diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 845a1cf6..76241f67 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -10,6 +10,8 @@ All notable changes to this project will be documented in this file.
   ([#831]).
 - Add `/ready` endpoint to the operator Deployment, which reports the CRD installation status ([#835]).
 - Name nodes now have a default affinity to the OPA Pods when OPA authorization is configured ([#839]).
+- The logs of the `containerdebug` process are now collected by the Vector agent and forwarded to
+  the Vector aggregator ([#857]).
 
 ### Changed
 
@@ -62,6 +64,10 @@ All notable changes to this project will be documented in this file.
   replicas, and never for datanodes ([#830]).
 - Set `dfs.encrypt.data.transfer.cipher.suites` instead of the misspelt `dfs.encrypt.data.transfer.cipher.suite`.
   Hadoop ignored the misspelt key, so block data was never encrypted with AES/CTR and was only protected by SASL DIGEST-MD5 ([#854]).
+- The `containerdebug` process writes its log file again. The operator set
+  `CONTAINERDEBUG_LOG_DIRECTORY`, which containerdebug stopped reading in its version 0.2.0 when it
+  moved to `stackable-telemetry`; the directory is now set via `FILE_LOG_DIRECTORY`. The file is
+  rotated hourly and at most two files are kept, because rotation is opt-in ([#857]).
 
 ### Removed
 
@@ -89,6 +95,7 @@ All notable changes to this project will be documented in this file.
 [#848]: https://github.com/stackabletech/hdfs-operator/pull/848
 [#850]: https://github.com/stackabletech/hdfs-operator/pull/850
 [#854]: https://github.com/stackabletech/hdfs-operator/pull/854
+[#857]: https://github.com/stackabletech/hdfs-operator/pull/857
 
 ## [26.7.0] - 2026-07-21
 
diff --git a/docs/modules/hdfs/pages/usage-guide/logging-log-aggregation.adoc b/docs/modules/hdfs/pages/usage-guide/logging-log-aggregation.adoc
index c4c3c208..c3f4dd34 100644
--- a/docs/modules/hdfs/pages/usage-guide/logging-log-aggregation.adoc
+++ b/docs/modules/hdfs/pages/usage-guide/logging-log-aggregation.adoc
@@ -22,4 +22,12 @@ spec:
         enableVectorAgent: true
 ----
 
+NOTE: The logs of the xref:concepts:observability/containerdebug.adoc[`containerdebug` process] are collected as well.
+They are labelled `container: containerdebug`, although no such Kubernetes container exists.
+The process runs in the background of the `hdfs` container.
+The label comes from `/stackable/log/containerdebug`, the directory which the operator sets with the `FILE_LOG_DIRECTORY` environment variable and from which the Vector agent derives the container name.
+Overriding `FILE_LOG_DIRECTORY` with `envOverrides` therefore changes how these logs are aggregated.
+The agent only collects files one level below `/stackable/log`, so a sibling directory such as `/stackable/log/hdfs` relabels the events instead of dropping them, while any deeper or shallower path stops the aggregation.
+A path outside `/stackable/log` also leaves the size-capped log volume.
+
 Further information on how to configure logging, can be found in xref:concepts:logging.adoc[].
diff --git a/rust/operator-binary/src/controller/build/container.rs b/rust/operator-binary/src/controller/build/container.rs
index 03586da6..379952c7 100644
--- a/rust/operator-binary/src/controller/build/container.rs
+++ b/rust/operator-binary/src/controller/build/container.rs
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@
 //!
 use std::{collections::BTreeMap, str::FromStr};
 
+use const_format::concatcp;
 use indoc::formatdoc;
 use snafu::{OptionExt, ResultExt, Snafu};
 use stackable_operator::{
@@ -115,7 +116,9 @@ const ENV_TOPOLOGY_LABELS: &str = "TOPOLOGY_LABELS";
 const ENV_HADOOP_OPTS: &str = "HADOOP_OPTS";
 const ENV_KRB5_CONFIG: &str = "KRB5_CONFIG";
 const ENV_KRB5_CLIENT_KTNAME: &str = "KRB5_CLIENT_KTNAME";
-const ENV_CONTAINERDEBUG_LOG_DIRECTORY: &str = "CONTAINERDEBUG_LOG_DIRECTORY";
+const ENV_FILE_LOG_DIRECTORY: &str = "FILE_LOG_DIRECTORY";
+const ENV_FILE_LOG_MAX_FILES: &str = "FILE_LOG_MAX_FILES";
+const ENV_FILE_LOG_ROTATION_PERIOD: &str = "FILE_LOG_ROTATION_PERIOD";
 
 type Result<T, E = Error> = std::result::Result<T, E>;
 
@@ -570,6 +573,7 @@ impl ContainerConfig {
                 {COMMON_BASH_TRAP_FUNCTIONS}
                 {remove_vector_shutdown_file_command}
                 prepare_signal_handlers
+                mkdir --parents "$FILE_LOG_DIRECTORY"
                 containerdebug --output={STACKABLE_LOG_DIR}/containerdebug-state.json --loop &
                 if [[ -d {LISTENER_VOLUME_DIR} ]]; then
                     export POD_ADDRESS=$(cat {LISTENER_VOLUME_DIR}/default-address/address)
@@ -859,15 +863,34 @@ impl ContainerConfig {
             );
         }
 
