logs-not-detailed-enough.md

title	Logs are not detailed enough
shortTitle	Logs not detailed enough
intro	Increase log verbosity and generate debugging artifacts when logs lack diagnostic detail.
allowTitleToDifferFromFilename	true
versions	fpt ghes ghec * * *
redirect_from	/code-security/code-scanning/troubleshooting-code-scanning/logs-are-not-detailed-enough /code-security/code-scanning/troubleshooting-code-scanning/logs-not-detailed-enough /code-security/how-tos/scan-code-for-vulnerabilities/troubleshooting/troubleshooting-analysis-errors/logs-not-detailed-enough
contentType	reference
category	Troubleshoot security tools

If your logs are not detailed enough to troubleshoot a problem, there are several steps you can take to obtain extra information and make logs more useful.

Enabling step debug logging

Step debug logging increases the verbosity of a job’s logs during and after execution.

To enable step debug logging:

1. In the repository that contains the workflow, set the following secret or variable: ACTIONS_STEP_DEBUG to true. If both the secret and variable are set, the value of the secret takes precedence over the variable.
2. Re-run the workflow or trigger a new run.

After setting the secret or variable, more debug events are shown in the step logs. See AUTOTITLE.

You can also use the runner.debug context to conditionally run steps only when debug logging is enabled. See AUTOTITLE.

Creating {% data variables.product.prodname_codeql %} debugging artifacts

Warning

{% data variables.product.prodname_codeql %} debugging artifacts contain a copy of the source code being analyzed by {% data variables.product.prodname_codeql %}, therefore we suggest sharing these bundles only with people who are authorized to access that source code.

You can obtain artifacts to help you debug {% data variables.product.prodname_codeql %}. The debug artifacts will be uploaded to the workflow run as artifacts with names starting with debug-artifacts. If {% data variables.product.prodname_codeql %} analyzes multiple languages concurrently as part of the workflow run, there will be one such artifact for every language. The data contains the {% data variables.product.prodname_codeql %} logs, {% data variables.product.prodname_codeql %} databases, extracted source code files, and any SARIF files produced by the workflow. For more information about downloading {% data variables.product.prodname_codeql %} artifacts, see AUTOTITLE.

These artifacts will help you debug problems with {% data variables.product.prodname_codeql %} {% data variables.product.prodname_code_scanning %}. If you contact {% data variables.contact.github_support %}, they might ask for this data.

Creating {% data variables.product.prodname_codeql %} debugging artifacts for {% data variables.product.prodname_codeql %} default setup

You can create {% data variables.product.prodname_codeql %} debugging artifacts by enabling step debug logging (see Enabling step debug logging) and triggering a new {% data variables.product.prodname_codeql %} analysis, for example, by pushing a new commit to a pull request branch.

{% ifversion org-private-registry %}

If you have given {% data variables.product.prodname_codeql %} access to private registries, additional artifacts whose names start with proxy-log-file will be available. These contain logs of the authentication proxy that is used by {% data variables.product.prodname_codeql %} default setup to authenticate requests to private registries and may be used to troubleshoot private registry configurations. To learn more, see AUTOTITLE.

{% endif %}

Creating {% data variables.product.prodname_codeql %} debugging artifacts for {% data variables.product.prodname_codeql %} advanced setup

Debugging artifacts for {% data variables.product.prodname_codeql %} advanced setup can be obtained in several different ways.

Re-running jobs with debug logging enabled

The easiest option to create debugging artifacts for {% data variables.product.prodname_codeql %} advanced setup is by re-running jobs with debug logging enabled. For more information about re-running {% data variables.product.prodname_actions %} workflows and jobs, see AUTOTITLE.

You need to ensure that you select Enable debug logging. This option enables runner diagnostic logging and step debug logging for the run. You'll then be able to download {% data variables.product.prodname_codeql %} debugging artifacts to investigate further. You do not need to modify the workflow file when creating {% data variables.product.prodname_codeql %} debugging artifacts by re-running jobs.

Using a workflow flag

You can create {% data variables.product.prodname_codeql %} debugging artifacts by using a flag in your workflow. For this, you need to modify the init step of your {% data variables.code-scanning.codeql_workflow %} file and set debug: true.

- name: Initialize CodeQL
  uses: {% data reusables.actions.action-codeql-action-init %}
  with:
    debug: true

Using {% data variables.product.prodname_actions %} step debug logging

If you enable {% data variables.product.prodname_actions %} step debug logging, {% data variables.product.prodname_codeql %} will also produce debugging artifacts and upload them as part of the workflow run. For instructions, see Enabling step debug logging.