Kibana Alerting Rules
ElasticOfficialCreated by elastic
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AutoGineer summary
Written by AutoGineer from the skill’s own files, not by the author
This skill provides a structured interface for creating, updating, and managing Kibana alerting rules via the elastic CLI. It covers the full lifecycle of rules, including enabling, disabling, muting, and snoozing, while ensuring proper configuration of threshold conditions, schedules, and grouping semantics. It is designed for observability tasks where users need to monitor metrics or document counts across their infrastructure.
What it does
- Create and configure metric threshold or query-based alerting rules.
- List and filter existing rules using tags or search queries.
- Perform lifecycle management such as enabling, disabling, or deleting rules.
- Manage alert states including muting, unmuting, and scheduling snoozes.
- Update existing rule configurations while maintaining immutable properties.
- Update API keys for rules experiencing ownership failures.
When to use it
- When you need to automate the creation of monitoring rules for infrastructure metrics.
- When you need to perform bulk updates or lifecycle changes on existing Kibana rules.
- When you need to discover existing alerting coverage using tag-based filtering.
- When you need to troubleshoot or adjust rule thresholds and notification schedules.
Advantages
- Standardizes rule creation using the elastic CLI for consistent deployments.
- Prevents common configuration errors like threshold scale mismatches or grouping issues.
- Provides clear guidance on separating rule conditions from notification actions.
- Supports complex alerting scenarios like per-host grouping and consecutive match delays.
Usage examples
- “Create a rule named 'High CPU' that alerts when system.cpu.total.pct exceeds 0.9 on any host for 5 minutes.”
- The agent will use the .index-threshold rule type with the specified aggregation, grouping, and threshold parameters to create the rule via the elastic CLI.
- “Show me all alerting rules tagged with 'production'.”
- The agent will execute a read-only find operation using the elastic CLI, filtering by the production tag and reporting the rule names and IDs.
- “Disable the rule with ID 'cpu-alert-001' until next week.”
- The agent will call the disable endpoint for the specified rule ID to pause its execution.
Install
Download the skill as a ZIP:
https://autogineer.com/agent-skills/elastic/kibana-alerting-rules/downloadUnzip it into the cross-client skills folder of your project:
mkdir -p .agents/skills && unzip kibana-alerting-rules.zip -d .agents/skills
Documentation by elastic
Kibana Alerting Rules
Create, inspect, update, and manage Kibana alerting rules: choose the right rule type, encode threshold and grouping semantics, attach actions only when requested, and list or filter rules read-only when the user asks to discover existing coverage.
<!-- begin-partial: preamble -->
Environment Configuration
This skill executes Elasticsearch operations through the elastic CLI. If the
elastic CLI 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 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 -->
Core concepts
A rule has three parts: conditions (params + rule_type_id), schedule (how often conditions are checked), and
actions (optional connectors run when alerts fire). When conditions are met, the rule creates alerts; actions
deliver notifications through connectors. Do not create connectors or actions unless the user explicitly asks for
notification wiring — many tasks require only the rule definition.
Required privileges: all on the owning Kibana feature (Stack Rules, Observability, Security, etc.) and all on Rules
Settings. Managing connectors needs all on Actions and Connectors; read is sufficient to attach existing connectors
as rule actions.
On-premises prerequisite: configure a stable xpack.encryptedSavedObjects.encryptionKey in kibana.yml before
creating rules — it encrypts rule API keys and connector secrets. If it is unset, each restart regenerates it and breaks
existing rules; all Kibana nodes in a cluster must share the same key.
Process
Classify the task. Decide whether the user needs to create a rule, find/list rules (read-only), update an existing rule, or perform a lifecycle change (enable, disable, mute, snooze, delete). If the user only asks to show or list rules, treat the request as read-only — do not create, update, enable, or delete anything.