-        // Needed for the `containerdebug` process to log it's tracing information to.
-        env.insert(
-            ENV_CONTAINERDEBUG_LOG_DIRECTORY.to_string(),
-            EnvVar {
-                name: ENV_CONTAINERDEBUG_LOG_DIRECTORY.to_string(),
-                value: Some(format!("{STACKABLE_LOG_DIR}/containerdebug")),
-                value_from: None,
-            },
-        );
+        // Let the `containerdebug` process write its tracing information to a file. These are the
+        // generic `stackable-telemetry` variables and apply to the whole container, so any other
+        // telemetry-based process in it would log into the same directory and the Vector agent
+        // would label its events with `container: containerdebug`.
+        // Rotation is opt-in, so without the last two the file would grow unbounded.
+        // Only the main container runs `containerdebug`, so the variables would have no effect
+        // anywhere else.
+        if let ContainerConfig::Hdfs { .. } = self {
+            for (name, value) in [
+                // The directory must be exactly one level below the log directory, because the
+                // Vector agent derives the container name from that path segment.
+                (
+                    ENV_FILE_LOG_DIRECTORY,
+                    concatcp!(STACKABLE_LOG_DIR, "/containerdebug"),
+                ),
+                (ENV_FILE_LOG_ROTATION_PERIOD, "hourly"),
+                (ENV_FILE_LOG_MAX_FILES, "2"),
+            ] {
+                env.insert(
+                    name.to_owned(),
+                    EnvVar {
+                        name: name.to_owned(),
+                        value: Some(value.to_owned()),
+                        ..EnvVar::default()
+                    },
+                );
+            }
+        }
 
         // Overrides need to come last
         let mut env_override_vars: BTreeMap<String, EnvVar> = inputs
@@ -973,6 +996,10 @@ impl ContainerConfig {
                 VolumeBuilder::new(ContainerConfig::STACKABLE_LOG_VOLUME_MOUNT_NAME)
                     .empty_dir(EmptyDirVolumeSource {
                         medium: None,
+                        // Only the log files listed here are budgeted. The `containerdebug`
+                        // files in this volume are rotated by time, not by size, so they have
+                        // no budget; raising `FILE_LOG_LEVEL` via `envOverrides` can therefore
+                        // evict the Pod.
                         size_limit: Some(
                             product_logging::framework::calculate_log_volume_size_limit(&[
                                 MAX_HDFS_LOG_FILE_SIZE,
diff --git a/rust/operator-binary/src/controller/build/properties/product_logging/mod.rs b/rust/operator-binary/src/controller/build/properties/product_logging/mod.rs
index e20a7046..58e13e4f 100644
--- a/rust/operator-binary/src/controller/build/properties/product_logging/mod.rs
+++ b/rust/operator-binary/src/controller/build/properties/product_logging/mod.rs
@@ -176,5 +176,7 @@ mod tests {
         assert!(!content.is_empty());
         // HDFS containers log via log4j to `*.log4j.xml`, so the `files_log4j` source matches them.
         assert!(content.contains("files_log4j"));
+        assert!(content.contains("files_tracing_rs"));
+        assert!(content.contains("*.tracing-rs.json"));
     }
 }
diff --git a/rust/operator-binary/src/controller/build/properties/product_logging/vector-test.yaml b/rust/operator-binary/src/controller/build/properties/product_logging/vector-test.yaml
index 379f4cc3..6fdd4bf5 100644
--- a/rust/operator-binary/src/controller/build/properties/product_logging/vector-test.yaml
+++ b/rust/operator-binary/src/controller/build/properties/product_logging/vector-test.yaml
@@ -137,6 +137,285 @@ tests:
                 "timestamp": t'2025-10-02T09:27:28.582Z'
               }
 
