How To

Editor logs serve as a comprehensive record of actions performed within the Encord platform’s Label Editor.

View Editor Logs

The following method is available on the Project class to retrieve Editor Logs. start_time and end_time are required parameters, while the rest are optional filters.

https://docs.encord.com/sdk-documentation/projects-sdk/sdk-activity-logs#object-actions

def get_editor_logs(
        start_time: datetime.datetime,
        end_time: datetime.datetime,
        action: Optional[str] = None,
        actor_user_email: Optional[str] = None,
        workflow_stage_id: Optional[UUID] = None,
        data_unit_id: Optional[UUID] = None) -> Iterator[EditorLog]

Use the following script to view Editor Logs for a specific project and data unit.

import datetime
from encord import EncordUserClient

SSH_PATH = "<your_private_key>"
PROJECT_ID = "<project_id>"
DATA_UNIT_ID = "<data_unit_id>"

# Authenticate
user_client: EncordUserClient = EncordUserClient.create_with_ssh_private_key(
    ssh_private_key_path=SSH_PATH,
    domain="https://api.encord.com",
)

# Get the project
project = user_client.get_project(PROJECT_ID)

# Define time range for logs
start_time = datetime.datetime.now() - datetime.timedelta(days=29)
end_time = datetime.datetime.now()

# Logs can be filtered by "action", "actor_user_email", "workflow_stage_id", "data_unit_id"
logs = project.get_editor_logs(
    start_time=start_time,
    end_time=end_time,
)

# Specific logs can be retrieved by passing additional filters
for log in logs:
    print(log.branch_name)

View Task Actions

Task actions can be retrieved using the following method on the Project class. after is a required parameter, while the rest are optional filters.

See the full list of task actions here.

def get_task_actions(
    *,
    after: datetime.datetime,
    before: Optional[datetime.datetime] = None,
    actor_email: Union[str, List[str], None] = None,
    action_type: Union[TaskActionType, List[TaskActionType], None] = None,
    workflow_stage_uuid: Union[UUID, List[UUID], str, List[str], None] = None,
    data_unit_uuid: Union[UUID, List[UUID], str, List[str], None] = None
) -> Iterable[TaskAction]

The following script retrieves task actions for a specific Project and data unit, filtering for actions that occurred in the last 7 days.

import datetime
from encord import EncordUserClient

SSH_PATH = "<your_private_key>"
PROJECT_ID = "<project_id>"
DATA_UNIT_ID = "<data_unit_id>"

# Authenticate
user_client: EncordUserClient = EncordUserClient.create_with_ssh_private_key(
    ssh_private_key_path=SSH_PATH,
    domain="https://api.encord.com",
)

# Get the project
project = user_client.get_project(PROJECT_ID)

# Get task action type and the user that made the action
seven_days_ago = datetime.now() - timedelta(days=7)
for action in project.get_task_actions(after=seven_days_ago):
    print(f"{action.action_type} by {action.actor_email}")

Use Cases

Get History of a Label

import datetime
from encord import EncordUserClient

SSH_PATH = "<your_private_key>"
PROJECT_ID = "<project_id>"
DATA_UNIT_ID = "<data_unit_id>"

# Authenticate
user_client: EncordUserClient = EncordUserClient.create_with_ssh_private_key(
    ssh_private_key_path=SSH_PATH,
    domain="https://api.encord.com",
)

# Get the project
project = user_client.get_project(PROJECT_ID)

# Define time range for logs
start_time = datetime.datetime.now() - datetime.timedelta(days=29)
end_time = datetime.datetime.now()

# Logs can be filtered by "action", "actor_user_email", "workflow_stage_id", "data_unit_id"
logs = project.get_editor_logs(
    start_time=start_time,
    end_time=end_time,
)

# Filter log by the name of the label
log_in_branch_a = [
    log for log in logs
    if log.labelName == "Porpoise"
]

Approval and Rejection Rates

The following script prints the approval and rejection rates for users in a Project.

Reviewers

import datetime
from collections import defaultdict
from encord import EncordUserClient
from encord.analytics import TaskActionType

SSH_PATH = "<your_private_key>"
PROJECT_ID = "<project_id>"

user_client: EncordUserClient = EncordUserClient.create_with_ssh_private_key(
    ssh_private_key_path=SSH_PATH,
    domain="https://api.encord.com",
)

# Get the project
project = user_client.get_project(PROJECT_ID)

# Define time range
start_time = datetime.datetime.now() - datetime.timedelta(days=29)

# Fetch only approve and reject actions
actions = list(project.get_task_actions(
    after=start_time,
    action_type=[TaskActionType.APPROVE, TaskActionType.REJECT],
))

# --- Overall rates ---
total = len(actions)
approvals = [a for a in actions if a.action_type == TaskActionType.APPROVE]
rejections = [a for a in actions if a.action_type == TaskActionType.REJECT]

print("=== Overall Review Rates ===")
if not total:
    print("No actions found.")
else:
    print(f"Total review actions : {total}")
    print(f"Approvals            : {len(approvals)} ({len(approvals) / total * 100:.1f}%)")
    print(f"Rejections           : {len(rejections)} ({len(rejections) / total * 100:.1f}%)")

