Resource Explorer Diagnostics

AWS Resource Explorer Diagnostics

When to use

Any AWS Resource Explorer investigation — index creation, aggregator configuration, search queries, missing resources, view management, filter expressions, cross-region indexing, IAM permissions, organization integration, or supported resource types.

Investigation workflow

Step 1 — Collect and triage

aws resource-explorer-2 list-indexes --query 'Indexes[*].{Region:Region,Type:Type,Arn:Arn}'
aws resource-explorer-2 get-index
aws resource-explorer-2 list-views --query 'Views[*]'

Step 2 — Domain deep dive

aws resource-explorer-2 search --query-string "resourcetype:AWS::EC2::Instance" --view-arn <view-arn>
aws resource-explorer-2 get-view --view-arn <view-arn>
aws resource-explorer-2 list-supported-resource-types --query 'ResourceTypes[*].{Service:Service,ResourceType:ResourceType}'

Step 3 — Detailed investigation

aws cloudtrail lookup-events --lookup-attributes AttributeKey=EventSource,AttributeValue=resource-explorer-2.amazonaws.com --max-results 20
aws iam simulate-principal-policy --policy-source-arn <role-arn> --action-names resource-explorer-2:Search resource-explorer-2:GetIndex
aws resource-explorer-2 list-indexes --type AGGREGATOR

Read references/guardrails.md before concluding on any Resource Explorer issue.

Tool quick reference

Gotchas: AWS Resource Explorer

• Resource Explorer requires an index in EACH region you want to search. Without a local index, resources in that region are invisible to search.
• Only ONE aggregator index is allowed per account. The aggregator collects data from all local indexes. Attempting to create a second aggregator fails.
• Search results may be delayed up to 36 hours after resource creation. Resource Explorer does not provide real-time resource discovery.
• Views filter search results. The default view shows all resources, but custom views with filters may hide resources the user expects to see.
• Filter expressions use a specific syntax. Common mistakes include wrong field names, missing quotes, and incorrect operators.
• Not all AWS resource types are supported. Resource Explorer indexes a subset of AWS resource types. Unsupported types will never appear in search results.
• Cross-region search requires both a local index in the source region AND an aggregator index. Without both, cross-region queries return incomplete results.

Anti-hallucination rules

1. Always cite specific index ARNs, view ARNs, or search query results as evidence.
2. Local indexes and aggregator indexes serve different purposes. Never conflate them.
3. Search delays are normal (up to 36 hours). Never claim Resource Explorer provides real-time discovery.
4. Views filter results. Always check the view configuration before concluding resources are missing.
5. Spend no more than 2 minutes on any single hypothesis. Pivot if inconclusive.

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