Zilliz Cloud CLI Skill#

Operate Zilliz Cloud through zilliz-cli. All operations are executed via shell commands.

Prerequisite Check (always run first)#

Before any operation, verify in order:

bash

python3 -m pip show zilliz-cli    # 1. CLI installed? If not: pip install --upgrade zilliz-cli
zilliz auth status                 # 2. Logged in? If not: guide user to login in their terminal
zilliz context current             # 3. Context set? (only for data-plane ops)

CRITICAL: zilliz login, zilliz configure, and zilliz auth switch require interactive input — NEVER run them in a non-interactive shell. Instruct the user to run in their own terminal. NEVER ask for API keys in chat.

Command Pattern#

text

zilliz <resource> <action> --flag <value> [--optional-flag <value>]

All commands support --output json|table|text (default: text). Use --output json for programmatic parsing.

Cluster Type Capabilities#

FeatureFreeServerlessDedicatedCollection CRUD & Vector opsYesYesYesDatabase create/dropNoNoYesUser/role managementNoLimitedYesBackup managementNoYesYesCluster modify (CU/replica)NoNoYes

Check cluster type first when a command fails with permission errors.

Reference Files#

Each reference covers one resource domain with full command syntax, options, and guidance. Read the relevant reference when handling that domain:

DomainReferenceWhen to readSetup & authreferences/setup.mdInstall, login, context, config, troubleshootingClustersreferences/cluster.mdCreate, list, describe, modify, suspend, resume, delete clustersCollectionsreferences/collection.mdCreate, list, describe, drop, rename, load, release, aliasesVectorsreferences/vector.mdSearch, query, insert, upsert, get, delete, hybrid search, filtersIndexesreferences/index.mdCreate, list, describe, drop indexesDatabasesreferences/database.mdCreate, list, describe, drop databasesPartitionsreferences/partition.mdCreate, list, load, release, drop partitionsUsers & rolesreferences/user-role.mdRBAC: users, roles, privileges (Dedicated only)Backupsreferences/backup.mdCreate, restore, export backups; manage backup policiesImportreferences/import.mdBulk data import from cloud storageBillingreferences/billing.mdUsage queries, invoices, payment methodsMonitoringreferences/monitoring.mdCluster status, collection stats, load statesProjects & regionsreferences/project-region.mdProjects, volumes, cloud providers, regions

Quick-Start Workflow#

For new users, guide through setup in order:

1. Install CLI: python3 -m pip install --upgrade zilliz-cli
2. Authenticate: user runs zilliz login in their terminal
3. Verify: zilliz auth status
4. List clusters: zilliz cluster list
5. Set context: zilliz context set --cluster-id <id>
6. Verify: zilliz context current && zilliz collection list

Common Workflows#

Create collection and prepare for search:

1. zilliz collection create --name <name> --dimension <dim> — create
2. zilliz index create --collection <name> — index (AUTOINDEX recommended)
3. zilliz collection load --name <name> — load into memory
4. zilliz vector search --collection <name> --data '[[...]]' — search

Status overview (read references/monitoring.md):

1. zilliz context current --output json
2. zilliz cluster describe --cluster-id <id> --output json
3. zilliz database list --output json
4. For each DB: collection list, get-stats, get-load-state, index list
5. Present as formatted table

Async Operations#

These return immediately; poll for completion:

OperationPoll commandcluster create``cluster describe --cluster-id <id> until RUNNINGbackup create/export/restore-*``backup describe --cluster-id <id> --backup-id <bid>``import start``import status --job-id <jid> --cluster-id <id>

Safety Rules#

• Confirm before destructive ops: drop collection/database, delete cluster/backup, drop user/role
• Sensitive commands in user's terminal: zilliz login, zilliz configure, zilliz billing bind-card
• Never expose credentials in chat or command output