# --- Per-reviewer breakdown ---
reviewer_stats = defaultdict(lambda: {"approved": 0, "rejected": 0})

for action in actions:
    email = action.actor_email
    if action.action_type == TaskActionType.APPROVE:
        reviewer_stats[email]["approved"] += 1
    elif action.action_type == TaskActionType.REJECT:
        reviewer_stats[email]["rejected"] += 1

print("\n=== Per-Reviewer Breakdown ===")
print(f"{'Reviewer':<35} {'Approved':>10} {'Rejected':>10} {'Approval Rate':>15}")
print("-" * 72)
for email, stats in sorted(reviewer_stats.items()):
    total_by_reviewer = stats["approved"] + stats["rejected"]
    rate = stats["approved"] / total_by_reviewer * 100 if total_by_reviewer else 0
    print(f"{email:<35} {stats['approved']:>10} {stats['rejected']:>10} {rate:>14.1f}%")

Migrating from Activity Logs to New Editor Logs

Overview

Encord introduced a Editor Logs to replace the deprecated Activity Logs. The new logs are more structured, scalable, and aligned with how annotation actions are actually performed in the editor.

Migrating to Editor Logs is not just a rename. Using Editor logs is a shift to a more structured, scalable logging system that better reflects real annotation workflows.

After migration you will benefit from:

• Faster queries
• Cleaner filtering
• More reliable audit trails

If you’re currently using the deprecated logs, this content will help you transition smoothly.

Key Differences

Deprecated Activity Logs	New Editor Logs
Flat log structure	Structured, event-based logs
Limited filtering	Advanced filtering and querying
Loosely tied to editor actions	Directly reflects editor interactions
Less scalable	Designed for high-volume workflows
Deprecated endpoint	Actively maintained API

Conceptual Shift

The biggest change is how logs are modeled:

Before: Logs were general activity records (who did what, loosely defined) Now: Logs are editor events, tightly scoped to annotation actions

Think of the new logs as a timeline of precise annotation events, not just audit entries.

SDK Migration

1. Replace Deprecated Log Calls

Deprecated:

project.get_activity_logs()

Editor Logs:

project.get_editor_logs()

2. Update Filtering Logic

Deprecated logs often required manual filtering after retrieval.

Deprecated:

logs = project.get_activity_logs()

filtered = [
    log for log in logs
    if log["action"] == "LABEL_CREATED"
]

Editor Logs:

Benefit: Reduced payload size and faster queries

logs = project.get_editor_logs(
    event_types=["LABEL_CREATED"]
)

3. Adjust to New Schema

The structure of each log entry has changed.

Deprecated:

{
  "user": "[e-mail]",
  "action": "LABEL_CREATED",
  "timestamp": "...",
  "details": {...}
}

Editor Logs:

{
  "event_type": "LABEL_CREATED",
  "actor": {
    "email": "[e-mail]"
  },
  "created_at": "...",
  "payload": {...}
}

Key Field Changes

Deprecated	New
action	event_type
user	actor.email
timestamp	created_at
details	payload

Common Migration Patterns

Pattern 1: Tracking Label Creation

Before:

logs = project.get_activity_logs()

label_creations = [
    log for log in logs
    if log["action"] == "LABEL_CREATED"
]

After:

label_creations = project.get_editor_logs(
    event_types=["LABEL_CREATED"]
)

Pattern 2: Filtering by User

Before:

[user_log for user_log in logs if user_log["user"] == email]

After:

project.get_editor_logs(
    actor_emails=[email]
)

Pattern 3: Time-Based Queries

Before:

[log for log in logs if log["timestamp"] > start_time]

After:

project.get_editor_logs(
    created_after=start_time
)

Migration Checklist

• Replace all get_activity_logs() calls
• Update filtering to use server-side parameters
• Refactor log parsing to new schema (event_type, actor, payload)
• Validate downstream systems (analytics, dashboards, exports)
• Remove deprecated logic and fallbacks

Tips and Tricks

1. Event Granularity is Higher

You may see more logs than before because actions are more finely tracked.

Plan for:

Increased volume More precise filtering

2. Payload Structure Varies by Event

Different event_types have different payload schemas.

Recommendation:

if log["event_type"] == "LABEL_CREATED":
    handle_label_created(log["payload"])

3. Pagination Matters

The new logs are designed for scale.

Always handle pagination:

logs = project.get_editor_logs(limit=100, cursor=cursor)

4. Backward Compatibility

Deprecated logs will be removed.

Do not rely on:

• Old endpoints
• Old schema fields

Example Migration

Before:

logs = project.get_activity_logs()

for log in logs:
    if log["action"] == "LABEL_CREATED":
        print(log["user"], log["details"])

After:

logs = project.get_editor_logs(event_types=["LABEL_CREATED"])

for log in logs:
    print(log["actor"]["email"], log["payload"])