triggerdotdev · kathiekiwi · Jun 23, 2026
diff --git a/.server-changes/trace-view-large-runs-subtree.md b/.server-changes/trace-view-large-runs-subtree.md
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+---
+area: webapp
+type: fix
+---
+
+Fix empty trace views for child and nested runs in very large traces. The dashboard and retrieve-trace API now return the requested run's span subtree.
diff --git a/apps/webapp/app/presenters/v3/RunPresenter.server.ts b/apps/webapp/app/presenters/v3/RunPresenter.server.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 import { millisecondsToNanoseconds, RunAnnotations } from "@trigger.dev/core/v3";
 import { createTreeFromFlatItems, flattenTree } from "~/components/primitives/TreeView/TreeView";
 import { prisma, type PrismaClient } from "~/db.server";
+import { logger } from "~/services/logger.server";
 import { createTimelineSpanEventsFromSpanEvents } from "~/utils/timelineSpanEvents";
 import { getUsername } from "~/utils/username";
 import { SpanSummary } from "~/v3/eventRepository/eventRepository.types";
@@ -179,16 +180,49 @@ export class RunPresenter {
       run.runtimeEnvironment.organizationId
     );
 
-    // get the events
+    const traceTimeBounds = {
+      startCreatedAt: run.rootTaskRun?.createdAt ?? run.createdAt,
+      endCreatedAt: run.completedAt ?? undefined,
+    };
+
+    // Fast path: full trace summary. Slow path: subtree fetch when the anchor
+    // span fell past the row cap (large traces ordered by start_time ASC).
     let traceSummary = await repository.getTraceSummary(
       getTaskEventStoreTableForRun(run),
       run.runtimeEnvironment.id,
       run.traceId,
-      run.rootTaskRun?.createdAt ?? run.createdAt,
-      run.completedAt ?? undefined,
+      traceTimeBounds.startCreatedAt,
+      traceTimeBounds.endCreatedAt,
       { includeDebugLogs: showDebug }
     );
 
+    let isTruncated = traceSummary?.isTruncated ?? false;
+    const hasAnchorSpan = traceSummary?.spans.some((span) => span.id === run.spanId) ?? false;
+
+    if (traceSummary && !hasAnchorSpan) {
+      logger.warn("Trace summary missing anchor span, falling back to subtree fetch", {
+        runId: run.friendlyId,
+        spanId: run.spanId,
+        traceId: run.traceId,
+        spanCount: traceSummary.spans.length,
+      });
+
+      const subtreeSummary = await repository.getTraceSubtreeSummary(
+        getTaskEventStoreTableForRun(run),
+        run.runtimeEnvironment.id,
+        run.traceId,
+        run.spanId,
+        traceTimeBounds.startCreatedAt,
+        traceTimeBounds.endCreatedAt,
+        { includeDebugLogs: showDebug }
+      );
+
+      if (subtreeSummary) {
+        traceSummary = subtreeSummary;
+        isTruncated = subtreeSummary.isTruncated ?? false;
+      }
+    }
+
     if (!traceSummary) {
       const spanSummary: SpanSummary = {
         id: run.spanId,
@@ -237,11 +271,22 @@ export class RunPresenter {
 
     // Resolve agent-kind once so the tree renderer can swap icon/colour for
     // the current run's spans without doing per-row lookups.
-    const isAgentRun =
-      RunAnnotations.safeParse(run.annotations).data?.taskKind === "AGENT";
+    const isAgentRun = RunAnnotations.safeParse(run.annotations).data?.taskKind === "AGENT";
 
     //this tree starts at the passed in span (hides parent elements if there are any)
     const tree = createTreeFromFlatItems(traceSummary.spans, run.spanId);
+    const missingAnchor = !traceSummary.spans.some((span) => span.id === run.spanId) || !tree;
+
+    if (missingAnchor) {
+      logger.warn("Trace view anchor span not found in trace summary", {
+        runId: run.friendlyId,
+        spanId: run.spanId,
+        traceId: run.traceId,
+        spanCount: traceSummary.spans.length,
+      });
+
+      isTruncated = true;
+    }
 
     //we need the start offset for each item, and the total duration of the entire tree
     const treeRootStartTimeMs = tree ? tree?.data.startTime.getTime() : 0;
@@ -313,6 +358,8 @@ export class RunPresenter {
           : undefined,
         overridesBySpanId: traceSummary.overridesBySpanId,
         linkedRunIdBySpanId,
+        isTruncated,
+        missingAnchor,
       },
       maximumLiveReloadingSetting: repository.maximumLiveReloadingSetting,
     };

diff --git a/..._app.orgs.$organizationSlug.projects.$projectParam.env.$envParam.runs.$runParam/route.tsx b/..._app.orgs.$organizationSlug.projects.$projectParam.env.$envParam.runs.$runParam/route.tsx
@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@ import { AdminDebugTooltip } from "~/components/admin/debugTooltip";
 import { PageBody } from "~/components/layout/AppLayout";
 import { Badge } from "~/components/primitives/Badge";
 import { Button, LinkButton } from "~/components/primitives/Buttons";
+import { Callout } from "~/components/primitives/Callout";
 import { CopyableText } from "~/components/primitives/CopyableText";
 import { DateTimeShort } from "~/components/primitives/DateTime";
 import { Dialog, DialogTrigger } from "~/components/primitives/Dialog";
@@ -599,8 +600,16 @@ function TraceView({
     return <></>;
   }
 
