> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.ntop.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# How to track Progress and log output in nTop Automate

## **Objective:**

This article explains how to view the real-time runtime progress of nTop Automate and how to save that data to a log file for debugging and record-keeping purposes. This is particularly useful for monitoring long operations and identifying the specific causes of file failures.

## **Applies to:**

* nTop Automate

## **Procedure**

When running nTop Automate (nTopCL), you may want to see the step-by-step execution progress similar to the Console view in the Desktop application. By default, nTopCL runs quietly to optimize performance. However, you can adjust the verbosity to see runtime progress and export these details to a log file.

### 1. View Progress in Real-Time (Verbosity)

To view progress directly in your command prompt or terminal window, use the `--verbose` argument (or the shorthand `-v`) followed by an integer (INT) to set the level of detail.

The available verbosity levels are:

* **0:** Logs **Errors** only.
* **1:** Logs **Warnings** and **Errors** (Default).
* **2:** Logs **Warnings**, **Errors**, and **Runtime Progress**.

To replicate the output you typically see in the nTop **Log** (located in the bottom panel of the UI), use level **2**.

**Example Command:**

```
ntopcl -v 2 -i input_file.ntop -o output_file.json
```

### 2. Export Progress to a Log File

To save the execution history for troubleshooting or auditing, use the `--logfile` argument. This duplicates the terminal output into a text file.

* **Default Behavior:** If you use the flag without a path, it creates a file named `ntopcl.log` in the current working directory.
* **Custom Path:** You can specify a filename or a full file path.

**Example Command (Specifying a path):**

```
ntopcl -v 2 --logfile="C:\Path\To\MyLogFile.txt" -i input.ntop
```

And that's it! You've successfully configured nTop Automate to display runtime progress and save execution logs.

**Are you still having issues?** Contact the support team, and we'll be happy to help!

## **More on this topic:**

* [Running nTop Automate in Python scripts](/help-articles/knowledge-base/ntop-automate/running-ntop-automate-in-python-scripts)
* [Preparing an nTop Notebook for nTop Automate](/help-articles/knowledge-base/ntop-automate/preparing-an-ntop-notebook-for-ntop-automate)
* [What types are supported in nTop Automate?](/help-articles/knowledge-base/ntop-automate/what-types-are-supported-in-ntop-automate)