Propagate a Correlation ID Through All Logs
Generate a correlation ID at the edge and attach it to every log line so a single user request is traceable end to end.
Task
Instrument const corrId = req.headers['x-correlation-id'] || crypto.randomUUID(); so on-call engineers can diagnose an incident without guessing at log lines.
When to use this
An outage lasts 47 minutes because the team cannot correlate const corrId = req.headers['x-correlation-id'] || crypto.randomUUID(); across services without structured traces.
Prerequisites
- An application with structured logging available
- A metrics or tracing backend configured
Steps
1. Configure const corrId = req.headers['x-correlation-id'] || crypto.randomUUID(); in the project configuration file with the recommended defaults.
const corrId = req.headers['x-correlation-id'] || crypto.randomUUID();
Expected output: The configuration is accepted and const corrId = req.headers['x-correlation-id'] || crypto.randomUUID(); runs without errors on the first invocation.
2. Run the check locally to verify const corrId = req.headers['x-correlation-id'] || crypto.randomUUID(); produces the expected result before pushing.
pnpm test
Expected output: Local run matches CI behavior; no surprises after push.
3. Add the gate to the CI pipeline so const corrId = req.headers['x-correlation-id'] || crypto.randomUUID(); blocks merge on failure.
- name: Run add correlation id edge inject
run: pnpm test
Expected output: Pull requests with failing const corrId = req.headers['x-correlation-id'] || crypto.randomUUID(); are blocked from merging.
Troubleshooting
Problem
The check passes locally but fails in CI
Solution
Pin dependency versions and the runtime to match CI exactly; reproduce with the same Docker image or act.
Problem
Configuration is rejected with a schema error
Solution
Check the tool version matches the config schema; older versions may not support newer fields.
Limitations
- The gate only runs on events that trigger the workflow; locally pushed commits bypass it.
- Configuration drift is possible if someone edits settings outside version control.
Make the system observable
Start by measuring the problem. Generate a correlation ID at the edge and attach it to every log line so a single user request is traceable end to end. The most common mistake is adding the gate without first confirming it catches the issue you care about. Run const corrId = req.headers[‘x-correlation-id’] || crypto.randomUUID(); against the current codebase and inspect the output before wiring it into CI.
const corrId = req.headers['x-correlation-id'] || crypto.randomUUID();Correlate across services
Once the gate is in place, make failures actionable. A failing const corrId = req.headers[‘x-correlation-id’] || crypto.randomUUID(); should point to the exact file and line, not a generic error. Pin the tool version in the lockfile so a upstream release does not silently change behavior. Review the gate output in every pull request just like a test result.