Use when auditing or optimizing MongoDB query and aggregation performance for an existing data model after data-architecture and the data model exist and performance has set the query SLOs. Produces an explain("executionStats")-driven query review, an index audit (compound/multikey/text/geo/TTL/partial/wildcard), aggregation-pipeline cost review, projection and collation posture, shard-key effectiveness analysis, and profiler-driven hot-collection identification with a remediation plan. Do not use for document modeling, validator or shard-key choice, replication topology, backup, security hardening, or ODM/repository query code; use the other Family B archetype skills (modeling/shard-key is data-model-and-migration; ODM code is the backend skill).
Use when auditing or optimizing MongoDB query and aggregation performance for an existing data model after data-architecture and the data model exist and performance has set the query SLOs. Produces an explain("executionStats")-driven query review, an index audit (compound/multikey/text/geo/TTL/partial/wildcard), aggregation-pipeline cost review, projection and collation posture, shard-key effectiveness analysis, and profiler-driven hot-collection identification with a remediation plan. Do not use for document modeling, validator or shard-key choice, replication topology, backup, security hardening, or ODM/repository query code; use the other Family B archetype skills (modeling/shard-key is data-model-and-migration; ODM code is the backend skill).
MongoDB Indexing and Query Optimization
When to use
Invoke when MongoDB queries or aggregation pipelines miss their SLO, when reviewing an inherited index set for waste or gaps, when a collection has gone hot, or when validating shard-key effectiveness against real query routing.
Do not use for: document modeling, $jsonSchema validators, or shard-key choice (use mongodb-data-model-and-migration); replica read-preference topology (use mongodb-replication-and-ha-readiness); backup/restore (use mongodb-backup-and-operational-readiness); auth/RBAC/encryption (use mongodb-security-and-data-access-hardening); ODM/repository query code (the backend implementation skill owns that — this skill tunes the engine, not application code).
Inputs
Required:
An existing MongoDB data model and index set from mongodb-data-model-and-migration (the collections, validators, and declared access patterns this skill audits against).
Approved performance query SLOs (latency/throughput targets per query class), or explicit confirmation they are intentionally deferred.
Optional:
Approved data-architecture.md consistency and sharding posture (shard-key effectiveness is judged against it).
The slow-query / profiler output, or access to a prod-like dataset to capture it.
Top query and aggregation shapes by frequency and by latency.
Collection sizes, document-size distribution, working-set vs RAM, write rates.
Read-preference in use (affects whether secondary index coverage matters).
Operating rules
Never optimize without evidence. explain("executionStats") (or allPlansExecution) on a representative dataset is the unit of evidence; an index change with no before/after explain is rejected.
Consume performance and data-architecture.md; do not invent decisions. The query SLOs, consistency posture, and sharding decision are upstream. If a needed decision is missing, pause and raise an ADR candidate rather than guessing.
Tune the engine; do not redesign the model. Document shape, validators, and the shard-key choice are mongodb-data-model-and-migration's ownership. This skill audits and optimizes against the existing model; a needed model change is raised as a finding and handed back, not made here.
Every index earns its keep. Each index maps to a named query/aggregation pattern with a cardinality expectation and a write-impact note. Unused, redundant (prefix-of-another), and "just in case" indexes are flagged for removal — index bloat is a write tax and a RAM tax.
Compound index order follows ESR. Equality, then Sort, then Range. A compound index violating ESR for its target query is a defect unless explicitly justified.
A query that does a COLLSCAN on a non-trivial collection is a finding. The fix is an index, a query rewrite, or a documented acceptance with rationale and size bound — never silent.
Covered queries where it matters. For hot read paths, prefer a covering index + projection so the query is served from the index; flag fetched-but-unused fields.
Aggregation pipelines are cost-reviewed stage by stage. $match and $project pushed early; $lookup cardinality bounded; $sort backed by an index or bounded by $limit; $unwind explosion noted. A blocking sort or an unbounded $lookup on a hot path is a finding.
Collation and projection are explicit on text/locale-sensitive paths. A query whose collation differs from its index's collation silently does not use the index — call it out.
Shard-key effectiveness is judged on routing, not theory. Using the profiler / explain, quantify how many queries are single-shard vs scatter-gather; a hot or scatter-prone shard key is reported as a finding to mongodb-data-model-and-migration (resharding is its ownership).
Hot collections are found via the profiler, not guesswork. Enable the profiler at an appropriate threshold (or read the slow-query log), rank by total time and by frequency, and remediate the top contributors.
This skill owns query/index/pipeline optimization. Modeling, replication, backup, security, and ODM code are named handoffs.
