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+---
+title: Messages
+---
+
+Use the Messages feature to view Kafka messages directly and troubleshoot your data streams efficiently. You can view messages at specific offsets within Kafka. Inspecting these messages can be crucial when troubleshooting issues related to specific services or data streams.
+
+## Setup
+Before diving into detailed configuration steps, here's an overview of what's involved in setting up the Messages feature:
+
+| Step | Description | Setup Guide |
+|--------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------|
+| Agent setup | An agent needs Kafka consumer integration enabled, be on at least version 7.69.0, and have remote configuration enabled | [Agent Setup][1] |
+| Verify permissions | You need a few log access permissions, which usually come standard as well as `Data Streams Monitoring Capture Messages` enabled in Datadog | [Required Permissions][2] |
+
+
+### Agent setup
+
+#### Selecting an agent
+Any Datadog agent having access to Kafka can be used for setup.
+
+If you self-host Kafka, Datadog recommends setting up Messages on one of your Kafka brokers' agents. Otherwise, choose any one agent your producer or consumer services communicate with that has access to your Kafka cluster.
+
+#### Step-by-step guide
+
+Complete the following steps on the same Datadog agent:
+
+##### 1. Verify agent version
+
+Ensure your agent is running version `7.69.0` or later.
+
+To check your agent version, run `datadog-agent version` on your host.
+
+##### 2. Enable [remote configuration][3]
+
+Confirm that Remote Configuration is enabled for your agent (it is typically enabled by default). Verify this setting on the [Fleet Automation page][4] and also confirm it at the organizational level from the [Remote Configuration settings page][5].
+
+##### 3. Configure Kafka consumer integration
+
+Follow the steps detailed at [Kafka consumer integration documentation][6] to configure a Datadog agent for the Kafka consumer integration.
+
+##### 4. Verify setup
+
+* Review agent logs for `kafka_consumer` entries to confirm successful configuration.
+* Verify data ingestion by inspecting the `kafka.broker_offset` metric in Datadog's Metrics Explorer, filtering by the relevant Kafka topics.
+
+
+### Required permissions
+
+You must have the following permissions enabled:
+
+* `Data Streams Monitoring Capture Messages`
+* `Logs Read Index Data`
+* `Logs Read Data`
+* `Logs Live Tail`
+
+You can verify your current permissions on your [Profile page][7].
+
+To enable permissions, edit an existing role or create a new one on the [Roles page][8]. If you don't have adequate access to modify roles, contact your organization's administrator.
+
+[1]: #agent-setup
+[2]: #required-permissions
+[3]: /agent/remote_config
+[4]: https://app.datadoghq.com/fleet
+[5]: https://app.datadoghq.com/organization-settings/remote-config
+[6]: /integrations/kafka-consumer/?tab=host#setup
+[7]: https://app.datadoghq.com/personal-settings/profile
+[8]: https://app.datadoghq.com/organization-settings/roles