Explain logs and errors: how to do it with AI
Last checked 2026-10-15
BeginnerBot with human review 🛠️ IT ops & DevOps
Paste logs and get a likely root cause and next steps.
1. Bot automation level
Bot with human review The bot does the work, but facts, numbers or code should be checked.
2. Before you hand it to the bot
- Gather inputs: the text, file or details the bot needs.
- Access: make sure you can use the chosen bot/plan (see limits below).
- Context: tell the bot audience, purpose, constraints and examples of good output.
- Privacy check: remove personal, confidential or regulated data unless your plan/workspace is approved for it.
- Success criteria: write down what 'done' looks like (length, format, tests passing, fields filled).
3. Copy-paste prompts
Main prompt
Here's a stack trace from nginx; what's the likely cause?
Beginner-friendly
Here's a stack trace from nginx; what's the likely cause? I'm new to this: explain each step in plain words and ask me for anything you need before starting.
Check-your-work
Here's a stack trace from nginx; what's the likely cause? When you finish, list any assumptions you made, anything you're unsure about, and what I should double-check before using the result.
Free tiers that can handle this (verified): Claude (incl. Claude Code), ChatGPT (incl. Work & Codex), Mistral Le Chat. Others: check plan.
4. Step-by-step
- Copy the relevant log window (a few minutes before and after) and remove IPs, hostnames or tokens if needed.
- Add context: service, version, recent changes, what 'normal' looks like.
- Ask for ranked likely causes with the specific log lines supporting each.
- Ask for a safe diagnostic command for each hypothesis.
- Run diagnostics yourself and feed results back.
5. Which bots and plans can do it
| Tool | What's different here | Plan limits | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Claude (incl. Claude Code) | Handles long pasted logs; Claude Code can read log files directly. | Claude Code and Research need Pro or higher; computer use is Pro/Max only (research preview). | code.claude.com/docs/en/desktop |
| ChatGPT (incl. Work & Codex) | Can analyse uploaded log files. | Free tier has limited deep research, Codex and Work; scheduled tasks need Go or higher (per chatgpt.com/pricing). | help.openai.com/en/articles/20001275-chatgpt-work-and-codex |
| Cursor | Agent can read local files and run diagnostics. | Pricing page unverified; cloud agents require a connected source-control repo. | cursor.com/docs/agent/overview |
| GitHub Copilot | — | Free: 2,000 completions + 50 chats; cloud agent listed on paid plans. | docs.github.com/en/copilot/concepts/agents/cloud-agent/about-cloud-agent |
| Mistral Le Chat | — | Free tier has limited messages, searches and coding sessions; Pro raises limits. | mistral.ai/pricing |
| DeepSeek | — | Chat app limits not documented officially; API is pay-per-token. | api-docs.deepseek.com/quick_start/pricing |
Free or paid?
- Claude (incl. Claude Code): Free plan: yes. chat, web search, files & code execution, Artifacts, connectors. Claude Code and Research need Pro. Paid: the lowest price we could verify on the official pricing page is $20/month (other plans may exist). Its free tier can handle this task.
- ChatGPT (incl. Work & Codex): Free plan: yes. unlimited text chats; limited uploads, images, voice, deep research and Codex. Paid: price not verified, so check the official site. Its free tier can handle this task.
- Cursor: Free: not verified, so check the official site. Paid: price not verified, so check the official site. For this task, check the plan.
- GitHub Copilot: Free plan: yes. 2,000 completions and 50 chat requests a month; agent mode and CLI. Paid: the lowest price we could verify on the official pricing page is $10/month (other plans may exist). For this task, check the plan.
- Mistral Le Chat: Free plan: yes. limited messages, searches, coding sessions and basic images. Paid: the lowest price we could verify on the official pricing page is $14.99/month (other plans may exist). Its free tier can handle this task.
- DeepSeek: Free: not verified, so check the official site. Paid: price not verified, so check the official site. For this task, check the plan.
6. Risks and what to double-check
- The model may pick a plausible cause that the logs don't actually prove.
- Logs often contain secrets and personal data — redact first.
- Test scripts in a non-production environment first; least-privilege credentials.
- AI can hallucinate facts — verify anything that matters.
- Don't share secrets or other people's personal data.