> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.tensor9.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Understanding Behavior with Explain

> Understand service mappings, tuning choices and request behavior.

`tensor9 explain` helps you understand an adapter's behavior from the CLI. Use it to explain a service mapping or investigate a specific request.

## Explain a service mapping

A mapping explanation should help answer which operations the adapter supports, how it uses the backend, what differs from the origin service and which tuning choices are available.

This is reference information about the selected implementation. It does not show that a particular deployed process has that version or configuration, or that a live request followed a particular path.

## Explain a request

A request-specific explanation needs more than the request body. Relevant inputs can include adapter version, selected backend, configuration, existing resources, credentials policy and tuning previously applied to a resource.

An isolated explanation makes its state and execution limits explicit. It distinguishes observed behavior, behavior inferred from supplied inputs and questions left unresolved by missing state.

Do not substitute a live replay for an explanation. A create, update or delete sent again to a real endpoint can change resources or duplicate work. Isolated execution and side-effect controls must be established before a request-explanation workflow is treated as safe.

## Use it when tuning

Compare the default behavior with a supported tuning choice and determine which target field changes. Then measure the workload separately. An explanation can justify why a choice is applied; it cannot establish that the change improved latency, throughput or cost.

## Combine explanations with live evidence

Read the service reference under each cloud in the sidebar, collect [response headers](/cloud-adapter/debugging/response-headers) and relevant logs, and reproduce with test resources under the [debugging workflow](/cloud-adapter/debugging/overview).