+              assert_eq!(expected_log_event, .)
+  - name: Test tracing-rs log
+    inputs:
+      - type: log
+        insert_at: processed_files_tracing_rs
+        log_fields:
+          file: /stackable/log/containerdebug/containerdebug.2026-11-02-14.tracing-rs.json
+          message: '{"timestamp":"2026-11-02T14:49:28.028922Z","level":"INFO","fields":{"message":"found disk","disk.name":"overlay"},"target":"containerdebug::system_information::disk"}'
+          pod: test-hdfs-namenode-default-0
+          source_type: file
+          timestamp: 2026-11-02T14:49:29.473487331Z
+    outputs:
+      - extract_from: extended_logs
+        expected_event_count: 1
+        conditions:
+          - type: vrl
+            source: |
+              expected_log_event = {
+                "cluster": "test-hdfs",
+                "container": "containerdebug",
+                "file": "containerdebug.2026-11-02-14.tracing-rs.json",
+                "level": "INFO",
+                "logger": "containerdebug::system_information::disk",
+                "message": "found disk\n\ndisk.name=overlay",
+                "timestamp": t'2026-11-02T14:49:28.028922Z',
+                "namespace": "default",
+                "pod": "test-hdfs-namenode-default-0",
+                "role": "namenode",
+                "roleGroup": "default"
+              }
+
+              assert_eq!(expected_log_event, .)
+  - name: Test unparsable tracing-rs log
+    inputs:
+      - type: log
+        insert_at: processed_files_tracing_rs
+        log_fields:
+          file: /stackable/log/containerdebug/containerdebug.2026-11-02-14.tracing-rs.json
+          message: '{ unparsable'
+          pod: test-hdfs-namenode-default-0
+          source_type: file
+          timestamp: 2026-11-02T14:49:29.473487331Z
+    outputs:
+      - extract_from: extended_logs
+        expected_event_count: 1
+        conditions:
+          - type: vrl
+            source: |
+              expected_log_event = {
+                "cluster": "test-hdfs",
+                "container": "containerdebug",
+                "errors": [
+                  .errors[0]
+                ],
+                "file": "containerdebug.2026-11-02-14.tracing-rs.json",
+                "level": "INFO",
+                "logger": "",
+                "message": "{ unparsable",
+                "timestamp": .timestamp,
+                "namespace": "default",
+                "pod": "test-hdfs-namenode-default-0",
+                "role": "namenode",
+                "roleGroup": "default"
+              }
+
+              assert_eq!(expected_log_event, .)
+
+              # The remainder of the message contains character offsets into
+              # the VRL source, so only the stable prefix is asserted.
+              assert!(starts_with!(.errors[0], "JSON not parsable: "))
+  - name: Test tracing-rs log which is not a JSON object
+    inputs:
+      - type: log
+        insert_at: processed_files_tracing_rs
+        log_fields:
+          file: /stackable/log/containerdebug/containerdebug.2026-11-02-14.tracing-rs.json
+          message: 'false'
+          pod: test-hdfs-namenode-default-0
+          source_type: file
+          timestamp: 2026-11-02T14:49:29.473487331Z
+    outputs:
+      - extract_from: extended_logs
+        expected_event_count: 1
+        conditions:
+          - type: vrl
+            source: |
+              expected_log_event = {
+                "cluster": "test-hdfs",
+                "container": "containerdebug",
+                "errors": [
+                  "Parsed event is not a JSON object."
+                ],
+                "file": "containerdebug.2026-11-02-14.tracing-rs.json",
+                "level": "INFO",
+                "logger": "",
+                "message": "false",
+                "timestamp": .timestamp,
+                "namespace": "default",
+                "pod": "test-hdfs-namenode-default-0",
+                "role": "namenode",
+                "roleGroup": "default"
+              }
+
+              assert_eq!(expected_log_event, .)
+  - name: Test tracing-rs log with invalid fields
+    inputs:
+      - type: log
+        insert_at: processed_files_tracing_rs
+        log_fields:
+          file: /stackable/log/containerdebug/containerdebug.2026-11-02-14.tracing-rs.json
+          message: '{"timestamp":"unparsable","level":"INVALID","fields":"none","target":null}'
+          pod: test-hdfs-namenode-default-0
+          source_type: file
+          timestamp: 2026-11-02T14:49:29.473487331Z
+    outputs:
+      - extract_from: extended_logs
+        expected_event_count: 1
+        conditions:
+          - type: vrl
+            source: |
+              expected_log_event = {
+                "cluster": "test-hdfs",
+                "container": "containerdebug",
+                "errors": [
+                  .errors[0],
+                  "Logger/target not found.",
+                  "Level \"INVALID\" unknown, using \"INFO\" instead.",
+                  "Fields are not an object."
+                ],
+                "file": "containerdebug.2026-11-02-14.tracing-rs.json",
+                "level": "INFO",
+                "logger": "",
+                "message": "{\"timestamp\":\"unparsable\",\"level\":\"INVALID\",\"fields\":\"none\",\"target\":null}",
+                "timestamp": .timestamp,
+                "namespace": "default",
+                "pod": "test-hdfs-namenode-default-0",
+                "role": "namenode",
+                "roleGroup": "default"
+              }
+
+              assert_eq!(expected_log_event, .)
+
+              # The remainder of the message contains character offsets into
+              # the VRL source, so only the stable prefix is asserted.
+              assert!(starts_with!(.errors[0], "Timestamp not parsable, using current time instead: "))
+  - name: Test tracing-rs log without a timestamp
+    inputs:
+      - type: log
+        insert_at: processed_files_tracing_rs
+        log_fields:
+          file: /stackable/log/containerdebug/containerdebug.2026-11-02-14.tracing-rs.json
+          message: '{"level":"INFO","fields":{"message":"found disk"},"target":"containerdebug::system_information::disk"}'
+          pod: test-hdfs-namenode-default-0
+          source_type: file
+          timestamp: 2026-11-02T14:49:29.473487331Z
+    outputs:
+      - extract_from: extended_logs
+        expected_event_count: 1
+        conditions:
+          - type: vrl
+            source: |
+              expected_log_event = {
+                "cluster": "test-hdfs",
+                "container": "containerdebug",
+                "errors": [
+                  "Timestamp not found, using current time instead."
+                ],
+                "file": "containerdebug.2026-11-02-14.tracing-rs.json",
+                "level": "INFO",
+                "logger": "containerdebug::system_information::disk",
+                "message": "found disk",
+                "timestamp": .timestamp,
+                "namespace": "default",
+                "pod": "test-hdfs-namenode-default-0",
+                "role": "namenode",
+                "roleGroup": "default"
+              }
+
+              assert_eq!(expected_log_event, .)
+
+              # The current time is used and not the timestamp which the file
+              # source attached to the event. The latter reaches the transform
+              # as a string, whereas now() yields a timestamp.
+              assert!(is_timestamp(.timestamp))
+  - name: Test tracing-rs log without a message but with other fields
+    inputs:
+      - type: log
+        insert_at: processed_files_tracing_rs
+        log_fields:
+          file: /stackable/log/containerdebug/containerdebug.2026-11-02-14.tracing-rs.json
+          message: '{"timestamp":"2026-11-02T14:49:28.028922Z","level":"INFO","fields":{"disk.name":"overlay"},"target":"containerdebug::system_information::disk"}'
+          pod: test-hdfs-namenode-default-0
+          source_type: file
+          timestamp: 2026-11-02T14:49:29.473487331Z
+    outputs:
+      - extract_from: extended_logs
+        expected_event_count: 1
+        conditions:
+          - type: vrl
+            source: |
+              expected_log_event = {
+                "cluster": "test-hdfs",
+                "container": "containerdebug",
+                "file": "containerdebug.2026-11-02-14.tracing-rs.json",
+                "level": "INFO",
+                "logger": "containerdebug::system_information::disk",
+                "message": "disk.name=overlay",
+                "timestamp": t'2026-11-02T14:49:28.028922Z',
+                "namespace": "default",
+                "pod": "test-hdfs-namenode-default-0",
+                "role": "namenode",
+                "roleGroup": "default"
+              }
+
+              assert_eq!(expected_log_event, .)
+  - name: Test tracing-rs log with a message which is not a string
+    inputs:
+      - type: log
+        insert_at: processed_files_tracing_rs
+        log_fields:
+          file: /stackable/log/containerdebug/containerdebug.2026-11-02-14.tracing-rs.json
+          message: '{"timestamp":"2026-11-02T14:49:28.028922Z","level":"INFO","fields":{"message":42,"disk.name":"overlay"},"target":"containerdebug::system_information::disk"}'
+          pod: test-hdfs-namenode-default-0
+          source_type: file
+          timestamp: 2026-11-02T14:49:29.473487331Z
+    outputs:
+      - extract_from: extended_logs
+        expected_event_count: 1
+        conditions:
+          - type: vrl
+            source: |
+              expected_log_event = {
+                "cluster": "test-hdfs",
+                "container": "containerdebug",
+                "file": "containerdebug.2026-11-02-14.tracing-rs.json",
+                "level": "INFO",
+                "logger": "containerdebug::system_information::disk",
+                "message": "disk.name=overlay\nmessage=42",
+                "timestamp": t'2026-11-02T14:49:28.028922Z',
+                "namespace": "default",
+                "pod": "test-hdfs-namenode-default-0",
+                "role": "namenode",
+                "roleGroup": "default"
+              }
+
+              assert_eq!(expected_log_event, .)
+  - name: Test tracing-rs log without any fields
+    inputs:
+      - type: log
+        insert_at: processed_files_tracing_rs
+        log_fields:
+          file: /stackable/log/containerdebug/containerdebug.2026-11-02-14.tracing-rs.json
+          message: '{"timestamp":"2026-11-02T14:49:28.028922Z","level":"INFO","fields":{},"target":"containerdebug::system_information::disk"}'
+          pod: test-hdfs-namenode-default-0
+          source_type: file
+          timestamp: 2026-11-02T14:49:29.473487331Z
+    outputs:
+      - extract_from: extended_logs
+        expected_event_count: 1
+        conditions:
+          - type: vrl
+            source: |
+              expected_log_event = {
+                "cluster": "test-hdfs",
+                "container": "containerdebug",
+                "errors": [
+                  "Message not found."
+                ],
+                "file": "containerdebug.2026-11-02-14.tracing-rs.json",
+                "level": "INFO",
+                "logger": "containerdebug::system_information::disk",
+                "message": "",
+                "timestamp": t'2026-11-02T14:49:28.028922Z',
+                "namespace": "default",
+                "pod": "test-hdfs-namenode-default-0",
+                "role": "namenode",
+                "roleGroup": "default"
+              }
+
               assert_eq!(expected_log_event, .)
   - name: Test Vector internal logs
     inputs:
diff --git a/rust/operator-binary/src/controller/build/properties/product_logging/vector.yaml b/rust/operator-binary/src/controller/build/properties/product_logging/vector.yaml
index 1d4e04b0..fea1f94e 100644
--- a/rust/operator-binary/src/controller/build/properties/product_logging/vector.yaml
+++ b/rust/operator-binary/src/controller/build/properties/product_logging/vector.yaml
@@ -30,6 +30,12 @@ sources:
       condition_pattern: ^<log4j:event
       timeout_ms: 1000
 
