2 files changed, 63 insertions, 14 deletions

diff --git a/packages/kernel/src/runtime/run-turn.test.ts b/packages/kernel/src/runtime/run-turn.test.ts
index 667476f..9c19027 100644
--- a/packages/kernel/src/runtime/run-turn.test.ts
+++ b/packages/kernel/src/runtime/run-turn.test.ts
@@ -2,9 +2,9 @@ import { describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
 import type { ChatMessage } from "../contracts/conversation.js";
 import type { AgentEvent } from "../contracts/events.js";
 import type { LogDeps, Logger, LogRecord, LogSink } from "../contracts/logging.js";
-import { createLogger } from "../contracts/logging.js";
 import type { ProviderContract, ProviderEvent } from "../contracts/provider.js";
 import type { ToolContract, ToolExecuteContext, ToolResult } from "../contracts/tool.js";
+import { createLogger } from "../logging/logger.js";
 import { runTurn } from "./run-turn.js";
 
 function delay(ms: number): Promise<void> {
@@ -1039,6 +1039,56 @@ describe("runTurn", () => {
 				expect(stepCloses[0].attributes?.["error.message"]).toContain("provider exploded");
 			}
 		});
+
+		it("emits a prompt span with verbatim body and small scalar attributes", async () => {
+			const tool = createFakeTool("echo", async () => ({ content: "echoed" }));
+
+			const provider = createFakeProvider([
+				[
+					{ type: "text-delta", delta: "done" },
+					{ type: "finish", reason: "stop" },
+				],
+			]);
+
+			const { logger, sink } = createTestLogger();
+
+			await runTurn({
+				provider,
+				messages: [userMessage],
+				tools: [tool],
+				dispatch: { maxConcurrent: 1, eager: false },
+				conversationId: "conv-1",
+				turnId: "turn-1",
+				emit: () => {},
+				logger,
+			});
+
+			const promptOpens = sink.records.filter((r) => r.kind === "span-open" && r.name === "prompt");
+			expect(promptOpens).toHaveLength(1);
+
+			const promptOpen = promptOpens[0];
+			if (promptOpen?.kind === "span-open") {
+				expect(promptOpen.body).toBeDefined();
+				const parsed = JSON.parse(promptOpen.body as string);
+				expect(parsed.messages).toEqual([userMessage]);
+				expect(parsed.tools).toHaveLength(1);
+				expect(parsed.tools[0].name).toBe("echo");
+
+				expect(promptOpen.attributes?.messageCount).toBe(1);
+				expect(promptOpen.attributes?.toolCount).toBe(1);
+			}
+
+			const promptCloses = sink.records.filter(
+				(r) => r.kind === "span-close" && r.name === "prompt",
+			);
+			expect(promptCloses).toHaveLength(1);
+
+			const logRecords = sink.records.filter(
+				(r) =>
+					r.kind === "log" && r.kind === "log" && (r as { msg: string }).msg === "prompt:before",
+			);
+			expect(logRecords).toHaveLength(0);
+		});
 	});
 
 	describe("provider logger threading", () => {
diff --git a/packages/kernel/src/runtime/run-turn.ts b/packages/kernel/src/runtime/run-turn.ts
index a78c31d..5e60641 100644
--- a/packages/kernel/src/runtime/run-turn.ts
+++ b/packages/kernel/src/runtime/run-turn.ts
@@ -167,22 +167,21 @@ async function executeStep(ctx: StepContext): Promise<StepResult> {
 	let stepUsage = zeroUsage();
 	let finishReason = "stop";
 
-	// Open a step span with the verbatim pre-mutation prompt in its body (BEFORE capture).
+	// Open a step span; capture the verbatim pre-mutation prompt via a
+	// "prompt" child span whose body holds the serialized messages+tools.
 	let stepSpan: Span | undefined;
 	try {
 		stepSpan = ctx.logger.span("step");
-		// Emit the verbatim pre-mutation prompt as a log record on the step span's logger.
-		// This is the "BEFORE" capture — the messages + tools as handed to provider.stream.
-		stepSpan.log.info("prompt:before", {
-			"prompt.messages": JSON.stringify(ctx.messages),
-			"prompt.tools": JSON.stringify(
-				ctx.tools.map((t) => ({
-					name: t.name,
-					description: t.description,
-					parameters: t.parameters,
-				})),
-			),
-		});
+		const promptBody = JSON.stringify({ messages: ctx.messages, tools: ctx.tools });
+		const promptSpan = stepSpan.child(
+			"prompt",
+			{
+				messageCount: ctx.messages.length,
+				toolCount: ctx.tools.length,
+			},
+			promptBody,
+		);
+		promptSpan.end();
 	} catch {
 		// Swallow — D7.
 	}