diff --git a/pkg/cli/copilot_agent.go b/pkg/cli/copilot_agent.go
index d2dcd2e370..18a7194388 100644
--- a/pkg/cli/copilot_agent.go
+++ b/pkg/cli/copilot_agent.go
@@ -252,7 +252,7 @@ func ParseCopilotAgentLogMetrics(logContent string, verbose bool) workflow.LogMe
 		// Collect errors and warnings
 		lowerLine := strings.ToLower(line)
 		if errorPattern.MatchString(lowerLine) && !strings.Contains(lowerLine, "no error") {
-			message := extractErrorMessage(line)
+			message := logger.ExtractErrorMessage(line)
 			if message != "" {
 				metrics.Errors = append(metrics.Errors, workflow.LogError{
 					Line:    lineNum + 1,
@@ -262,7 +262,7 @@ func ParseCopilotAgentLogMetrics(logContent string, verbose bool) workflow.LogMe
 			}
 		}
 		if warningPattern.MatchString(lowerLine) {
-			message := extractErrorMessage(line)
+			message := logger.ExtractErrorMessage(line)
 			if message != "" {
 				metrics.Errors = append(metrics.Errors, workflow.LogError{
 					Line:    lineNum + 1,
@@ -292,22 +292,6 @@ func ParseCopilotAgentLogMetrics(logContent string, verbose bool) workflow.LogMe
 	return metrics
 }
 
-// extractErrorMessage extracts a clean error message from a log line
-// This is a simplified version for the copilot agent parser
-func extractErrorMessage(line string) string {
-	// Remove common timestamp patterns
-	line = regexp.MustCompile(`^\d{4}-\d{2}-\d{2}[T\s]\d{2}:\d{2}:\d{2}(\.\d+)?([+-]\d{2}:\d{2}|Z)?\s*`).ReplaceAllString(line, "")
-	line = regexp.MustCompile(`^\[\d{4}-\d{2}-\d{2}\s+\d{2}:\d{2}:\d{2}\]\s*`).ReplaceAllString(line, "")
-
-	// Remove common log level prefixes
-	line = regexp.MustCompile(`^(ERROR|WARN|WARNING|INFO|DEBUG):\s*`).ReplaceAllString(line, "")
-
-	// Trim whitespace
-	line = strings.TrimSpace(line)
-
-	return line
-}
-
 // extractToolName extracts a tool name from a log line
 func extractToolName(line string) string {
 	// Try to extract tool name from various patterns
diff --git a/pkg/cli/copilot_agent_test.go b/pkg/cli/copilot_agent_test.go
index b9030c5884..50ab4e52cb 100644
--- a/pkg/cli/copilot_agent_test.go
+++ b/pkg/cli/copilot_agent_test.go
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ import (
 	"strings"
 	"testing"
 
+	"github.com/githubnext/gh-aw/pkg/logger"
 	"github.com/githubnext/gh-aw/pkg/workflow"
 )
 