+  # Reads the logs of the containerdebug process
+  files_tracing_rs:
+    type: file
+    include:
+      - ${LOG_DIR}/*/*.tracing-rs.json
+
 transforms:
   processed_files_stdout:
     inputs:
@@ -117,11 +123,92 @@ transforms:
       }
 
   # Extends the processed files with the fields "container" and "file"
+  # Transforms the tracing-rs JSON logs written by the containerdebug process
+  processed_files_tracing_rs:
+    inputs:
+      - files_tracing_rs
+    type: remap
+    source: |
+      raw_message = string!(.message)
+
+      .timestamp = now()
+      .logger = ""
+      .level = "INFO"
+      .message = ""
+      .errors = []
+
+      parsed_event, err = parse_json(raw_message)
+      if err != null {
+        error = "JSON not parsable: " + err
+        .errors = push(.errors, error)
+        log(error, level: "warn")
+        .message = raw_message
+      } else if !is_object(parsed_event) {
+        error = "Parsed event is not a JSON object."
+        .errors = push(.errors, error)
+        log(error, level: "warn")
+        .message = raw_message
+      } else {
+        event = object!(parsed_event)
+
+        timestamp_string, err = string(event.timestamp)
+        if err == null {
+          parsed_timestamp, err = parse_timestamp(timestamp_string, "%+")
+          if err == null {
+            .timestamp = parsed_timestamp
+          } else {
+            .errors = push(.errors, "Timestamp not parsable, using current time instead: " + err)
+          }
+        } else {
+          .errors = push(.errors, "Timestamp not found, using current time instead.")
+        }
+
+        .logger, err = string(event.target)
+        if err != null || is_empty(.logger) {
+          .errors = push(.errors, "Logger/target not found.")
+        }
+
+        level, err = string(event.level)
+        if err != null {
+          .errors = push(.errors, "Level not found, using \"" + .level + "\" instead.")
+        } else if !includes(["TRACE", "DEBUG", "INFO", "WARN", "ERROR", "FATAL"], upcase(level)) {
+          .errors = push(.errors, "Level \"" + level + "\" unknown, using \"" + .level + "\" instead.")
+        } else {
+          .level = upcase(level)
+        }
+
+        fields, err = object(event.fields)
+        if err == null {
+          message, err = string(fields.message)
+          if err == null {
+            # The message is prepended to the other fields, so remove it from
+            # them.
+            del(fields.message)
+          } else {
+            # Keep an unusable message among the other fields instead of
+            # discarding its content.
+            message = ""
+          }
+
+          other_fields = encode_key_value(fields, field_delimiter: "\n")
+          .message = join!(compact([message, other_fields]), "\n\n")
+        } else {
+          .errors = push(.errors, "Fields are not an object.")
+          # Fall back to the raw line, so that its content is not lost.
+          .message = raw_message
+        }
+
+        if is_empty(.message) {
+          .errors = push(.errors, "Message not found.")
+        }
+      }
+
   extended_logs_files:
     inputs:
       - processed_files_stdout
       - processed_files_stderr
       - processed_files_log4j
+      - processed_files_tracing_rs
     type: remap
     source: |
       del(.source_type)
diff --git a/tests/templates/kuttl/logging/hdfs-vector-aggregator-values.yaml.j2 b/tests/templates/kuttl/logging/hdfs-vector-aggregator-values.yaml.j2
index 2bf214db..90ab2ea0 100644
--- a/tests/templates/kuttl/logging/hdfs-vector-aggregator-values.yaml.j2
+++ b/tests/templates/kuttl/logging/hdfs-vector-aggregator-values.yaml.j2
@@ -22,253 +22,349 @@ customConfig:
   transforms:
     validEvents:
       type: filter
-      inputs: [vector]
+      inputs:
+        - vector
       condition: is_null(.errors)
     filteredAutomaticLogConfigNameNode0:
       type: filter
-      inputs: [validEvents]
+      inputs:
+        - validEvents
       condition: >-
         .pod == "test-hdfs-automatic-log-namenode-default-0" &&
         .container == "hdfs"
     filteredAutomaticLogConfigNameNode1:
       type: filter
-      inputs: [validEvents]
+      inputs:
+        - validEvents
       condition: >-
         .pod == "test-hdfs-automatic-log-namenode-default-1" &&
         .container == "hdfs"
     filteredAutomaticLogConfigNameNode0Zkfc:
       type: filter
-      inputs: [validEvents]
+      inputs:
+        - validEvents
       condition: >-
         .pod == "test-hdfs-automatic-log-namenode-default-0" &&
         .container == "zkfc"
     filteredAutomaticLogConfigNameNode1Zkfc:
       type: filter
-      inputs: [validEvents]
+      inputs:
+        - validEvents
       condition: >-
         .pod == "test-hdfs-automatic-log-namenode-default-1" &&
         .container == "zkfc"
+    filteredAutomaticLogConfigNameNode0Containerdebug:
+      type: filter
+      inputs:
+        - validEvents
+      condition: >-
+        .pod == "test-hdfs-automatic-log-namenode-default-0" &&
+        .container == "containerdebug"
     filteredAutomaticLogConfigNameNode0Vector:
       type: filter
-      inputs: [validEvents]
+      inputs:
+        - validEvents
       condition: >-
         .pod == "test-hdfs-automatic-log-namenode-default-0" &&
         .container == "vector"
+    filteredAutomaticLogConfigNameNode1Containerdebug:
+      type: filter
+      inputs:
+        - validEvents
+      condition: >-
+        .pod == "test-hdfs-automatic-log-namenode-default-1" &&
+        .container == "containerdebug"
     filteredAutomaticLogConfigNameNode1Vector:
       type: filter
-      inputs: [validEvents]
+      inputs:
+        - validEvents
       condition: >-
         .pod == "test-hdfs-automatic-log-namenode-default-1" &&
         .container == "vector"
     filteredAutomaticLogConfigNameNode0FormatNameNodeLog4j:
       type: filter
-      inputs: [validEvents]
