diff --git a/docsgpt/agents/tool_executor.py b/docsgpt/agents/tool_executor.py
index 155ea925..2c7b446d 100644
--- a/docsgpt/agents/tool_executor.py
+++ b/docsgpt/agents/tool_executor.py
@@ -81,11 +81,15 @@ def finish_tool_span(span: Any, data: Dict[str, Any]) -> None:
     if data.get("result") is not None:
         span.preview("result", data.get("result"))
     span_status = _TOOL_SPAN_STATUS.get(status, tracing.STATUS_OK)
+    # ``error`` and ``result`` are tool output or user text (a denial
+    # comment), so they travel only as previews, which honour the content
+    # capture settings; ``span.error`` is exported and stored unconditionally.
+    if data.get("error"):
+        span.preview("error", data["error"])
     if span_status == tracing.STATUS_ERROR:
-        span.error = str(data.get("error") or data.get("result") or "tool error")[:500]
-        span.set(**{"error.type": str(data.get("error_type") or "ToolError")})
-    elif data.get("error"):
-        span.error = str(data["error"])[:500]
+        error_type = str(data.get("error_type") or "ToolError")
+        span.error = f"Tool call failed ({error_type})"
+        span.set(**{"error.type": error_type})
     span.end(span_status)
 
 
@@ -1021,7 +1025,11 @@ class ToolExecutor:
         try:
             outcome = yield from self._execute(tools_dict, call, llm_class_name)
         except Exception as exc:
-            span.end(error=exc)
+            # A tool's exception text can quote its response; like tool
+            # output it goes only into the capture-gated preview.
+            span.preview("error", str(exc))
+            span.error = f"Tool call failed ({type(exc).__name__})"
+            span.end(tracing.STATUS_ERROR, attributes={"error.type": type(exc).__name__})
             raise
         except GeneratorExit:
             span.end(tracing.STATUS_CANCELLED)
diff --git a/docsgpt/api/answer/routes/base.py b/docsgpt/api/answer/routes/base.py
index 469271b7..f23b82f3 100644
--- a/docsgpt/api/answer/routes/base.py
+++ b/docsgpt/api/answer/routes/base.py
@@ -860,6 +860,13 @@ class BaseAnswerResource:
             # error silently — the exact shape of the bug being fixed here.
             if stream_error:
                 query_metadata.setdefault("error", stream_error)
+                # A yielded error (e.g. a failed workflow node) ends the
+                # generator normally, so no span raised; the user still saw
+                # the turn fail, and its trace should say so. A pause below
+                # overrides this, as it does for the message row.
+                trace = tracing.current_trace()
+                if trace is not None:
+                    trace.outcome = tracing.STATUS_ERROR
 
             # ---- Paused: save continuation state and end stream early ----
             if paused:
diff --git a/docsgpt/api/user/analytics/routes.py b/docsgpt/api/user/analytics/routes.py
index cb4486e5..570c141e 100644
--- a/docsgpt/api/user/analytics/routes.py
+++ b/docsgpt/api/user/analytics/routes.py
@@ -99,9 +99,10 @@ def _trace_branch(name: str, sources_sql: str, scope: str) -> dict:
     return {
         "name": name,
         "level": "CASE WHEN t.status = 'error' THEN 'error' ELSE 'info' END",
-        # A search's query sits in its retrieval span's preview; graph builds
-        # are named after their source.
-        "summary": "COALESCE(t.spans->0->'preview'->>'query', t.name, t.source)",
+        # A search is listed by its query (copied into the small ``summary``
+        # at flush so this never detoasts ``spans``); graph builds are named
+        # after their source.
+        "summary": "COALESCE(t.summary->>'query', t.name, t.source)",
         "where": [f"t.source IN {sources_sql}", scope],
         "sql": f"""
         SELECT '{name}' AS event_type,
diff --git a/docsgpt/tracing/core.py b/docsgpt/tracing/core.py
index 47a2c49a..aa0f3b07 100644
--- a/docsgpt/tracing/core.py
+++ b/docsgpt/tracing/core.py
@@ -431,6 +431,14 @@ class Trace:
 
