Trace a RAG Request
Trace request IDs, corpus version, filters, retrieved chunk IDs and scores, reranking, prompt/model versions, citation validation, stage latency, usage, and final status. Avoid logging raw confidential text by default; restrict trace access and retention. Correlation IDs should connect API, retrieval, model, and worker events without exposing secrets.
Implementation example
{
"traceId":"rag_abc123",
"corpusVersion":"kb-2026-10-28",
"retrievedChunkIds":["doc-1:4","doc-8:2"],
"rerankerUsed":true,
"latencyMs":1850,
"status":"success"
}💡 Trace metadata supports debugging while minimizing sensitive content.
Key Takeaways
- Inspect the relevant pipeline stage instead of guessing.
- Preserve source provenance, versions, and access scope.
- Measure quality on representative queries.
Knowledge Check
What is a benefit of stage-level traces?