> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://helix-isolate-failing-index-entities.mintlify.site/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# helix logs

> View local logs or recent Cloud query errors

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Show container logs for a local instance, or list recent query errors for a Helix Cloud database.
Local and Cloud.

## Usage

```bash theme={null}
helix logs [INSTANCE] [--follow]
helix logs [CLOUD_INSTANCE] [--start <RFC3339>] [--end <RFC3339>]
```

## Arguments

| Argument | Description |
| - | - |
| `INSTANCE` | Instance name from `helix.toml`. If omitted, the CLI uses `dev`, then the only instance, then a picker in a terminal; otherwise it fails and lists the instances. |

## Options

| Flag | Description | Default |
| - | - | - |
| `-f`, `--follow` | Local only: keep streaming new log lines. | Off |
| `--start <TIME>` | Cloud only: start of the window, as an RFC 3339 timestamp. | One hour before `--end` |
| `--end <TIME>` | Cloud only: end of the window, as an RFC 3339 timestamp. | Now |
| `--json` | Cloud only: print the query errors as a JSON array. | Off |

## Behavior

* Local logs are plain text from Docker/Podman and may follow. `--start`, `--end`, and `--json` are rejected for local instances.
* Cloud logs use the WorkOS session and the linked database's recent query-error endpoint on the Helix Cloud API; they never contact the database gateway that applications use.
* Cloud errors print as a table with `TIME`, `QUERY`, and `ERROR` columns. An empty window prints a message naming the instance and time range.
* `--start` must be before `--end`. Without either, the window is the last hour.
* Cloud follow is not supported.

## Examples

```bash theme={null}
# Print the logs of the local 'dev' instance
helix logs dev

# Follow local logs
helix logs dev --follow

# Recent query errors for a Cloud instance (last hour)
helix logs production

# Query errors in an explicit window, as JSON
helix logs production --start 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z --end 2026-01-01T06:00:00Z --json
```

## Related

* [`helix status`](/cli/command-reference/status) — check whether an instance is running.
* [`helix start`](/cli/command-reference/start) — start with `--foreground` to stream startup logs.
* [Local workflow](/cli/workflows/local) — run and debug a local instance.
* [Helix Cloud workflow](/cli/workflows/helix_cloud) — end-to-end Cloud usage.


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