# Eval Author Inspect Trace > Use when eval-author has routed to this sub-flow for one Intake trace. Do not use for instrumenting agents, ingesting telemetry, importing a trace store, verifying ingest, or querying Intake outside Eval Author; those belong to nemo-intake. - Skill: `nvidia-nemo/eval-author-inspect-trace` (Agent Skill) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add nvidia-nemo/eval-author-inspect-trace` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/nvidia-nemo/eval-author-inspect-trace/raw - Safety review: pending - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: AI & ML - License: Apache-2.0 - Author: NVIDIA NeMo (https://skillmd.com/u/nvidia-nemo) - Updated: 2026-09-17 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/nvidia-nemo/eval-author-inspect-trace --- # Eval Author: inspect an Intake trace Read one Intake trace, explain its trajectory, and save an evidence-backed report. Start this sub-flow only after `eval-author` selects it. For instrumentation, ingest, or a general Intake query, use `nemo-intake`. Read `eval-author` for the shared standard and boundaries. ## Requirements Use a working `nemo` CLI invocation with an explicit workspace and read access to Intake. The configured NeMo Platform instance can be local or remote. Use the active context, a caller-supplied context, or `NMP_BASE_URL` and `NMP_ACCESS_TOKEN`. ### Resolve the CLI invocation Resolve the CLI invocation once before the first Intake read. If the caller provides an invocation, verify that caller-supplied invocation first. For a caller-supplied `uv run nemo` invocation, add `--no-sync`. Otherwise, probe these candidates in order with the `--version` flag: 1. Use `nemo` when `command -v nemo` succeeds. 2. Use `.venv/bin/nemo` when that executable exists in the source checkout. 3. Use `uv run --no-sync nemo` when `uv` and the prepared environment provide the CLI. Continue after a launcher error while another candidate remains. If no candidate works, quote the launcher errors and stop. Use the resolved invocation for every command. The examples use `nemo` as the logical prefix; replace only that prefix. In the report, record each expanded command instead of the logical example. Don't install the CLI, authenticate, change contexts, start services, or repair the platform. Don't run `uv sync`, use `uvx`, or activate an environment. Don't print, copy, or save credentials. The first Intake read validates access. If it exits nonzero, quote the CLI error and stop. ## Select the trace Accept a bare Intake trace ID or `intake://traces/TRACE_ID`. Reject every other URI scheme. If no trace is named, list recent candidates: ```bash nemo intake traces list --output-format=json --workspace="WORKSPACE" --mode=preview --sort=-started_at --page-size=20 ``` If the request names an agent, list recent traces that contain its spans: ```bash nemo intake spans groups list --output-format=json --workspace="WORKSPACE" --by=trace_id --filter.agent-name="AGENT_NAME" --sort=-started_at --page-size=20 ``` For a time-bounded agent search, add the command's JSON `--filter` value with `started_at.gte` and `started_at.lte`. Don't encode the filter. If the command returns no candidates, report the empty result and stop. Don't widen the search without user direction. ## Read the trace structure Read the server-computed trace rollups: ```bash nemo intake traces get --output-format=json --workspace="WORKSPACE" --mode=detailed "TRACE_ID" ``` Then read every span without payloads: ```bash nemo intake spans list --output-format=json --workspace="WORKSPACE" --filter.trace-id="TRACE_ID" --mode=summary --sort=started_at --all-pages ``` Use Intake's root status, duration, token, cost, span-count, error-count, model, and provider rollups. Use span timestamps and parent IDs when order matters. Don't recreate a timeline object or assume that an error span made the trace fail. ## Read selective detail Read bounded previews for a server-side selection: ```bash nemo intake spans list --output-format=json --workspace="WORKSPACE" --filter.trace-id="TRACE_ID" --filter.status=error --mode=preview --sort=started_at --page-size=20 ``` Use `--filter.kind` or `--filter.parent-span-id` for equivalent selections. Read an exact payload only when its text affects the assessment: ```bash nemo intake spans get --output-format=json --workspace="WORKSPACE" "SPAN_ID" ``` Require the returned `trace_id` to equal the selected trace ID. Otherwise, discard the span and report the mismatch. Don't recreate payload-length flags. ## Read evaluator evidence Collect unique session IDs from the summary spans. Query each relevant session: ```bash nemo intake evaluator-results list --output-format=json --workspace="WORKSPACE" --filter.session-id="SESSION_ID" --sort=created_at --all-pages ``` Keep only results whose `span_id` belongs to the selected trace. Quote evaluator comments when they affect the outcome. ## Assess the evidence Use exact payload text only when it changes the assessment. For every important moment, name the span ID, input or attempt, output, and relationship to nearby spans. Separate observations from interpretations. Assign one outcome: - `success`: Direct evidence shows that the requested work completed. - `failure`: Direct evidence shows that the work didn't complete or was wrong. - `unknown`: Evidence is missing, incomplete, or contradictory. Start every finding with one category: - `behavior`: What the agent did without judging it as defective. - `issue`: A result that harmed correctness, safety, cost, or latency. - `recovery`: A later action that handled an earlier problem. - `uncertainty`: A question that the evidence can't settle. Don't invent an `issue` for a successful trace. Tie every important claim to a span ID, evaluator result ID, or source symbol. Inspect local source only after trace evidence identifies behavior that source can explain. Name the repository-relative path and symbol. Source can't override recorded trace evidence. Report conflicts as `uncertainty`. ## Save the report Use the trace ID returned by Intake. Replace characters outside letters, numbers, `.`, `_`, and `-` with `_`. Save the report as `.eval-author/traces/intake-TRACE_ID.md`, replacing any report for the same trace. Put only source metadata and exact read commands in JSON-compatible YAML front matter. Record the workspace and a named CLI context when used. Never record a token. Then include outcome, summary, important moments, findings, and optional source evidence: ```markdown --- {"source":{"kind":"intake","trace_id":"TRACE_ID","workspace":"WORKSPACE","context":"CONTEXT_OR_NULL"},"commands":["EXACT_READ_COMMAND"]} --- # Trace TRACE_ID ## Source ## Outcome ## Summary ## Important moments - ``: ## Findings - ****: ## Source evidence - `:`: ``` Omit **Source evidence** when you didn't inspect source. Before completion, verify every important moment and finding names evidence, the outcome uses an allowed value, and only the report changed. Leave the report uncommitted and state its path.