Run a watch

POST also PUT /_watcher/watch/{id}/_execute
POST also PUT /_watcher/watch/_execute

This API can be used to force execution of the watch outside of its triggering logic or to simulate the watch execution for debugging purposes.

For testing and debugging purposes, you also have fine-grained control on how the watch runs. You can run the watch without running all of its actions or alternatively by simulating them. You can also force execution by ignoring the watch condition and control whether a watch record would be written to the watch history after it runs.

You can use the run watch API to run watches that are not yet registered by specifying the watch definition inline. This serves as great tool for testing and debugging your watches prior to adding them to Watcher.

When Elasticsearch security features are enabled on your cluster, watches are run with the privileges of the user that stored the watches. If your user is allowed to read index a, but not index b, then the exact same set of rules will apply during execution of a watch.

When using the run watch API, the authorization data of the user that called the API will be used as a base, instead of the information who stored the watch.

Required authorization

Cluster privileges: manage_watcher

Path Parameters

id string Id optional

The watch identifier.

Leave it out to use /_watcher/watch/_execute.

Query Parameters

debug boolean · default: false: Defines whether the watch runs in debug mode.

Request

Response

application/json

Examples

Run POST _watcher/watch/my_watch/_execute to run a watch. The input defined in the watch is ignored and the alternative_input is used as the payload. The condition as defined by the watch is ignored and is assumed to evaluate to true. The force_simulate action forces the simulation of my-action. Forcing the simulation means that throttling is ignored and the watch is simulated by Watcher instead of being run normally.

Request Console 1 / 7 languages

Console Kibana Dev Tools

POST _watcher/watch/my_watch/_execute
{
  "trigger_data" : { 
    "triggered_time" : "now",
    "scheduled_time" : "now"
  },
  "alternative_input" : { 
    "foo" : "bar"
  },
  "ignore_condition" : true, 
  "action_modes" : {
    "my-action" : "force_simulate" 
  },
  "record_execution" : true 
}

JavaScript Elasticsearch JavaScript Client

const response = await client.watcher.executeWatch({
  id: "my_watch",
  trigger_data: {
    triggered_time: "now",
    scheduled_time: "now",
  },
  alternative_input: {
    foo: "bar",
  },
  ignore_condition: true,
  action_modes: {
    "my-action": "force_simulate",
  },
  record_execution: true,
});

Python Elasticsearch Python Client

resp = client.watcher.execute_watch(
    id="my_watch",
    trigger_data={
        "triggered_time": "now",
        "scheduled_time": "now"
    },
    alternative_input={
        "foo": "bar"
    },
    ignore_condition=True,
    action_modes={
        "my-action": "force_simulate"
    },
    record_execution=True,
)

curl Shell

curl -X POST "$ELASTICSEARCH_URL/_watcher/watch/my_watch/_execute" \
  -H "Authorization: ApiKey $ELASTIC_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "trigger_data": {
      "triggered_time": "now",
      "scheduled_time": "now"
    },
    "alternative_input": {
      "foo": "bar"
    },
    "ignore_condition": true,
    "action_modes": {
      "my-action": "force_simulate"
    },
    "record_execution": true
  }'

Java Elasticsearch Java Client

client.watcher().executeWatch(e -> e
    .actionModes("my-action", ActionExecutionMode.ForceSimulate)
    .alternativeInput("foo", JsonData.fromJson("\"bar\""))
    .id("my_watch")
    .ignoreCondition(true)
    .recordExecution(true)
    .triggerData(t -> t
        .scheduledTime(DateTime.of("now"))
        .triggeredTime(DateTime.of("now"))
    )
);

PHP Elasticsearch PHP Client

$resp = $client->watcher()->executeWatch([
    "id" => "my_watch",
    "body" => [
        "trigger_data" => [
            "triggered_time" => "now",
            "scheduled_time" => "now",
        ],
        "alternative_input" => [
            "foo" => "bar",
        ],
        "ignore_condition" => true,
        "action_modes" => [
            "my-action" => "force_simulate",
        ],
        "record_execution" => true,
    ],
]);

Ruby Elasticsearch Ruby Client

response = client.watcher.execute_watch(
  id: "my_watch",
  body: {
    "trigger_data": {
      "triggered_time": "now",
      "scheduled_time": "now"
    },
    "alternative_input": {
      "foo": "bar"
    },
    "ignore_condition": true,
    "action_modes": {
      "my-action": "force_simulate"
    },
    "record_execution": true
  }
)

