Manage Serverless Project
Perform day-2 operations on Elastic Cloud Serverless projects using the Serverless REST API.
Prerequisites and permissions
Ensure
EC_API_KEY
is configured. If not, run
cloud-setup
skill first.
Updating project settings requires
Admin
or
Editor
role on the target project.
This skill does not perform a separate role pre-check. Attempt the requested operation and let the API enforce
authorization. If the API returns an authorization error (for example,
403 Forbidden
), stop and ask the user to
verify the provided API key permissions.
Manual setup fallback (when
cloud-setup
is unavailable)
If this skill is installed standalone and
cloud-setup
is not available, instruct the user to configure Cloud
environment variables manually before running commands. Never ask the user to paste API keys in chat.
Variable
Required
Description
EC_API_KEY
Yes
Elastic Cloud API key used for project management operations.
EC_BASE_URL
No
Cloud API base URL (default:
https://api.elastic-cloud.com
).
Note:
If
EC_API_KEY
is missing, or the user does not have a Cloud API key yet, direct the user to generate one
at
Elastic Cloud API keys
, then configure it locally using the steps below.
Preferred method (agent-friendly): create a
.env
file in the project root:
EC_API_KEY
=
your-api-key
EC_BASE_URL
=
https://api.elastic-cloud.com
All
cloud/*
scripts auto-load
.env
from the working directory.
Alternative: export directly in the terminal:
export
EC_API_KEY
=
"
Then export the endpoint URLs from the response. The available endpoints depend on the project type. All project types: export ELASTICSEARCH_URL = "
" export KIBANA_URL = " " Observability projects (additional): export APM_URL = " " export INGEST_URL = " " Security projects (additional): export INGEST_URL = " " Step 3: Acquire Elasticsearch credentials If load-credentials set ELASTICSEARCH_API_KEY , verify the credentials work: curl -H "Authorization: ApiKey ${ELASTICSEARCH_API_KEY} " \ " ${ELASTICSEARCH_URL} /_security/_authenticate" Confirm the response contains a valid username and "authentication_type": "api_key" before proceeding. If verification succeeds, skip the rest of this step. If no credentials were loaded, or verification fails, ask the user: "Do you have an existing Elasticsearch API key for this project?" If yes — have the user add it to .elastic-credentials (see "Credential file format"). Do not accept keys in chat. Reload and verify: eval $( python3 skills/cloud/manage-project/scripts/manage-project.py load-credentials \ --name " " ) curl -H "Authorization: ApiKey ${ELASTICSEARCH_API_KEY} " \ " ${ELASTICSEARCH_URL} /_security/_authenticate" If no — follow this recovery path: Confirm with the user, then reset the admin bootstrap credentials: python3 skills/cloud/manage-project/scripts/manage-project.py reset-credentials \ --type elasticsearch \ --id < project-id The new password is saved to .elastic-credentials with the project name in the header. Direct the user to that file — do not display its contents. Load credentials with --include-admin so the admin password is available for API key creation: eval $( python3 skills/cloud/manage-project/scripts/manage-project.py load-credentials \ --name "
" --include-admin ) Use the admin credentials to create a scoped Elasticsearch API key via elasticsearch-authn if available. If that skill is not installed, ask the user to install it or create the key manually in Kibana > Stack Management > API keys . Scope the key to only the privileges the user needs. After creating the API key, save it to .elastic-credentials using the project-specific header format (see "Credential file format" below). Then reload without --include-admin to drop admin credentials from the environment and verify: eval $( python3 skills/cloud/manage-project/scripts/manage-project.py load-credentials \ --name " " ) curl -H "Authorization: ApiKey ${ELASTICSEARCH_API_KEY} " \ " ${ELASTICSEARCH_URL} /_security/_authenticate" Confirm the response shows a valid username and "authentication_type": "api_key" before proceeding. Credential file format See references/credential-file-format.md for the full format specification. Workflow: Load project credentials eval $( python3 skills/cloud/manage-project/scripts/manage-project.py load-credentials \ --name " " ) Or by project ID: eval $( python3 skills/cloud/manage-project/scripts/manage-project.py load-credentials \ --id < project-id ) Parses .elastic-credentials , merges all sections for the matching project, and prints export statements. Admin credentials ( ELASTICSEARCH_USERNAME / ELASTICSEARCH_PASSWORD ) are excluded by default — only endpoints and API keys are exported. Add --include-admin when you need admin credentials to create an API key. Workflow: List projects python3 skills/cloud/manage-project/scripts/manage-project.py list \ --type elasticsearch Use --type observability or --type security to list other project types. Workflow: Get project details python3 skills/cloud/manage-project/scripts/manage-project.py get \ --type elasticsearch \ --id < project-id
Workflow: Update a project python3 skills/cloud/manage-project/scripts/manage-project.py update \ --type elasticsearch \ --id < project-id
