---
title: "Debugging Agents"
description: "Agent not responding? Start here - a quick path from symptom to fix using Logs, Activity, and Version History."
---

## Three tools, one flow

When an agent doesn't behave as expected, SlackHive gives you three places to look. Each one answers a different question:

| Tool | Where | Answers |
|---|---|---|
| **Logs** | Agent → Logs tab | What did the agent actually do, step by step? |
| **Activity** | Sidebar → Activity | Is the agent currently running? Did it error? |
| **Version History** | Agent → History tab | Did a recent change break something? |

Start with Activity for a quick status check. Go to Logs for the full trace. Use History to roll back if a change caused the issue.

---

## Step 1 — Check Activity

Go to **Activity** in the sidebar. This is the live kanban of every task your agents are running or have recently completed.

- **Active** — the agent is mid-run right now
- **Completed** — finished successfully
- **Errors** — something went wrong

If the job shows **Error**, click into it. The error summary tells you:
- Was it a Claude error (model timeout, rate limit)?
- Was it an MCP failure (tool server down, credentials expired)?
- Was it a Slack API failure (bot not in channel, token expired)?

Most errors are in one of these three buckets and the fix is quick.

---

## Step 2 — Read the Logs

Activity gives you the error. Logs give you the full story.

Open the agent → **Logs tab**. Each conversation is an expandable trace with:
- The incoming message
- Every tool call the agent made (MCP, memory read, skill invocation)
- The agent's reasoning at each step
- The final response

Look for where the trace stops or goes sideways. Common patterns:

| Symptom | Likely cause |
|---|---|
| Agent responds but gives wrong answer | Missing context - check wiki and memory |
| Agent stops mid-run | MCP server error or timeout |
| Agent says "I don't have access to that" | Tool not assigned to the agent |
| No trace at all | Agent wasn't running when the message arrived |

---

## Step 3 — Roll Back with Version History

If the agent was working last week and broke after an edit, use **Version History**.

Open the agent → **History tab**. Every save is a snapshot - full diff of what changed: system prompt, skills, memory, tool assignments.

Find the last version that worked, click **Restore**, and you're back to the known-good state in one click. You can then compare the two versions side by side to see exactly what the breaking change was.

<Tip>Before making significant changes to a working agent, note the current version number. If the edit breaks something, you can restore without hunting through history.</Tip>

---

## Common issues and fixes

### Agent not responding in Slack

1. Check that the agent's Slack bot token is valid — Settings → Slack Apps
2. Confirm the agent process is running — Activity should show recent pings
3. Verify the bot has been invited to the channel (`/invite @agent-name`)

### Scheduled job ran but posted nothing

1. Open Activity → find the job run → check status
2. If Success but silent: the agent decided nothing was worth posting (check your prompt - add "post a one-line summary even if nothing changed")
3. If Error: check the MCP server the agent depends on

### Agent gives outdated answers

1. Check **Memory** - it may be recalling a stale fact. Delete the outdated memory entry.
2. Check the **Wiki** - if the source was re-ingested, the wiki may need a refresh.
3. If the system prompt was recently edited, check Version History for the change.

### MCP tool calls failing

1. Go to Agent → **Tools tab** - verify the MCP server is listed and active
2. Check the MCP server's credentials haven't expired
3. Test the MCP server independently via Test Mode — open the agent → **Test tab** and send a message that triggers the tool

---

## Next steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Logs" icon="list" href="/features/logs">
    Full reference for the Logs tab and what each field means.
  </Card>
  <Card title="Activity" icon="wave-pulse" href="/features/activity">
    Live task view with MCP call drill-down.
  </Card>
  <Card title="Version History" icon="clock-rotate-left" href="/features/history">
    Snapshot browsing and one-click restore.
  </Card>
  <Card title="Troubleshooting" icon="wrench" href="/operations/troubleshooting">
    Startup errors, port conflicts, and CLI issues.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>
