diff --git a/docs/reference/esql/esql-across-clusters.asciidoc b/docs/reference/esql/esql-across-clusters.asciidoc index f8f2345283b2b..4d4f0204b3357 100644 --- a/docs/reference/esql/esql-across-clusters.asciidoc +++ b/docs/reference/esql/esql-across-clusters.asciidoc @@ -523,9 +523,24 @@ FROM my-index-000001,cluster*:my-index-*,cluster_three:-my-index-000001 [[ccq-skip-unavailable-clusters]] ==== Optional remote clusters -{ccs-cap} for {esql} will set the remote cluster which is disconnected from the querying cluster to `skipped` -and continue the query with other clusters, unless the cluster's `skip_unavailable` setting is set to `false`, -in which case the query will fail. +If the remote cluster is configured with `skip_unavailable: true` (the default setting), the cluster would be set +to `skipped` or `partial` status but the query will not fail, if: + +* The remote cluster is disconnected from the querying cluster, either before or during the query. +* The remote cluster does not have the requested index. +* An error happened while processing the query on the remote cluster. + +The `partial` status will be used if the remote query was partially successful and some data was returned. + +This however does not apply to the situation when the remote cluster is missing an index and this is the only index in the query, +or all the indices in the query are missing. For example, the following queries will fail: + +[source,esql] +---- +FROM cluster_one:missing-index | LIMIT 10 +FROM cluster_one:missing-index* | LIMIT 10 +FROM cluster_one:missing-index*,cluster_two:missing-index | LIMIT 10 +---- [discrete] [[ccq-during-upgrade]]