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How to Tell Which Actions in an Audit Log Were Performed by an AI Agent

By Freedom251 Team · · 11 min read

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To determine whether an audit-log action was performed by an AI agent, inspect the event’s actor and delegation fields before looking at the service account name. In Microsoft Entra, check agentType on initiatedBy, performedBy, and targetResources; Microsoft documents that any value other than notAgentic indicates agent involvement. Then distinguish the originating principal from the identity that executed the operation and correlate the event with agent-runtime telemetry using a shared request, trace, thread, or run identifier.

A generic application or service account is not proof of human or AI activity. If several agents share that identity and the logs contain no delegation or run context, the event cannot establish which agent acted.

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The evidence you need before calling an action agent-performed

An audit record answers several different questions that are often collapsed into one:

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  • Who initiated the work? This may be a human user, application, workflow, or another principal.
  • Who performed the operation? A service agent, application identity, managed identity, or user account may have made the actual API call.
  • What resource changed? The target and operation establish the business impact.
  • Can the action be connected to an agent run? A request, trace, thread, or run identifier can link the downstream change to model and tool telemetry.

These are separate facts. A service identity can execute an operation on behalf of a user without proving that an AI agent selected the action. Conversely, an agent may be involved even when the downstream system records only an application identity. Classify an event as agent-involved only when an explicit agent marker, documented delegation context, or defensible runtime correlation supports that conclusion.

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Microsoft Entra: start with agentType

Microsoft Entra’s Agent ID audit documentation provides the clearest direct test. Inspect the raw event, not just the abbreviated view in a portal, and examine agentType in each identity object that is present:

  • initiatedBy identifies the initiating identity.
  • performedBy identifies the identity recorded as performing the activity.
  • targetResources can contain identity information associated with the affected object.

Microsoft states that a value other than notAgentic indicates agent involvement. A value of notAgentic is evidence that the particular identity object is not marked as agentic; it does not, by itself, prove that no upstream agent influenced the business process. Compare all available identity objects and then check runtime telemetry.

Identity types that can appear

Entra documents different activity patterns for an agent identity, a blueprint, and an agent user account. Do not assume that the display name alone identifies the execution path. The same event can expose a human or application as the initiator while recording an agent-related performer. The documented auditActivityPerformer information can include agentType, appId, and blueprintId. Preserve these values in your investigation because the friendly name shown by a console may be insufficient for a unique match.

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What to record from the raw event

For every candidate event, copy the event timestamp, operation name, resource identifiers, tenant or subscription context, and the complete initiatedBy, performedBy, and targetResources objects. Record the exact agentType value, appId, and blueprintId when present. Keep the raw JSON under your incident’s evidence controls so later enrichment does not overwrite the original record.

Separate the originating principal from the executor

Many agent architectures intentionally use two identities. An originating principal asks for work, starts a workflow, or grants approval. A service agent then calls the destination API. Treating the executor as the origin loses accountability; treating the origin as the executor hides the identity that actually held permission to change the resource.

Google Cloud delegation history

Google Cloud’s documented service-account examples show a serviceDelegationHistory structure that can carry the original principal, the service agent that executed the request, and the service to which that agent belongs. When this field is emitted, use it to build a two-stage attribution record:

  1. Capture the original principal exactly as logged.
  2. Capture the executing service agent and associated service.
  3. Verify that the delegation chain belongs to the same request and resource operation.
  4. Keep the chain with the event rather than replacing the original principal with the service agent name.

Delegation history is platform-specific. Its absence does not prove that no delegation occurred; it means that this log surface does not establish the chain. Check the identity provider, workload runtime, and destination application for additional context.

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Why a service account name is not enough

A service account can run scheduled code, a human-triggered automation, a conventional integration, or an AI agent. The name usually identifies a credential, not the decision process that selected the action. If multiple agents use one account, an audit entry tied only to that account cannot distinguish them. Report the principal as a shared executor and mark per-agent attribution as unestablished unless a separate correlation record resolves it.

Correlate the audit event with agent-runtime telemetry

Destination audit logs often show only the final API call. Agent runtimes may hold the evidence for model invocation, tool selection, approval, retries, and policy checks. Correlation joins those layers.

Azure SRE Agent example

Azure SRE Agent documentation says the agent logs tool calls, model invocations, incident handling, and approval decisions to an Application Insights resource. It also describes a trace ID that correlates events within a request. Use that trace ID to move from a resource-changing operation to the agent activity that preceded it, then verify timestamps, target resource, and operation name.

