diff --git a/core/environment/manager.go b/core/environment/manager.go
index 7d3fc7b3..950629c1 100644
--- a/core/environment/manager.go
+++ b/core/environment/manager.go
@@ -1158,6 +1158,21 @@ func (envs *Manager) CreateAutoEnvironment(workflowPath string, userVars map[str
 		}
 	}
 
+	lastRequestUser := &evpb.User{}
+	lastRequestUserJ, ok := userVars["last_request_user"]
+	if ok {
+		_ = json.Unmarshal([]byte(lastRequestUserJ), lastRequestUser)
+	}
+
+	the.EventWriterWithTopic(topic.Environment).WriteEvent(&evpb.Ev_EnvironmentEvent{
+		EnvironmentId:   newId.String(),
+		State:           "PENDING",
+		Transition:      "CREATE",
+		TransitionStep:  "before_CREATE",
+		Message:         "instantiating",
+		LastRequestUser: lastRequestUser,
+	})
+
 	env, err := newEnvironment(envUserVars, newId)
 	newEnvId := uid.NilID()
 	if err == nil && env != nil {
@@ -1173,6 +1188,15 @@ func (envs *Manager) CreateAutoEnvironment(workflowPath string, userVars map[str
 		"partition": newEnvId.String(),
 	}).Info("creating new automatic environment")
 
+	the.EventWriterWithTopic(topic.Environment).WriteEvent(&evpb.Ev_EnvironmentEvent{
+		EnvironmentId:   newId.String(),
+		State:           "PENDING",
+		Transition:      "CREATE",
+		TransitionStep:  "before_CREATE",
+		Message:         "running hooks",
+		LastRequestUser: lastRequestUser,
+	})
+
 	env.addSubscription(sub)
 	defer env.closeStream()
 
@@ -1193,6 +1217,15 @@ func (envs *Manager) CreateAutoEnvironment(workflowPath string, userVars map[str
 			Warn("parse workflow public info failed.")
 	}
 
+	the.EventWriterWithTopic(topic.Environment).WriteEvent(&evpb.Ev_EnvironmentEvent{
+		EnvironmentId:   newId.String(),
+		State:           "PENDING",
+		Transition:      "CREATE",
+		TransitionStep:  "CREATE",
+		Message:         "loading workflow",
+		LastRequestUser: lastRequestUser,
+	})
+
 	env.workflow, err = envs.loadWorkflow(workflowPath, env.wfAdapter, workflowUserVars, env.BaseConfigStack)
 	if err != nil {
 		err = fmt.Errorf("cannot load workflow template: %w", err)
@@ -1202,6 +1235,17 @@ func (envs *Manager) CreateAutoEnvironment(workflowPath string, userVars map[str
 
 	env.Public, env.Description, _ = parseWorkflowPublicInfo(workflowPath)
 
+	cvs, _ := env.Workflow().ConsolidatedVarStack()
+	the.EventWriterWithTopic(topic.Environment).WriteEvent(&evpb.Ev_EnvironmentEvent{
+		EnvironmentId:   newId.String(),
+		State:           env.CurrentState(),
+		Transition:      "CREATE",
+		TransitionStep:  "after_CREATE",
+		Message:         "workflow loaded",
+		Vars:            cvs, // we push the full var stack of the root role in the workflow loaded event
+		LastRequestUser: lastRequestUser,
+	})
+
 	log.WithField("method", "CreateAutoEnvironment").
 		WithField("level", infologger.IL_Devel).
 		Debug("envman write lock")
diff --git a/core/server.go b/core/server.go
index c80659c7..880b6b14 100644
--- a/core/server.go
+++ b/core/server.go
@@ -1158,7 +1158,16 @@ func (m *RpcServer) NewAutoEnvironment(cxt context.Context, request *pb.NewAutoE
 	m.envStreams.add(request.GetId(), ch)
 	sub := environment.SubscribeToStream(ch)
 	id := uid.New()
-	go m.state.environments.CreateAutoEnvironment(request.GetWorkflowTemplate(), request.GetVars(), id, sub)
+
+	inputUserVars := request.GetVars()
+	if len(inputUserVars) == 0 {
+		inputUserVars = make(map[string]string)
+	}
+	// we store the last known request user in the environment
+	lastRequestUserJ, _ := json.Marshal(request.RequestUser)
+	inputUserVars["last_request_user"] = string(lastRequestUserJ[:])
+
+	go m.state.environments.CreateAutoEnvironment(request.GetWorkflowTemplate(), inputUserVars, id, sub)
 	r := &pb.NewAutoEnvironmentReply{}
 	return r, nil
 }