\ --name "new-project-name" Only the fields provided are updated (PATCH semantics). Supported fields: --name , --alias , --tag , --search-power , --boost-window , --max-retention-days , --default-retention-days . Alias The alias is an RFC-1035 domain label (lowercase alphanumeric and hyphens, max 50 chars) that becomes part of the project's endpoint URLs. Changing the alias changes all endpoint URLs , which breaks existing clients pointing to the old URLs. Warn the user about this before applying. python3 skills/cloud/manage-project/scripts/manage-project.py update \ --type elasticsearch \ --id < project-id
\ --alias "prod-search" Tags Tags are key-value metadata pairs for team tracking, cost attribution, and organization. Pass --tag KEY:VALUE for each tag. Multiple tags can be set in a single update. python3 skills/cloud/manage-project/scripts/manage-project.py update \ --type elasticsearch \ --id < project-id
\ --tag env:prod \ --tag team:search Tags are sent as metadata.tags in the API request. Setting tags replaces all existing tags on the project — include any existing tags the user wants to keep. Elasticsearch search_lake settings For Elasticsearch projects, two fields control query performance and data caching in the Search AI Lake. Ingested data is stored in cost-efficient general storage. A cache layer on top provides faster search speed for recent and frequently queried data — this cached data is considered search-ready . Flag Range Description --search-power 28–3000 Query performance level. Higher values improve performance but increase cost --boost-window 1–180 Days of data eligible for boosted caching (default: 7) Search Power Search Power controls the speed of searches by provisioning more or fewer query resources. Common presets (matching the Cloud UI): Value Preset Behavior 28 On-demand Autoscales with lower baseline. More variable latency, reduced max throughput 100 Performant Consistently low latency, autoscales for moderately high throughput 250 High availability Optimized for high-throughput scenarios, maintains low latency at high volumes When the user asks for a preset by name, map it to the corresponding value. Custom values within 28–3000 are also valid. Warn the user about cost implications before updating search_power . Higher values increase VCU consumption and may result in higher bills. Confirm the new value with the user before applying. Search Boost Window Non-time-series data is always search-ready. The boost window determines how much time-series data (documents with a @timestamp field) is also kept in the fast cache layer. Increasing the window means a larger portion of time-series data becomes search-ready, which improves query speed for recent data but increases the search-ready data volume. Security data retention settings For security projects, two fields control how long data is retained in the Search AI Lake. Retention is configured per data stream, but these project-level settings enforce global boundaries. Flag Unit Description --max-retention-days days Maximum retention period for any data stream in the project --default-retention-days days Default retention applied to data streams without a custom one Maximum retention — enforces an upper bound across all data streams. When lowered, it replaces the retention for any stream that currently has a longer period. Data older than the new maximum is permanently deleted . Default retention — automatically applied to data streams that do not have a custom retention period set. Does not affect streams with an existing custom retention. Warn the user before reducing max-retention-days . Lowering the maximum permanently deletes data older than the new limit. Confirm the new value with the user before applying. Workflow: Reset project credentials Always confirm with the user before resetting. python3 skills/cloud/manage-project/scripts/manage-project.py reset-credentials \ --type elasticsearch \ --id < project-id
The new password is saved to .elastic-credentials automatically. Tell the user to open that file — do not display its contents in chat. Workflow: Delete a project Always confirm with the user before deleting. python3 skills/cloud/manage-project/scripts/manage-project.py delete \ --type elasticsearch \ --id < project-id
Workflow: Resume a suspended project Projects can be automatically suspended after their trial period expires. Resume with: python3 skills/cloud/manage-project/scripts/manage-project.py resume \ --type elasticsearch \ --id < project-id
After resuming, poll the project status until the phase changes from initializing to initialized . Examples List all security projects python3 skills/cloud/manage-project/scripts/manage-project.py list --type security Update search power on an Elasticsearch project python3 skills/cloud/manage-project/scripts/manage-project.py update \ --type elasticsearch \ --id abc123def456abc123def456abc12345 \ --search-power 500 Set data retention on a security project python3 skills/cloud/manage-project/scripts/manage-project.py update \ --type security \ --id abc123def456abc123def456abc12345 \ --max-retention-days 396 \ --default-retention-days 396 Change project alias python3 skills/cloud/manage-project/scripts/manage-project.py update \ --type elasticsearch \ --id abc123def456abc123def456abc12345 \ --alias "prod-search" Tag