@@ -282,7 +283,7 @@ func TestExtractErrorMessage(t *testing.T) {
 
 	for _, tt := range tests {
 		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
-			result := extractErrorMessage(tt.line)
+			result := logger.ExtractErrorMessage(tt.line)
 			if result != tt.expected {
 				t.Errorf("Expected '%s', got '%s'", tt.expected, result)
 			}
diff --git a/pkg/logger/error_formatting.go b/pkg/logger/error_formatting.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..9d77f6c9f3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/logger/error_formatting.go
@@ -0,0 +1,47 @@
+package logger
+
+import (
+	"regexp"
+	"strings"
+)
+
+// Pre-compiled regexes for performance (avoid recompiling in hot paths)
+var (
+	// Timestamp patterns for log cleanup
+	// Pattern 1: ISO 8601 with T or space separator (e.g., "2024-01-01T12:00:00.123Z " or "2024-01-01 12:00:00 ")
+	timestampPattern1 = regexp.MustCompile(`^\d{4}-\d{2}-\d{2}[T\s]\d{2}:\d{2}:\d{2}(\.\d+)?([+-]\d{2}:\d{2}|Z)?\s*`)
+	// Pattern 2: Bracketed date-time (e.g., "[2024-01-01 12:00:00] ")
+	timestampPattern2 = regexp.MustCompile(`^\[\d{4}-\d{2}-\d{2}\s+\d{2}:\d{2}:\d{2}\]\s*`)
+	// Pattern 3: Bracketed time only (e.g., "[12:00:00] ")
+	timestampPattern3 = regexp.MustCompile(`^\[\d{2}:\d{2}:\d{2}\]\s+`)
+	// Pattern 4: Time only with optional milliseconds (e.g., "12:00:00.123 ")
+	timestampPattern4 = regexp.MustCompile(`^\d{2}:\d{2}:\d{2}(\.\d+)?\s+`)
+
+	// Log level pattern for message cleanup (case-insensitive)
+	logLevelPattern = regexp.MustCompile(`(?i)^\[?(ERROR|WARNING|WARN|INFO|DEBUG)\]?\s*[:-]?\s*`)
+)
+
+// ExtractErrorMessage extracts a clean error message from a log line.
+// It removes timestamps, log level prefixes, and other common noise.
+// If the message is longer than 200 characters, it will be truncated.
+func ExtractErrorMessage(line string) string {
+	// Remove common timestamp patterns using pre-compiled regexes
+	cleanedLine := line
+	cleanedLine = timestampPattern1.ReplaceAllString(cleanedLine, "")
+	cleanedLine = timestampPattern2.ReplaceAllString(cleanedLine, "")
+	cleanedLine = timestampPattern3.ReplaceAllString(cleanedLine, "")
+	cleanedLine = timestampPattern4.ReplaceAllString(cleanedLine, "")
+
+	// Remove common log level prefixes using pre-compiled regex
+	cleanedLine = logLevelPattern.ReplaceAllString(cleanedLine, "")
+
+	// Trim whitespace
+	cleanedLine = strings.TrimSpace(cleanedLine)
+
+	// If the line is too long (>200 chars), truncate it
+	if len(cleanedLine) > 200 {
+		cleanedLine = cleanedLine[:197] + "..."
+	}
+
+	return cleanedLine
+}
diff --git a/pkg/logger/error_formatting_test.go b/pkg/logger/error_formatting_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..8f48ccee27
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/logger/error_formatting_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,175 @@
+package logger
+
+import (
+	"strings"
+	"testing"
+)
+
+func TestExtractErrorMessage(t *testing.T) {
+	tests := []struct {
+		name     string
+		input    string
+		expected string
+	}{
+		{
+			name:     "ISO 8601 timestamp with T separator and Z",
+			input:    "2024-01-01T12:00:00.123Z Error: connection failed",
+			expected: "connection failed",
+		},
+		{
+			name:     "ISO 8601 timestamp with T separator and timezone offset",
+			input:    "2024-01-01T12:00:00.123+00:00 Error: connection failed",
+			expected: "connection failed",
+		},
+		{
+			name:     "Date-time with space separator",
+			input:    "2024-01-01 12:00:00 Error: connection failed",
+			expected: "connection failed",
+		},
+		{
+			name:     "Date-time with space separator and milliseconds",
+			input:    "2024-01-01 12:00:00.456 Error: connection failed",
+			expected: "connection failed",
+		},
+		{
+			name:     "Bracketed date-time",
+			input:    "[2024-01-01 12:00:00] Error: connection failed",
+			expected: "connection failed",
+		},
+		{
+			name:     "Bracketed time only",
+			input:    "[12:00:00] Error: connection failed",
+			expected: "connection failed",
+		},
+		{
+			name:     "Time only with milliseconds",
+			input:    "12:00:00.123 Error: connection failed",
+			expected: "connection failed",
+		},
+		{
+			name:     "Time only without milliseconds",
+			input:    "12:00:00 Error: connection failed",
+			expected: "connection failed",
+		},
+		{
+			name:     "ERROR prefix with colon",
+			input:    "ERROR: connection failed",
+			expected: "connection failed",
+		},
+		{
+			name:     "ERROR prefix without colon",
