Briefly, this error occurs when Elasticsearch cannot parse the input for a watch because it’s missing a field indicating the input type. Watches in Elasticsearch are used for alerting and require specific fields to function correctly. To resolve this issue, you should review your watch definition and ensure that it includes all necessary fields, particularly the input type. This could be a search, HTTP, or simple input type. Make sure the syntax and structure of your watch definition is correct.
This guide will help you check for common problems that cause the log ” could not parse input for watch [{}]. expected field indicating the input type; ” to appear. To understand the issues related to this log, read the explanation below about the following Elasticsearch concepts: plugin.
Log Context
Log “could not parse input for watch [{}]. expected field indicating the input type;” class name is InputRegistry.java. We extracted the following from Elasticsearch source code for those seeking an in-depth context :
ExecutableInput input = null;
while ((token = parser.nextToken()) != XContentParser.Token.END_OBJECT) {
if (token == XContentParser.Token.FIELD_NAME) {
type = parser.currentName();
} else if (type == null) {
throw new ElasticsearchParseException("could not parse input for watch [{}]. expected field indicating the input type; " +
"but found [{}] instead"; watchId; token);
} else if (token == XContentParser.Token.START_OBJECT) {
InputFactory factory = factories.get(type);
if (factory == null) {
throw new ElasticsearchParseException("could not parse input for watch [{}]. unknown input type [{}]"; watchId; type);