Output contract
The optimization MUST conform to:
observability-standards — slow-query/profiler signals and query-latency metrics exposed; the profiler posture is reproducible, not ad-hoc.
naming-conventions — named indexes describing their purpose; no anonymous index keys.
security-standards — profiler/explain captures and exported query samples carry no PII or secrets.
deployment-standards — index builds on live collections use a rollout-safe path (rolling/background) and are reproducible from source.
architecture-schema — indexes stay within the owning component's collections; no cross-component index coupling.
Upstream contract: performance is the source of truth for query SLOs; data-architecture.md is the source of truth for consistency and sharding posture. Document modeling, validators, and shard-key choice belong to mongodb-data-model-and-migration. If a needed decision is missing, pause and raise an ADR candidate.
Progressive references
Read references/mongodb-indexing-playbook.md when auditing any owned area or checking the anti-pattern list.
Read references/mongodb-indexing-quality-rubric.md before declaring the optimization complete.
Use assets/mongodb-indexing.template.md as the explain/index-audit/pipeline-review pattern reference.
Process
Gather context: load performance (query SLOs) and data-architecture.md (consistency, sharding). Pull the existing model, validators, and declared access patterns from mongodb-data-model-and-migration. If a needed decision is missing, raise an ADR candidate before proceeding.
Enable evidence collection: turn on the database profiler at an appropriate slowms (or read the slow-query log) on a representative dataset; capture the top query and aggregation shapes by total time and by frequency.
Audit the index set: list every index, map each to a named query pattern, and flag unused, redundant (prefix), and unjustified indexes for removal with the write/RAM cost stated.
Review hot queries via explain("executionStats"): identify COLLSCAN, large totalDocsExamined : nReturned ratios, in-memory sorts, and non-covered hot reads; propose an index, rewrite, or documented acceptance per finding.
Verify compound-index ESR order against each target query; flag and correct violations.
Cost-review aggregation pipelines stage by stage: early $match/$project, index-backed or bounded $sort, bounded $lookup, noted $unwind explosion; rewrite or index the blocking stages.
Check collation/projection alignment on text/locale-sensitive paths; flag index-collation mismatches that silently disable the index.
Analyze shard-key effectiveness (if sharded): quantify single-shard vs scatter-gather query share; report a hot or scatter-prone key as a finding to mongodb-data-model-and-migration.
Validate: re-run explain("executionStats") for each changed query and capture the before/after; for hot paths, capture the profiler delta; confirm SLOs are met or document the residual gap.
Produce query-optimization.md (profiler findings ranked, index-audit table with keep/drop/add + rationale, per-query before/after explain, pipeline rewrites, shard-key finding if any) plus the named handoff list. Validate against observability-, naming-, security-, deployment-standards and architecture-schema. Revise until all pass or the gap is documented.
Outputs
Required:
Profiler/slow-query findings ranked by total time and frequency.
Index-audit table: every index → query pattern, keep/drop/add decision, write/RAM-cost note.
Per-hot-query explain("executionStats") before/after with the chosen remediation.
Aggregation-pipeline cost review with rewrites for blocking stages.
Collation/projection alignment findings.
Shard-key effectiveness analysis (if sharded) handed back to modeling where the key is wrong.
query-optimization.md and the named handoff list.
Output rules:
Functional, reproducible index/pipeline definitions — not prose-only.
No index change without a before/after explain; no PII/secrets in captured samples.
No model/validator/shard-key redesign here — those are findings handed to mongodb-data-model-and-migration.
Live index builds use a rollout-safe path; modeling, replication, backup, security, and ODM code are named handoffs.
Quality checks
Query SLOs are sourced from performance; consistency/sharding posture from data-architecture.md (or an ADR candidate is raised).
Every index maps to a named query/aggregation pattern; unused, redundant, and "just in case" indexes are flagged with their write/RAM cost.
Every compound index target follows ESR (equality, sort, range) or has a documented exception.
Every COLLSCAN on a non-trivial collection is a finding with an index, rewrite, or documented bounded acceptance.
Hot read paths are covered (index + projection) or the gap is justified.
Aggregation pipelines are stage-cost-reviewed; blocking sorts and unbounded $lookup/$unwind on hot paths are remediated.
Collation/projection mismatches that silently disable an index are called out.
Shard-key effectiveness is quantified (single-shard vs scatter-gather); a wrong key is a finding handed to mongodb-data-model-and-migration.
Every changed query has a captured before/after explain("executionStats"); hot paths have a profiler delta.
Modeling, replication, backup, security, and ODM code are named handoffs, not done here.
Related Family B archetype skills: mongodb-replication-and-ha-readiness, mongodb-backup-and-operational-readiness, mongodb-security-and-data-access-hardening.
Downstream: backend implementation skills own ODM/repository query code; this skill tunes the engine.