+      inputs:
+        - validEvents
       condition: >-
         .pod == "test-hdfs-automatic-log-namenode-default-0" &&
         .container == "format-namenodes" &&
         .file == "format-namenodes.log4j.xml"
     filteredAutomaticLogConfigNameNode0FormatNameNodeStdout:
       type: filter
-      inputs: [validEvents]
+      inputs:
+        - validEvents
       condition: >-
         .pod == "test-hdfs-automatic-log-namenode-default-0" &&
         .container == "format-namenodes" &&
         .file == "container.stdout.log"
     filteredAutomaticLogConfigNameNode0FormatNameNodeStderr:
       type: filter
-      inputs: [validEvents]
+      inputs:
+        - validEvents
       condition: >-
         .pod == "test-hdfs-automatic-log-namenode-default-0" &&
         .container == "format-namenodes" &&
         .file == "container.stderr.log"
     filteredAutomaticLogConfigNameNode1FormatNameNodeLog4j:
       type: filter
-      inputs: [validEvents]
+      inputs:
+        - validEvents
       condition: >-
         .pod == "test-hdfs-automatic-log-namenode-default-1" &&
         .container == "format-namenodes" &&
         .file == "format-namenodes.log4j.xml"
     filteredAutomaticLogConfigNameNode1FormatNameNodeStdout:
       type: filter
-      inputs: [validEvents]
+      inputs:
+        - validEvents
       condition: >-
         .pod == "test-hdfs-automatic-log-namenode-default-1" &&
         .container == "format-namenodes" &&
         .file == "container.stdout.log"
     filteredAutomaticLogConfigNameNode1FormatNameNodeStderr:
       type: filter
-      inputs: [validEvents]
+      inputs:
+        - validEvents
       condition: >-
         .pod == "test-hdfs-automatic-log-namenode-default-1" &&
         .container == "format-namenodes" &&
         .file == "container.stderr.log"
     filteredAutomaticLogConfigNameNode0FormatZookeeperLog4j:
       type: filter
-      inputs: [validEvents]
+      inputs:
+        - validEvents
       condition: >-
         .pod == "test-hdfs-automatic-log-namenode-default-0" &&
         .container == "format-zookeeper" &&
         .file == "format-zookeeper.log4j.xml"
     filteredAutomaticLogConfigNameNode0FormatZookeeperStdout:
       type: filter
-      inputs: [validEvents]
+      inputs:
+        - validEvents
       condition: >-
         .pod == "test-hdfs-automatic-log-namenode-default-0" &&
         .container == "format-zookeeper" &&
         .file == "container.stdout.log"
     filteredAutomaticLogConfigNameNode0FormatZookeeperStderr:
       type: filter
-      inputs: [validEvents]
+      inputs:
+        - validEvents
       condition: >-
         .pod == "test-hdfs-automatic-log-namenode-default-0" &&
         .container == "format-zookeeper" &&
         .file == "container.stderr.log"
     filteredAutomaticLogConfigNameNode1FormatZookeeperStdout:
       type: filter
-      inputs: [validEvents]
+      inputs:
+        - validEvents
       condition: >-
         .pod == "test-hdfs-automatic-log-namenode-default-1" &&
         .container == "format-zookeeper" &&
         .file == "container.stdout.log"
     filteredAutomaticLogConfigNameNode1FormatZookeeperStderr:
       type: filter
-      inputs: [validEvents]
+      inputs:
+        - validEvents
       condition: >-
         .pod == "test-hdfs-automatic-log-namenode-default-1" &&
         .container == "format-zookeeper" &&
         .file == "container.stderr.log"
     filteredAutomaticLogConfigDataNode0:
       type: filter
-      inputs: [validEvents]
+      inputs:
+        - validEvents
       condition: >-
         .pod == "test-hdfs-automatic-log-datanode-default-0" &&
         .container == "hdfs"
+    filteredAutomaticLogConfigDataNode0Containerdebug:
+      type: filter
+      inputs:
+        - validEvents
+      condition: >-
+        .pod == "test-hdfs-automatic-log-datanode-default-0" &&
+        .container == "containerdebug"
     filteredAutomaticLogConfigDataNode0Vector:
       type: filter
-      inputs: [validEvents]
+      inputs:
+        - validEvents
       condition: >-
         .pod == "test-hdfs-automatic-log-datanode-default-0" &&
         .container == "vector"
     filteredAutomaticLogConfigDataNode0WaitForNameNodesLog4j:
       type: filter
-      inputs: [validEvents]
+      inputs:
+        - validEvents
       condition: >-
         .pod == "test-hdfs-automatic-log-datanode-default-0" &&
         .container == "wait-for-namenodes" &&
         .file == "wait-for-namenodes.log4j.xml"
     filteredAutomaticLogConfigDataNode0WaitForNameNodesStdout:
       type: filter
-      inputs: [validEvents]
+      inputs:
+        - validEvents
       condition: >-
         .pod == "test-hdfs-automatic-log-datanode-default-0" &&
         .container == "wait-for-namenodes" &&
         .file == "container.stdout.log"
     filteredAutomaticLogConfigDataNode0WaitForNameNodesStderr:
       type: filter
-      inputs: [validEvents]
+      inputs:
+        - validEvents
       condition: >-
         .pod == "test-hdfs-automatic-log-datanode-default-0" &&
         .container == "wait-for-namenodes" &&
         .file == "container.stderr.log"
     filteredAutomaticLogConfigJournalNode0:
       type: filter
-      inputs: [validEvents]
+      inputs:
+        - validEvents
       condition: >-
         .pod == "test-hdfs-automatic-log-journalnode-default-0" &&
         .container == "hdfs"
+    filteredAutomaticLogConfigJournalNode0Containerdebug:
+      type: filter
+      inputs:
+        - validEvents
+      condition: >-
+        .pod == "test-hdfs-automatic-log-journalnode-default-0" &&
+        .container == "containerdebug"
     filteredAutomaticLogConfigJournalNode0Vector:
       type: filter
-      inputs: [validEvents]
+      inputs:
+        - validEvents
       condition: >-
         .pod == "test-hdfs-automatic-log-journalnode-default-0" &&
         .container == "vector"
     filteredCustomLogConfigNameNode0:
