Agent skill

py-server-logs

View Flask server logs from local or remote server. Shows real-time or recent log entries for debugging. Use when monitoring server activity, debugging issues, or checking server status.

View SKILL.md on GitHub Repository
Stars 163
Forks 31

Install this agent skill to your Project

npx add-skill https://github.com/majiayu000/claude-skill-registry/tree/main/skills/development/py-server-logs

SKILL.md

Python Server Logs

Overview

Views logs from Flask servers (local or remote) to monitor activity, debug issues, and check server status. Supports real-time streaming and historical log viewing.

When to Use

Invoke this skill when the user:

  • Asks to "see server logs"
  • Wants to "check what the server is doing"
  • Says "view logs" or "monitor server"
  • Mentions debugging server issues
  • Wants to see recent server activity

Prerequisites

Local server:

  • Server running in background mode (creates server.log)
  • In server directory with log file

Remote server:

  • SSH access configured
  • SSH config alias set up (microserver)
  • Remote server running

Instructions

View Local Server Logs

Real-time streaming (follows log as it grows):

bash
cd path/to/server/imp/py
tail -f server.log

Last 20 lines:

bash
tail -20 server.log

Last 50 lines:

bash
tail -50 server.log

All logs:

bash
cat server.log

Search logs:

bash
grep "ERROR" server.log
grep "api/ping" server.log
grep "POST" server.log

View Remote Server Logs

Real-time streaming:

bash
ssh microserver@185.96.221.52 "tail -f ~/firefly-server/server.log"

Last 20 lines:

bash
ssh microserver@185.96.221.52 "tail -20 ~/firefly-server/server.log"

Search remote logs:

bash
ssh microserver@185.96.221.52 "grep 'ERROR' ~/firefly-server/server.log"

What to Tell User

Local logs:

  • Show command to view logs
  • Mention Ctrl+C to stop streaming
  • Indicate log file location
  • Suggest useful search patterns

Remote logs:

  • Same as local, but via SSH
  • Mention network connection required
  • Log format is identical

Log Format

Flask logs typically show:

127.0.0.1 - - [05/Oct/2024 18:15:23] "GET /api/ping HTTP/1.1" 200 -
127.0.0.1 - - [05/Oct/2024 18:15:24] "POST /api/posts HTTP/1.1" 200 -

Format:

  • IP address: Client making request
  • Timestamp: When request occurred
  • Method: GET, POST, etc.
  • Path: API endpoint
  • Status: HTTP response code (200=OK, 500=error, etc.)

Common Log Patterns

Successful requests:

bash
grep "200" server.log

Errors:

bash
grep -E "(ERROR|500|404)" server.log

Specific endpoint:

bash
grep "/api/ping" server.log

Recent activity:

bash
tail -20 server.log

POST requests only:

bash
grep "POST" server.log

Integration with Claude Code

Claude can read logs directly:

bash
# Last 20 lines
tail -20 server.log

# Search for specific issue
grep "ERROR" server.log

This enables Claude to:

  • Debug server issues
  • Verify requests are reaching server
  • Check for errors or warnings
  • Monitor API usage patterns

Troubleshooting

"No such file or directory":

  • Log file doesn't exist yet
  • Server wasn't started in background mode
  • Check: ls -la server.log
  • Start server with start.sh to create logs

Logs not updating:

  • Server may be running in foreground (logs to terminal)
  • Check if process is running: lsof -ti:8080
  • Verify server.log is the active log file

Too much output:

  • Use tail instead of cat for large logs
  • Filter with grep for specific patterns
  • Consider log rotation for production

Can't access remote logs:

  • Check SSH connection: ssh microserver@185.96.221.52 "ls"
  • Verify path: ~/firefly-server/server.log
  • Check permissions on remote log file

Log Levels

Flask can log at different levels:

  • DEBUG: Detailed information for diagnosing problems
  • INFO: General informational messages
  • WARNING: Warning messages for potential issues
  • ERROR: Error messages for serious problems
  • CRITICAL: Critical errors causing server failure

Flask development server logs most requests at INFO level.

Clearing Logs

Local:

bash
# Clear log file
> server.log
# Or delete and recreate
rm server.log
touch server.log

Remote:

bash
ssh microserver@185.96.221.52 "> ~/firefly-server/server.log"

This is useful before testing to see only new logs.

Advanced Usage

Follow logs and filter:

bash
tail -f server.log | grep "ERROR"

Count requests per endpoint:

bash
grep -o "/api/[a-z]*" server.log | sort | uniq -c

Show only errors:

bash
grep -E "ERROR|500" server.log

Last hour of logs (if timestamps in log):

bash
# Depends on log format
grep "$(date +%H:)" server.log

Foreground vs Background Logging

Foreground server (python3 app.py):

  • Logs to terminal (stdout)
  • No server.log file
  • See logs in terminal directly
  • Use py-server-logs for background servers only

Background server (./start.sh):

  • Logs to server.log
  • Terminal output redirected
  • Use tail/grep to view
  • This skill is designed for this mode

Remote Server Path

For Firefly server specifically:

Stopping Log Stream

When using tail -f:

  • Press Ctrl+C to stop streaming
  • Terminal returns to prompt
  • Log file continues to grow

Log Rotation

For production servers, implement log rotation:

  • Prevents log files from growing too large
  • Archives old logs
  • Can use logrotate utility on Linux/macOS

For development, manual clearing is sufficient.

Notes

  • Local and remote logs have identical format
  • Logs persist across server restarts
  • Log file grows continuously (monitor size)
  • Background mode required for log file
  • Real-time streaming with tail -f is most useful for active debugging

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