There is described a method for monitoring a cyclic user program which is executed on an automation device by means of a programming device connected to communicate with the automation device, with a monitoring task being sent from the programming device to the automation device and the monitoring task containing command numbers of the commands to be monitored as well as the associated variables. With the method rarely run branches of the user program can also be easily observed by an execution of a command, by the data associated with the variables with corresponding command number and a first counter value, which assigns the data directly or indirectly to a cycle of the user program, being stored by the automation device in a recording buffer, by the old recording of the associated data including the first counter value being overwritten on renewed execution of the command and by the recording buffer being able to be output at the request of the programming device by the automation device.