[BUG] [v0.0.7] cortex logs --level accepts arbitrary strings and matches log content instead of validating log levels

[andrirevo]

Project

cortex

Description

The cortex logs --level option is expected to filter logs by predefined severity levels (e.g., error, warn, info). However, the command accepts arbitrary string values and appears to match them against the raw log line text instead of validating them as structured log levels.

For example, passing a non-standard value like rr still returns results because it matches substrings within log messages (e.g., [ERROR]), rather than being rejected as an invalid level.

This behavior is inconsistent with typical CLI expectations where enumerated flags should only accept defined values.

Error Message

N/A

Debug Logs

N/A

System Information

OS: Windows 11
Cortex CLI version: v0.0.7

Screenshots

https://github.com/springoliver/bounty_challenge_report_image/blob/main/49117.mp4

Steps to Reproduce

1. Open terminal with cortex installed
2. Run:
   cortex logs --level error
   → Observe normal filtered output
3. Run:
   cortex logs --level rr
4. Compare results

Expected Behavior

• --level should accept only valid log levels (e.g., error, warn, info)
• Invalid values should return an error or validation message

Actual Behavior

• Arbitrary strings are accepted
• Filtering is applied using substring matching on log lines
• Invalid values produce misleading results

Additional Context

The current behavior suggests that the filter is applied as a raw string match rather than a structured level comparison, which can lead to unintended matches and incorrect debugging conclusions.

[atlas-cortex]

✅ Validation Summary — Issue #53518

All validation checks passed. 1/17 code rules failed | 1 PENALIZE | 14 LLM instructions active

Confidence Score: 4/5

• All validation checks passed. This submission meets the bounty requirements.

Validation Checks

Check	Status	Detail
Media Evidence	✅ Pass	Evidence found and accessible
Spam Detection	✅ Pass	Score: 0% — no spam signals
Duplicate Detection	✅ Pass	No significant overlap with existing issues
Code Verification	✅ Pass	Bug confirmed in source code (confidence: 100%) — The code in src/cortex-cli/src/logs_cmd.rs confirms the bug. The --level fla
Edit History	✅ Pass	No suspicious edits
LLM Evaluation	✅ Pass	All validation checks passed. 1/17 code rules failed

Validation Pipeline

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    A["Issue #53518"] --> B{"Media Check"}
    B -->|"✅ Found"| C{"Spam Check"}
    C -->|"✅ Clean"| D{"Duplicate Check"}
    D -->|"✅ Unique"| CV{"Code Verify"}
    CV -->|"✅ Confirmed"| E{"Edit History"}
    E -->|"✅ Normal"| F{"LLM Evaluation"}
    F -->|"✅ Valid"| G["✅ Approved"]
    style G fill:#51cf66,color:#fff

