capture-mongodb-create

name	capture-mongodb-create
description	Create a MongoDB CDC capture using flowctl. Use when setting up real-time streaming from MongoDB Atlas, DocumentDB, or self-hosted MongoDB. Use when user says "capture MongoDB", "stream from Mongo", "MongoDB CDC", or "connect MongoDB to Estuary".

Create MongoDB Capture

Create a MongoDB capture using flowctl to stream data from MongoDB collections into Estuary collections using Change Data Capture (CDC).

Applies to: source-mongodb, source-amazon-documentdb, source-azure-cosmos-db

Step 0: Load Connector Documentation

Before proceeding, fetch the official connector docs for prerequisites, config reference, and deployment-specific setup.

Always load the main page: https://docs.estuary.dev/reference/Connectors/capture-connectors/MongoDB/

Then load the variant subpage based on the user's deployment:

Deployment	Docs URL
MongoDB Atlas	Main page covers this
Self-hosted MongoDB	Main page covers this
Amazon DocumentDB	https://docs.estuary.dev/reference/Connectors/capture-connectors/MongoDB/amazon-documentdb/
Azure Cosmos DB	https://docs.estuary.dev/reference/Connectors/capture-connectors/MongoDB/azure-cosmosdb/

Use WebFetch to load these pages. Together they cover:

• Prerequisites (replica set requirement, user permissions)
• Full config property reference
• Capture modes (Change Stream Incremental, Batch Snapshot, Batch Incremental)
• SSH tunnel configuration
• Network access / IP allowlisting

This skill provides the flowctl workflow and troubleshooting that docs don't cover.

Step 1: Gather Requirements

Before writing any YAML, ask the user:

1. Deployment type? — MongoDB Atlas, self-hosted replica set, Amazon DocumentDB, or Azure Cosmos DB
2. Network path? — Direct connection (Atlas/cloud with IP allowlist), SSH tunnel (private network), Private Link (AWS/Azure/GCP), or ngrok (local dev)
3. Non-default data plane? — Most users use the default. Ask if they need a non-default data plane.
4. Database and collections? — Which database, all collections or specific subset
5. Capture mode? — Change Stream Incremental (default CDC), Batch Snapshot, or Batch Incremental

Critical check: MongoDB CDC requires a replica set. Atlas and DocumentDB always are. Self-hosted standalone will NOT work — must be converted to replica set first.

Step 2: Find the Correct Connector Version

Always use the latest numbered version tag. Query the connector registry to find it:

flowctl raw get --table connector_tags \
  --query 'documentation_url=ilike.*source-mongodb*' \
  --query 'select=image_tag,documentation_url' \
  --output yaml

Choose the connector image:

Deployment	Connector Image
MongoDB Atlas / Self-hosted	ghcr.io/estuary/source-mongodb
Amazon DocumentDB	ghcr.io/estuary/source-mongodb (same connector, different config)
Azure Cosmos DB	ghcr.io/estuary/source-mongodb (same connector, different config)

Step 3: Help User Complete Prerequisites

Walk the user through prerequisites from the docs loaded in Step 0:

1. Replica set — rs.status() should return replica set info, not an error
2. User permissions — needs read role on target database and read on local (for oplog)
3. Oplog retention — at least 24 hours recommended to avoid forced re-backfills
4. Network access — Estuary IPs allowlisted, or SSH tunnel configured

Step 4: Create the Capture Spec File

Build flow.yaml using the config reference from the docs. Minimal required config:

captures:
  <tenant>/<path>/source-mongodb:
    endpoint:
      connector:
        image: ghcr.io/estuary/source-mongodb:<version>
        config:
          address: "<connection_string>"
          database: "<database_name>"
          user: "<username>"
          password: "<password>"
    bindings: []

Important: The user and password fields are required even if MongoDB auth is disabled.

For SSH tunnel, add networkTunnel.sshForwarding block — see docs for full config.

Connection String Formats

These are critical and easy to get wrong — not fully covered in docs:

# MongoDB Atlas (SRV)
mongodb+srv://cluster0.xxxxx.mongodb.net/?authSource=admin

# MongoDB Atlas (standard)
mongodb://shard-00-00.xxxxx.mongodb.net:27017,.../?ssl=true&replicaSet=atlas-xxxxx&authSource=admin

# Self-hosted (single node replica set)
mongodb://hostname:27017/?authSource=admin&directConnection=true

# Amazon DocumentDB
mongodb://docdb-cluster.xxxxx.us-east-1.docdb.amazonaws.com:27017/?ssl=true&replicaSet=rs0&retryWrites=false

# Via ngrok (local dev)
mongodb://0.tcp.ngrok.io:12345/?authSource=admin&directConnection=true

Key parameters:

• authSource=admin — required when user is defined in admin db
• directConnection=true — use for single-node connections
• ssl=true — required for Atlas and DocumentDB

Step 5: Discover and Publish

# Discover collections
flowctl discover --source flow.yaml

# Review the generated bindings
cat flow.yaml

# Publish the capture
flowctl catalog publish --source flow.yaml --auto-approve

Step 6: Verify

# Check status (expect PENDING → BACKFILLING → OK: Streaming Change Events)
flowctl catalog status <tenant>/<path>/source-mongodb

# View recent logs
flowctl logs --task <tenant>/<path>/source-mongodb --since 5m | jq -c '{ts, message}'

# Read captured data
flowctl collections read --collection <tenant>/<path>/<database>/<collection> --uncommitted | head -10

Status progression:

1. PENDING — normal for ~30 seconds during shard assignment
2. BACKFILLING — initial snapshot of collections
3. OK: Streaming Change Events — CDC running normally

Troubleshooting

"not a replica set" or "change stream not supported"

Cause: MongoDB is standalone, not a replica set

Fix: Atlas/DocumentDB are always replica sets. For self-hosted:

# Add to mongod.conf, restart, then:
mongo --eval "rs.initiate()"

"not authorized" or "Authentication failed"

Cause: Invalid credentials or missing permissions

Fix:

1. Verify username/password
2. Check authSource parameter (usually admin)
3. Grant required roles:

db.grantRolesToUser("flow_capture", [
  { role: "read", db: "target_database" },
  { role: "read", db: "local" }
])

Missing authSource=admin in connection string

Cause: User authenticates against admin db but authSource not specified

Fix: Add ?authSource=admin to connection string.

"server selection error" or "no reachable servers"

Cause: Incorrect connection string or network issues

Fix:

1. Verify connection string format matches deployment type
2. For Atlas SRV records, ensure DNS resolution works
3. Check if SSL/TLS is required (ssl=true)

"resume token not found" or forced re-backfill

Cause: Oplog rolled over while connector was paused/stopped

Impact: Connector must re-snapshot all data (happens automatically)

Prevention: Increase oplog size, keep retention at least 24 hours, don't pause captures for extended periods.

"user and password are required"

Cause: Config missing user/password fields

Fix: Always include user and password even if MongoDB auth is disabled — use placeholder values.

Understanding MongoDB "update" semantics

In MongoDB, deleting a field from a document appears as an "update" event, not a delete. The captured document reflects the new state without that field.

Capture stuck in PENDING

Wait 30-60 seconds — this is normal during shard assignment. If still stuck:

flowctl logs --task <tenant>/<path>/source-mongodb --since 5m | jq 'select(.level == "error" or .level == "warn")'

Related Skills

• connector-disable-enable — Pause/restart existing captures
• connector-delete-recreate — Nuclear option for stuck captures
• estuary-logs — Deep log analysis
• estuary-catalog-status — Status checking