For find/list tasks, filter and page sensibly. Call
GET kbn:/api/alerting/rules/_findwith query parameters that narrow results instead of dumping every rule:By tag:
filter=alert.attributes.tags:"production"(KQL on saved-object attributes).By text:
searchwithsearch_fieldsanddefault_search_operatoras needed.Paging: set
per_pageand iteratepagewhen results may exceed one page.Sort:
sort_field=nameandsort_order=ascfor stable listings.
Enumerate matching rule ids and names. If no rules match, say so plainly — do not invent results. Query alerting rules specifically, not connectors or streams.
For create tasks, choose the rule type before writing params. Match the user's intent to a metric/threshold rule type — not log, anomaly, or unrelated types:
Numeric metric over a time window, optionally per host/service →
.index-thresholdwithconsumer: "stackAlerts".Document count or Query DSL condition →
.es-querywithconsumer: "stackAlerts".Observability metric in the metrics app →
metrics.alert.thresholdwithconsumer: "metrics"or"infrastructure".
Read rule-types-reference.md for param schemas, valid consumers, and action groups. When the user specifies an index, field, threshold, duration, and grouping field, encode all four explicitly in
params— do not substitute a connector or action for the condition.Encode threshold, duration, and grouping correctly. These three dimensions are independent:
Threshold: set
thresholdandthresholdComparatoron the aggregated value. Match field scale — ECSsystem.cpu.total.pctis typically fractional (0.9for 90%); use90only when the field is on a 0–100 scale."For N minutes" semantics: set
timeWindowSizeandtimeWindowUnitinparams(lookback evaluated each run). Alignschedule.intervalwith that window (e.g., both five minutes) so a brief spike does not fire on a mismatched cadence. Addalert_delay: {"active": N}only when the user wants N consecutive matching runs, not a single lookback window.Per-host / per-entity grouping: for
.index-threshold, setgroupBy: "top",termFieldto the grouping field (e.g.,host.name), and atermSizelarge enough to cover all entities ("any host"). Without grouping, the rule aggregates globally and will not alert per host.
Build the create payload. Required fields:
name,rule_type_id,consumer,schedule,params. Optional:tags,enabled,actions,alert_delay,flapping. Use the user-supplied rule id in the URL when given; otherwise let Kibana generate one.Example params — CPU > 90% on any host for 5 minutes on
eval-alert-metrics:{ "name": "CPU exceeds 90% for 5 minutes", "rule_type_id": ".index-threshold", "consumer": "stackAlerts", "schedule": { "interval": "5m" }, "params": { "index": ["eval-alert-metrics"], "timeField": "@timestamp", "aggType": "avg", "aggField": "system.cpu.total.pct", "groupBy": "top", "termField": "host.name", "termSize": 1000, "threshold": [0.9], "thresholdComparator": ">", "timeWindowSize": 5, "timeWindowUnit": "m" }, "tags": ["production"] }Omit
actionswhen the user only asks to create the rule condition.Create and confirm. Call
POST kbn:/api/alerting/rule/{id}with the payload. On 409 Conflict, the id already exists — callGET kbn:/api/alerting/rule/{id}to inspect or choose a different id. After a successful create, callGET kbn:/api/alerting/rule/{id}and confirm success to the user with the live rule id, name, and enabled state — do not claim success without verifying on Kibana.For update tasks, read then replace.
rule_type_idandconsumerare immutable. CallGET kbn:/api/alerting/rule/{id}, merge intended changes, thenPUT kbn:/api/alerting/rule/{id}with the complete rule body. On 409 Conflict, another user changed the rule — re-fetch and retry. Set per-actionfrequencyobjects; rule-levelnotify_whenandthrottleare deprecated.For lifecycle tasks, call the narrowest endpoint. Disable temporarily with
POST kbn:/api/alerting/rule/{id}/_disable(rule retains config); re-enable withPOST kbn:/api/alerting/rule/{id}/_enable. Mute all alerts withPOST kbn:/api/alerting/rule/{id}/_mute_all; restore withPOST kbn:/api/alerting/rule/{id}/_unmute_all. Mute a single active alert withPOST kbn:/api/alerting/rule/{rule_id}/alert/{alert_id}/_mute; unmute withPOST kbn:/api/alerting/rule/{rule_id}/alert/{alert_id}/_unmute. Schedule snoozes withPOST kbn:/api/alerting/rule/{id}/snooze_schedule; remove withDELETE kbn:/api/alerting/rule/{ruleId}/snooze_schedule/{scheduleId}. Delete permanently withDELETE kbn:/api/alerting/rule/{id}. When a rule fails due to API key ownership, callPOST kbn:/api/alerting/rule/{id}/_update_api_key.