       type: filter
-      inputs: [validEvents]
+      inputs:
+        - validEvents
       condition: >-
         .pod == "test-hdfs-custom-log-namenode-default-0" &&
         .container == "hdfs"
     filteredCustomLogConfigNameNode1:
       type: filter
-      inputs: [validEvents]
+      inputs:
+        - validEvents
       condition: >-
         .pod == "test-hdfs-custom-log-namenode-default-1" &&
         .container == "hdfs"
     filteredCustomLogConfigNameNode0Zkfc:
       type: filter
-      inputs: [validEvents]
+      inputs:
+        - validEvents
       condition: >-
         .pod == "test-hdfs-custom-log-namenode-default-0" &&
         .container == "zkfc"
     filteredCustomLogConfigNameNode1Zkfc:
       type: filter
-      inputs: [validEvents]
+      inputs:
+        - validEvents
       condition: >-
         .pod == "test-hdfs-custom-log-namenode-default-1" &&
         .container == "zkfc"
+    filteredCustomLogConfigNameNode0Containerdebug:
+      type: filter
+      inputs:
+        - validEvents
+      condition: >-
+        .pod == "test-hdfs-custom-log-namenode-default-0" &&
+        .container == "containerdebug"
     filteredCustomLogConfigNameNode0Vector:
       type: filter
-      inputs: [validEvents]
+      inputs:
+        - validEvents
       condition: >-
         .pod == "test-hdfs-custom-log-namenode-default-0" &&
         .container == "vector"
+    filteredCustomLogConfigNameNode1Containerdebug:
+      type: filter
+      inputs:
+        - validEvents
+      condition: >-
+        .pod == "test-hdfs-custom-log-namenode-default-1" &&
+        .container == "containerdebug"
     filteredCustomLogConfigNameNode1Vector:
       type: filter
-      inputs: [validEvents]
+      inputs:
+        - validEvents
       condition: >-
         .pod == "test-hdfs-custom-log-namenode-default-1" &&
         .container == "vector"
     filteredCustomLogConfigNameNode0FormatNameNodes:
       type: filter
-      inputs: [validEvents]
+      inputs:
+        - validEvents
       condition: >-
         .pod == "test-hdfs-custom-log-namenode-default-0" &&
         .container == "format-namenodes"
     filteredCustomLogConfigNameNode1FormatNamenodes:
       type: filter
-      inputs: [validEvents]
+      inputs:
+        - validEvents
       condition: >-
         .pod == "test-hdfs-custom-log-namenode-default-1" &&
         .container == "format-namenodes"
     filteredCustomLogConfigNameNode0FormatZookeeper:
       type: filter
-      inputs: [validEvents]
+      inputs:
+        - validEvents
       condition: >-
         .pod == "test-hdfs-custom-log-namenode-default-0" &&
         .container == "format-zookeeper"
     filteredCustomLogConfigDataNode0:
       type: filter
-      inputs: [validEvents]
+      inputs:
+        - validEvents
       condition: >-
         .pod == "test-hdfs-custom-log-datanode-default-0" &&
         .container == "hdfs"
+    filteredCustomLogConfigDataNode0Containerdebug:
+      type: filter
+      inputs:
+        - validEvents
+      condition: >-
+        .pod == "test-hdfs-custom-log-datanode-default-0" &&
+        .container == "containerdebug"
     filteredCustomLogConfigDataNode0Vector:
       type: filter
-      inputs: [validEvents]
+      inputs:
+        - validEvents
       condition: >-
         .pod == "test-hdfs-custom-log-datanode-default-0" &&
         .container == "vector"
     filteredCustomLogConfigDataNode0WaitForNameNodes:
       type: filter
-      inputs: [validEvents]
+      inputs:
+        - validEvents
       condition: >-
         .pod == "test-hdfs-custom-log-datanode-default-0" &&
         .container == "wait-for-namenodes"
     filteredCustomLogConfigJournalNode0:
       type: filter
-      inputs: [validEvents]
+      inputs:
+        - validEvents
       condition: >-
         .pod == "test-hdfs-custom-log-journalnode-default-0" &&
         .container == "hdfs"
+    filteredCustomLogConfigJournalNode0Containerdebug:
+      type: filter
+      inputs:
+        - validEvents
+      condition: >-
+        .pod == "test-hdfs-custom-log-journalnode-default-0" &&
+        .container == "containerdebug"
     filteredCustomLogConfigJournalNode0Vector:
       type: filter
-      inputs: [validEvents]
+      inputs:
+        - validEvents
       condition: >-
         .pod == "test-hdfs-custom-log-journalnode-default-0" &&
         .container == "vector"
     filteredInvalidEvents:
       type: filter
-      inputs: [vector]
+      inputs:
+        - vector
       condition: |-
         .timestamp == from_unix_timestamp!(0) ||
         is_null(.level) ||
@@ -276,11 +372,29 @@ customConfig:
         is_null(.message)
   sinks:
     test:
-      inputs: [filtered*]
+      inputs:
+        - filtered*
       type: blackhole
+    # Shows all events received from the agents. This sink is intentional and
+    # not a debugging leftover: if a "filtered*" transform gathers no event,
+    # then the assertion only reports a count, whereas this log shows which
+    # pod and container names actually arrived. A failure in CI cannot be
+    # reproduced by enabling this afterwards, so it is kept enabled at the
+    # price of the log volume.
+    stdout:
+      inputs:
+        - vector
+      type: console
+      encoding:
+        codec: json
+      buffer:
+        # Avoid back pressure from a stalling stdout. The test should not
+        # fail because of a sink which only aids debugging.
+        when_full: drop_newest
 {% if lookup('env', 'VECTOR_AGGREGATOR') %}
     aggregator:
-      inputs: [vector]
+      inputs:
+        - vector
       type: vector
       routing:
         endpoints:
diff --git a/tests/templates/kuttl/smoke/30-assert.yaml.j2 b/tests/templates/kuttl/smoke/30-assert.yaml.j2
index 6a5d8414..8f3d1262 100644
--- a/tests/templates/kuttl/smoke/30-assert.yaml.j2
+++ b/tests/templates/kuttl/smoke/30-assert.yaml.j2
@@ -319,6 +319,7 @@ spec:
 
