SHOW INDEXES

Generic Description

List index definitions and inventory.

Simple example:

SHOW INDEXES

Consumer-Level Explanation

Use SHOW INDEXES when the query must list index definitions and inventory and the planner needs to see that operation as part of the Cypher row pipeline. Keep the clause explicit because it controls row grain, variable scope, and what later clauses are allowed to reference.

More Detailed Explanation

SHOW INDEXES is primarily for observability and tooling. It gives operators and developers a way to confirm what acceleration structures exist and whether a system matches expectations.

What this clause is really for:

• it defines one concrete stage in the Cypher row pipeline, so variables available before and after SHOW INDEXES must be clear
• it should make graph structure, temporal filters, document payload shaping, or procedure output explicit instead of relying on client-side interpretation
• planner tooling depends on this clause boundary to know row grain, variable scope, and whether later expressions are reads, writes, schema operations, or projections

Advanced Example

This example keeps SHOW INDEXES inside a complete query pipeline so the clause boundary, visible variables, and returned row shape are clear to planner tooling.

SHOW INDEXES

Real Use Cases

• schema inspection
• debugging planner expectations
• operator dashboards or migration tooling

Real Limitations And Tradeoffs

• inventory alone does not prove the planner is using the index effectively
• naming conventions matter for readability
• large systems need disciplined index naming to keep this output useful