monitoring-elasticsearch

name	monitoring-elasticsearch
description	Elasticsearch cluster monitoring, log analytics, and search optimization. Use when working with Elasticsearch indices, mappings, DSL queries, ES|QL analytics, or shard health.
connection_type	elasticsearch
preload	false

Monitoring Elasticsearch

Discovery

**If no `[cached_from_skill:monitoring-elasticsearch:discover]` context exists, run discovery first:** ```bash bun run ./_skills/connections/elasticsearch/monitoring-elasticsearch/scripts/discover.ts bun run ./_skills/connections/elasticsearch/monitoring-elasticsearch/scripts/discover.ts --max-indices 50 --max-mappings 5 ``` Output is auto-cached.

What discovery provides:

• clusterHealth: Derived health (green/yellow/red) from shard states
• indices: All indices with status, docs.count
• shards: Total count, unassigned count
• mappings: Field names for top indices by document count
• indexPatterns: Detected prefix patterns (e.g., logs-app-*) for query suggestions

Why run discovery:

• Know available indices and their field mappings before building queries
• Detect cluster health issues (unassigned shards) immediately
• Identify index naming patterns for wildcard queries
• Avoid guessing field names — get_mappings reveals actual schema

Smart Query Rules

**Response format**: ES MCP returns multi-content responses (`[text_summary, json_data]` as `string[]`). Parse the JSON block before using: ```typescript function extractData(response: unknown): T { if (Array.isArray(response) && typeof response[0] === "string") { for (let i = response.length - 1; i >= 0; i--) { try { return JSON.parse(response[i]) as T; } catch { continue; } } return [] as T; } return (typeof response === "string" ? JSON.parse(response) : response) as T; } ``` **DSL**: `query_body` must be an object, never a string. Include `size` inside `query_body`. **ES|QL**: Always include `LIMIT` clause. Use `FROM index` not `FROM index*` unless needed. **Prep**: Run `get_mappings` before filtering on fields you haven't confirmed exist.

Bad	Good	Why
query_body: '{"query":...}'	query_body: {"query":...}	Must be object, not JSON string
No size in query_body	query_body: {..., size: 20}	Unbounded results cause timeouts
Filter on guessed field	get_mappings first, then filter	Field may not exist or have different name
FROM logs-* broadly	FROM logs-app-2024.01 specifically	Narrow index = faster query
ES|QL without LIMIT	`...	LIMIT 100`

Query progression: Discovery → Mappings → Targeted small query → Expand if needed

Tools

Indices: list_indices(index_pattern) — list indices with status and doc count. Returns IndexInfo[] Mappings: get_mappings(index) — field names and types. Returns {mappings: {properties: {...}}} Search: search(index, query_body, fields?) — DSL query execution. size, sort, _source go inside query_body. Returns _source docs as array ES|QL: esql(query) — ES|QL analytics. Returns array of objects (column names as keys) Shards: get_shards(index?) — shard allocation and state. index is optional. Returns ShardInfo[]

Quick Patterns

List indices:

import type { IndexInfo } from "./_skills/connections/elasticsearch/monitoring-elasticsearch/schemas";
const indices = extractData<IndexInfo[]>(await list_indices({ index_pattern: "*" }));
const sorted = [...indices].sort((a, b) => (b["docs.count"] || 0) - (a["docs.count"] || 0));

Get mappings before querying:

import type { GetMappingsResult } from "./_skills/connections/elasticsearch/monitoring-elasticsearch/schemas";
const mappings = extractData<GetMappingsResult>(await get_mappings({ index: "logs-app-2024.01" }));
const fields = Object.keys(mappings.mappings.properties);

DSL search:

import type { SearchResult } from "./_skills/connections/elasticsearch/monitoring-elasticsearch/schemas";
const docs = extractData<SearchResult>(await search({
  index: "logs-app-*",
  query_body: {
    query: { bool: { must: [{ match: { level: "ERROR" } }, { range: { "@timestamp": { gte: "now-15m" } } }] } },
    size: 20,
    sort: [{ "@timestamp": "desc" }],
  },
}));

ES|QL analytics:

import type { EsqlResult } from "./_skills/connections/elasticsearch/monitoring-elasticsearch/schemas";
const rows = extractData<EsqlResult>(await esql({
  query: 'FROM logs-app-* | WHERE level == "ERROR" | STATS count = COUNT(*) BY service.name | SORT count DESC | LIMIT 10',
}));

Shard health check:

import type { ShardInfo } from "./_skills/connections/elasticsearch/monitoring-elasticsearch/schemas";
const shards = extractData<ShardInfo[]>(await get_shards({}));
const unassigned = shards.filter(s => s.state !== "STARTED");

Workflows

Error analysis: get_mappings(index) → search(index, {query: {bool: {must: [{match: {level: "ERROR"}}]}}, size: 50}) → aggregate by error type in code Cluster health triage: get_shards({}) → filter unassigned → list_indices({ index_pattern: "*" }) for affected indices Index storage analysis: list_indices({ index_pattern: "*" }) → sort by docs.count → get_mappings on largest → esql for field cardinality

Time & Errors

DSL time filters: "gte": "now-15m", "lte": "now", "format": "epoch_millis" for timestamps ES|QL time: WHERE @timestamp > NOW() - 15 MINUTES

Common Errors:

Error	Cause	Fix
json_parse_exception	query_body passed as string	Pass as object: {query: {...}}
index_not_found_exception	Wrong index name or pattern	Run list_indices first
query_phase_execution_exception	Field type mismatch	Run get_mappings to check field types
too_many_buckets_exception	Aggregation cardinality too high	Add size to aggregation or filter more
ES|QL parsing_exception	Missing LIMIT or syntax error	Add LIMIT, check column names with mappings
missing field deserialization	Required param missing	list_indices requires index_pattern, get_mappings/search require index

Critical Anti-Patterns

String query_body: query_body must be a JSON object {}, never a stringified JSON "{}" Guessing field names: Always run get_mappings first — field names vary across indices No size limit: Always include size inside query_body to avoid fetching all documents ES|QL without LIMIT: Every ES|QL query must include | LIMIT N Wide index patterns: Use specific indices (logs-app-2024.01) over broad wildcards (*) when possible

Output Format

Present results as a structured report:

Monitoring Elasticsearch Report
═══════════════════════════════
Resources discovered: [count]

Resource       Status    Key Metric    Issues
──────────────────────────────────────────────
[name]         [ok/warn] [value]       [findings]

Summary: [total] resources | [ok] healthy | [warn] warnings | [crit] critical
Action Items: [list of prioritized findings]

Target ≤50 lines of output. Use tables for multi-resource comparisons.

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