-  const { events, duration, rootSpanStatus, rootStartedAt, queuedDuration, overridesBySpanId } =
-    trace;
+  const {
+    events,
+    duration,
+    rootSpanStatus,
+    rootStartedAt,
+    queuedDuration,
+    overridesBySpanId,
+    isTruncated = false,
+    missingAnchor = false,
+  } = trace;
 
   const changeToSpan = useDebounce((selectedSpan: string) => {
     replaceSearchParam("span", selectedSpan, { replace: true });
@@ -647,31 +656,44 @@ function TraceView({
           id={resizableSettings.parent.main.id}
           min={resizableSettings.parent.main.min}
         >
-          <TasksTreeView
-            selectedId={selectedSpanId}
-            key={events[0]?.id ?? "-"}
-            events={events}
-            onSelectedIdChanged={(selectedSpan) => {
-              //instantly close the panel if no span is selected
-              if (!selectedSpan) {
-                replaceSearchParam("span");
-                return;
-              }
-
-              changeToSpan(selectedSpan);
-            }}
-            totalDuration={duration}
-            rootSpanStatus={rootSpanStatus}
-            rootStartedAt={rootStartedAt ? new Date(rootStartedAt) : undefined}
-            queuedDuration={queuedDuration}
-            environmentType={run.environment.type}
-            shouldLiveReload={isLiveReloading}
-            maximumLiveReloadingSetting={maximumLiveReloadingSetting}
-            rootRun={run.rootTaskRun}
-            parentRun={run.parentTaskRun}
-            isCompleted={run.completedAt !== null}
-            treeSnapshot={resizable.tree as ResizableSnapshot}
-          />
+          <div className="flex h-full flex-col overflow-hidden">
+            {isTruncated && (
+              <div className="shrink-0 border-b border-charcoal-700 px-3 py-2">
+                <Callout variant="warning" className="text-sm">
+                  {missingAnchor
+                    ? "Trace too large to display completely."
+                    : "This run's trace is partially displayed because it exceeds the view limit."}
+                </Callout>
+              </div>
+            )}
+            <div className="min-h-0 flex-1">
+              <TasksTreeView
+                selectedId={selectedSpanId}
+                key={events[0]?.id ?? "-"}
+                events={events}
+                onSelectedIdChanged={(selectedSpan) => {
+                  //instantly close the panel if no span is selected
+                  if (!selectedSpan) {
+                    replaceSearchParam("span");
+                    return;
+                  }
+
+                  changeToSpan(selectedSpan);
+                }}
+                totalDuration={duration}
+                rootSpanStatus={rootSpanStatus}
+                rootStartedAt={rootStartedAt ? new Date(rootStartedAt) : undefined}
+                queuedDuration={queuedDuration}
+                environmentType={run.environment.type}
+                shouldLiveReload={isLiveReloading}
+                maximumLiveReloadingSetting={maximumLiveReloadingSetting}
+                rootRun={run.rootTaskRun}
+                parentRun={run.parentTaskRun}
+                isCompleted={run.completedAt !== null}
+                treeSnapshot={resizable.tree as ResizableSnapshot}
+              />
+            </div>
+          </div>
         </ResizablePanel>
         <ResizableHandle
           id={resizableSettings.parent.handleId}

diff --git a/apps/webapp/app/routes/api.v1.runs.$runId.trace.ts b/apps/webapp/app/routes/api.v1.runs.$runId.trace.ts
@@ -2,10 +2,7 @@ import { json } from "@remix-run/server-runtime";
 import { BatchId } from "@trigger.dev/core/v3/isomorphic";
 import { z } from "zod";
 import { $replica } from "~/db.server";
-import {
-  anyResource,
-  createLoaderApiRoute,
-} from "~/services/routeBuilders/apiBuilder.server";
+import { anyResource, createLoaderApiRoute } from "~/services/routeBuilders/apiBuilder.server";
 import { getEventRepositoryForStore } from "~/v3/eventRepository/index.server";
 import { getTaskEventStoreTableForRun } from "~/v3/taskEventStore.server";
 import { findRunByIdWithMollifierFallback } from "~/v3/mollifier/readFallback.server";
@@ -24,13 +21,13 @@ const ParamsSchema = z.object({
 // pass-through control case in scripts/mollifier-api-parity.sh).
 type ResolvedRun =
   | { source: "pg"; run: Awaited<ReturnType<typeof findPgRun>> & {} }
-  | { source: "buffer"; run: NonNullable<Awaited<ReturnType<typeof findRunByIdWithMollifierFallback>>> };
+  | {
+      source: "buffer";
+      run: NonNullable<Awaited<ReturnType<typeof findRunByIdWithMollifierFallback>>>;
+    };
 
 async function findPgRun(runId: string, environmentId: string) {
-  return runStore.findRun(
-    { friendlyId: runId, runtimeEnvironmentId: environmentId },
-    $replica
-  );
+  return runStore.findRun({ friendlyId: runId, runtimeEnvironmentId: environmentId }, $replica);
 }
 
 export const loader = createLoaderApiRoute(
@@ -96,10 +93,11 @@ export const loader = createLoaderApiRoute(
       authentication.environment.organization.id
     );
 
-    const traceSummary = await eventRepository.getTraceDetailedSummary(
+    const traceSummary = await eventRepository.getTraceDetailedSubtreeSummary(
       getTaskEventStoreTableForRun(run),
       authentication.environment.id,
       run.traceId,
+      run.spanId,
       run.createdAt,
       run.completedAt ?? undefined
     );