elastic/elasticsearch

ES|QL: Push down mv_contains as a lucene query

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#134,529 opened on Sep 11, 2025

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:Analytics/ES|QL>enhancementTeam:Analyticsgood first issue

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Description

In some cases we can push down mv_contains as a lucene query.

We could use for example, the terms_set query. As an example:

from job-candidates
| WHERE mv_contains(programming_languages, ["java", "jruby"])

can be pushed down as:

{
  "query": {
    "terms_set": {
      "programming_languages": {
        "terms": [ "java", "jruby" ],
        "minimum_should_match": 2  
      }
    }
  }
}

Contributor guide

Research direction
Inspect the ES|QL query planner and translator to understand how to intercept mv contains and generate a terms set query for the lucene backend.
Tech stack
javaelasticsearch
Domain
searchbackend
Issue type
Feature
DifficultyEstimated implementation difficulty for a new contributor, from 1 for very small changes to 5 for expert-level work.
2
Estimated timeA rough time range for an experienced contributor to investigate, implement, test, and prepare a pull request.
3-5 days
Activity statusHow available the issue appears right now: fresh, active, stale, blocked, or waiting on maintainer input.
Active
ClarityHow clearly the issue explains the expected change, acceptance criteria, and next step.
Clear
Prerequisites
JavaElasticsearch
Newbie friendlinessA 1-100 score estimating how approachable this issue is for first-time contributors.
70