MongoDB Compass $match and $text results in "Expected "[" or AggregationStage but "{" found."

Question

Doing a simple $match aggregation results in the Expected "[" or AggregationStage but "{" found. error.

{
  $text: {
    $search: "search query"
  }
}

Answer 1

You just have to use the $match stage in the aggregation pipeline and wrap it in an array, as MongoDB's aggregate() method expects an array of pipeline stages—not a single object.

However, when you pass a single object or query, some MongoDB shells or terminals may implicitly convert it into an array. This is why it might appear to work in some environments but not others.

You can try this working aggregation query:

db.collection.aggregate([
  {
    $match: {
      $text: {
        $search: "search query"
      }
    }
  }
])

If you're using MongoDB Compass, you can test this by pasting the above aggregation query into the Aggregation Pipeline Editor and clicking “Run” to check if it works.

Also, if your goal is just to perform a text search without using aggregation, you can use the simpler find() method:

db.collection.find({
  $text: {
    $search: "search query"
  }
})

This is more straightforward when you're only searching and don't need additional stages like $project, $group, etc.