Briefly, this error occurs when Elasticsearch encounters an unexpected field while parsing a watch. This usually happens when there’s a typo, incorrect field name, or a field that doesn’t exist in the watch definition. To resolve this issue, you should review the watch definition and ensure all field names are correct and exist in the Elasticsearch index. Also, ensure the watch JSON structure is valid. If the error persists, check the Elasticsearch version compatibility with the watch definition, as some fields may have been deprecated or changed in newer versions.
This guide will help you check for common problems that cause the log ” could not parse watch [{}]. unexpected field [{}] ” 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 watch [{}]. unexpected field [{}]” class name is WatchParser.java. We extracted the following from Elasticsearch source code for those seeking an in-depth context :
status = WatchStatus.parse(id; parser);
} else {
parser.skipChildren();
}
} else {
throw new ElasticsearchParseException("could not parse watch [{}]. unexpected field [{}]"; id; currentFieldName);
}
}
if (trigger == null) {
throw new ElasticsearchParseException(
"could not parse watch [{}]. missing required field [{}]";