Azure Activity Log covers Azure Resource Manager operations on the agent and related resources. It is therefore a different evidence surface from Application Insights. An Activity Log entry can prove that a resource-management operation occurred, while Application Insights can show the agent-side sequence that led to it. Neither surface should be treated as a complete substitute for the other.

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OpenTelemetry GenAI attributes

OpenTelemetry GenAI semantic conventions include gen_ai.agent.id and gen_ai.thread.run.id. These attributes provide a consistent way to label agent and run telemetry inside an instrumented system. They are not a guarantee that every downstream audit system will receive or retain the values. Check whether your application propagates them across tool calls, queues, gateways, and API clients.

Correlation rules

  • Prefer a stable identifier that is written by both the runtime and the destination application.
  • Use timestamps and resource identifiers as supporting checks, not as the sole join key.
  • Account for clock skew, retries, asynchronous queues, and batched operations.
  • Require the correlated records to agree on the operation and target before assigning causation.
  • Keep unmatched runtime events and unmatched audit events visible; forcing a match creates false certainty.

A practical investigation workflow

Use the following sequence for an existing incident. It is designed to produce a defensible answer even when the platform does not expose every agent field.

1. Define the event boundary

Start with a narrow time range and the exact resource or operation in question. Record the event ID, timestamp including time zone, destination system, operation, target resource, and tenant, project, subscription, or account. Export the raw record before filtering or normalizing fields.

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2. Inventory every identity object

List the user, application, service principal, managed identity, service account, and agent-related objects separately. Note whether each object is an initiator, performer, target-resource identity, or delegated identity. Do not collapse them into a single actor column.

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3. Check explicit agent markers

In Microsoft Entra, inspect agentType on initiatedBy, performedBy, and targetResources. A value other than notAgentic is Microsoft’s documented indication of agent involvement. Also preserve appId, blueprintId, and the documented auditActivityPerformer details when available.

4. Reconstruct delegation

Look for a delegation-history field or equivalent. In Google Cloud, inspect serviceDelegationHistory for the original principal, executing service agent, and associated service. If the destination system records only the executor, search the identity provider and workflow service for the initiating principal.

5. Find the runtime record

Search the agent’s telemetry for the same request, trace, thread, or run identifier. For Azure SRE Agent, begin with the Application Insights trace ID and then compare tool calls, model invocations, incident handling, and approval decisions with the destination event. For OpenTelemetry-instrumented systems, search attributes such as gen_ai.agent.id and gen_ai.thread.run.id.

6. Check the correct log surface

Separate agent execution from resource management. Azure Application Insights and Azure Activity Log illustrate why this matters: one records agent-side behavior, while the other records Azure Resource Manager operations. Other platforms may split identity, runtime, and application logs in different ways.

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7. Test causation, not just proximity

Confirm that the correlated runtime record names the same resource and operation, falls within a plausible time window, and represents the successful attempt rather than a retry or failed preview. A nearby model invocation is not enough if another workflow could have made the change.

8. Write the conclusion with an evidence level

Use precise language:

  • Confirmed agent involvement: an explicit agent marker or a documented agent identity is present, and the operation is linked to the event.
  • Delegated execution established: the original principal and executing service agent are both recorded, even if the service does not expose model details.
  • Probable but not proven: runtime telemetry and timing align, but the destination audit record lacks an explicit agent marker.
  • Not established: only a shared service account or ordinary application identity is recorded, with no delegation or runtime correlation.

How platform approaches differ

Approach Actor specificity Delegation visibility Runtime correlation Coverage boundary Main limitation
Microsoft Entra agent fields agentType on identity objects; may include agent, blueprint, or agent user context Depends on the event’s initiating and performing objects Requires a separate runtime identifier or telemetry source Entra audit activity and related identity records Downstream applications may not preserve the marker
Google Cloud service delegation Separates original principal from executing service agent when emitted serviceDelegationHistory can show principal, agent, and service Depends on the application and service logs Cloud service-account and service-agent events Not every destination record carries the full chain
Azure SRE Agent telemetry Agent-side events identify tool calls, model invocations, approvals, and incident handling Can be joined to resource operations through trace context Application Insights trace ID Agent runtime in Application Insights; resource operations in Azure Activity Log Trace propagation must survive the full request path
OpenTelemetry GenAI conventions gen_ai.agent.id labels instrumented telemetry Not a delegation system by itself gen_ai.thread.run.id and other propagated context can help Any instrumented runtime and exporter Attributes may be dropped before reaching the destination audit log

This comparison describes documented capabilities, not a cross-platform performance ranking. Your tenant, agent runtime, SDK, exporter, and destination application determine which fields are actually present.

