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LogAI - Smart CLI Log Analyzer Built with GitHub Copilot CLI

#githubchallenge #devchallenge #cli #githubcopilot

This is a submission for the GitHub Copilot CLI Challenge

What I Built

I created LogAI - an intelligent command-line tool that transforms the tedious process of log analysis into a quick, insightful experience. It automatically detects errors, categorizes issues, and provides AI-powered fix suggestions for any log file.

Why This Tool?

As developers, we spend countless hours debugging production issues by manually scanning through thousands of log lines. I wanted to build something that would make this process faster and smarter - a tool that not only finds errors but also explains them and suggests solutions.

Demo

Here's LogAI in action analyzing a production application log:

$ logai analyze app.log
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Output:

╭───────────────────╮
│ 🔍 LogAI Analysis │
╰───────────────────╯

📁 File: app.log
📏 Lines: 1,247
⏱️  Time Range: 2026-01-23 08:00:00 - 14:30:22

╭────────────────────────╮
│ ⚠️  Errors Detected: 15 │
╰────────────────────────╯

🔴 CRITICAL (3):
  • Database connection timeout
  • OutOfMemory exception
  • Authentication service unreachable

🟡 WARNINGS (12):
  • Slow query warnings (8 occurrences)
  • Deprecated API calls (4 occurrences)

╭────────────────────╮
│ 💡 Suggested Fixes │
╰────────────────────╯

1. Database Connection Timeout
   → Check connection pool settings
   → Verify database server status
   → Review network connectivity
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Core Features

🔍 Smart Error Detection - Automatically identifies errors, warnings, and critical issues across multiple log formats

📊 Intelligent Summarization - Provides concise summaries with error counts, time ranges, and frequency analysis

💡 AI-Powered Fix Suggestions - Suggests specific solutions based on error patterns and best practices

🐳 Multi-Format Support - Works seamlessly with:

  • Application logs (Python, Java, Node.js)
  • Docker container logs
  • Web server logs (Apache, Nginx)
  • Custom log formats

⚡ Real-Time Monitoring - Watch mode for live error detection

🎨 Beautiful Terminal Output - Color-coded, table-formatted results using Rich library

GitHub Copilot CLI: My Development Partner

GitHub Copilot CLI was absolutely essential in building LogAI. Here's how it supercharged my development process:

1. Regex Pattern Generation

The most challenging part was creating regex patterns to parse different log formats. Copilot CLI saved me hours:

$ gh copilot suggest "create regex pattern to match log format: 
2026-01-23 08:15:23 ERROR [module] message"
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Result: Instead of manually testing regex for hours, Copilot CLI generated working patterns that I could immediately use and refine.

2. CLI Architecture Design

I needed help structuring a professional CLI with multiple commands:

$ gh copilot suggest "create Click-based CLI with commands: 
analyze, detect, explain, summary, and watch for log file analysis"
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Result: Got a solid foundation for the CLI structure with proper command organization, options, and help text.

3. Efficient File Processing

For large log files, I needed efficient reading strategies:

$ gh copilot suggest "efficient way to read last N lines from 
a large file in Python without loading entire file in memory"
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Result: Learned about tail-like implementations and buffered reading approaches.

4. Error Pattern Categorization

I wanted to categorize errors intelligently:

$ gh copilot suggest "how to categorize log errors into types 
like database, network, memory, authentication using keyword matching"
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Result: Got a smart categorization system with common error patterns.

5. Rich Terminal Output Formatting

Making the output beautiful was important:

$ gh copilot suggest "create formatted table output in terminal 
using Python Rich library with colors and boxes"
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Result: Beautiful tables, panels, and color-coded output that makes errors easy to spot.

How GitHub Copilot CLI Enhanced My Workflow

Speed 🚀

What would have taken days of research and trial-and-error took hours. Copilot CLI provided instant, context-aware suggestions.

Learning 📚

I learned new Python patterns and libraries I wasn't aware of. Each suggestion came with explanations that helped me understand the "why" behind the code.

