Run a watch

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

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 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 body

action_modes map string to enum

Determines how to handle the watch actions as part of the watch execution.

<string> enum
Values: simulate force_simulate execute force_execute skip
alternative_input map string to object

When present, the watch uses this object as a payload instead of executing its own input.

ignore_condition boolean · default: false

When set to true, the watch execution uses the always condition. This can also be specified as an HTTP parameter.

record_execution boolean · default: false

When set to true, the watch record representing the watch execution result is persisted to the .watcher-history index for the current time. In addition, the status of the watch is updated, possibly throttling subsequent runs. This can also be specified as an HTTP parameter.

simulated_actions object
actions string[] required
all object required
Same fields as simulated_actions
use_all boolean required
trigger_data object

This structure is parsed as the data of the trigger event that will be used during the watch execution.

scheduled_time union oneOf required
One of: string or number
triggered_time union oneOf
One of: string or number
watch object · default: null

When present, this watch is used instead of the one specified in the request. This watch is not persisted to the index and record_execution cannot be set.

actions map string to object required
<string> object
action_type enum
Values: email webhook index logging slack pagerduty
condition object
always object
array_compare map string to object · min properties: 1 · max properties: 1
<string> object
path string required
compare map string to string to oneOf · min properties: 1 · max properties: 1
<string> map string to oneOf · min properties: 1 · max properties: 1
never object
script object
lang string · default: painless
params map string to object
source string
id string
foreach string
max_iterations number
name string
throttle_period string
throttle_period_in_millis number
transform object
chain object[]
Same fields as transform in actions
script object
lang string · default: painless
params map string to object
source string
id string
request object required
body object
query {} Query required
indices string[]
indices_options object
allow_no_indices boolean

If false, the request returns an error if any wildcard expression, index alias, or _all value targets only missing or closed indices. This behavior applies even if the request targets other open indices. For example, a request targeting foo*,bar* returns an error if an index starts with foo but no index starts with bar.

expand_wildcards union oneOf

Type of index that wildcard patterns can match. If the request can target data streams, this argument determines whether wildcard expressions match hidden data streams. Supports comma-separated values, such as open,hidden.

Supported values include:

  • all: Match any data stream or index, including hidden ones.
  • open: Match open, non-hidden indices. Also matches any non-hidden data stream.
  • closed: Match closed, non-hidden indices. Also matches any non-hidden data stream. Data streams cannot be closed.
  • hidden: Match hidden data streams and hidden indices. Must be combined with open, closed, or both.
  • none: Wildcard expressions are not accepted.
Values: all open closed hidden none
ignore_unavailable boolean · default: false

If true, missing or closed indices are not included in the response.

ignore_throttled boolean · default: true

If true, concrete, expanded or aliased indices are ignored when frozen.

search_type enum

Supported values include:

  • query_then_fetch: Documents are scored using local term and document frequencies for the shard. This is usually faster but less accurate.
  • dfs_query_then_fetch: Documents are scored using global term and document frequencies across all shards. This is usually slower but more accurate.
Values: query_then_fetch dfs_query_then_fetch
template object
explain boolean · default: false
id string

ID of the search template to use. If no source is specified, this parameter is required.

params map string to object
profile boolean · default: false
source string

An inline search template. Supports the same parameters as the search API's request body. Also supports Mustache variables. If no id is specified, this parameter is required.

rest_total_hits_as_int boolean
timeout string required
index object
index string required
doc_id string
refresh enum
Values: true false wait_for
op_type enum · default: index

Supported values include:

  • index: Overwrite any documents that already exist.
  • create: Only index documents that do not already exist.
Values: index create
timeout string · default: 60s
execution_time_field string
logging object
level string
text string required
category string
email object
id string
bcc union string | string[]
body object
html string
text string
cc union string | string[]
from string
priority enum
Values: lowest low normal high highest
reply_to union string | string[]
sent_date union oneOf
One of: string or number
subject string required
to union string | string[] required
attachments map string to object
<string> object · min properties: 1 · max properties: 1
http object
content_type string
inline boolean
request object
auth object
basic object required
password string required
username string required
body string
connection_timeout string
headers map string to string
host string
method enum
Values: head get post put delete
params map string to string
path string
port number
proxy object
host string required
port number required
read_timeout string
scheme enum
Values: http https
url string
reporting object
url string required
inline boolean
retries number · default: 40
interval string · default: 15s
request object
Same fields as request in http
data object
format enum
Values: json yaml
pagerduty object
account string
attach_payload boolean required
client string
client_url string
contexts object[]
href string
src string
type enum required
Values: link image
description string required
event_type enum · default: trigger
Values: trigger resolve acknowledge
incident_key string required
proxy object
host string
port number
slack object
account string
message object required
attachments object[] required
author_icon string
author_name string required
color string
fallback string
fields object[]
short boolean required
title string required
value string required
image_url string
pretext string
text string
thumb_url string
title string required
ts number
dynamic_attachments object
attachment_template object required
Same fields as attachments in message
list_path string required
from string required
icon string
text string required
to string[] required
webhook object
auth object
basic object required
password string required
username string required
body string
connection_timeout string
headers map string to string
host string
method enum
Values: head get post put delete
params map string to string
path string
port number
proxy object
host string required
port number required
read_timeout string
scheme enum
Values: http https
url string
condition object required
Same fields as condition in actions
input object required
chain object
inputs string to object[] required
Same fields as input in watch
http object
extract string[]
request object
Same fields as request in http
response_content_type enum
Values: json yaml text
extract string[]
request object required
Same fields as request in search
timeout string
simple map string to object
metadata object
status object
actions object required
last_checked union oneOf
One of: string or number
last_met_condition union oneOf
One of: string or number
state object required
active boolean required
timestamp union oneOf required
One of: string or number
version number required
execution_state string
throttle_period string
throttle_period_in_millis number
transform object
Same fields as transform in actions
trigger object required
schedule object
timezone string
cron string
daily object
at union oneOf[] required
One of:
hourly object
minute number[] required
interval string
monthly union oneOf
object or object[]
at string[] required
on number[] required
weekly union oneOf
object or object[]
at string[] required
on enum[] required
Values: sunday monday tuesday wednesday thursday friday saturday
yearly union oneOf
object or object[]
at string[] required
int enum[] required
Values: january february march april may june july august september october november december
on number[] required

Response

application/json
_id string required

The watch record identifier as it would be stored in the .watcher-history index.

watch_record object required

The watch record document as it would be stored in the .watcher-history index.

condition object required
Same fields as condition in actions
input object required
Same fields as input in watch
messages string[] required
metadata object
node string required
result object required
actions object[] required
email object
account string
message object required
id string
bcc union string | string[]
body object
html string
text string
cc union string | string[]
from string
priority enum
Values: lowest low normal high highest
reply_to union string | string[]
sent_date union oneOf
One of: string or number
subject string required
to union string | string[] required
attachments map string to object
<string> object · min properties: 1 · max properties: 1
http object
Same fields as http in attachments
reporting object
url string required
inline boolean
retries number · default: 40
interval string · default: 15s
request object
Same fields as request in http
data object
format enum
Values: json yaml
reason string
id string required
index object
response object required
created boolean required
id string required
index string required
result enum required
Values: created updated deleted not_found noop
version number required
logging object
logged_text string required
pagerduty object
event object required
account string
attach_payload boolean required
client string
client_url string
contexts object[]
href string
src string
type enum required
Values: link image
description string required
event_type enum · default: trigger
Values: trigger resolve acknowledge
incident_key string required
proxy object
host string
port number
reason string
request object
auth object
basic object required
password string required
username string required
body string
connection_timeout string
headers map string to string
host string
method enum
Values: head get post put delete
params map string to string
path string
port number
proxy object
host string required
port number required
read_timeout string
scheme enum
Values: http https
url string
response object
body string required
headers object required
status number required
reason string
slack object
account string
message object required
Same fields as message in slack
status enum required
Values: success failure simulated throttled
type enum required
Values: email webhook index logging slack pagerduty
webhook object
request object required
Same fields as request in pagerduty
response object
body string required
headers object required
status number required
error object
type string required

The type of error

reason union string nullable

A human-readable explanation of the error, in English.

One of: string
stack_trace string

The server stack trace. Present only if the error_trace=true parameter was sent with the request.

caused_by object
Same fields as error in actions
root_cause object[]
Same fields as error in actions
suppressed object[]
Same fields as error in actions
condition object required
met boolean required
status enum required
Values: success failure simulated throttled
type enum required
Values: always never script compare array_compare
execution_duration number required
execution_time union oneOf required
One of: string or number
input object required
payload map string to object required
status enum required
Values: success failure simulated throttled
type enum required
Values: http search simple
state enum required
Values: awaits_execution checking execution_not_needed throttled executed failed deleted_while_queued not_executed_already_queued
trigger_event object required
manual object required
schedule object
scheduled_time union oneOf required
One of: string or number
triggered_time union oneOf
One of: string or number
triggered_time union oneOf required
One of: string or number
type string required
user string required
watch_id string required
status object
actions object required
last_checked union oneOf
One of: string or number
last_met_condition union oneOf
One of: string or number
state object required
active boolean required
timestamp union oneOf required
One of: string or number
version number required
execution_state string