     def to_record(self) -> Dict[str, Any]:
         """The ``request_traces`` row for this (finished) trace."""
+        summary = self.summary()
+        # Traces without a log row of their own (searches) are listed by
+        # their query; keep it in the small summary so listing never reads
+        # ``spans``. Dropped with the other previews when content is blocked.
+        if not self.content_blocked and self.spans:
+            query = self.spans[0].previews.get("query")
+            if isinstance(query, str):
+                summary["query"] = query
         spans = []
         for s in self.spans:
             entry: Dict[str, Any] = {
@@ -464,7 +472,7 @@ class Trace:
             "duration_ms": int(round(self.duration_ms or 0)),
             "span_count": len(spans),
             "dropped_spans": self.dropped_spans,
-            "summary": self.summary(),
+            "summary": summary,
             "spans": spans,
             "otel_trace_id": self.otel_trace_id,
         }
diff --git a/tests/api/answer/test_trace_wiring.py b/tests/api/answer/test_trace_wiring.py
index 49fcd6e0..9153c424 100644
--- a/tests/api/answer/test_trace_wiring.py
+++ b/tests/api/answer/test_trace_wiring.py
@@ -132,6 +132,17 @@ class TestTraceLifecycle:
         assert any('"type": "error"' in s for s in stream)
         assert flushed[0].status == "error"
 
+    def test_yielded_error_marks_trace_error(self, flask_app, mock_mongo_db):
+        """A failed workflow node yields an error event instead of raising."""
+        from docsgpt.api.answer.routes.base import BaseAnswerResource
+
+        with flask_app.app_context(), _captured_flushes() as flushed:
+            _run(
+                BaseAnswerResource(),
+                _agent([{"type": "error", "error": "node failed"}]),
+            )
+        assert flushed[0].status == "error"
+
     def test_abandoned_stream_still_flushes(self, flask_app, mock_mongo_db):
         from docsgpt.api.answer.routes.base import BaseAnswerResource
 
diff --git a/tests/api/user/test_traces_routes.py b/tests/api/user/test_traces_routes.py
index cb918493..a0b2bbbe 100644
--- a/tests/api/user/test_traces_routes.py
+++ b/tests/api/user/test_traces_routes.py
@@ -167,7 +167,14 @@ class TestLogsTraceSummaries:
         assert row["trace"]["ref"] == {"field": "activity_id", "value": "act-1"}
 
     def test_search_traces_are_listed(self, app, pg_conn):
-        record = _trace(pg_conn, request_id=None, source="mcp", name="mcp", status="error")
+        record = _trace(
+            pg_conn,
+            request_id=None,
+            source="mcp",
+            name="mcp",
+            status="error",
+            summary={"llm_calls": 0, "query": "how do I deploy"},
+        )
         _trace(pg_conn, request_id=None, source="graph_extraction", name="graph_extraction Docs")
         search_rows = _logs(app, pg_conn, "owner", {"event_type": "search"}).json["logs"]
         assert len(search_rows) == 1
diff --git a/tests/retriever/test_graph_rag.py b/tests/retriever/test_graph_rag.py
index 5203eee1..802bfc99 100644
--- a/tests/retriever/test_graph_rag.py
+++ b/tests/retriever/test_graph_rag.py
@@ -1021,3 +1021,41 @@ class TestPersonalizedPageRankWithoutScipy:
         docs = rag._get_data()
 
         assert [doc["text"] for doc in docs] == ["near", "far"]
+
+
+class TestTraceSpans:
+    """GraphRAG searches and query embeddings are recorded in the execution trace."""
+
+    @pytest.fixture(autouse=True)
+    def _trace(self, monkeypatch):
+        from docsgpt import tracing
+        from docsgpt.core.settings import settings
+
+        monkeypatch.setattr(settings, "TRACES_ENABLED", True)
+        monkeypatch.setattr(settings, "TRACES_CAPTURE_CONTENT", True)
+        self.trace = tracing.start_trace(source="stream", capture_otel_context=False)
+        with tracing.activate(self.trace):
+            yield
+
+    def test_search_is_a_retrieval_span(self, _patch_llm_creator):
+        rag = _make_retriever()
+        docs = [{"text": "alpha", "title": "Doc A", "source": "a.md"}]
+        with patch.object(rag, "_get_data", return_value=docs):
+            assert rag.search("new question") == docs
+        (span,) = [s for s in self.trace.spans if s.kind == "retrieval"]
+        assert span.name == "retrieval GraphRAGRetriever"
+        assert span.attributes["docsgpt.retriever"] == "GraphRAGRetriever"
+        assert span.attributes["gen_ai.data_source.id"] == "src1"
+        assert span.attributes["docsgpt.chunk_count"] == 1
+        assert span.previews["chunks"][0]["title"] == "Doc A"
+
+    def test_embed_query_is_an_embedding_span(self):
+        embedder = Mock()
+        embedder.embed_query.return_value = [0.5]
+        with patch(
+            "docsgpt.retriever.graph_rag.get_embeddings", return_value=embedder
+        ):
+            assert GraphRAGRetriever._embed_query(object(), "q") == [0.5]
+        (span,) = self.trace.spans
+        assert span.kind == "embedding"
+        assert span.attributes["gen_ai.operation.name"] == "embeddings"
diff --git a/tests/tracing/test_tool_spans.py b/tests/tracing/test_tool_spans.py
index 6f2447db..899b6a8b 100644
--- a/tests/tracing/test_tool_spans.py
+++ b/tests/tracing/test_tool_spans.py
@@ -82,7 +82,9 @@ class TestExecute:
         _drain(executor.execute({}, ToolCall(id="c", name="x", arguments="{}"), "L"))
         span = trace.spans[0]
         assert span.status == "error"
-        assert span.error == "no such tool"
+        # Tool output stays in the capture-gated preview, never in ``error``.
+        assert span.error == "Tool call failed (ToolError)"
+        assert span.previews["result"] == "no such tool"
 