Focus 🎯

Instead of getting stuck on implementation details, I could focus on the bigger picture - making LogAI genuinely useful for developers.

Code Quality ✨

The suggestions followed best practices, included proper error handling, and were production-ready.

Technology Stack

  • Python 3.8+ - Core language
  • Click - CLI framework for command handling
  • Rich - Beautiful terminal formatting and colors
  • Regex - Pattern matching for log parsing
  • JSON - Output formatting

Real-World Use Cases

1. Production Debugging 

$ logai analyze /var/log/app/production.log --output report.json
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Quickly identify what's breaking in production.

2. Docker Container Monitoring 

$ docker logs my-container > container.log
$ logai detect container.log --level critical
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Find critical errors in containerized applications.

3. Error Documentation 

$ logai explain "Connection timeout"
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Get instant explanations for unfamiliar errors.

4. Live Monitoring 

$ logai watch /var/log/app/current.log
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Real-time error detection as your application runs.

Installation & Usage

Quick Start 

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/MengseuThoeng/logai.git
cd logai

# Install
pip install -e .

# Run
logai analyze examples/app.log
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Commands Overview

Command Purpose Example
analyze Full analysis with suggestions logai analyze app.log
detect Find specific error levels logai detect app.log --level critical
explain Get error explanations logai explain ERROR_502 --context
summary Quick stats overview logai summary app.log --lines 100
watch Real-time monitoring logai watch app.log

Project Structure 

logai/
├── logai/
│   ├── cli.py              # Main CLI interface
│   ├── analyzer.py         # Analysis engine
│   ├── parser.py           # Multi-format log parser
│   ├── detector.py         # Error detection logic
│   ├── explainer.py        # Error knowledge base
│   └── patterns.py         # Regex patterns
├── examples/               # Sample log files
├── setup.py               # Package configuration
└── requirements.txt       # Dependencies
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Challenges & Solutions

Challenge 1: Parsing Multiple Log Formats

Problem: Every application logs differently.
Solution: Created a flexible parser with auto-detection and format-specific patterns.

Challenge 2: Performance with Large Files

Problem: Logs can be gigabytes in size.
Solution: Implemented streaming reads and tail-like functionality for efficiency.

Challenge 3: Meaningful Suggestions

Problem: Generic "check logs" advice isn't helpful.
Solution: Built a knowledge base of specific, actionable solutions for common error patterns.

What I Learned

  1. GitHub Copilot CLI is a game-changer - It's like having an expert pair programmer available 24/7
  2. Log parsing is complex - But systematic pattern matching makes it manageable
  3. User experience matters in CLI tools - Beautiful output keeps users engaged
  4. Error categorization is powerful - Grouping similar errors reveals patterns

Future Enhancements

  • 📈 Trend analysis (error rates over time)
  • 🤖 Machine learning for anomaly detection
  • 🌐 Web dashboard for visualizations
  • 📧 Alert notifications for critical errors
  • 🔌 Plugin system for custom log formats
  • 📊 Export to formats like CSV, HTML, PDF

Try It Yourself!

GitHub: https://github.com/MengseuThoeng/logai

I'd love to hear your feedback! If you find LogAI useful:

  • ⭐ Star the repository
  • 🐛 Report issues or suggest features
  • 🤝 Contribute improvements

Conclusion

Building LogAI with GitHub Copilot CLI was an incredible experience. The tool not only helped me write better code faster but also taught me new techniques and best practices.

LogAI solves a real problem that every developer faces - making sense of log files quickly. Whether you're debugging production issues at 2 AM or analyzing performance bottlenecks, LogAI is designed to help.

The best part? GitHub Copilot CLI made building this tool feel less like work and more like having a conversation with an experienced developer.

Built by: Mengseu Thoeng (@MengseuThoeng)

Tags: #devchallenge #githubchallenge #cli #githubcopilot #python #logging #devtools

What do you think? Would you use LogAI for your projects? Let me know in the comments! 💬

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