+			input:    "ERROR connection failed",
+			expected: "connection failed",
+		},
+		{
+			name:     "Bracketed ERROR prefix",
+			input:    "[ERROR] connection failed",
+			expected: "connection failed",
+		},
+		{
+			name:     "Bracketed ERROR prefix with colon",
+			input:    "[ERROR]: connection failed",
+			expected: "connection failed",
+		},
+		{
+			name:     "WARNING prefix",
+			input:    "WARNING: disk space low",
+			expected: "disk space low",
+		},
+		{
+			name:     "WARN prefix",
+			input:    "WARN: deprecated API used",
+			expected: "deprecated API used",
+		},
+		{
+			name:     "INFO prefix",
+			input:    "INFO: service started",
+			expected: "service started",
+		},
+		{
+			name:     "DEBUG prefix",
+			input:    "DEBUG: processing request",
+			expected: "processing request",
+		},
+		{
+			name:     "Case insensitive log level",
+			input:    "error: connection failed",
+			expected: "connection failed",
+		},
+		{
+			name:     "Combined timestamp and log level",
+			input:    "2024-01-01 12:00:00 ERROR: connection failed",
+			expected: "connection failed",
+		},
+		{
+			name:     "Combined ISO timestamp with Z and log level",
+			input:    "2024-01-01T12:00:00Z ERROR: connection failed",
+			expected: "connection failed",
+		},
+		{
+			name:     "Multiple timestamps - only first is removed",
+			input:    "[12:00:00] 2024-01-01 12:00:00 ERROR: connection failed",
+			expected: "2024-01-01 12:00:00 ERROR: connection failed",
+		},
+		{
+			name:     "No timestamp or log level",
+			input:    "connection failed",
+			expected: "connection failed",
+		},
+		{
+			name:     "Empty string",
+			input:    "",
+			expected: "",
+		},
+		{
+			name:     "Only whitespace",
+			input:    "   ",
+			expected: "",
+		},
+		{
+			name:     "Truncation at 200 chars",
+			input:    "ERROR: " + strings.Repeat("a", 250),
+			expected: strings.Repeat("a", 197) + "...",
+		},
+		{
+			name:     "Exactly 200 chars - no truncation",
+			input:    "ERROR: " + strings.Repeat("a", 193),
+			expected: strings.Repeat("a", 193),
+		},
+		{
+			name:     "Real world example from metrics.go",
+			input:    "2024-01-15 14:30:22 ERROR: Failed to connect to database",
+			expected: "Failed to connect to database",
+		},
+		{
+			name:     "Real world example from copilot_agent.go",
+			input:    "2024-01-15T14:30:22.123Z ERROR: API request failed",
+			expected: "API request failed",
+		},
+	}
+
+	for _, tt := range tests {
+		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			result := ExtractErrorMessage(tt.input)
+			if result != tt.expected {
+				t.Errorf("ExtractErrorMessage(%q) = %q, want %q", tt.input, result, tt.expected)
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}
+
+func BenchmarkExtractErrorMessage(b *testing.B) {
+	testLine := "2024-01-01T12:00:00.123Z ERROR: connection failed to remote server"
+	b.ResetTimer()
+	for i := 0; i < b.N; i++ {
+		ExtractErrorMessage(testLine)
+	}
+}
+
+func BenchmarkExtractErrorMessageLong(b *testing.B) {
+	testLine := "2024-01-01T12:00:00.123Z ERROR: " + strings.Repeat("very long error message ", 20)
+	b.ResetTimer()
+	for i := 0; i < b.N; i++ {
+		ExtractErrorMessage(testLine)
+	}
+}
diff --git a/pkg/workflow/claude_logs.go b/pkg/workflow/claude_logs.go
index 933115a30e..dd86ad0aa4 100644
--- a/pkg/workflow/claude_logs.go
+++ b/pkg/workflow/claude_logs.go
@@ -66,7 +66,7 @@ func (e *ClaudeEngine) ParseLogMetrics(logContent string, verbose bool) LogMetri
 		lowerLine := strings.ToLower(line)
 		if strings.Contains(lowerLine, "error") {
 			// Extract error message (remove timestamp and common prefixes)
-			message := extractErrorMessage(line)
+			message := logger.ExtractErrorMessage(line)
 			if message != "" {
 				metrics.Errors = append(metrics.Errors, LogError{
 					Line:    lineNum + 1, // 1-based line numbering
@@ -77,7 +77,7 @@ func (e *ClaudeEngine) ParseLogMetrics(logContent string, verbose bool) LogMetri
 		}
 		if strings.Contains(lowerLine, "warning") {
 			// Extract warning message (remove timestamp and common prefixes)
-			message := extractErrorMessage(line)
+			message := logger.ExtractErrorMessage(line)
 			if message != "" {
 				metrics.Errors = append(metrics.Errors, LogError{
 					Line:    lineNum + 1, // 1-based line numbering
diff --git a/pkg/workflow/metrics.go b/pkg/workflow/metrics.go
index 63f8cd3ef4..3ff241bbcf 100644
--- a/pkg/workflow/metrics.go
+++ b/pkg/workflow/metrics.go
@@ -14,17 +14,6 @@ import (
 