a project for cost tracking python3 skills/cloud/manage-project/scripts/manage-project.py update \ --type observability \ --id abc123def456abc123def456abc12345 \ --tag env:prod \ --tag team:platform Rename an observability project python3 skills/cloud/manage-project/scripts/manage-project.py update \ --type observability \ --id abc123def456abc123def456abc12345 \ --name "production-logs" Connect to an existing project (credentials on file) User: I want to run a query against my search project "prod-search" Agent: Let me find that project. [runs: list --type elasticsearch] I found "prod-search" (ID: abc123...). Loading saved credentials... [runs: eval $(load-credentials --name prod-search)] Credentials loaded. Verifying... [runs: curl -H "Authorization: ApiKey ..." "${ELASTICSEARCH_URL}/_security/_authenticate"] Verified — authenticated as user "my-service" via API key. You're all set. Connect to a project (no saved credentials) User: let's ingest some logs into my o11y project "siem-prod" Agent: Let me find that project. [runs: list --type observability] Found "siem-prod" (ID: def456...). No saved credentials found for this project. [runs: get --type observability --id def456...] Endpoints set. Since there are no Elasticsearch credentials on file, I can reset the admin bootstrap password to get initial access. Shall I proceed? User: yes Agent: [runs: reset-credentials --type observability --id def456...] Credentials saved to .elastic-credentials — open that file to retrieve the password. [runs: eval $(load-credentials --name siem-prod --include-admin)] Admin credentials loaded for API key creation. Creating a scoped Elasticsearch API key now — what access does it need? User: read-only on logs-* Agent: [creates scoped API key via elasticsearch-authn using admin credentials] [appends API key to .elastic-credentials with project header] [runs: eval $(load-credentials --name siem-prod)] [verifies against ELASTICSEARCH_URL] API key created and verified. Admin credentials removed from environment. Delete a project after confirmation User: delete my elasticsearch project abc123... Agent: Are you sure you want to delete project abc123...? This cannot be undone. User: yes python3 skills/cloud/manage-project/scripts/manage-project.py delete \ --type elasticsearch \ --id abc123def456abc123def456abc12345 Guidelines Run the cloud-setup skill first if EC_API_KEY is not set. Use the cloud-create-project skill to create new projects — this skill handles existing projects only. When the user refers to a project the agent did not create, follow the "Connect to an existing project" workflow. Deletion is permanent. Always confirm with the user before proceeding. After resetting credentials, remind the user to update any stored passwords or environment variables. Warn about cost implications before increasing search_power . Confirm the new value with the user first. Warn about data loss before reducing max-retention-days . Data older than the new maximum is permanently deleted. Warn users that changing a project alias changes all endpoint URLs, which breaks existing clients. Setting tags replaces all existing tags. Retrieve current tags with get first and include any the user wants to keep. Script reference Command Description list List projects by type get Get project details by ID update Update project name, alias, tags, or search_lake settings reset-credentials Reset project credentials (new password) delete Delete a project resume Resume a suspended project load-credentials Load a project's saved credentials from .elastic-credentials Flag Commands Description --type list, get, update, reset-credentials, delete, resume Project type: elasticsearch , observability , security --id get, update, reset-credentials, delete, resume, load-credentials Project ID --name update, load-credentials Project name (update: new name; load-credentials: lookup) --alias update New project alias --tag update Tag as KEY:VALUE (repeatable, replaces all tags) --search-power update Search power 28–3000 (elasticsearch only) --boost-window update Boost window 1–180 days (elasticsearch only) --max-retention-days update Max data retention in days (security only) --default-retention-days update Default data retention in days (security only) --include-admin load-credentials Include admin username/password (API key bootstrapping only) --wait-seconds reset-credentials Seconds to wait for credential propagation (0 to skip) Environment variables Variable Required Description EC_API_KEY Yes Elastic Cloud API key (project management operations) EC_BASE_URL No Cloud API base URL (default: https://api.elastic-cloud.com ) ELASTICSEARCH_URL Output Elasticsearch URL (set after resolving a project for downstream skills) KIBANA_URL Output Kibana URL (set after resolving a project for downstream skills) APM_URL Output APM endpoint (observability projects only) INGEST_URL Output OTLP ingest endpoint (observability and security projects) ELASTICSEARCH_API_KEY Output Elasticsearch API key (for stack-level operations) Additional resources For full API details, request/response schemas, and project-type options, see the Serverless Projects API For official documentation on Search AI Lake settings, data retention, and project features, see Project settings