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Asterisk AMI Monitor action is missing or its recording file is wrong

Find the first divergence across Asterisk version, res_monitor availability, manager authority, channel identity, rename and pause state, stop ordering, mixing, storage and decoded audio.

Reviewed 2026-10-25Asterisk 20 Monitor, ChangeMonitor, PauseMonitor, UnpauseMonitor and StopMonitor AMI action references, the Asterisk 20 Monitor application, the Asterisk 21 removal notice, and current branch-23-generated MixMonitor, StopMixMonitor and CoreShowChannel references were reviewed October 25, 2026; res_monitor was deprecated in Asterisk 16 and removed in Asterisk 21, so legacy Monitor actions must not be represented as current-branch capabilities; installed release, vendor patches, loaded modules, action inventory, manager permissions, exact channel identity, monitor directory, filenames, formats, file ownership, storage, mix command, audio contents, retention and generated FreePBX dialplan remain deployment-specific; no PBX, module, manager account, action, channel, file, packet, recording, processor, endpoint or live call was inspected or testedAdvancedDocumentation based · not lab tested

Freeze one legacy action and one file symptom

Record node, full Asterisk version, package source, loaded res_monitor state, manager identity and permissions, action inventory, ActionID, exact Channel, Uniqueid, Linkedid, bridge, request, response, File, Format, Mix, monitor directory and synchronized timestamps. Preserve ChangeMonitor, PauseMonitor, UnpauseMonitor and StopMonitor attempts in order.

Classify the first symptom as unknown action, denied action, wrong or vanished channel, already monitored, file-open failure, wrong name, missing interval, resume failure, stop mismatch, raw legs not mixed, mixed target missing, file still open, decode failure or wrong audio. Do not collapse these boundaries into “recording failed.”

Stop when the version explains the missing action

Asterisk 21 removed res_monitor after its earlier deprecation, so Monitor-family actions should not be expected there or on later current branches. If the exact running version is 21 or later and the action inventory lacks Monitor, this is a migration requirement rather than a module-repair task.

Do not download an old module, widen AMI permissions or force-load an ABI-mismatched binary. Move the workflow to documented MixMonitor controls and validate the replacement against the installed branch and application owner.

On Asterisk 20 or earlier, prove module, authority and target

If the node is actually on a supporting legacy branch, confirm res_monitor is loaded, the exact action is present and the manager identity has only the required write authority. Resolve the channel again immediately before the request and require the expected Uniqueid.

An unknown action belongs to availability; a permission error belongs to authorization; a missing or replaced channel belongs to identity. Correct that first divergence before changing directories, codecs or mix commands. Never substitute broad AMI Command access for a missing dedicated action.

Reconstruct rename, pause, resume and stop order

Match every lifecycle request and response by ActionID and timestamp. Confirm ChangeMonitor named the intended active channel and safe new base, PauseMonitor preceded the expected gap, UnpauseMonitor targeted the same live session, and StopMonitor ended that session before file inspection.

A channel transfer, Local optimization, hangup or replacement can end the original monitor while the business call continues. A response alone does not prove that a new filename exists, that paused media is absent, that resume wrote frames or that the stopped file is closed and durable.

Inspect raw legs, mixer and final artifact separately

Preserve actual directory listings, owners, permissions, free space, open handles, raw leg names, target name, sizes, checksums, format probe, duration and decode result. If Mix was enabled, establish whether the built-in mixer or MONITOR_EXEC was selected, when it ran, its arguments, exit result and raw-file cleanup.

A missing mixed target can follow a mixer or path failure even when raw legs exist. A nonzero target can still contain the wrong leg, interval or participants. File presence, successful decoding and authorized listening are separate evidence and none alone proves retention or compliance.

Repair the earliest proved boundary and retest migration

On a supported legacy node, correct only the demonstrated permission, module, channel, filename, directory, storage, ordering or mixer fault and repeat one disposable authorized call. On Asterisk 21 or later, implement and test the documented MixMonitor lifecycle instead of recreating removed res_monitor behavior.