 var metricsLog = logger.New("workflow:metrics")
 
-// Pre-compiled regexes for performance (avoid recompiling in hot paths)
-var (
-	// Timestamp patterns for log cleanup
-	timestampPattern1 = regexp.MustCompile(`^\d{4}-\d{2}-\d{2}\s+\d{2}:\d{2}:\d{2}(\.\d+)?\s+`)
-	timestampPattern2 = regexp.MustCompile(`^\[\d{2}:\d{2}:\d{2}\]\s+`)
-	timestampPattern3 = regexp.MustCompile(`^\d{2}:\d{2}:\d{2}(\.\d+)?\s+`)
-
-	// Log level pattern for message cleanup
-	logLevelPattern = regexp.MustCompile(`(?i)^\[?(ERROR|WARNING|WARN|INFO|DEBUG)\]?\s*[:-]?\s*`)
-)
-
 // ToolCallInfo represents statistics for a single tool
 type ToolCallInfo struct {
 	Name          string        // Prettified tool name (e.g., "github::search_issues", "bash")
@@ -382,7 +371,7 @@ func CountErrorsAndWarningsWithPatterns(logContent string, patterns []ErrorPatte
 			}
 
 			// Clean up the message
-			message = extractErrorMessage(message)
+			message = logger.ExtractErrorMessage(message)
 
 			if strings.ToLower(level) == "error" {
 				if message != "" {
@@ -457,29 +446,6 @@ func extractLevelFromMatchCompiled(match []string, cp compiledPattern) string {
 	return "unknown"
 }
 
-// extractErrorMessage extracts a clean error message from a log line
-// Removes timestamps, log level prefixes, and other common noise
-func extractErrorMessage(line string) string {
-	// Remove common timestamp patterns using pre-compiled regexes
-	cleanedLine := line
-	cleanedLine = timestampPattern1.ReplaceAllString(cleanedLine, "")
-	cleanedLine = timestampPattern2.ReplaceAllString(cleanedLine, "")
-	cleanedLine = timestampPattern3.ReplaceAllString(cleanedLine, "")
-
-	// Remove common log level prefixes using pre-compiled regex
-	cleanedLine = logLevelPattern.ReplaceAllString(cleanedLine, "")
-
-	// Trim whitespace
-	cleanedLine = strings.TrimSpace(cleanedLine)
-
-	// If the line is too long (>200 chars), truncate it
-	if len(cleanedLine) > 200 {
-		cleanedLine = cleanedLine[:197] + "..."
-	}
-
-	return cleanedLine
-}
-
 // FinalizeToolMetrics completes the metric collection process by finalizing sequences,
 // converting tool call maps to sorted slices, and optionally counting errors using patterns.
 // This function is called by engine-specific ParseLogMetrics implementations to avoid code duplication.
diff --git a/pkg/workflow/metrics_test.go b/pkg/workflow/metrics_test.go
index f00420543b..b20a35af54 100644
--- a/pkg/workflow/metrics_test.go
+++ b/pkg/workflow/metrics_test.go
@@ -3,6 +3,8 @@ package workflow
 import (
 	"encoding/json"
 	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/githubnext/gh-aw/pkg/logger"
 )
 
 func TestExtractFirstMatch(t *testing.T) {
@@ -744,9 +746,9 @@ func TestExtractErrorMessage(t *testing.T) {
 
 	for _, tt := range tests {
 		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
-			result := extractErrorMessage(tt.input)
+			result := logger.ExtractErrorMessage(tt.input)
 			if result != tt.expected {
-				t.Errorf("extractErrorMessage(%q) = %q, want %q", tt.input, result, tt.expected)
+				t.Errorf("logger.ExtractErrorMessage(%q) = %q, want %q", tt.input, result, tt.expected)
 			}
 		})
 	}