# What is a work trace in an AI agent?

> A work trace is the visible record of what an AI agent did: searches, pages read, app actions and questions. How to use it to check an agent's answer.

Source: https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/work-trace · Updated 2026-10-21 · Free from Stepthrough (https://learn.ynteractive.com)

[AI agents](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary#topic-ai-agents) · [AI glossary](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary)

Quick answer

A work trace is the step-by-step record of what an AI agent did during a task: the searches it ran, the pages it opened, the files and app actions it used, and the questions it asked. Strawberry uses this name for it.

Last updated October 21, 2026

[Take the free module →](https://learn.ynteractive.com/courses/ai-apps-worth-knowing/14)Module 14 of the free [AI Apps Worth Knowing](https://learn.ynteractive.com/courses/ai-apps-worth-knowing) course, about 9 minutes. No account needed.

Updated October 21, 2026 · By [Robert Breen](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/about)

## Why it matters for a small business

An agent's final answer looks equally confident whether it came from an official website or a five-year-old blog post. The trace is how you tell the difference. It lets you check where a fact came from, spot a step that went wrong, and pick up from partial work instead of starting again.

For teams it is also an [audit trail](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/audit-trail). When an agent touched a client record or sent a message, the trace shows what it did and when, which matters when someone asks later.

## In a real lesson: Strawberry: Research Leads into a Sheet and Approve Every Email

In the [Strawberry lesson](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/strawberry-ai-browser-lead-research-approved-emails), the companion returns 10 firms with sources. Before trusting them, Dana opens the work trace: the searches, the careers pages it read, a LinkedIn page, and one local blog post it marked low confidence.

Strawberry's docs say to review work traces before relying on a generated file. Only then does she save the list to a sheet.

[Try this lesson free](https://learn.ynteractive.com/modules/strawberry-lead-research-approved-replies) or [read the step-by-step guide](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/strawberry-ai-browser-lead-research-approved-emails).

## Common confusions

### Work trace vs the answer's source list

A source list shows where the facts came from. A trace shows every step, including searches that found nothing and actions taken in other apps.

### Work trace vs chat history

Chat history is what you and the agent said. The trace is what the agent did between messages.

## Tips

- Open the trace for any answer you are about to act on, not just the ones that look odd.
- Look for the source type: official sites and primary records beat blogs and directories.
- If the trace shows an app action you did not expect, tighten that app's permissions.

## Related terms

[Browser agent](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/browser-agent) · [AI agent](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/ai-agent) · [Audit trail](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/audit-trail) · [Human in the loop](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/human-in-the-loop) · [AI agent permissions](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/agent-permissions) · [Hallucination](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/hallucination)

## More AI agents terms

[Workflow tool (agent tool)](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/workflow-tool) · [Zapier Agents](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/zapier-agents) · [Agent memory](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/agent-memory) · [Agent orchestration](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/agent-orchestration)

## Where you use it: free lessons

- [Strawberry: Research Leads into a Sheet and Approve Every Email](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/strawberry-ai-browser-lead-research-approved-emails) (Strawberry, 9 min)

## Frequently asked questions

**Do all AI agents show a trace?**

Not all, and not in the same detail. Many agent tools show the steps or tool calls; some only show the final answer. Prefer a tool that shows its work when the output matters.

**Does a trace prove the answer is right?**

No. It shows how the agent got there, so you can judge the sources and spot mistakes. You still check the facts that matter.

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