Response

{
  "_id": "my_watch_0-2015-06-02T23:17:55.124Z", 
  "watch_record": { 
    "@timestamp": "2015-06-02T23:17:55.124Z",
    "watch_id": "my_watch",
    "node": "my_node",
    "messages": [],
    "trigger_event": {
      "type": "manual",
      "triggered_time": "2015-06-02T23:17:55.124Z",
      "manual": {
        "schedule": {
          "scheduled_time": "2015-06-02T23:17:55.124Z"
        }
      }
    },
    "state": "executed",
    "status": {
      "version": 1,
      "execution_state": "executed",
      "state": {
        "active": true,
        "timestamp": "2015-06-02T23:17:55.111Z"
      },
      "last_checked": "2015-06-02T23:17:55.124Z",
      "last_met_condition": "2015-06-02T23:17:55.124Z",
      "actions": {
        "test_index": {
          "ack": {
            "timestamp": "2015-06-02T23:17:55.124Z",
            "state": "ackable"
          },
          "last_execution": {
            "timestamp": "2015-06-02T23:17:55.124Z",
            "successful": true
          },
          "last_successful_execution": {
            "timestamp": "2015-06-02T23:17:55.124Z",
            "successful": true
          }
        }
      }
    },
    "input": {
      "simple": {
        "payload": {
          "send": "yes"
        }
      }
    },
    "condition": {
      "always": {}
    },
    "result": { 
      "execution_time": "2015-06-02T23:17:55.124Z",
      "execution_duration": 12608,
      "input": {
        "type": "simple",
        "payload": {
          "foo": "bar"
        },
        "status": "success"
      },
      "condition": {
        "type": "always",
        "met": true,
        "status": "success"
      },
      "actions": [
        {
          "id": "test_index",
          "index": {
            "response": {
              "index": "test",
              "version": 1,
              "created": true,
              "result": "created",
              "id": "AVSHKzPa9zx62AzUzFXY"
            }
          },
          "status": "success",
          "type": "index"
        }
      ]
    },
    "user": "test_admin" 
  }
}

Run POST _watcher/watch/my_watch/_execute and set a different mode for each action.

Request Console 1 / 2 languages

Console Kibana Dev Tools

POST _watcher/watch/my_watch/_execute
{
  "action_modes" : {
    "action1" : "force_simulate",
    "action2" : "skip"
  }
}

curl Shell

curl -X POST "$ELASTICSEARCH_URL/_watcher/watch/my_watch/_execute" \
  -H "Authorization: ApiKey $ELASTIC_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
  "action_modes" : {
    "action1" : "force_simulate",
    "action2" : "skip"
  }
}'

Response

{
  "_id": "my_watch_0-2015-06-02T23:17:55.124Z", 
  "watch_record": { 
    "@timestamp": "2015-06-02T23:17:55.124Z",
    "watch_id": "my_watch",
    "node": "my_node",
    "messages": [],
    "trigger_event": {
      "type": "manual",
      "triggered_time": "2015-06-02T23:17:55.124Z",
      "manual": {
        "schedule": {
          "scheduled_time": "2015-06-02T23:17:55.124Z"
        }
      }
    },
    "state": "executed",
    "status": {
      "version": 1,
      "execution_state": "executed",
      "state": {
        "active": true,
        "timestamp": "2015-06-02T23:17:55.111Z"
      },
      "last_checked": "2015-06-02T23:17:55.124Z",
      "last_met_condition": "2015-06-02T23:17:55.124Z",
      "actions": {
        "test_index": {
          "ack": {
            "timestamp": "2015-06-02T23:17:55.124Z",
            "state": "ackable"
          },
          "last_execution": {
            "timestamp": "2015-06-02T23:17:55.124Z",
            "successful": true
          },
          "last_successful_execution": {
            "timestamp": "2015-06-02T23:17:55.124Z",
            "successful": true
          }
        }
      }
    },
    "input": {
      "simple": {
        "payload": {
          "send": "yes"
        }
      }
    },
    "condition": {
      "always": {}
    },
    "result": { 
      "execution_time": "2015-06-02T23:17:55.124Z",
      "execution_duration": 12608,
      "input": {
        "type": "simple",
        "payload": {
          "foo": "bar"
        },
        "status": "success"
      },
      "condition": {
        "type": "always",
        "met": true,
        "status": "success"
      },
      "actions": [
        {
          "id": "test_index",
          "index": {
            "response": {
              "index": "test",
              "version": 1,
              "created": true,
              "result": "created",
              "id": "AVSHKzPa9zx62AzUzFXY"
            }
          },
          "status": "success",
          "type": "index"
        }
      ]
    },
    "user": "test_admin" 
  }
}

