OpenSearch MCP Usage Guide

You have access to an OpenSearch MCP server that queries container logs via OpenSearch Dashboards. The cluster has 6.6B+ documents. Always include time ranges to avoid timeouts.

Available Tools

Context Optimization Strategy (CRITICAL)

The MCP server applies operations to reduce response size. Always optimize for minimal context usage.

Step 1: Start with summary_only to get counts

opensearch_search(index="container-logs-*", query_string="...", summary_only=true)

This returns only total_hits and time_range — costs ~100 tokens.

Step 2: If you need actual logs, use field filtering

opensearch_search(
  index="container-logs-*",
  query_string="...",
  fields=["@timestamp", "log", "kubernetes.namespace_name", "kubernetes.pod_name"],
  size=10
)

Only returns specified fields — saves 70-80% context vs full documents.

Step 3: For high-volume analysis, use aggregations instead of fetching docs

opensearch_aggregate(
  index="container-logs-*",
  aggs={"by_namespace": {"terms": {"field": "kubernetes.namespace_name.keyword", "size": 20}}},
  query={"bool": {"must": [...], "filter": [{"range": {"@timestamp": {"gte": "now-1h"}}}]}}
)

Key Parameters for opensearch_search

Reading _meta Flags

Every response includes a _meta.applied_operations array showing what the server did:

When you see response_truncated_at_15KB:

1. •Reduce size (e.g., size=5)
2. •Use fields to select only needed fields
3. •Use summary_only=true if you only need counts
4. •Use opensearch_aggregate for analysis instead

When you see partial_results:

The query matched more documents than returned. If the user needs broader analysis, use aggregations.

When you see hits_truncated:

Individual log entries were too large. Use fields to pick only the fields you need, or increase max_chars_per_hit.

CRITICAL: Searching the log Field (Cluster-Specific Strategy)

The log field search strategy depends on the cluster type:

OnPrem Clusters (dev-onprem-, stg-onprem-, prod-onprem-*)

For onprem clusters, use query_string with analyze_wildcard: true and quoted wildcard patterns:

Search errors in logs (OnPrem)

opensearch_search_raw(
  index="container-logs-*",
  body={
    "query": {"bool": {"must": [
      {"query_string": {
        "query": "log:\"*level*error*\"",
        "analyze_wildcard": true,
        "time_zone": "Asia/Colombo"
      }}
    ], "filter": [
      {"range": {"@timestamp": {"gte": "now-5m", "lte": "now"}}}
    ]}},
    "size": 20,
    "_source": ["@timestamp", "log", "kubernetes.namespace_name", "kubernetes.pod_name"]
  }
)

Search by trace/request ID (OnPrem)

opensearch_search_raw(
  index="container-logs-*",
  body={
    "query": {"bool": {"must": [
      {"query_string": {
        "query": "log:\"*1d4867ac-65cb-4de8-8d46-aaef62f6b5fb*\"",
        "analyze_wildcard": true,
        "time_zone": "Asia/Colombo"
      }}
    ], "filter": [
      {"range": {"@timestamp": {"gte": "now-1h", "lte": "now"}}}
    ]}},
    "size": 100,
    "sort": [{"@timestamp": "asc"}],
    "_source": ["@timestamp", "log", "kubernetes.namespace_name", "kubernetes.pod_name", "kubernetes.container_name"]
  }
)

Key points for OnPrem:

• •Use query_string with analyze_wildcard: true
• •Wrap the pattern in double quotes: "*pattern*" not *pattern*
• •Include time_zone: "Asia/Colombo" for consistency with dashboard
• •This approach matches what OpenSearch Dashboards UI does

Cloud Clusters (AWS/Azure: dev-aws-, prod-azure-, stg-azure-*)

For cloud clusters (AWS/Azure), the log field is mapped as keyword (not analyzed text). Use wildcard queries:

Search errors in logs (Cloud)

opensearch_search_raw(
  index="container-logs-*",
  body={
    "query": {"bool": {"must": [
      {"range": {"@timestamp": {"gte": "now-5m", "lte": "now"}}},
      {"wildcard": {"log": "*level*error*"}}
    ]}},
    "size": 20,
    "_source": ["@timestamp", "log", "kubernetes.namespace_name", "kubernetes.pod_name"]
  }
)

Search by trace/request ID (Cloud)

opensearch_search_raw(
  index="container-logs-*",
  body={
    "query": {"bool": {"must": [
      {"range": {"@timestamp": {"gte": "now-1h", "lte": "now"}}},
      {"wildcard": {"log": "*77e71a17-2e52-404a-86d2-eed997fd2a57*"}}
    ]}},
    "size": 20,
    "_source": ["@timestamp", "log", "kubernetes.namespace_name", "kubernetes.pod_name"]
  }
)

Key points for Cloud:

• •Use wildcard query (NOT query_string)
• •No quotes needed around the pattern
• •query_string with log:*pattern* returns 0 hits on these clusters

Aggregate error logs by namespace (Works on both)

opensearch_aggregate(
  index="container-logs-*",
  query={"bool": {"must": [
    {"range": {"@timestamp": {"gte": "now-5m", "lte": "now"}}},
    {"wildcard": {"log": "*level*error*"}}
  ]}},
  aggs={"namespaces": {"terms": {"field": "kubernetes.namespace_name", "size": 10}}}
)

How to Determine Cluster Type

Check the active cluster name using opensearch_get_active_cluster:

• •If cluster name contains onprem → use query_string with analyze_wildcard: true
• •Otherwise (AWS/Azure) → use wildcard queries

Note: query_string and opensearch_search work fine for non-keyword fields like kubernetes.namespace_name, stream, kubernetes.pod_name, etc. on all clusters.