Loading

Raw Evidence

{
  "media": {
    "hasMedia": true,
    "accessible": true,
    "urls": [
      "https://github.com/springoliver/bounty_challenge_report_image/blob/main/49117.mp4"
    ],
    "evidence": [
      "Found 1 media URL(s) via markdown parsing",
      "1 URL(s) accessible"
    ]
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  "spam": {
    "overallScore": 0,
    "details": "template=0.00 (0 recent issues compared); burst=0.00 (1 issues in 2h window); parity=0.00; overall=0.00 (threshold=0.7)"
  },
  "duplicate": {
    "isDuplicate": false,
    "similarity": 0.602392651432905,
    "topSimilar": [
      {
        "issueNumber": 50837,
        "title": "[BUG] [v0.0.7] `/logs` picker says **Warn = “Warnings only”**, but warn level still includes errors",
        "similarity": 0.602392651432905
      },
      {
        "issueNumber": 51835,
        "title": "[BUG] [v0.0.7] cortex logs --clear --keep-days <fraction> shows low-level parse error instead of clear integer-only validation message",
        "similarity": 0.5829967192153551
      },
      {
        "issueNumber": 53375,
        "title": "[BUG] [v0.0.7] `cortex logs --session` flag is silently ignored — session filter has no effect",
        "similarity": 0.5769689020774846
      },
      {
        "issueNumber": 51550,
        "title": "[BUG] [v0.0.7] cortex debug system ignores active CORTEX_HOME and still reports the default home",
        "similarity": 0.5745754816204767
      },
      {
        "issueNumber": 53004,
        "title": "[BUG] [v0.0.7] Inconsistent Capitalization in Help Modal: Confirm/select vs Standard Title Case",
        "similarity": 0.574172149732545
      }
    ]
  },
  "editHistory": {
    "fraudScore": 0,
    "editCount": 0,
    "details": "No edits detected"
  },
  "codeVerification": {
    "plausible": true,
    "confidence": 1,
    "reasoning": "The code in `src/cortex-cli/src/logs_cmd.rs` confirms the bug. The `--level` flag is implemented as a simple substring match (`line.to_uppercase().contains(&level_upper)`) rather than validating against predefined log levels (e.g., error, warn, info). This means arbitrary strings like \"rr\" will be accepted and match any log line containing that substring, exactly as described in the bug report.",
    "codeEvidence": "src/cortex-cli/src/logs_cmd.rs:173-181\n        // Apply level filter if specified\n        let filtered_lines: Vec<&str> = if let Some(ref level) = self.level {\n            let level_upper = level.to_uppercase();\n            lines\n                .iter()\n                .filter(|line| line.to_uppercase().contains(&level_upper))\n                .copied()\n                .collect()\n        } else {\n            lines\n        };",
    "screenshotValid": true,
    "screenshotReasoning": "The screenshot is a video showing the user running `cortex logs --level error` and then `cortex logs --level rr`. The latter command returns log lines containing the substring \"rr\" (e.g., \"error\"), demonstrating the bug in a real terminal environment."
  },
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          "ruleId": "content.reasonable-length",
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          "weight": 1
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          "ruleId": "content.has-context",
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          "weight": 0.2
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      "You MUST call the deliver_verdict function exactly once. Do not output a JSON object manually. Do not output your verdict in plain text. Use the tool.",
      "Be highly suspicious of submissions that follow a rigid template: same structure, same phrasing, with only the page name or URL swapped. These are template-farmed and should be INVALID. Look for: identical sentence structure, placeholder-like descriptions, formulaic \"Steps to Reproduce\".",
      "When similar issues exist, the OLDER issue (lower issue number) always takes precedence. The newer submission is the duplicate, never the other way around.",
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      "Do not give the benefit of the doubt. Missing evidence means INVALID. Unclear reproduction steps means INVALID. Inaccessible media means INVALID. The burden of proof is on the submitter.",
      "In the reasoning field, explain your step-by-step analysis BEFORE stating your conclusion. Cover: evidence quality, clarity, spam signals, and duplicate overlap in that order.",
      "Never mention internal scoring thresholds, rule IDs, detection heuristics, or system architecture in the recap field. The recap is public-facing. Keep reasoning technical but recap user-friendly.",
      "If the issue body reads like AI-generated boilerplate (phrases like \"It is important to note\", \"Furthermore\", \"In conclusion\", excessive politeness, no specific technical details), treat it as strong evidence of spam. AI-generated issues with no real bug details are INVALID.",
      "If the pre-computed media check says media URLs exist, verify the description matches what a screenshot would show. If the description talks about a login page but the context suggests the screenshot is of something unrelated, flag this as suspicious.",
      "Never soften a verdict out of sympathy. \"I can see you tried hard but...\" is not acceptable. If the submission does not meet criteria, it is INVALID regardless of apparent effort.",
      "Write your reasoning and recap in a professional, neutral tone. Do not be sarcastic, condescending, or emotional. State facts.",
      "The recap field must be 2-3 sentences maximum. It will be posted as a public comment. No bullet points in recap — use flowing prose."
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    "summary": "1/17 code rules failed | 1 PENALIZE | 14 LLM instructions active"
  }
}

_{Validated by Atlas • 2026-05-05}

[Bortlesboat]

Opened an upstream Cortex fix for this: https://github.com/CortexLM/cortex/pull/233\n\nThe change validates \cortex logs --level\ against \error|warn|info|debug|trace\ before filtering logs and adds an integration regression test for both valid and invalid level parsing. Focused verification passed with \cargo test -p cortex-cli --test logs_level\ (2 tests), \cargo check -p cortex-cli\, \cargo fmt --check --package cortex-cli\, and \git diff --check\.