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Nikhil Wagh
Nikhil Wagh

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AI-Driven Logging in .NET: Use GPT to Explain Your Exceptions

#dotnet #openai #serilog #gpt4

Introduction

Logging is essential — but logs aren’t always helpful. You deploy a .NET application, capture a ton of logs via Serilog or NLog, and still stare blankly at cryptic stack traces during issues.

What if your logs could explain themselves?

In this post, we’ll explore how to integrate ChatGPT or Azure OpenAI with your .NET 6–10 logging pipeline to generate human-readable explanations for exceptions and even suggest fixes.

The Problem with Logs Today

  • Even with structured logging, developers often face:
  • Generic exception messages (NullReferenceException, yay!)
  • Long stack traces that don’t reveal intent
  • Unreadable inner exceptions or custom errors
  • Lack of context in distributed systems

What We’re Building

We'll enhance your logs by adding:

  • Natural-language explanations of exceptions using GPT
  • Possible reasons based on code context
  • Suggestions to fix or debug
  • Optional Slack/Teams alerts with GPT summaries

Tools We’ll Use

  • .NET 10 Web API
  • Serilog for logging
  • OpenAI GPT-4 (or Azure OpenAI endpoint)
  • Serilog Sink (custom or file-based)
  • Middleware to intercept unhandled exceptions

Architecture Overview

  • Error occurs in app
  • Serilog logs exception
  • Middleware posts exception to GPT with context
  • GPT returns explanation + fix suggestions
  • Save AI-enhanced log to file, database, or send alert

GPT Log Enhancer Snippet

public async Task<string> GetExceptionExplanation(Exception ex)
{
    var prompt = $"Explain this .NET exception and suggest fixes:\n\n{ex}";

    var response = await openAiClient.GetChatCompletionAsync(new ChatCompletionRequest
    {
        Model = "gpt-4",
        Messages = new List<ChatMessage>
        {
            new ChatMessage("system", "You are an expert .NET assistant."),
            new ChatMessage("user", prompt)
        }
    });

    return response?.Choices?.FirstOrDefault()?.Message?.Content?.Trim();
}
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Real Output Example

Original Exception

System.NullReferenceException: Object reference not set to an instance of an object.
   at MyApp.Services.InvoiceService.Create(InvoiceDto dto)
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GPT Explanation

“This error likely means dto.Customer or another property was null. Check if all required properties in the InvoiceDto are initialized before using them.”

Where to Log This?

You can write this enhanced explanation to:

  • A Serilog custom column
  • JSON log files
  • Application Insights as a custom event
  • A Slack/Teams webhook

Why This Matters

  • Faster debugging during incidents
  • Easier onboarding for junior developers
  • Great for distributed teams with less tribal knowledge
  • Can even power auto-generated issue tickets

Bonus Tips

  • Use _ex.ToString() instead of just _ex.Message to get inner exception chains
  • Add request context (user, route, params) for more useful GPT prompts
  • Avoid flooding OpenAI — throttle by severity or use ExceptionHandledMiddleware

Conclusion

AI won’t replace your logs, but it can make them smarter. By using GPT in your .NET apps, you empower every developer on your team to debug faster and learn more along the way.

Let your logs explain themselves — it’s 2025, after all. 🚀

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