---
title: stack es explain cli command
description: Explain a document match result. Behaviour flags: --dry-run — validate all inputs and exit without performing any action 
url: https://www.elastic.co/elastic/docs-builder/docs/4083/reference/elastic-cli/cli/stack/es/explain
applies_to:
  - Elastic Cloud Serverless: Preview
  - Elastic Stack: Preview
---

# stack es explain cli command
<cli-modifiers>
</cli-modifiers>

```bash
elastic stack es explain --id <id> --index <index> [options]
```

Explain a document match result.
**Behaviour flags:**
`--dry-run` — validate all inputs and exit without performing any action

## Options

<definitions>
  <definition term="--id string required">
    The document identifier.
  </definition>
  <definition term="--index string required">
    Index names that are used to limit the request.
    Only a single index name can be provided to this parameter.
  </definition>
  <definition term="--analyzer string">
    The analyzer to use for the query string.
    This parameter can be used only when the `q` query string parameter is specified.
  </definition>
  <definition term="--analyze-wildcard">
    If `true`, wildcard and prefix queries are analyzed.
    This parameter can be used only when the `q` query string parameter is specified.
  </definition>
  <definition term="--default-operator enum">
    The default operator for query string query: `and` or `or`.
    This parameter can be used only when the `q` query string parameter is specified.
    **Values:** and, or
  </definition>
  <definition term="--df string">
    The field to use as default where no field prefix is given in the query string.
    This parameter can be used only when the `q` query string parameter is specified.
  </definition>
  <definition term="--lenient">
    If `true`, format-based query failures (such as providing text to a numeric field) in the query string will be ignored.
    This parameter can be used only when the `q` query string parameter is specified.
  </definition>
  <definition term="--preference string">
    The node or shard the operation should be performed on.
    It is random by default.
  </definition>
  <definition term="--routing string">
    A custom value used to route operations to a specific shard.
    Not allowed when `index.slice.enabled` is `true` for the target index; use `_slice` instead.
    **Repeatable:** pass `--routing` multiple times to supply more than one value
  </definition>
  <definition term="--source string">
    `True` or `false` to return the `_source` field or not or a list of fields to return.
  </definition>
  <definition term="--source-excludes string">
    A comma-separated list of source fields to exclude from the response.
    You can also use this parameter to exclude fields from the subset specified in `_source_includes` query parameter.
    If the `_source` parameter is `false`, this parameter is ignored.
    **Repeatable:** pass `--source-excludes` multiple times to supply more than one value
  </definition>
  <definition term="--source-includes string">
    A comma-separated list of source fields to include in the response.
    If this parameter is specified, only these source fields are returned.
    You can exclude fields from this subset using the `_source_excludes` query parameter.
    If the `_source` parameter is `false`, this parameter is ignored.
    **Repeatable:** pass `--source-includes` multiple times to supply more than one value
  </definition>
  <definition term="--stored-fields string">
    A comma-separated list of stored fields to return in the response.
    **Repeatable:** pass `--stored-fields` multiple times to supply more than one value
  </definition>
  <definition term="--q string">
    The query in the Lucene query string syntax.
  </definition>
  <definition term="--query string">
    Defines the search definition using the Query DSL.
  </definition>
  <definition term="--error-trace">
    When set to `true` Elasticsearch will include the full stack trace of errors
    when they occur.
  </definition>
  <definition term="--filter-path string">
    Comma-separated list of filters in dot notation which reduce the response
    returned by Elasticsearch.
    **Repeatable:** pass `--filter-path` multiple times to supply more than one value
  </definition>
  <definition term="--human">
    When set to `true` will return statistics in a format suitable for humans.
    For example `"exists_time": "1h"` for humans and
    `"exists_time_in_millis": 3600000` for computers. When disabled the human
    readable values will be omitted. This makes sense for responses being consumed
    only by machines.
  </definition>
  <definition term="--pretty">
    If set to `true` the returned JSON will be "pretty-formatted". Only use
    this option for debugging only.
  </definition>
  <definition term="--input-file string">
    path to a JSON file to use as command input
  </definition>
  <definition term="--dry-run">
    validate all inputs and exit without performing any action (preview changes without applying them)
  </definition>
</definitions>


## Global Options

<definitions>
  <definition term="--json">
    output as JSON
  </definition>
</definitions>