     def test_raised_error(self, trace):
         def inner(executor, call):
@@ -94,6 +96,8 @@ class TestExecute:
             _drain(executor.execute({}, ToolCall(id="c", name="x", arguments="{}"), "L"))
         assert trace.spans[0].status == "error"
         assert trace.spans[0].attributes["error.type"] == "RuntimeError"
+        assert trace.spans[0].error == "Tool call failed (RuntimeError)"
+        assert trace.spans[0].previews["error"] == "api down"
 
     def test_nested_retrieval_parents_to_tool(self, trace):
         def inner(executor, call):
@@ -109,6 +113,22 @@ class TestExecute:
         assert retrieval.parent_id == tool.id
 
 
+def test_tool_content_is_not_kept_when_capture_is_off(trace, monkeypatch):
+    monkeypatch.setattr(settings, "TRACES_CAPTURE_CONTENT", False)
+
+    def inner(executor, call):
+        executor.tool_calls.append(
+            {"tool_name": "t", "result": "secret tool output", "status": "error"}
+        )
+        return "", call.id
+        yield  # pragma: no cover
+
+    _drain(_executor_with(inner).execute({}, ToolCall(id="c", name="x", arguments="{}"), "L"))
+    trace.finish()
+    record = trace.to_record()
+    assert "secret tool output" not in str(record)
+
+
 class _Handler(LLMHandler):
     def parse_response(self, response):  # pragma: no cover - unused
         raise NotImplementedError
@@ -169,7 +189,8 @@ class TestPausedCalls:
             _drain(_Handler().handle_tool_calls(agent, [call], {"0": {"name": "telegram"}}, []))
         (span,) = trace.spans
         assert span.status == "denied"
-        assert span.error == "not allowed"
+        assert span.error is None
+        assert span.previews["error"] == "not allowed"
 
 
 class TestContinuation:
@@ -227,7 +248,8 @@ class TestContinuation:
         assert agent_span.status == "ok"
         assert tool_span.parent_id == agent_span.id
         assert tool_span.status == "denied"
-        assert tool_span.error == "too risky"
+        assert tool_span.error is None
+        assert tool_span.previews["error"] == "too risky"
 
     def test_client_result_is_recorded(self, trace):
         agent = self._agent()
diff --git a/tests/tracing/test_trace.py b/tests/tracing/test_trace.py
index 03a4caca..437f1b53 100644
--- a/tests/tracing/test_trace.py
+++ b/tests/tracing/test_trace.py
@@ -353,3 +353,22 @@ class TestOutcome:
         trace.outcome = "paused"
         trace.finish(status="error")
         assert trace.status == "error"
+
+
+class TestRecordQuery:
+    def test_first_span_query_is_copied_into_summary(self):
+        trace = tracing.start_trace(source="search")
+        with tracing.activate(trace):
+            with tracing.span(tracing.KIND_RETRIEVAL, "retrieval") as s:
+                s.preview("query", "how do I deploy")
+        trace.finish()
+        assert trace.to_record()["summary"]["query"] == "how do I deploy"
+
+    def test_query_is_dropped_when_content_is_blocked(self):
+        trace = tracing.start_trace(source="search")
+        with tracing.activate(trace):
+            with tracing.span(tracing.KIND_RETRIEVAL, "retrieval") as s:
+                s.preview("query", "leaky")
+            tracing.mark_content_blocked()
+        trace.finish()
+        assert "query" not in trace.to_record()["summary"]