Examples
Create a threshold alert
User: "Alert me when CPU exceeds 90% on any host for 5 minutes. Query eval-alert-metrics (system.cpu.total.pct,
grouped by host.name). Create the rule with id eval-cpu-rule."
Choose
.index-threshold/stackAlerts.Encode fractional threshold
[0.9], five-minutetimeWindowSize/timeWindowUnit, andgroupBy/termFieldforhost.name.POST kbn:/api/alerting/rule/eval-cpu-rulewithschedule.interval: "5m". Omit actions.GET kbn:/api/alerting/rule/eval-cpu-ruleand confirm to the user.
Find rules by tag (read-only)
User: "Show me all production alerting rules."
GET kbn:/api/alerting/rules/_findwithfilter=alert.attributes.tags:"production", sensibleper_page, andsort_field=name.Page through results if
totalexceedsper_page.Report ids and names only — no mutations.
Pause a rule temporarily
User: "Disable rule abc123 until next Monday."
POST kbn:/api/alerting/rule/abc123/_disable.Re-enable later with
POST kbn:/api/alerting/rule/abc123/_enable.
For planned downtime spanning multiple rules, prefer a maintenance window over disabling or snoozing each rule individually.
Guidelines
Set
frequencyinside each action object — rule-levelnotify_whenandthrottleare deprecated.rule_type_idandconsumerare immutable after creation; delete and recreate to change them.Prefix paths with
kbn:/s/<space_id>/api/alerting/for non-default Kibana Spaces (connectors are space-scoped too).A rule action cannot reference a connector from a different space — the rule and its connectors must share one Space.
Pair active notification actions with a Recovered action for PagerDuty, Jira, and ServiceNow.
Use
alert_delayto require consecutive matches; use flapping settings to suppress unstable alerts. Per-rule tuning via theflappingobject is GA since 9.3; earlier versions support only space-level flapping settings.Debug action templates with
{{{.}}}in any template field — it renders the whole variable context as JSON, which helps discover correct paths like{{context.reason}}or{{alert.flapping}}.Do not use this skill for Security detection rules:
consumer: "securitySolution"/"siem"belongs to the dedicated Security Detections API (/api/detection_engine/rules), which has different rule type ids and lifecycle.Tag rules consistently (
production,staging, team names) for find API filtering.Minimum recommended check interval is
1m; expensive rules are cancelled after the server run timeout (default5m).
Common pitfalls
Wrong rule type — using a log or ML rule for a metric threshold condition.
Missing per-entity grouping — global aggregation when the user asked for "any host" or "per service".
Threshold scale mismatch —
90vs0.9on fractional CPU fields.Duration conflated with schedule — a one-minute schedule with a five-minute window behaves differently from both set to five minutes.
Unrequested actions — attaching connectors when the user only asked to create the rule.
Read-only violations — creating or mutating rules when the user asked only to list or filter.
Concurrent update conflicts — PUT without a fresh GET returns 409.
Import/export — saved-object import disables rules and strips connector secrets.
