Techniques for non-intrusive performance of diagnostic actions including actions that result in gathering of diagnostic data in response to a condition detected in a monitored system. In one embodiment, the diagnostic actions are performed asynchronously by processes or threads that are different from the failing process or thread that receives or detects the condition that triggers the diagnostic actions such that the failing process or thread can continue processing without being affected by the executions of the diagnostic actions. Multiple asynchronous processes or threads that are different from the failing process or thread may be spawned to perform multiple diagnostic actions in parallel. The asynchronous processes or threads may be monitored to ensure that they do not adversely impact the monitored system.