           rm -f /stackable/log/_vector/shutdown
           prepare_signal_handlers
+          mkdir --parents "$FILE_LOG_DIRECTORY"
           containerdebug --output=/stackable/log/containerdebug-state.json --loop &
           if [[ -d /stackable/listener ]]; then
               export POD_ADDRESS=$(cat /stackable/listener/default-address/address)
@@ -338,8 +339,12 @@ spec:
         env:
         - name: COMMON_VAR
           value: group-value
-        - name: CONTAINERDEBUG_LOG_DIRECTORY
+        - name: FILE_LOG_DIRECTORY
           value: /stackable/log/containerdebug
+        - name: FILE_LOG_MAX_FILES
+          value: "2"
+        - name: FILE_LOG_ROTATION_PERIOD
+          value: hourly
         - name: GROUP_VAR
           value: group-value
         - name: HADOOP_CONF_DIR
@@ -482,8 +487,6 @@ spec:
         env:
         - name: COMMON_VAR
           value: group-value
-        - name: CONTAINERDEBUG_LOG_DIRECTORY
-          value: /stackable/log/containerdebug
         - name: GROUP_VAR
           value: group-value
         - name: HADOOP_CONF_DIR
@@ -601,8 +604,6 @@ spec:
         env:
         - name: COMMON_VAR
           value: group-value
-        - name: CONTAINERDEBUG_LOG_DIRECTORY
-          value: /stackable/log/containerdebug
         - name: GROUP_VAR
           value: group-value
         - name: HADOOP_CONF_DIR
@@ -691,8 +692,6 @@ spec:
         env:
         - name: COMMON_VAR
           value: group-value
-        - name: CONTAINERDEBUG_LOG_DIRECTORY
-          value: /stackable/log/containerdebug
         - name: GROUP_VAR
           value: group-value
         - name: HADOOP_CONF_DIR
@@ -903,6 +902,7 @@ spec:
 
