What should an AI agent’s audit log show?

An audit log should help an authorized reviewer answer a concrete question such as, “Why did this account receive a renewal draft?” Decide what evidence they need before choosing how much data to copy into a log. A long transcript can be harder to use than a short chain of reliable references.

Trace the action from request to result

For a renewal assistant, record the source event identifier, account reference, time received, relevant instruction version, information source used and proposed action. If a person approved the draft, record the reviewer, approval time and the version they approved. Capture the destination record identifier or the reason the write failed.

Keep proposed and completed actions distinguishable. A line saying “send reminder” might describe the plan while the email service rejected the request. Record what the receiving system confirmed and what remains uncertain. If the team retries a case, link the new attempt to the original so an investigator can reconstruct the sequence.

Choose what stays out

Limit routine logging to the information needed for operation and review. A reference to an approved customer record may suffice where a complete message would expose unnecessary personal or confidential details. Define access and retention with the people responsible for the relevant information. Limit who can modify the log and document how exceptions to retention are handled.

Before launch, give the reviewer an invented disputed case and ask for a timeline. Can they identify the source, who authorized the action and what the destination accepted? Then try a failed action and a manual override. If either timeline ends in a guess, add the missing evidence and remove fields that nobody used to make the decision.

Put this into practice

Bring a sample of the work and the tools your team uses. We can help define a first project, who reviews it, and how to tell if it works.

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