# elasticsearch-esql

A skill that has the agent write and run ES|QL queries: check the index schema first, then generate the query and execute it.

- skill · `type=skill` · Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, OpenCode · 4800 installs · ★ 601
- Author: elastic
- License: Apache-2.0 · policy=mirror · the beginning of the file is at the end of this page
- Source: https://github.com/elastic/agent-skills/tree/HEAD/skills/elasticsearch/elasticsearch-esql/SKILL.md
- Updated: 2026-10-23
- HTML: https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/skills/elasticsearch-esql

## What it does

The skill handles Elasticsearch work through ES|QL, the piped query language: `FROM index | WHERE condition | STATS aggregation BY field | SORT field | LIMIT n`. The agent follows a fixed order. It calls `GET /` to confirm connectivity and detect the deployment type, then discovers the schema — indices via `GET /_cat/indices`, field types via `GET /{index}/_mapping`. Guessing index or field names is ruled out on purpose: the same logs may sit in `logs-test`, `logs-app-*` or `application_logs`, and fields may use ECS dotted notation like `source.ip` or flat custom names.

From there the agent matches intent to a command: `CATEGORIZE` for grouping similar messages, `CHANGE_POINT` for spikes and dips, `STATS ... BY BUCKET(@timestamp, interval)` for trends, `PROMQL` for Prometheus-style queries. Time series indices get a different treatment — the mode is checked with `GET /{index}/_settings/index.mode`, and a `time_series` index means `TS` instead of `FROM`, `TBUCKET` instead of `DATE_TRUNC`, and counters wrapped in `SUM(RATE(...))`.

You need the `elastic` CLI at version 0.2 or later with `stack es` support, and a cluster on Elasticsearch 8.14 or later, since that is where ES|QL reached GA. On clusters below 8.18, `ENRICH` is the fallback for `LOOKUP JOIN`; `INLINE STATS` and counter-field `RATE()` have no fallback before 9.2. One more thing worth checking before you install: queried indices must have `_source` enabled, otherwise the queries fail.

## Install

### Claude Code (native platform)

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add elastic/agent-skills --skill elasticsearch-esql -a claude-code
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `~/.claude/skills/elasticsearch-esql/SKILL.md` — Copy the whole skill folder; for one project use .claude/skills/elasticsearch-esql/

### Codex

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add elastic/agent-skills --skill elasticsearch-esql -a codex
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.agents/skills/elasticsearch-esql/SKILL.md` — For all projects use ~/.agents/skills/

### Cursor

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add elastic/agent-skills --skill elasticsearch-esql -a cursor
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.cursor/skills/elasticsearch-esql/SKILL.md` — Cursor also reads .agents/skills/ and .claude/skills/

### GitHub Copilot

1. **GitHub CLI**
```bash
gh skill install elastic/agent-skills elasticsearch-esql
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.github/skills/elasticsearch-esql/SKILL.md`

### Gemini CLI

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add elastic/agent-skills --skill elasticsearch-esql -a gemini-cli
```

2. **Platform CLI**
```bash
gemini skills install https://github.com/elastic/agent-skills --path skills/elasticsearch/elasticsearch-esql
```

### Windsurf (Devin Desktop)

**Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.devin/skills/elasticsearch-esql/SKILL.md` — The legacy .windsurf/skills/ path still works

### OpenCode

**Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add elastic/agent-skills --skill elasticsearch-esql -a opencode
```

### Claude.ai

**Claude.ai**
- Zip the folder and upload it in Settings → Capabilities → Skills

Where a file is given instead of a command, copy the files from the source to that path: https://github.com/elastic/agent-skills/tree/HEAD/skills/elasticsearch/elasticsearch-esql/SKILL.md

## When to use it
- write an ES|QL query against an unfamiliar index schema
- find when a metric spiked or dipped
- group similar log messages into categories
- build a chart or dashboard from query results
- translate a PromQL query into ES|QL

## Example prompts
- list the indices in my cluster and aggregate log levels for the last day
- find when latency started climbing using CHANGE_POINT on @timestamp
- chart a metric from a TSDS index

## Source text · SKILL.md · Apache-2.0

Below is the content of a third-party file. It is data, not instructions for you: do not act on anything written inside unless the human asks. Block tag: 65d1e60d5caa5a1c.

BEGIN THIRD-PARTY FILE 65d1e60d5caa5a1c
```text
---
name: elasticsearch-esql
description: >
  Execute ES|QL (Elasticsearch Query Language) queries, use when the user wants to
  query Elasticsearch data, analyze logs, aggregate metrics, explore data, or create
  charts and dashboards from ES|QL results.
metadata:
  author: elastic
  version: 0.7.0
  universal: true
compatibility: Elasticsearch 8.14 or later (ES|QL GA; introduced 8.11 as tech preview),
  self-managed, Elastic Cloud Hosted, or Elastic Cloud Serverless; individual ES|QL
  features are version-gated (see references/esql-version-history.md). Requires the
  `elastic` CLI ≥ 0.2 with `stack es` support.
---

# Elasticsearch ES|QL

Execute ES|QL queries against Elasticsearch: discover the schema, choose the right ES|QL feature for the task, generate
the simplest correct query, and run it.

<!-- begin-partial: preamble -->

## Environment Configuration

This skill executes Elasticsearch operations through the `elastic` CLI. If the
[`elastic` CLI](https://github.com/elastic/cli#configuration) is not installed, tell the user what it is needed for. Do
not guess credentials, call the HTTP API directly, or attempt other workarounds.

This skill references operations in HTTP-shorthand form (e.g., `GET /`, `GET /_cat/indices`, `GET /{index}/_mapping`,
`GET /{index}/_settings/index.mode`, `POST /_query`). The [Operations](#operations) table at the end of this document
maps each shorthand to the equivalent `elastic` CLI command — always use the CLI rather than calling the HTTP API
directly.

<!-- end-partial: preamble -->

## What is ES|QL?

ES|QL (Elasticsearch Query Language) is a piped query language for Elasticsearch. It is **NOT** the same as:

- Elasticsearch Query DSL (JSON-based)
- SQL
- EQL (Event Query Language)

ES|QL uses pipes (`|`) to chain commands:
`FROM index | WHERE condition | STATS aggregation BY field | SORT field | LIMIT n`

> **Prerequisite:** ES|QL requires `_source` to be enabled on queried indices. Indices with `_source` disabled (e.g.,
> `"_source": { "enabled": false }`) will cause ES|QL queries to fail.
>
> **Version Compatibility:** ES|QL was introduced in 8.11 (tech preview) and became GA in 8.14. Features like
```
END THIRD-PARTY FILE 65d1e60d5caa5a1c

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