           rm -f /stackable/log/_vector/shutdown
           prepare_signal_handlers
+          mkdir --parents "$FILE_LOG_DIRECTORY"
           containerdebug --output=/stackable/log/containerdebug-state.json --loop &
           if [[ -d /stackable/listener ]]; then
               export POD_ADDRESS=$(cat /stackable/listener/default-address/address)
@@ -922,8 +922,12 @@ spec:
         env:
         - name: COMMON_VAR
           value: group-value
-        - name: CONTAINERDEBUG_LOG_DIRECTORY
+        - name: FILE_LOG_DIRECTORY
           value: /stackable/log/containerdebug
+        - name: FILE_LOG_MAX_FILES
+          value: "2"
+        - name: FILE_LOG_ROTATION_PERIOD
+          value: hourly
         - name: GROUP_VAR
           value: group-value
         - name: HADOOP_CONF_DIR
@@ -1073,8 +1077,6 @@ spec:
         env:
         - name: COMMON_VAR
           value: group-value
-        - name: CONTAINERDEBUG_LOG_DIRECTORY
-          value: /stackable/log/containerdebug
         - name: GROUP_VAR
           value: group-value
         - name: HADOOP_CONF_DIR
@@ -1297,6 +1299,7 @@ spec:
 
           rm -f /stackable/log/_vector/shutdown
           prepare_signal_handlers
+          mkdir --parents "$FILE_LOG_DIRECTORY"
           containerdebug --output=/stackable/log/containerdebug-state.json --loop &
           if [[ -d /stackable/listener ]]; then
               export POD_ADDRESS=$(cat /stackable/listener/default-address/address)
@@ -1316,8 +1319,12 @@ spec:
         env:
         - name: COMMON_VAR
           value: group-value
-        - name: CONTAINERDEBUG_LOG_DIRECTORY
+        - name: FILE_LOG_DIRECTORY
           value: /stackable/log/containerdebug
+        - name: FILE_LOG_MAX_FILES
+          value: "2"
+        - name: FILE_LOG_ROTATION_PERIOD
+          value: hourly
         - name: GROUP_VAR
           value: group-value
         - name: HADOOP_CONF_DIR