Common Query Patterns (non-log fields — use opensearch_search)

Search by namespace

query_string: 'kubernetes.namespace_name:"my-namespace"'

Search by pod name

query_string: 'kubernetes.pod_name:"my-pod-abc123"'

Search stderr logs

query_string: 'stream:stderr'

Combine namespace filter with log content search (use opensearch_search_raw)

opensearch_search_raw(
  index="container-logs-*",
  body={
    "query": {"bool": {"must": [
      {"range": {"@timestamp": {"gte": "now-5m", "lte": "now"}}},
      {"term": {"kubernetes.namespace_name": "my-namespace"}},
      {"wildcard": {"log": "*timeout*"}}
    ]}},
    "size": 20,
    "_source": ["@timestamp", "log", "kubernetes.pod_name"]
  }
)

Useful Fields for fields Parameter

Time Handling

• •The cluster stores timestamps in UTC
• •The user is in IST (UTC+5:30) — convert accordingly
• •IST 10:45 AM = UTC 05:15 AM
• •Use relative times when possible: now-5m, now-1h, now-24h

Cluster Map

IMPORTANT: When the user mentions a cluster, first read opensearch-mcp/clusters.py to get the available clusters and their short names. The cluster registry is defined in the CLUSTERS dictionary in that file.

Example Cluster Format

Users configure their clusters in opensearch-mcp/clusters.py. Example entries:

CLUSTERS = {
    "dev-aws-eu-cluster": ("https://opensearch-dashboard.dev.example.com", "Dev AWS EU Cluster"),
    "prod-aws-cluster": ("https://opensearch-dashboard.prod.example.com", "Prod AWS Cluster"),
}

Common aliases

When the user says any of these, map to the corresponding cluster:

• •"prod" / "production" → prod-azure-us-cdp (the main production cluster)
• •"dev" / "development" → dev-azure-us-cdp
• •"stg" / "staging" → stg-azure-us-cdp
• •"dev onprem" → dev-onprem-cp or dev-onprem-dp (ask which)
• •"prod eu" → prod-azure-eu-cdp
• •"dev eu" → dev-azure-eu-cdp
• •"wdt" → prod-wdt-userprod
• •"cutndry" / "cnd" → prod-cutndry
• •"bcentral" → prod-bcentral
• •"devry" → prod-devry

If the user asks to query a cluster that has No OpenSearch, inform them it uses Azure Log Analytics Workspace instead and is not queryable through this MCP.

Switching Clusters

When the user wants to query a different cluster, use the opensearch_switch_cluster tool:

opensearch_switch_cluster(cluster="prod-azure-eu-cdp")

This automatically fetches cookies via headless SSO and switches all subsequent queries to the new cluster. No restart needed.

If the tool returns an error (SSO session expired), instruct the user to run:

cd /Users/wso2/Desktop/WSO2/RnD/opensearch-agent/opensearch-mcp
./get-cookies.py <cluster-short-name>

This opens a browser for manual login. After login, retry — no restart needed.

Use opensearch_get_active_cluster to check which cluster is currently active before switching.

Cookie Management and 401 Handling

The MCP server has automatic cookie refresh. Here's how it works:

Auto-refresh (transparent to you)

1. •When a request gets 401, the server automatically launches a headless Playwright browser
2. •It uses the cached Azure AD SSO session to get fresh cookies
3. •Saves them to cookies.json and retries the request
4. •You (Claude) never see the 401 — it's handled internally

Cluster switching also refreshes cookies

When you call opensearch_switch_cluster, it fetches fresh cookies for the target cluster via headless SSO. If that fails, the tool returns an error with manual instructions.

When auto-refresh fails

If the SSO session itself has expired (user hasn't logged in via browser recently), auto-refresh fails. The server returns a structured error with action_required and a command to run.

When you see this error, instruct the user:

The OpenSearch cookies have expired and automatic refresh failed (SSO session expired).
To fix, run:

  cd /Users/wso2/Desktop/WSO2/RnD/opensearch-agent/opensearch-mcp
  ./get-cookies.py <cluster-name>

This opens a browser for you to log in. After login completes, cookies are
saved automatically. **No Claude Code restart needed** — just retry the query.

Available clusters: ./get-cookies.py --list

Important: After the user runs the script, you CAN retry the query immediately — no restart needed. The server reads cookies.json fresh on every request.

Cost-Conscious Query Plan

For any user request, follow this order:

1. •Count first — summary_only=true to understand volume
2. •Sample if large — size=5, fields=[...] to understand shape
3. •Aggregate if analytical — use opensearch_aggregate for breakdowns
4. •Full fetch only when needed — small result sets with field filtering