Why debug actions?
Actions in Astrato drive interactivity, data writeback, navigation, and ML triggers. This guide provides the lowest level of detail about what is happening with actions.
When something doesn't fire as expected, you need to know:
Which block sent the action
What payload was dispatched
Whether the right execution ID was generated
Why an action is silent (no event firing at all)
If you actions are configured correctly
Common scenarios where this matters:
A button click does nothing and you're not sure if the action is misconfigured or never bound
Two objects share similar setups but only one fires
You're building a custom embed and need to verify the event contract
QA on a complex workbook with chained actions
Step 1: Enable Action Logging
Actions are logged via a local storage flag. You set it once in DevTools and it persists for the session.
Open Chrome DevTools (
F12orCmd+Option+I)Go to Application > Local Storage >
https://app.astrato.ioFind the key
astrato_action_printing_loggerSet the value to
true
![Image 1 - enabling the flag in Local Storage]
If the key doesn't exist yet, right-click in the key/value area and add it manually.
Reload the workbook. Logging is now active.
Step 2: Read the Console Output
Switch to the Console tab.
Filter out noise by right-clicking on log entries not relevant to Astrato Actions, such as chrome-extension logs.
Trigger the action in the workbook (click a button, change a control, fire a writeback, etc.). You'll see an entry like:
[AstratoAction] Start listening subscription: astrato_object_event_button_interaction { "time": 1782300415883, "executionId": 1, "blockDetails": { "id": "Qgjx`I820xb#M9=_w#K:", "type": "astrato_object_event_button_interaction", "parentBlock": {} } }
What to note:
Field | What it tells you |
| Unix ms timestamp of the event |
| Increments per action run, useful for sequencing |
| The block ID that fired the action |
| The action type dispatched |
| The parent object context (if nested) |
The id is the key. Copy it, you'll use it next.
Step 3: Find the Block in Astrato
With the block ID copied (QgjxI820xb#M9=_w#K:` in the example above):
Open the workbook in Edit mode
Use the object search or inspect the workbook's block tree to locate the ID
The matched object is the exact component that dispatched the action
Tip: If you're working across multiple sheets, the parentBlock field in the console output can help narrow down which sheet and container to look in first.
Quick Checklist
Flag set to
truein Local StoragePage reloaded after setting the flag
Console filter not hiding Astrato logs
Action triggered in the workbook
Block ID copied from
blockDetails.idBlock located in the workbook editor