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Add Execution Debug & Trace Panel for Flow Observability #6203

@gobinath-sketch

Description

@gobinath-sketch

Feature Description

Feature: Execution Debug & Trace Panel

Problem

When working with complex flows, especially multi-node LLM pipelines, it is difficult to understand the following:

  • What happens at each node during execution
  • Input/output transformations
  • Where exactly failures occur
  • Performance bottlenecks

Currently, debugging requires trial-and-error, which slows down development.


Proposed Solution

Introduce a Debug & Trace Panel for flow execution:

Core Features
  • Step-by-step execution trace of nodes
  • For each node:
    • Input payload
    • Output result
    • Execution duration
  • Highlight failed nodes with error details
  • Visual execution order (timeline or sequence)
Optional Controls
  • Toggle debug mode ON/OFF
  • Minimal overhead when disabled

Implementation Idea

  • Hook into node execution pipeline
  • Capture metadata (input/output/time/error)
  • Store temporarily during execution
  • Render in a side panel (similar to dev tools)

Benefits

  • Massive improvement in developer experience
  • Faster debugging of AI workflows
  • Better visibility for production-level flows
  • Especially useful for complex agent pipelines

Additional Context

This would position Flowise closer to production-grade observability seen in modern workflow/AI orchestration tools.


I’d like to work on this feature and can start with a minimal version (basic trace + node I/O logging) and iterate further.

Let me know your thoughts or any preferred direction.

Feature Category

Workflow/Flow Management

Problem Statement

Currently, debugging flow execution in Flowise is difficult, especially for multi-node LLM pipelines.

There is no clear visibility into:

  • Node-by-node execution flow
  • Input and output data transformations
  • Exact failure points
  • Performance bottlenecks

This results in trial-and-error debugging, making development slower and less efficient, particularly for complex workflows.

Proposed Solution

Introduce a Debug & Trace Panel that provides visibility into flow execution.

Key features:

  • Step-by-step execution trace of nodes
  • Display input/output data for each node
  • Show execution duration per node
  • Highlight failed nodes with error details
  • Visual execution sequence (timeline or ordered list)

Optional:

  • Toggle debug mode ON/OFF
  • Minimal performance overhead when disabled

Implementation approach:

  • Hook into node execution lifecycle
  • Capture execution metadata (input/output/time/error)
  • Store temporarily during execution
  • Render in a side panel in the UI

Mockups or References

Similar concepts can be seen in:

  • Node-RED debug panel
  • Browser DevTools (network/request tracing)
  • Workflow tools with execution logs

A simple initial version can start with a basic panel showing node logs and execution order and later expand into a full visual timeline.

Additional Context

This feature can be implemented incrementally:

Phase 1:

  • Basic execution logging (node input/output + order)

Phase 2:

  • UI panel for visualization

Phase 3:

  • Advanced tracing (timeline, performance insights)

Happy to start with Phase 1 and iterate based on feedback.

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