Include one transfer and one policy-negative case. Do not test on sensitive production calls or claim compatibility from documentation alone. No PBX, module, manager account, action, channel, file, packet, recording, processor, endpoint or live call was inspected or tested.

Sources & applicability

Primary references for the technical details above. Operational examples and planning checklists are VoIP.info editorial guidance.

Examples require adaptation to your topology. No live PBX or hardware testing is claimed.

Continue your research

Guide · Asterisk 20 Monitor, ChangeMonitor, PauseMonitor, UnpauseMonitor and StopMonitor AMI action references, the Asterisk 20 Monitor application, the Asterisk 21 removal notice, and current branch-23-generated MixMonitor, StopMixMonitor and CoreShowChannel references were reviewed October 25, 2026; res_monitor was deprecated in Asterisk 16 and removed in Asterisk 21, so legacy Monitor actions must not be represented as current-branch capabilities; installed release, vendor patches, loaded modules, action inventory, manager permissions, exact channel identity, monitor directory, filenames, formats, file ownership, storage, mix command, audio contents, retention and generated FreePBX dialplan remain deployment-specific; no PBX, module, manager account, action, channel, file, packet, recording, processor, endpoint or live call was inspected or tested

Asterisk AMI Monitor: legacy lifecycle and MixMonitor migration

Identify the Asterisk 20-and-earlier res_monitor lifecycle, keep rename, pause, stop and file evidence distinct, and migrate without assuming the actions exist on current branches.

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Asterisk · First-party Asterisk lifecycle, release-candidate announcement, change-log and artifact indexes were rechecked October 30, 2026. The versions table still labelled 24.x Pre-release, the project had announced 24.0.0-rc4 on October 29, and the inspected release index exposed rc1 through rc4 without establishing a final 24.0.0 release. Lifecycle labels, scheduled dates, branch documentation, candidate artifacts, downstream packages and an installed runtime remain separate evidence. No host, repository, package channel, artifact, hash, signature, source tree, dependency, build, module, configuration, process, API, endpoint, hint, parked call, packet, media stream or call was inspected or tested

Asterisk release lifecycle: status, branch docs and module availability

Read support labels and scheduled dates as separate evidence, match documentation to the running branch, and trace a feature from source and build selection to loaded capability.

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Guide · Asterisk branch-23-generated and branch-22-generated ListCommands references plus official AMI syntax, v2 specification, manager-command, change/versioning, permission, module-loader and network-security documentation reviewed October 16, 2026; installed branch and maintenance release, build, package and module set, manager user, read and write authorizations, session mask, action registration, request framing, parameters, target objects, response, related events and service outcome remain deployment specific; no PBX, module, package, manager user, manager session, request, response, event, configuration file, channel, packet, media stream or live call was inspected or tested

Asterisk AMI command inventory and permission evidence

Use ListCommands and the administrator CLI to distinguish the actions visible to one manager user from the actions registered by the running Asterisk instance.

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Guide · Current Asterisk branch-23-generated ModuleCheck, ModuleLoad and Reload actions, Load, Reload and Unload events, module-loader, module-troubleshooting, architecture and AMI documentation reviewed October 23, 2026; installed branch, compiled modules, dependency graph, modules.conf ownership, load order, module use count, running status, configuration validity, manager permissions, node scope and service impact remain deployment specific; no PBX, module file, dependency, configuration, manager account, session, action, reload, channel, packet, media stream or live call was inspected or tested

Asterisk AMI ModuleCheck and ModuleLoad: state, lifecycle and risk evidence

Check one module and distinguish load, unload, reload and refresh without confusing action acceptance, library presence, running state, configuration validity or working PBX behavior.

