troubleshooting-materialize

Diagnose unhealthy Materialize deployments using Grafana, Thanos, and Loki monitoring data.

3|Updated May 1, 2026
One-click install
npx skills add https://github.com/MaterializeInc/materialize-monitoring --skill troubleshooting-materialize-materializeinc
Or copy as Structured Prompt for Agent▼
Please help me install this Agent Skill.
Skill: troubleshooting-materialize
Source: https://github.com/MaterializeInc/materialize-monitoring/tree/main/.claude/skills/troubleshooting-materialize
Command: npx skills add https://github.com/MaterializeInc/materialize-monitoring --skill troubleshooting-materialize-materializeinc

SYSTEM DOCUMENTATION & REQUIREMENTS

What problem does it solve? When a Materialize environment is unhealthy, slow, lagging, restarting, or refusing connections, operators need a disciplined way to investigate using the monitoring stack rather than a SQL session. This Skill routes you to the right troubleshooting documentation and enforces diagnostic habits that keep an investigation honest. ## Core Features & Use Cases - Symptom-based routing: Distinguishes between a broken monitoring stack and a broken Materialize cluster, directing you to the correct troubleshooting guide for each. - Query-first diagnosis: Teaches you to confirm labels with count by (<label>) (<metric>), consult the query registry in packages/queries/*.yaml for written metric interpretations, and return findings as re-runnable expressions instead of screenshots. - No-privilege investigation: Uses gcx to reach Grafana, Thanos, and Loki without Kubernetes cluster-admin access, so diagnosis never requires escalating privileges. - Use Case: Grafana shows a cluster pinned at its memory limit. Use this Skill to identify which dashboard answers the question, verify the scoping label materialize_cloud_organization_name, and produce a query with window and scope that a teammate can re-run. ## Quick Start Ask the assistant to troubleshoot why your Materialize cluster is lagging using the monitoring stack dashboards and queries.

Frequently Asked Questions about troubleshooting-materialize

High-intent search queries and answers about installing and using this skill.

FAQPage Schema
How do I troubleshoot a slow or lagging Materialize cluster?▼

Start with the troubleshooting guide's first-five-minutes checklist, then use the dashboard that matches your symptom. Confirm labels with count by (<label>) (<metric>) before building queries, and consult the query registry in packages/queries/*.yaml for each metric's written interpretation.

How do I tell if the monitoring stack or Materialize itself is broken?▼

If Grafana shows nothing at all, the monitoring stack is the problem and you should follow the o11y troubleshooting page indexed by symptom. If Grafana shows a cluster pinned at its memory limit, Materialize itself is unhealthy and belongs in the Materialize troubleshooting flow.

Can I troubleshoot Materialize without Kubernetes cluster admin access?▼

Yes. The gcx tool reaches Grafana, Thanos, and Loki with no Kubernetes access at all, and node-level questions are answerable from the node dashboard. Everything gcx and kubectl do, Grafana's Explore view also does.

Why does my Materialize metrics query return empty results?▼

Empty results usually mean a wrong scoping label. On self-managed deployments the scoping label is materialize_cloud_organization_name; cloud-only spellings return empty results that misleadingly read as healthy. Confirm labels with a count by query first.

Does the Materialize monitoring stack ship alert rules?▼

No. The alert definitions exist, but no template emits a PrometheusRule, so silence is not health. Never conclude nothing is alerting so it is fine; evaluate the alert's own expression instead to see what it would have done.