[role="xpack"]
[[watcher-api-delete-watch]]
=== Delete Watch API

The DELETE watch API removes a watch (identified by its `id`) from {watcher}.
Once removed, the document representing the watch in the `.watches` index is
gone and it will never be executed again.

Please note that deleting a watch **does not** delete any watch execution records
related to this watch from the watch history.

IMPORTANT:  Deleting a watch must be done via this API only. Do not delete the
            watch directly from the `.watches` index using Elasticsearch's
            DELETE Document API. When {security} is enabled, make sure no `write`
            privileges are granted to anyone over the `.watches` index.

The following example deletes a watch with the `my-watch` id:

[source,js]
--------------------------------------------------
DELETE _xpack/watcher/watch/my_watch
--------------------------------------------------
// CONSOLE
// TEST[setup:my_active_watch]

Response:

[source,js]
--------------------------------------------------
{
   "found": true,
   "_id": "my_watch",
   "_version": 2
}
--------------------------------------------------
// TESTRESPONSE