managing-meilisearch

name	managing-meilisearch
description	Use when working with Meilisearch — meilisearch index management, search performance analysis, ranking rule optimization, and filterable/sortable attribute configuration. Covers index health, task queues, document counts, typo tolerance settings, and API key management. Read this skill before any Meilisearch operations.
connection_type	meilisearch
preload	false

Meilisearch Management Skill

Monitor, analyze, and optimize Meilisearch instances safely.

MANDATORY: Discovery-First Pattern

Always check instance health and list indexes before any search or config operations. Never assume index UIDs or field names.

Phase 1: Discovery

#!/bin/bash

MEILI_URL="${MEILI_URL:-http://localhost:7700}"
MEILI_AUTH="${MEILI_MASTER_KEY:+Authorization: Bearer $MEILI_MASTER_KEY}"

echo "=== Instance Health ==="
curl -s "$MEILI_URL/health" ${MEILI_AUTH:+-H "$MEILI_AUTH"}

echo ""
echo "=== Version ==="
curl -s "$MEILI_URL/version" ${MEILI_AUTH:+-H "$MEILI_AUTH"}

echo ""
echo "=== Indexes ==="
curl -s "$MEILI_URL/indexes?limit=100" ${MEILI_AUTH:+-H "$MEILI_AUTH"} | python3 -c "
import sys, json
data = json.load(sys.stdin)
for idx in data.get('results', []):
    print(f\"Index: {idx['uid']} | PrimaryKey: {idx.get('primaryKey','none')} | Docs: {idx.get('numberOfDocuments','?')} | Created: {idx.get('createdAt','?')}\")
" 2>/dev/null

echo ""
echo "=== Stats ==="
curl -s "$MEILI_URL/stats" ${MEILI_AUTH:+-H "$MEILI_AUTH"} | python3 -c "
import sys, json
data = json.load(sys.stdin)
print(f\"Database size: {data.get('databaseSize',0)//1048576}MB\")
for idx, stats in data.get('indexes', {}).items():
    print(f\"  {idx}: {stats.get('numberOfDocuments',0)} docs, fields: {list(stats.get('fieldDistribution',{}).keys())[:5]}\")
" 2>/dev/null

echo ""
echo "=== Recent Tasks ==="
curl -s "$MEILI_URL/tasks?limit=10" ${MEILI_AUTH:+-H "$MEILI_AUTH"} | python3 -c "
import sys, json
data = json.load(sys.stdin)
for t in data.get('results', []):
    print(f\"Task {t['uid']}: {t['type']} | {t['status']} | Index: {t.get('indexUid','?')}\")
" 2>/dev/null

Phase 1 outputs: Instance version, index list with doc counts, field distributions, recent task status.

Phase 2: Analysis

#!/bin/bash

MEILI_URL="${MEILI_URL:-http://localhost:7700}"
MEILI_AUTH="${MEILI_MASTER_KEY:+Authorization: Bearer $MEILI_MASTER_KEY}"
INDEX="${1:-my_index}"

echo "=== Index Settings: $INDEX ==="
curl -s "$MEILI_URL/indexes/$INDEX/settings" ${MEILI_AUTH:+-H "$MEILI_AUTH"} | python3 -c "
import sys, json
s = json.load(sys.stdin)
print(f\"Ranking rules: {s.get('rankingRules',[])}\")
print(f\"Searchable: {s.get('searchableAttributes',['*'])}\")
print(f\"Filterable: {s.get('filterableAttributes',[])}\")
print(f\"Sortable: {s.get('sortableAttributes',[])}\")
print(f\"Typo tolerance: {s.get('typoTolerance',{}).get('enabled', True)}\")
print(f\"Pagination limit: {s.get('pagination',{}).get('maxTotalHits', 1000)}\")
" 2>/dev/null

echo ""
echo "=== Failed Tasks ==="
curl -s "$MEILI_URL/tasks?statuses=failed&limit=5" ${MEILI_AUTH:+-H "$MEILI_AUTH"} | python3 -c "
import sys, json
data = json.load(sys.stdin)
for t in data.get('results', []):
    err = t.get('error', {})
    print(f\"Task {t['uid']}: {t['type']} | {err.get('message','?')}\")
" 2>/dev/null || echo "No failed tasks"

Output Format

MEILISEARCH ANALYSIS
====================
Version: [version] | Health: [available/unavailable]
Indexes: [count] | Total Docs: [count] | DB Size: [size]

ISSUES FOUND:
- [issue with affected index]

RECOMMENDATIONS:
- [actionable recommendation]

Anti-Hallucination Rules

1. NEVER assume resource names — always discover via CLI/API in Phase 1 before referencing in Phase 2.
2. NEVER fabricate metric names or dimensions — verify against the service documentation or --help output.
3. NEVER mix CLI commands between service versions — confirm which version/API you are targeting.
4. ALWAYS use the discovery → verify → analyze chain — every resource referenced must have been discovered first.
5. ALWAYS handle empty results gracefully — an empty response is valid data, not an error to retry.

Counter-Rationalizations

Shortcut	Counter	Why
"I'll skip discovery and check known resources"	Always run Phase 1 discovery first	Resource names change, new resources appear — assumed names cause errors
"The user only asked for a quick check"	Follow the full discovery → analysis flow	Quick checks miss critical issues; structured analysis catches silent failures
"Default configuration is probably fine"	Audit configuration explicitly	Defaults often leave logging, security, and optimization features disabled
"Metrics aren't needed for this"	Always check relevant metrics when available	API/CLI responses show current state; metrics reveal trends and intermittent issues
"I don't have access to that"	Try the command and report the actual error	Assumed permission failures prevent useful investigation; actual errors are informative