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+# Phase 10.2: Better Logging & Log Management - Context
+
+**Gathered:** 2026-02-08
+**Status:** Ready for planning
+
+<domain>
+## Phase Boundary
+
+Improve operational visibility into the bot's own execution. Add centralized error capture, execution tracing, and debugging infrastructure so that issues (sub-workflow data loss, callback routing confusion, Docker API failures) can be diagnosed programmatically rather than through manual investigation of n8n execution logs.
+
+This is NOT about container log viewing (the /logs command) — it's about the bot's internal execution logging.
+
+</domain>
+
+<decisions>
+## Implementation Decisions
+
+### Error capture & reporting
+- Errors display inline to the user as summary + cause (e.g., "Failed to stop nginx: Docker API returned 404 (container not found)")
+- Full diagnostic data (sub-workflow name, node, raw response, stack trace) captured in central error store for Claude's use
+- Only report errors on user-triggered actions — no proactive/unsolicited error notifications
+- Error store uses ring buffer: last 50 errors, auto-rotated
+- Manual clear command also available (/clear-errors or similar, hidden/unlisted)
+
+### Execution traceability
+- All sub-workflows report errors back to main workflow for centralized storage
+- Trace data designed for programmatic access — Claude can query it during debugging sessions
+- Hidden/unlisted Telegram commands for quick error checks (e.g., /errors to see recent errors)
+- File-based access also available for deep investigation during debugging sessions
+
+### Log output & storage
+- Error/trace data stored in n8n workflow static data (main workflow)
+- Centralized in main workflow — sub-workflows report back, main stores
+- Auto-rotate (ring buffer, 50 entries) + manual clear command
+- Both Telegram commands (quick checks) and file/API access (deep investigation)
+
+### Debug mode
+- Debug mode is for Claude's use during debugging — not user-facing
+- Must address three specific pain points:
+  1. **Sub-workflow data loss** — capture what data was sent to and received from each sub-workflow at boundaries
+  2. **Callback routing confusion** — trace which path a callback took through routing logic
+  3. **n8n API execution log parsing** — make execution data easily queryable without manual workflow investigation
+
+### Claude's Discretion
+- Trace format and structure (timeline vs. data snapshots vs. both)
+- Whether to trace all executions or only errors (overhead vs. usefulness)
+- Structured entries vs. simple log lines (what enables best debugging)
+- Debug toggle mechanism (global toggle, per-request, or always-on for errors)
+- Log level granularity (on/off vs. error/warn/info)
+- What specific debug data to capture (raw API responses, sub-workflow I/O, timing)
+- Telegram command naming and exact interface
+
+</decisions>
+
+<specifics>
+## Specific Ideas
+
+- "I want you to be more easily able to track down issues when they occur" — the driving goal is Claude's ability to programmatically diagnose issues
+- Past pain points: sub-workflow boundary data disappearing, callback routing taking unexpected paths, difficulty parsing n8n execution API responses
+- "These logs would resolve these issues" — the logging infrastructure should make the three pain points immediately queryable
+- Error commands should be hidden/unlisted (developer/debug tools, not part of normal command set)
+
+</specifics>
+
+<deferred>
+## Deferred Ideas
+
+None — discussion stayed within phase scope
+
+</deferred>
+
+---
+
+*Phase: 10.2-better-logging-and-log-management*
+*Context gathered: 2026-02-08*