Feature Request: Full Output Logging

[DelphinityLabs]

I would like to request a Full Output Logging feature, where all the output that is visible on the terminal window is stored in a file, including the ansi colors.

Currently it seems gemini cli only has a logging feature which captures the input commands from the user, but the output is not logged.

I am aware there may be some kind of debugging/debug mode, but I am not exactly sure what this is and if it will be usefull, maybe it will just output extra text or it expect a visual code hook or something, so that is why I request this special feature to be debug independent.

I already tried a powershell capability which did NOT work:

# Start logging to a file
Start-Transcript -Path "log.txt" -NoClobber -Append

# Now, run your Gemini CLI commands or any other terminal commands
# For example:
# gemini chat "Tell me a joke."
# gemini list models

# Stop logging
Stop-Transcript


# To view these log files with colors in Windows Terminal, simply use Get-Content or type:
Get-Content -Path "log.txt"

However cmd.exe does have an option to export text to a file. At least this provides some logging support, but I am afraid that the buffer size will not be big enough and those text will be lost at the end of the session if it's a big session, plus the colors are not recorded.

I am also aware that there is a github project/ tool called: "ai-cli-log" but it requires a functioning microsoft visual studio installation and special libraries and whatever and ms vs studio is always a big f-ing mess, and I cannot get it working this tool currently, compile failures..

Here is a little taste:

**********************************************************************
** Visual Studio 2022 Developer Command Prompt v17.8.1
** Copyright (c) 2022 Microsoft Corporation
**********************************************************************
[vcvarsall.bat] Environment initialized for: 'x64'

C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio\2022\Enterprise>v:

V:\>cd Test

V:\Test>npm install -g ai-cli-log
npm warn cleanup Failed to remove some directories [
npm warn cleanup   [
npm warn cleanup     '\\\\?\\G:\\Tools\\npm-global\\node_modules\\ai-cli-log\\node_modules\\@xterm',
npm warn cleanup     [Error: EPERM: operation not permitted, rmdir 'G:\Tools\npm-global\node_modules\ai-cli-log\node_modules\@xterm'] {
npm warn cleanup       errno: -4048,
npm warn cleanup       code: 'EPERM',
npm warn cleanup       syscall: 'rmdir',
npm warn cleanup       path: 'G:\\Tools\\npm-global\\node_modules\\ai-cli-log\\node_modules\\@xterm'
npm warn cleanup     }
npm warn cleanup   ],
npm warn cleanup   [
npm warn cleanup     '\\\\?\\G:\\Tools\\npm-global\\node_modules\\ai-cli-log\\node_modules\\node-pty',
npm warn cleanup     [Error: EPERM: operation not permitted, rmdir 'G:\Tools\npm-global\node_modules\ai-cli-log\node_modules\node-pty\build\deps\winpty\src'] {
npm warn cleanup       errno: -4048,
npm warn cleanup       code: 'EPERM',
npm warn cleanup       syscall: 'rmdir',
npm warn cleanup       path: 'G:\\Tools\\npm-global\\node_modules\\ai-cli-log\\node_modules\\node-pty\\build\\deps\\winpty\\src'
npm warn cleanup     }
npm warn cleanup   ],
npm warn cleanup   [
npm warn cleanup     '\\\\?\\G:\\Tools\\npm-global\\node_modules\\ai-cli-log',
npm warn cleanup     [Error: EPERM: operation not permitted, rmdir 'G:\Tools\npm-global\node_modules\ai-cli-log\node_modules\node-pty\build\deps\winpty'] {
npm warn cleanup       errno: -4048,
npm warn cleanup       code: 'EPERM',
npm warn cleanup       syscall: 'rmdir',
npm warn cleanup       path: 'G:\\Tools\\npm-global\\node_modules\\ai-cli-log\\node_modules\\node-pty\\build\\deps\\winpty'
npm warn cleanup     }
npm warn cleanup   ]
npm warn cleanup ]
npm error code 1
npm error path G:\Tools\npm-global\node_modules\ai-cli-log\node_modules\node-pty
npm error command failed
npm error command C:\Windows\system32\cmd.exe /d /s /c node-gyp rebuild
npm error conpty.cc
npm error   path_util.cc
npm error   win_delay_load_hook.cc
npm error   Generating code
npm error   Previous IPDB not found, fall back to full compilation.
npm error   All 1042 functions were compiled because no usable IPDB/IOBJ from previous compilation was found.
npm error   Finished generating code
npm error   conpty.vcxproj -> G:\Tools\npm-global\node_modules\ai-cli-log\node_modules\node-pty\build\Release\\conpty.node
npm error   conpty_console_list.cc
npm error   win_delay_load_hook.cc
npm error   Generating code
npm error   Previous IPDB not found, fall back to full compilation.
npm error   All 237 functions were compiled because no usable IPDB/IOBJ from previous compilation was found.
npm error   Finished generating code
npm error   conpty_console_list.vcxproj -> G:\Tools\npm-global\node_modules\ai-cli-log\node_modules\node-pty\build\Release\\conpty_console_list.node

So to prevent this hassle/time loss for the gemini-cli user it would be very nice if a full output logging functionality could be build into gemini cli itself thx.

[DelphinityLabs]

I think I see the problem it wants to remove files and for that it needs admin rights which it doesn't have... hmmmm... is the removing of files really necessary ? Can't you make it work with standard rights ?

[Manamama]

All is logged if /chat save. See: https://github.com/Manamama/Puzzles_for_AIs/tree/main/code/Gemini%20CLI%20logs%20prettifier for my tool (I use it a lot by now) or read the Readmes closely.

Re:
'However cmd.exe does have an option to export text to a file' - but your terminal does too. At least mine does: terminator. Again, read closely its Help.

[owenofbrien]

@DelphinityLabs - can you explain the use case that you need full output logs for? Does /chat save meet your needs?

[Jarvie8176]

a couple of use cases:

1. I'm running a scientific research that requires verbatim log as part of the raw data for further analysis

2. creative writing in form of a socratic dialogue based on text in user prompts and AI responses

[Manamama]

E.g. https://stackoverflow.com/questions/34472973/how-to-activate-automatic-logging-in-terminator + https://terminator-gtk3.readthedocs.io/en/latest/plugins.html , plus the saved chats have almost all, as per #4842 (comment).

[acoliver]

they are adding this telemetry logging in main.