---
title: Cluster Blocks Read Only Allow Delete
description: Describes what AutoOps detects and surfaces with the Cluster Blocks Read Only Allow Delete insight: The cluster blocks writes but still allows delete operations.
url: https://docs-v3-preview.elastic.dev/elastic/autoops-insights/tree/main/elasticsearch/cluster_blocks_read_only_allow_delete
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
---

# Cluster Blocks Read Only Allow Delete
The cluster blocks writes but still allows delete operations. Indexing stops while space can be reclaimed by deleting indices or documents.
<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  | High           |
| Scope     | Cluster        |
| Domains   | cluster-health |


## 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.

### The cluster is blocked and only delete operations are allowed


#### 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="Clear cluster read-only block">
  **Condition**: Shown when enough disk space.Clear the cluster read-only block so indexing can resume. Use the action below, or set `cluster.blocks.read_only` to null in cluster settings.
  ```json

  {
    "transient": {
      "cluster.blocks.read_only": null
    },
    "persistent": {
      "cluster.blocks.read_only": null
    }
  }
  ```

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

<dropdown title="Free disk before clearing read-only block">
  **Condition**: Shown when not enough disk space.The cluster hit the low disk watermark. Increase disk space or delete old indices before you clear the read-only block. Deleting indices is permanent; confirm backups first.
</dropdown>


#### Background and impact

Impact: When this setting is set to true, indexing is blocked and this will prevent your cluster from storing new data.
The setting 'cluster.blocks.read_only_allow delete' is currently set to true, which means indexing is blocked and only delete operations are available.
This block might have been applied automatically by the cluster due to a disk space issue, or it might have been applied manually by an operator to prevent indexing to the cluster.