---
type: api
title: Acknowledge a watch
description: **All methods and paths for this operation:**
url: https://www.elastic.co/elastic/docs-builder/docs/4493/api/doc/elasticsearch/v8/operation/operation-watcher-ack-watch
resource: https://www.elastic.co/elastic/docs-builder/docs/4493/api/doc/elasticsearch/v8/operation/operation-watcher-ack-watch
products:
  - Elasticsearch
---

# Acknowledge a watch


## Paths

- `POST` (also `PUT`) `/_watcher/watch/{watch_id}/_ack/{action_id}`
- `POST` (also `PUT`) `/_watcher/watch/{watch_id}/_ack`

#### Path parameters

- `watch_id` (string) — required
  The watch identifier.
- `action_id` (union string | string[]) — optional, leave it out to use `/_watcher/watch/{watch_id}/_ack`
  A comma-separated list of the action identifiers to acknowledge.
If you omit this parameter, all of the actions of the watch are acknowledged.

## Description

Acknowledging a watch enables you to manually throttle the execution of the watch's actions.

The acknowledgement state of an action is stored in the `status.actions.<id>.ack.state` structure.

IMPORTANT: If the specified watch is currently being executed, this API will return an error
The reason for this behavior is to prevent overwriting the watch status from a watch execution.

Acknowledging an action throttles further executions of that action until its `ack.state` is reset to `awaits_successful_execution`.
This happens when the condition of the watch is not met (the condition evaluates to false).

## Required authorization

- Cluster privileges: `manage_watcher`

## Authentication

- Api key: `Authorization: <value>`
  Elasticsearch APIs support key-based authentication.
  You must create an API key and use the encoded value in the request header.
  For example:
  
  
  ```
  curl -X GET "${ES_URL}/_cat/indices?v=true" \
    -H "Authorization: ApiKey ${API_KEY}"
  ```
  
  To get API keys, use the `/_security/api_key` APIs.
- Basic: `Authorization: Basic <credentials>`
- Bearer: `Authorization: Bearer <token>`
  Elasticsearch APIs support the use of bearer tokens in the `Authorization` HTTP header to authenticate with the API.
  For examples, refer to [Token-based authentication services](https://www.elastic.co/guide/en/elasticsearch/reference/current/token-authentication-services.html)

## Response

`application/json`

- `status` (object)
  - `actions` (object)
  - `last_checked` (union)
  - `last_met_condition` (union)
  - `state` (object)
    - `active` (boolean)
    - `timestamp` (union)
  - `version` (number)
  - `execution_state` (string)
## Code examples

#### Console

```console
POST _watcher/watch/my_watch/_ack
```

#### JavaScript

```javascript
const response = await client.watcher.ackWatch({
  watch_id: "my_watch",
});
```

#### Python

```python
resp = client.watcher.ack_watch(
    watch_id="my_watch",
)
```

#### curl

```curl
curl -X POST "$ELASTICSEARCH_URL/_watcher/watch/my_watch/_ack" \
  -H "Authorization: ApiKey $ELASTIC_API_KEY"
```

#### Java

```java
client.watcher().ackWatch(a -> a
    .watchId("my_watch")
);
```

#### PHP

```php
$resp = $client->watcher()->ackWatch([
    "watch_id" => "my_watch",
]);
```

#### Ruby

```ruby
response = client.watcher.ack_watch(
  watch_id: "my_watch"
)
```

## Response examples

#### Watcher ack watch response example1

A successful response from `POST _watcher/watch/my_watch/_ack`.

```json
{
  "status": {
    "state": {
      "active": true,
      "timestamp": "2015-05-26T18:04:27.723Z"
    },
    "last_checked": "2015-05-26T18:04:27.753Z",
    "last_met_condition": "2015-05-26T18:04:27.763Z",
    "actions": {
      "test_index": {
        "ack" : {
          "timestamp": "2015-05-26T18:04:27.713Z",
          "state": "acked"
        },
        "last_execution" : {
          "timestamp": "2015-05-25T18:04:27.733Z",
          "successful": true
        },
        "last_successful_execution" : {
          "timestamp": "2015-05-25T18:04:27.773Z",
          "successful": true
        }
      }
    },
    "execution_state": "executed",
    "version": 2
  }
}
```