References
rule-types-reference.md — Rule types, params, consumers, action groups
connectors-actions-terraform.md — Actions, workflows, Terraform
Operations
| HTTP API (shorthand) | elastic CLI command |
|---|---|
GET kbn:/api/alerting/rules/_find | elastic kb alerting get-alerting-rules-find [--filter '<kql>'] [--search '<q>'] [--per-page <n>] [--page <n>] [--sort-field <field>] [--sort-order asc|desc] |
POST kbn:/api/alerting/rule/{id} | elastic kb alerting post-alerting-rule-id --id '<id>' --name '<name>' --rule-type-id '<type>' --consumer '<consumer>' --schedule '<json>' --params '<json>' [--tags '<json>'] [--actions '<json>'] [--enabled] |
GET kbn:/api/alerting/rule/{id} | elastic kb alerting get-alerting-rule-id --id '<id>' |
PUT kbn:/api/alerting/rule/{id} | elastic kb alerting put-alerting-rule-id --id '<id>' --name '<name>' --schedule '<json>' --params '<json>' [--tags '<json>'] [--actions '<json>'] |
DELETE kbn:/api/alerting/rule/{id} | elastic kb alerting delete-alerting-rule-id --id '<id>' |
POST kbn:/api/alerting/rule/{id}/_enable | elastic kb alerting post-alerting-rule-id-enable --id '<id>' |
POST kbn:/api/alerting/rule/{id}/_disable | elastic kb alerting post-alerting-rule-id-disable --id '<id>' [--untrack] |
POST kbn:/api/alerting/rule/{id}/_mute_all | elastic kb alerting post-alerting-rule-id-mute-all --id '<id>' |
POST kbn:/api/alerting/rule/{id}/_unmute_all | elastic kb alerting post-alerting-rule-id-unmute-all --id '<id>' |
POST kbn:/api/alerting/rule/{id}/_update_api_key | elastic kb alerting post-alerting-rule-id-update-api-key --id '<id>' |
POST kbn:/api/alerting/rule/{rule_id}/alert/{alert_id}/_mute | elastic kb alerting post-alerting-rule-rule-id-alert-alert-id-mute --rule-id '<rule_id>' --alert-id '<alert_id>' |
POST kbn:/api/alerting/rule/{rule_id}/alert/{alert_id}/_unmute | elastic kb alerting post-alerting-rule-rule-id-alert-alert-id-unmute --rule-id '<rule_id>' --alert-id '<alert_id>' |
POST kbn:/api/alerting/rule/{id}/snooze_schedule | elastic kb alerting post-alerting-rule-id-snooze-schedule --id '<id>' --schedule '<json>' |
DELETE kbn:/api/alerting/rule/{ruleId}/snooze_schedule/{scheduleId} | elastic kb alerting delete-alerting-rule-ruleid-snooze-schedule-scheduleid --rule-id '<ruleId>' --schedule-id '<scheduleId>' |
Files
- ATTRIBUTION.mdAdded by AutoGineer972 B
- LICENSELicence file added by AutoGineer11.1 KiB
- SKILL.md16.6 KiB
- references/connectors-actions-terraform.md3.1 KiB
- references/rule-types-reference.md6.5 KiB
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Requirements and compatibility
Works with: Claude Code, Claude apps, OpenAI Codex, GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Gemini CLI, Kiro, OpenCode, Goose, Amp, Roo Code, JetBrains Junie, Factory Droid, Devin (ex-Windsurf), Mistral Vibe, OpenHands, Letta
“Works with” means the tool reads the open Agent Skills format; a skill written for one tool may use features others lack.
Needs: Needs an API key
The author says: Kibana 8.x or 9.x with matching Elasticsearch, self-managed, Elastic Cloud Hosted, or Elastic Cloud Serverless; some rule types and features are version- or license-gated (for example, rule-level flapping is GA in 9.3). Requires the `elastic` CLI ≥ 0.2 with `stack kb` support.
Security
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- elastic/agent-skills · skills/kibana/kibana-alerting-rules · commit 09d879d
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- LICENSE (added by AutoGineer from LICENSE)
- ATTRIBUTION.md (written by AutoGineer)
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