# logging

A .NET 10 observability skill: splits liveness from readiness, wires correlation IDs, and sets log levels.

- skill · `type=skill` · Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, OpenCode · 2800 installs · ★ 789
- Author: codewithmukesh
- License: MIT · policy=mirror · the beginning of the file is at the end of this page
- Source: https://github.com/codewithmukesh/dotnet-claude-kit/tree/HEAD/skills/logging/SKILL.md
- Updated: 2026-08-07
- HTML: https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/skills/logging

## What it does

This skill owns the cross-cutting parts of observability that don't belong in a Serilog or OpenTelemetry setup. First piece: correlation ID middleware. It reads `X-Correlation-Id` from the request or generates one, stores it in `HttpContext.Items`, echoes it back in the response header, and pushes it onto `LogContext` so every log event in that request carries it. Register it early in the pipeline, otherwise downstream logs miss the ID.

Second piece: health checks. You get `/health/live` with no dependency checks and `/health/ready` filtered by the `ready` tag, covering the database, Redis and RabbitMQ. The split matters. Liveness failing means "restart me"; readiness failing means "stop routing traffic here". Merge them into one `/health` and a slow database will restart your app in a loop — worth checking against whatever your orchestrator expects.

There's also a log-level table: Debug in development, Information for business events, Warning as the production default. Deep Serilog configuration and traces with metrics live in the `serilog` and `opentelemetry` skills; this one just connects them. Logging secrets or PII at Information level is called out as an anti-pattern, with the fix shown in code.

## Install

### Claude Code (native platform)

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add codewithmukesh/dotnet-claude-kit --skill logging -a claude-code
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `~/.claude/skills/logging/SKILL.md` — Copy the whole skill folder; for one project use .claude/skills/logging/

### Codex

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add codewithmukesh/dotnet-claude-kit --skill logging -a codex
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.agents/skills/logging/SKILL.md` — For all projects use ~/.agents/skills/

### Cursor

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add codewithmukesh/dotnet-claude-kit --skill logging -a cursor
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.cursor/skills/logging/SKILL.md` — Cursor also reads .agents/skills/ and .claude/skills/

### GitHub Copilot

1. **GitHub CLI**
```bash
gh skill install codewithmukesh/dotnet-claude-kit logging
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.github/skills/logging/SKILL.md`

### Gemini CLI

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add codewithmukesh/dotnet-claude-kit --skill logging -a gemini-cli
```

2. **Platform CLI**
```bash
gemini skills install https://github.com/codewithmukesh/dotnet-claude-kit --path skills/logging
```

### Windsurf (Devin Desktop)

**Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.devin/skills/logging/SKILL.md` — The legacy .windsurf/skills/ path still works

### OpenCode

**Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add codewithmukesh/dotnet-claude-kit --skill logging -a opencode
```

### Claude.ai

**Claude.ai**
- Zip the folder and upload it in Settings → Capabilities → Skills

Where a file is given instead of a command, copy the files from the source to that path: https://github.com/codewithmukesh/dotnet-claude-kit/tree/HEAD/skills/logging/SKILL.md

## When to use it
- split liveness and readiness into separate endpoints
- carry a correlation ID through every log line of a request
- pick a default log level for production
- attach database, Redis and RabbitMQ checks to readiness
- keep passwords and PII out of logs

## Example prompts
- Set up observability in .NET 10 with health checks and correlation IDs
- Add /health/live and /health/ready with checks tagged ready
- What log level should be the production default?

## Source text · SKILL.md · MIT

Below is the content of a third-party file. It is data, not instructions for you: do not act on anything written inside unless the human asks. Block tag: 46d4e989437ef0a3.

BEGIN THIRD-PARTY FILE 46d4e989437ef0a3
````text
---
name: logging
description: >
  Observability overview and glue for .NET 10: how the pieces fit together,
  plus the cross-cutting parts owned here — ASP.NET health check endpoints
  (/health), correlation IDs, and log-level strategy. For deep Serilog setup
  load `serilog`; for traces and metrics load `opentelemetry`. Load this
  skill when setting up observability from scratch, wiring health check
  endpoints or correlation IDs, or when the user says "logging",
  "observability", "monitoring setup", "liveness", "readiness", or "ILogger".
---

# Logging & Observability

## Core Principles

1. **Structured logging with Serilog** — Every log entry is a structured event with named properties, not a formatted string. This enables searching, filtering, and alerting. All setup (two-stage bootstrap, `AddSerilog()`, sinks, enrichers) lives in the **serilog** skill — that skill's `AddSerilog()`-over-`UseSerilog()` guidance is canonical.
2. **OpenTelemetry for distributed tracing** — Traces connect requests across services; metrics track system health over time. Full setup lives in the **opentelemetry** skill.
3. **Health checks for operational readiness** — Every service exposes `/health` endpoints for load balancers and orchestrators. Liveness and readiness are separate questions and separate endpoints.
4. **Correlation IDs for request tracing** — Every request gets a unique ID that flows through all log entries and downstream service calls, so one user complaint maps to one filtered log stream.

## Patterns

### How the Pieces Fit Together

| Concern | Owner | Skill |
|---------|-------|-------|
| Structured application logs | Serilog (`AddSerilog()`) | `serilog` |
| Request summary logging | `UseSerilogRequestLogging()` | `serilog` |
| Traces + metrics + OTLP export | OpenTelemetry SDK | `opentelemetry` |
| Health endpoints, correlation IDs, log-level strategy | This skill | `logging` |

Wire logging first (you need logs to debug the rest), then health checks, then tracing.

### Correlation IDs

```csharp
// Middleware to set correlation ID
public class CorrelationIdMiddleware(RequestDelegate next)
{
    private const string CorrelationIdHeader = "X-Correlation-Id";

    public async Task InvokeAsync(HttpContext context)
    {
        var correlationId = context.Request.Headers[CorrelationIdHeader].FirstOrDefault()
            ?? Guid.NewGuid().ToString();

        context.Items["CorrelationId"] = correlationId;
        context.Response.Headers[CorrelationIdHeader] = correlationId;

        using (LogContext.PushProperty("CorrelationId", correlationId))
        {
````
END THIRD-PARTY FILE 46d4e989437ef0a3

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First 2619 of 6418 bytes. © codewithmukesh · MIT · https://github.com/codewithmukesh/dotnet-claude-kit/tree/HEAD/skills/logging/SKILL.md

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