---
title: Keep Events and Logs (Event Retention)
url: https://www.tines.com/docs/stories/keep-events-and-logs-event-retention/
updated: 2026-01-02T18:58:53+00:00
---

*[tines.com](https://www.tines.com/llms.txt) › [Docs](https://www.tines.com/llms.txt) › [Stories](https://www.tines.com/llm/docs/stories.md)*

# Keep Events and Logs (Event Retention)

*[View on tines.com](https://www.tines.com/docs/stories/keep-events-and-logs-event-retention/)*

## Overview

Keep events and logs (also referred to as the "event retention setting") is a configurable time period that determines how long Tines retains data associated with a story before it is automatically deleted. This setting helps manage storage and ensure compliance with data retention policies.

## What It Controls

The event retention setting controls the retention period for the following types of data:

1. Events - All events created by actions in the story, including events queued for Throttle or Delay actions.
2. Action Logs - Log entries generated by actions during story execution.
3. Story Runs - Execution records of story runs (unsaved runs only).

This does **not** include [audit logs](https://www.tines.com/docs/admin/audit-logs/).

Once the retention period expires, this data is automatically deleted by scheduled cleanup jobs. The retention period is calculated from the creation time of each record.

## How It Works

- Data is retained for the specified duration from its creation time.
- After the retention period expires, data is automatically deleted by background cleanup processes.
- The setting applies to all event, action log, and story run data associated with the story, regardless of which action created it.
- Changes to the retention period update the retention period for all records on that story that have already been created. This behavior is subject to change. 

## Groups

For [groups](https://www.tines.com/docs/stories/groups/), the event retention setting is inherited from the parent story (the story containing the Group action). Groups cannot have their own independent retention settings - they always use the parent story's setting. This ensures consistent data retention across all stories in a group hierarchy.

## Available Values

The following retention periods are available (depending on your plan):

- 1 hour
- 6 hours
- 1 day
- 3 days
- 7 days (default)
- 14 days
- 30 days
- 60 days
- 90 days
- 180 days
- 365 days

## Important Notes

- Default retention: If not specified, stories default to 7 days.
- Saved story runs: Saved story runs are not affected by the retention setting and are retained indefinitely.
- Data deletion: Deletion happens automatically via scheduled background jobs - you don't need to manually delete expired data.

## Example

If you set your event retention to 1 day on a story:

- An event created in that story on January 1st at 10:00 AM will be deleted on January 2nd at 10:00 AM
- All action logs in that story created on January 1st will be deleted after 24 hours
- Unsaved story runs in that story from January 1st will be deleted after 24 hours