What are automation logs? (workflow logs and contacts in workflow)

Automation logs are detailed records that capture every step, action, and event in your automations. They are categorized into two types of logs, each providing distinct information. By examining these logs, you can identify issues, optimize processes, and ensure your marketing and transactional efforts function as intended.

💡 Good to know
You can now find your event logs under Automations > Logs > Event logs. To learn more, check our dedicated article View and export your event logs.

Access your automation logs

To access your automation logs:

  1. Go to Automations > Logs. From there, you will find two types of logs.
  2. Go to the corresponding tab to view each type of logs:
    automation_logs_overview_en-us.jpeg
    • Workflow logs
      See what happened at each step of a specific automation.
    • Contacts in Workflow 
      See which contacts are currently in an automation, and remove them if needed.

Workflow logs

The Workflow logs page provides detailed records of every event that occurs within an automation, whether for a specific step or a particular contact. They help you identify a contact's position in the process, detect potential blockages, and understand why certain communications may not have been delivered.

➡️  For example
If a contact submits a form and says they didn't receive the email they were supposed to receive through an automation, you can check your workflow logs to see if they received the email, if they are in a waiting step, or if there was an error in the process.

What information can I find in a workflow log?

Each log gives you a quick summary at a glance, then lets you dig into the technical details behind it if you need to troubleshoot further.

When looking at a specific log in your workflow logs, you'll first find the following information:

automation_workflow-logs_overview_en-us.jpeg

  1. The date and time when the event happened.
  2. The email address of the contact who performed the action or moved through the automation.
  3. The name of the automation in which the event happened.
  4. The specific step in which the event happened.
  5. The message that describes the event.

To see the technical details behind a log, click the down arrow icon next to a log to expand it and see the following fields:

automation_workflow-logs_expanded_overview_en-us.jpeg

Field

Description

scenario_id The ID of the automation where the event happened.
type The type of event recorded in the log (e.g., form, identify, templates_clicked, etc.).
start_id The ID of the entry point of the automation where the event happened. It is displayed only if an automation has multiple entry points.
ts The date and time when the event was recorded in the log.
step_id The ID of the step the contact was in when the event happened.
message The message that describes the event (e.g., "Contact has exited workflow", "Opened the campaign", etc.).
scenario_name The name of the automation where the event happened.
workflow_points The entry or exit step of the automation where the event happened. It is displayed only if the event happened when the contact started, restarted, exited, or was manually removed from the automation.
user_email The email address of the contact who performed the action or moved through the automation.
new editor Whether the event happened in an automation created with the new automation editor.

How long are workflow logs retained in Brevo?

Brevo applies two independent rules to workflow logs:

Time-based limit

All workflow logs older than 24 months are deleted automatically, regardless of how many logs your account has.

Volume-based limit

Within that 24-month window, your plan sets a maximum number of logs that can be stored:

  • Free: 100,000 logs
  • Starter: 300,000 logs
  • Standard: 600,000 logs
  • Professional: 1 billion logs
  • Enterprise: 1 billion logs

If your account exceeds this number within the 24-month window, only the most recent logs up to that limit are kept. Older logs beyond the limit are removed, even if they're less than 24 months old.

Contacts in workflow

💡 Good to know
You can also see what automation a contact is in directly from their contact details page, in the Active automations section.

The Contacts in workflows page displays which contacts are active, meaning they are currently progressing through an automation, and those on hold, who are at a waiting point within an automation. This helps you understand why certain communications have not been received.

Additionally, if you do not want a contact to continue through an automation or if there was an error, you can manually remove them from the automation, causing them to immediately exit.

➡️  For example
For example, if a contact is in an abandoned cart automation and still hasn't received an abandoned cart email, you can check whether they are still at a waiting point within the automation. If you do not want the contact to receive the abandoned cart email anymore, you can then manually remove them from the automation.

What information can I find on the Contacts in workflows page?

Contacts_in_workflows_en-us.png

  1. The email address of the contact currently in the automation.
  2. The name of the automation the contact is currently in.
  3. The specific step the contact is currently in.
  4. The date and time when the contact entered the automation they're currently in.

Remove a contact from an automation

You can manually remove contacts from your automation from the Contacts in workflows page, whether they are currently in an active or waiting state.

To remove contacts from an automation:

  1. Go to Automations > Logs > Contacts in workflows.
  2. Select the contacts you want to remove from an automation. You can select up to 30 contacts at a time.
  3. Click Remove selected contacts from automations.
    Contacts_in_Workflows_Action_remove_contacts.jpg
  4. Click OK.

That's it, the contacts have been removed from the automation they were previously in. A "Contact has been manually removed from workflow" log will also be generated in your workflow logs for each contact removed:

Contacts_in_Workflow_logs_suspended_data_en-us.png

💡 Good to know
You can view the statistics for Suspended contacts on the Automations > Workflows page for each automation. These correspond to the contacts you have manually removed from the automation.

📥 Download your automation logs

You can download your workflow logs and your contacts in workflows logs separately, each as its own CSV file. The steps are the same on both pages:

  1. (Optional) Filter your logs.
  2. Click Download csv.
    automation_download-logs_en-us copy.jpeg

A CSV file will be downloaded to your device.

⏭️ What's next?

🤔 Have a question?

If you have a question, feel free to contact our support team by creating a ticket from your account. If you don't have an account yet, you can contact us here.

If you’re looking for help with a project using Brevo, we can match you with the right certified Brevo Agency partner.

💬 Was this article helpful?

5 out of 18 found this helpful