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Guide · Current Asterisk Latest API CHANNEL_EXISTS, CHANNELS and CHANNEL references, CLI channel-operation and Local-channel optimization documentation, AMI CoreShowChannels surfaces and the upstream func_channel implementation were reviewed October 19, 2026. The generated API pages reported branch 23; installed branch, loaded modules, channel drivers, names, unique IDs, linked IDs, Local optimization, permissions, timing and call outcomes remain deployment specific. No PBX, module, dialplan, channel, bridge, manager session, packet, media stream or live call was inspected or tested

Asterisk channel inventory, identity and lifetime

Treat a channel list as a changing observation, distinguish name from unique identity, and revalidate the exact leg before an authorized operation.

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Guide · Current branch-23-generated and branch-22 AMI MixMonitor, MixMonitorMute and StopMixMonitor action references, current MixMonitorStart, MixMonitorMute and MixMonitorStop event references, and current dialplan MixMonitor and StopMixMonitor references reviewed October 17, 2026; AMI request, action response, channel-bound audiohook, start or mute or stop event, filename, open file handle, durable file, decoded audio, retention and caller outcome remain separate evidence boundaries; installed branch, loaded app_mixmonitor module, manager permissions, event filters, channel lifetime, storage, legal basis and generated FreePBX dialplan remain deployment specific; no PBX, module, manager account, credential, session, channel, audiohook, event stream, file, packet, media stream, recording or live call was inspected or tested

Asterisk AMI MixMonitor controls and recording-event evidence

Separate AMI recording requests, channel-scoped audiohooks, start, mute and stop events, file-handle release, stored files, decoded audio and retention outcomes.

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Troubleshooting · Asterisk branch-23-generated and branch-22-generated ListCommands references plus official AMI syntax, v2 specification, manager-command, change/versioning, permission, module-loader and network-security documentation reviewed October 16, 2026; installed branch and maintenance release, build, package and module set, manager user, read and write authorizations, session mask, action registration, request framing, parameters, target objects, response, related events and service outcome remain deployment specific; no PBX, module, package, manager user, manager session, request, response, event, configuration file, channel, packet, media stream or live call was inspected or tested

Asterisk AMI action is missing, unknown or permission denied

Trace one unavailable AMI action through session identity, user-scoped inventory, administrator registry, release and module support, authorization, framing and target behavior.

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Troubleshooting · Current Asterisk branch-23-generated ModuleCheck, ModuleLoad and Reload actions, Load, Reload and Unload events, module-loader, module-troubleshooting, architecture and AMI documentation reviewed October 23, 2026; installed branch, compiled modules, dependency graph, modules.conf ownership, load order, module use count, running status, configuration validity, manager permissions, node scope and service impact remain deployment specific; no PBX, module file, dependency, configuration, manager account, session, action, reload, channel, packet, media stream or live call was inspected or tested

Asterisk AMI module is loaded but missing, not running or wrong

Trace one module from build and startup policy through AMI naming, lifecycle response, events, running status, configuration parsing and the first exported capability.

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Troubleshooting · Current branch-23-generated and branch-22 AMI MixMonitor, MixMonitorMute and StopMixMonitor action references, current MixMonitorStart, MixMonitorMute and MixMonitorStop event references, and current dialplan MixMonitor and StopMixMonitor references reviewed October 17, 2026; AMI request, action response, channel-bound audiohook, start or mute or stop event, filename, open file handle, durable file, decoded audio, retention and caller outcome remain separate evidence boundaries; installed branch, loaded app_mixmonitor module, manager permissions, event filters, channel lifetime, storage, legal basis and generated FreePBX dialplan remain deployment specific; no PBX, module, manager account, credential, session, channel, audiohook, event stream, file, packet, media stream, recording or live call was inspected or tested

Asterisk AMI MixMonitor starts but the recording is missing, empty or wrong

Trace one disputed AMI recording through channel identity, action response, start and stop events, options, path, file-handle release, storage, decoding, transfer boundaries and retention.

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