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+# Capturing and rendering Syndicated Actor Model interaction traces
+
+ - Trace schema: [[syndicate-protocols]/schemas/trace.prs][trace.prs]
+ - Trace rendering tool: [syndicate-render-msd][]
+
+[trace.prs]: https://git.syndicate-lang.org/syndicate-lang/syndicate-protocols/src/branch/main/schemas/trace.prs
+[syndicate-render-msd]: https://git.syndicate-lang.org/syndicate-lang/syndicate-render-msd
+
+The [`syndicate-server`](https://git.syndicate-lang.org/syndicate-lang/syndicate-rs/) program
+is able to capture traces of all [Syndicated Actor Model](https://syndicate-lang.org/about/)
+interactions that traverse it, saving them as `TraceEntry` records (defined in [trace.prs][])
+to a file for later analysis.
+
+## Recording a trace
+
+To record a trace, start `syndicate-server` with the `-t <trace-file>` (or `--trace-file
+<trace-file>`) command-line options. All interactions will be recorded in the named file.
+
+The contents of the file will look a bit like this:
+
+```preserves
+<trace 1643236405.7954443 1 <start <anonymous>>>
+<trace 1643236405.7959989 11 <start <named dependencies_listener>>>
+<trace 1643236405.7960189 21 <start <named config_watcher>>>
+<trace 1643236405.7960294 31 <start <named daemon_listener>>>
+<trace 1643236405.7960389 41 <start <named debt_reporter_listener>>>
+<trace 1643236405.7960542 51 <start <named milestone_listener>>>
+<trace 1643236405.7960613 61 <start <named tcp_relay_listener>>>
+<trace 1643236405.7960687 71 <start <named unix_relay_listener>>>
+<trace 1643236405.7960766 81 <start <named logger>>>
+<trace 1643236405.7960895 1 <turn 9 <external "top-level actor"> [<facet-start [12 2]> <spawn #f 11> <spawn #f 21> <spawn #f 31> <spawn #f 41> <spawn #f 51> <spawn #f 61> <spawn #f 71> <enqueue <event <entity 1 12 140358591713488> <assert <value <run-service <config-watcher "config" {config: #!"1/12:00007fa7c80010d0" gatekeeper: #!"1/12:00007fa7c8005420" log: #!"1/12:00007fa7c80011b0"}>>> 3>>> <spawn #f 81>]>>
+<trace 1643236405.7961453 1 <turn 29 <caused-by 9> [<dequeue <event <entity 1 12 140358591713488> <assert <value <run-service <config-watcher "config" {config: #!"1/12:00007fa7c80010d0" gatekeeper: #!"1/12:00007fa7c8005420" log: #!"1/12:00007fa7c80011b0"}>>> 3>>>]>>
+<trace 1643236405.7962394 81 <turn 49 <caused-by 9> [<facet-start [122 92]> <enqueue <event <entity 1 12 140358591713712> <assert <value <Observe <rec log [<bind <_>> <bind <_>>]> #!"81/122:00007fa7c800ff10">> 13>>>]>>
+<trace 1643236405.796323 11 <turn 19 <caused-by 9> [<facet-start [102 22]> <enqueue <event <entity 1 12 140358591713488> <assert <value <Observe <rec require-service [<bind <_>>]> #!"11/102:00007fa75c0010b0">> 23>>>]>>
+...
+```
+
+## Rendering a trace
+
+Tools such as [syndicate-render-msd][] can process trace files to produce
+message-sequence-diagram-like interactive renderings of their contents. The trace file
+excerpted above renders (in part) in the browser to the following screenshot:
+
+![Interaction snapshot](<Interaction snapshot.png>)
+
+Enhancements such as streaming of a live trace and filtering and selecting subtraces are on the
+roadmap.