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Common failure modes and what to do

The event shows only a human user

A user identity may have approved a step, launched a workflow, or directly performed the operation. Search for a related application, workflow, or agent run before concluding that the user made the API call personally. If no such record exists, report that the audit event establishes user attribution only.

The event shows only one service account

Search for delegation history and runtime correlation. If several agents share the account and no unique run or trace identifier is preserved, per-agent attribution is impossible from that record. Do not infer an agent from naming conventions, timing alone, or the presence of an AI-related application elsewhere in the environment.

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agentType is missing

Missing fields can result from an event type that does not support agent metadata, an older schema, an ingestion transform, or a downstream system that stripped identity details. Check the original provider record and schema documentation. Absence of agentType is not equivalent to notAgentic.

The runtime trace exists but the destination event has no trace ID

Compare operation, target, principal, and tightly bounded timestamps, then document the join as indirect. For future events, propagate a request or run identifier through the tool client and write it into the destination application’s audit metadata where supported.

Several events share one trace

A trace can contain planning, retries, approvals, and multiple tool calls. Match the specific span or run to the changed resource and successful operation. Treat the trace as a container, not as proof that every event inside it caused every downstream change.

Identity names disagree across systems

Prefer immutable identifiers such as object IDs, application IDs, blueprint IDs, or service-agent identifiers. Display names can change, be localized, or be reused. Preserve both the immutable value and the name shown at the time of the event.

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Designing new deployments for reliable attribution

Give agents distinct service identities

AWS Agentic AI Lens guidance recommends distinct agent service identities and hard trust boundaries so attribution remains unambiguous and an agent cannot move into a human-designated role space through misconfiguration. Apply the principle even when your cloud is not AWS: one identity per agent or tightly bounded agent class is easier to investigate than one credential shared by many autonomous workflows.

Preserve both origin and execution

Record the requesting principal, the executing agent or service, the delegated service, and the authorization decision. Keep these as separate fields. Replacing the origin with the executor makes later review unable to distinguish a user request from an autonomous trigger.

Propagate a run-level correlation key

Create or retain a request, trace, thread, or run identifier at the agent boundary and carry it through queues, tool calls, API gateways, and destination applications. OpenTelemetry attributes such as gen_ai.agent.id and gen_ai.thread.run.id can structure runtime telemetry, but verify that your exporters and application logs retain them.

Log decisions as well as tool calls

For high-impact actions, retain the selected tool, arguments after policy filtering, approval or denial, model invocation metadata allowed by your privacy rules, retry history, and final result. Azure SRE Agent’s documented categories—tool calls, model invocations, incident handling, and approval decisions—illustrate the level of runtime context needed to explain a resource-changing event.

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Test the complete path

Run a controlled action in each destination system and inspect every hop. Verify that the agent marker or identity survives ingestion, that the delegation chain remains intact, and that the correlation identifier is searchable in both runtime and application logs. Repeat after changing SDKs, gateways, exporters, or audit pipelines.

What a defensible incident note should contain

A useful note lets another investigator reproduce your conclusion without guessing. Include:

  • The exact event and raw record location.
  • Operation, target resource, timestamp, and time-zone handling.
  • Initiating, performing, delegated, and target-resource identities.
  • Explicit agent markers and their literal values.
  • Runtime trace, request, thread, or run identifiers.
  • The log surfaces consulted, such as identity audit, runtime telemetry, and resource Activity Log.
  • Whether the link is direct, delegated, indirect, or unestablished.
  • Any missing fields, retention gaps, clock uncertainty, retries, or shared identities that limit the conclusion.

The final statement should be narrow enough to survive review: identify the evidence that proves agent involvement, distinguish it from evidence that proves only service-account execution, and say when the available logs cannot identify an individual agent.

Limits of cross-platform attribution

Microsoft Entra, Google Cloud, Azure Application Insights, Azure Activity Log, Microsoft 365 audit records, and OpenTelemetry expose different schemas and retention behavior. Microsoft 365 audit documentation includes examples for Copilot and AI application identities, but the fields available to a particular tenant and workload still need verification. No single field is a universal standard for all audit systems.

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Official platform documentation does not establish a general percentage of audit events that identify AI-agent actions. It also does not guarantee that downstream applications preserve agent identity or delegation context. Validate the actual emitted schema and perform an end-to-end test. If the destination record lacks the needed context, the accurate result is that per-agent attribution is not established—not that a human, service account, or particular agent must have caused the action.

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AI agentsaudit logscloud securityidentityMicrosoft EntraOpenTelemetry

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