Spotlight by Backplanes

Spotlight by Backplanes is a CLI-based observability tool that automatically captures and analyzes AI agent sessions — specifically Claude Code and Codex — and delivers structured reports after each session ends. Built by practitioners from Google, Twilio, ngrok, and Algolia, and backed by Slow Ventures, Bloomberg Beta, and others, Spotlight is positioned as the first product in a broader Backplanes platform for agent visibility.

What It Is

Spotlight sits in the category of AI agent monitoring and observability. Its core job is to answer the question: "What did my agent actually do while I wasn't watching?" After a session ends, the CLI reads the session data locally, strips PII and credentials before anything leaves the machine, and then generates a report covering what the agent did, what files it touched, what external services it contacted, and whether anything needs human review. It currently supports Claude Code and Codex, with more platforms on the roadmap.

How the Workflow Works

The setup path is a single shell command that installs the CLI, authenticates via browser, and begins capturing sessions automatically. No OAuth into Anthropic or OpenAI is required — the CLI only reads sessions after they end, not in real time.

• Sessions are captured automatically when they finish
• Local redaction strips PII and credentials before upload
• Reports are categorized as "Needs review" or "Business as usual"
• Each report includes a verdict, time breakdown, findings, and a session story

What Reports Surface

Session reports are structured around several angles:

• Credential access — flags if sensitive files like /etc/passwd were opened outside task scope
• Reasoning — summarizes what approaches the agent tried and which it landed on
• Best practices — notes security-relevant behaviors like token expiry
• External access — lists new external domains the agent reached (e.g., api.resend.com)
• File and command counts — total files touched, commands run, and external services contacted

Org-level reports aggregate across teams, with separate views for Security, Engineering, and Spend.

Audience and Use Cases

Backplanes targets four distinct audiences on its site:

• Engineers & builders — faster review of their own agent sessions
• Engineering managers — visibility into where the team is spending AI capacity
• CFOs — spend, ROI, and capacity by team and tool
• CISOs — external access, data egress, and policy enforcement

Current Status and Roadmap

Spotlight is the first product from Backplanes and is currently live and free for individuals and teams with no seat limits and no trial clock. The roadmap page lists additional platforms the team is considering, including Cursor, open-source CLIs, and others. The company describes Spotlight as "move one" and signals that future Backplanes products will extend visibility to team-wide and org-wide agent activity.