docker-logs
Scannednpx machina-cli add skill gologo13/agent-skills/docker-logs --openclawDocker Logs Tail
Tail logs from Docker containers to check for errors and monitor application behavior.
Instructions
When user requests to check container logs:
-
Discover running containers: First, list all running containers to see what's available:
docker ps --format "table {{.Names}}\t{{.Status}}\t{{.Image}}" -
Ask user which container(s): Present the list and ask which container(s) they want to monitor
-
Use appropriate command: Run
docker logswith suitable flags based on their needs
Common Commands
List running containers
docker ps --format "table {{.Names}}\t{{.Status}}\t{{.Image}}"
Tail logs for a specific container
docker logs -f <container_name>
Tail logs with timestamps
docker logs -f --timestamps <container_name>
Tail last N lines
docker logs -f --tail 100 <container_name>
Check logs since specific time
docker logs -f --since 5m <container_name>
View logs from all containers (with docker compose)
docker compose logs -f
View logs from specific services
docker compose logs -f <service1> <service2>
Filter for errors
docker logs <container_name> 2>&1 | grep -i error
Usage Flow
- Run
docker psto discover available containers - Present the container list to the user
- Ask which container(s) they want to tail
- Ask if they want any filters (errors only, last N lines, since time, etc.)
- Execute the appropriate
docker logscommand
Source
git clone https://github.com/gologo13/agent-skills/blob/main/skills/docker-logs/SKILL.mdView on GitHub Overview
Docker Logs Tail helps you monitor container output by tailing logs to spot errors and understand app behavior. It starts by listing running containers, prompts you to pick which container to monitor, and then executes docker logs with flags tailored to your needs.
How This Skill Works
The skill first uses docker ps to discover active containers, then prompts you to select target container(s). It runs docker logs with live tail (-f) and optional flags like --timestamps, --tail, or --since to fit your debugging scenario; for multi-service setups, docker compose logs can be used to view logs across services.
When to Use It
- Investigating errors in a specific container to diagnose a malfunction
- Monitoring application behavior during a new deployment or rollback
- Debugging flaky services in development by tailing real-time logs
- Auditing recent activity by viewing logs since a known time
- Reviewing logs across all services with docker compose during integration tests
Quick Start
- Step 1: Run docker ps with a formatted output to discover containers
- Step 2: Pick which container(s) you want to monitor from the list
- Step 3: Run docker logs -f <container_name> with optional flags like --timestamps, --tail, or --since
Best Practices
- Always start with docker ps to confirm which containers are available before tailing
- Use --tail to limit output when logs are verbose
- Add --timestamps to correlate events with exact times
- Pipe logs through grep or a similar filter to surface errors quickly
- For multi-service contexts, prefer docker compose logs to monitor all relevant services
Example Use Cases
- Tail the web-app container to verify that deploys fix 500 errors by watching recent logs
- Monitor the api-service with timestamps to correlate requests and errors under heavy load
- Check database container logs since deployment time to confirm migrations ran
- View logs from all services with docker compose logs -f during end-to-end tests
- Filter for errors in a worker container to identify retry failures
