---
title: Action Destructive Requires Name
description: Describes what AutoOps detects and surfaces with the Action Destructive Requires Name insight: The cluster still allows destructive index operations with wildcards or _all, so one delete request can target many indices at once.
url: https://docs-v3-preview.elastic.dev/elastic/autoops-insights/tree/main/elasticsearch/action_destructive_requires_name
products:
  - Elastic Cloud Enterprise
  - Elastic Cloud Hosted
  - Elastic Cloud on Kubernetes
  - Elasticsearch
applies_to:
  - Elastic Cloud Hosted: Generally available
  - Elastic Cloud on Kubernetes: Generally available
  - Elastic Cloud Enterprise: Generally available
  - Self-managed Elastic deployments: Generally available
---

# Action Destructive Requires Name
The cluster still allows destructive index operations with wildcards or _all, so one delete request can target many indices at once. That pattern is a common source of accidental full data loss in operations incidents.
<note>
  For a complete list of insights, refer to [AutoOps insights](https://docs-v3-preview.elastic.dev/elastic/autoops-insights/tree/main/elasticsearch).
</note>


## Insight details


| Field     | Value           |
|-----------|-----------------|
| Component | Elasticsearch   |
| Severity  | Medium          |
| Scope     | Cluster         |
| Domains   | security-safety |


## Example: What you might see in AutoOps

The following is an example of what you might see when this insight is triggered. Real insights use live data and links from your deployment or cluster.

### Using wildcards could cause all indices to accidentally be deleted


#### What was detected

_No description available._

#### Recommendations

<note>
  AutoOps shows different recommendations depending on how their conditions match your deployment or cluster.
</note>

<dropdown title="Prevent deletion of wildcard indices">
  **Condition**: Always shown for this insight.Enable `action.destructive_requires_name` so index deletes must name a specific index and cannot use wildcards. Use the action below.
  ```json

  {
    "persistent": {
      "action.destructive_requires_name": "true"
    }
  }
  ```

  <note>
    Requires the `manage cluster` privilege. Requires Elasticsearch 8.0.0 or later. This action changes cluster or index configuration.
  </note>
</dropdown>


#### Background and impact

Impact: The use of wildcards comes with the risk of accidental full data deletion.
It is possible to reduce the risk of accidental deletion of indices by preventing the use of wildcards for destructive (delete) operations.
It is recommended to turn off deleting indices via wildcards or all.