and marked as truncated.
• Dropped-line counts are reported through ConsoleLogStream.Core.IConsoleLogDroppedLineReporter when buffers or subscriber queues overflow.

Configuration

services.AddElsa(elsa =>
{
    elsa.UseConsoleLogs(options =>
    {
        options.RecentCapacity = 5_000;
        options.SubscriberCapacity = 1_000;
        options.MaxRecentQuerySize = 1_000;
        options.MaxLineLength = 16_384;
        options.PreserveAnsi = true;
    });
});

Map the live hub after routing is configured:

app.UseConsoleLogs();

Design Spec

specs/006-diagnostics-console-logs/spec.md defines requirements for capture, buffering, endpoints, SignalR, permissions, source identity, and redaction.

Tests

• test/unit/Elsa.Diagnostics.ConsoleLogs.UnitTests: module registration and naming.
• test/integration/Elsa.Diagnostics.ConsoleLogs.IntegrationTests: module registration, endpoint authorization, SignalR hub behavior, and recent query endpoint.
• ConsoleLogStream.Core tests cover capture, filtering, redaction, buffering, source registry, and providers.