Run POST _watcher/watch/_execute to run a watch inline. All other settings for this API still apply when inlining a watch. In this example, while the inline watch defines a compare condition, during the execution this condition will be ignored.

Request Console 1 / 2 languages

Console Kibana Dev Tools

POST _watcher/watch/_execute
{
  "watch" : {
    "trigger" : { "schedule" : { "interval" : "10s" } },
    "input" : {
      "search" : {
        "request" : {
          "indices" : [ "logs" ],
          "body" : {
            "query" : {
              "match" : { "message": "error" }
            }
          }
        }
      }
    },
    "condition" : {
      "compare" : { "ctx.payload.hits.total" : { "gt" : 0 }}
    },
    "actions" : {
      "log_error" : {
        "logging" : {
          "text" : "Found {{ctx.payload.hits.total}} errors in the logs"
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

curl Shell

curl -X POST "$ELASTICSEARCH_URL/_watcher/watch/_execute" \
  -H "Authorization: ApiKey $ELASTIC_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
  "watch" : {
    "trigger" : { "schedule" : { "interval" : "10s" } },
    "input" : {
      "search" : {
        "request" : {
          "indices" : [ "logs" ],
          "body" : {
            "query" : {
              "match" : { "message": "error" }
            }
          }
        }
      }
    },
    "condition" : {
      "compare" : { "ctx.payload.hits.total" : { "gt" : 0 }}
    },
    "actions" : {
      "log_error" : {
        "logging" : {
          "text" : "Found {{ctx.payload.hits.total}} errors in the logs"
        }
      }
    }
  }
}'

Response

{
  "_id": "my_watch_0-2015-06-02T23:17:55.124Z", 
  "watch_record": { 
    "@timestamp": "2015-06-02T23:17:55.124Z",
    "watch_id": "my_watch",
    "node": "my_node",
    "messages": [],
    "trigger_event": {
      "type": "manual",
      "triggered_time": "2015-06-02T23:17:55.124Z",
      "manual": {
        "schedule": {
          "scheduled_time": "2015-06-02T23:17:55.124Z"
        }
      }
    },
    "state": "executed",
    "status": {
      "version": 1,
      "execution_state": "executed",
      "state": {
        "active": true,
        "timestamp": "2015-06-02T23:17:55.111Z"
      },
      "last_checked": "2015-06-02T23:17:55.124Z",
      "last_met_condition": "2015-06-02T23:17:55.124Z",
      "actions": {
        "test_index": {
          "ack": {
            "timestamp": "2015-06-02T23:17:55.124Z",
            "state": "ackable"
          },
          "last_execution": {
            "timestamp": "2015-06-02T23:17:55.124Z",
            "successful": true
          },
          "last_successful_execution": {
            "timestamp": "2015-06-02T23:17:55.124Z",
            "successful": true
          }
        }
      }
    },
    "input": {
      "simple": {
        "payload": {
          "send": "yes"
        }
      }
    },
    "condition": {
      "always": {}
    },
    "result": { 
      "execution_time": "2015-06-02T23:17:55.124Z",
      "execution_duration": 12608,
      "input": {
        "type": "simple",
        "payload": {
          "foo": "bar"
        },
        "status": "success"
      },
      "condition": {
        "type": "always",
        "met": true,
        "status": "success"
      },
      "actions": [
        {
          "id": "test_index",
          "index": {
            "response": {
              "index": "test",
              "version": 1,
              "created": true,
              "result": "created",
              "id": "AVSHKzPa9zx62AzUzFXY"
            }
          },
          "status": "success",
          "type": "index"
        }
      ]
    },
    "user": "test_admin" 
  }
}

Required authorization

Path Parameters

Query Parameters

Request { action_modes , alternative_input , ignore_condition , record_execution , simulated_actions , trigger_data , watch , }

Response

Request