diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 2225344..357ccc6 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -576,6 +576,7 @@ version                     - show esctl version information
 debug                       - developer only
 help-jsonpath               - show jsonpath help
 help-usage                  - show overview of all available commands
+help-esql                   - show esql help
 ```
 
 # Development
diff --git a/assets/assets.go b/assets/assets.go
index 60cc14f..9366683 100644
--- a/assets/assets.go
+++ b/assets/assets.go
@@ -24,10 +24,11 @@ import (
 	"github.com/go-openapi/swag/loading"
 )
 
-//go:embed *.json
+//go:embed *.json *.md
 var AssetFS embed.FS
 
 var OpenAPI *loads.Document
+var EsQlCheatSheet string
 
 func LoadAssetOpenApi() {
 	doc, err := loads.Spec(
@@ -41,3 +42,12 @@ func LoadAssetOpenApi() {
 
 	OpenAPI = doc
 }
+
+func LoadEsql() {
+	md, err := AssetFS.ReadFile("esql.md")
+	if err != nil {
+		panic(err)
+	}
+
+	EsQlCheatSheet = string(md)
+}
diff --git a/assets/esql.md b/assets/esql.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..72893e1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/assets/esql.md
@@ -0,0 +1,951 @@
+<!-- courtesy https://github.com/linkan-per/ES-QL-Cheat-Sheet by |linkan-per -->
+# ES|QL (Elasticsearch Query Language) Cheat Sheet
+
+## Table of Contents
+1. [Introduction](#introduction)
+2. [Basic Query Structure](#basic-query-structure)
+3. [Source Commands](#source-commands)
+4. [Processing Commands](#processing-commands)
+5. [Data Selection & Filtering](#data-selection--filtering)
+6. [Aggregations & Statistics](#aggregations--statistics)
+7. [String Functions](#string-functions)
+8. [Mathematical Functions](#mathematical-functions)
+9. [Date/Time Functions](#datetime-functions)
+10. [Type Conversion Functions](#type-conversion-functions)
+11. [Conditional Functions](#conditional-functions)
+12. [Array Functions](#array-functions)
+13. [Join Operations (LOOKUP)](#join-operations-lookup)
+14. [Sorting & Limiting](#sorting--limiting)
+15. [Grouping & Aggregating](#grouping--aggregating)
+16. [Advanced Patterns](#advanced-patterns)
+
+---
+
+## Introduction
+
+ES|QL is Elasticsearch's new query language designed for data exploration, analysis, and transformation. It uses a pipe (`|`) syntax to chain commands together.
+
+**Basic Syntax:**
+```
+FROM <data-source>
+| <processing-command>
+| <processing-command>
+| ...
+```
+
+---
+
+## Basic Query Structure
+
+### Simple Query
+```esql
+FROM logs-*
+| LIMIT 10
+```
+
+### Query with Multiple Commands
+```esql
+FROM employees
+| WHERE department == "Engineering"
+| KEEP name, salary, hire_date
+| SORT salary DESC
+| LIMIT 5
+```
+
+---
+
+## Source Commands
+
+### FROM - Specify Data Source
+```esql
+// From a single index
+FROM logs-2024
+
+// From multiple indices with wildcard
+FROM logs-*, metrics-*
+
+// From specific indices
+FROM index1, index2, index3
+
+// With metadata
+FROM logs-* METADATA _id, _index
+```
+
+### ROW - Generate Inline Data
+```esql
+// Create a single row
+ROW name = "John", age = 30, city = "NYC"
+
+// Multiple rows
+ROW a = 1, b = "x"
+| EVAL c = a * 10
+```
+
+---
+
+## Processing Commands
+
+### KEEP - Select Specific Fields
+```esql
+FROM employees
+| KEEP name, department, salary
+
+// Keep with pattern
+FROM logs-*
+| KEEP @timestamp, message, host.*
+```
+
+### DROP - Remove Specific Fields
+```esql
+FROM employees
+| DROP password, ssn, internal_notes
+
+// Drop with pattern
+FROM logs-*
+| DROP *.keyword
+```
+
+### RENAME - Rename Fields
+```esql
+FROM employees
+| RENAME emp_name AS name, emp_dept AS department
+
+// Multiple renames
+FROM logs-*
+| RENAME source.ip AS src_ip, destination.ip AS dst_ip
+```
+
+---
+
+## Data Selection & Filtering
+
+### WHERE - Filter Rows
+```esql
+// Equality
+FROM employees
+| WHERE department == "Sales"
+
+// Comparison operators
+FROM products
+| WHERE price > 100 AND stock < 50
+
+// IS NULL / IS NOT NULL
+FROM logs-*
+| WHERE error_code IS NOT NULL
+
+// IN operator
+FROM employees
+| WHERE department IN ("Sales", "Marketing", "HR")
+
+// LIKE operator (wildcards)
+FROM logs-*
+| WHERE message LIKE "*error*"
+
+// RLIKE operator (regex)
+FROM logs-*
+| WHERE message RLIKE "error|exception|failure"
+
+// NOT operator
+FROM employees
+| WHERE NOT department == "IT"
+
+// Multiple conditions
+FROM orders
+| WHERE status == "completed" 
+  AND total_amount > 1000 
+  AND order_date >= "2024-01-01"
+```
+
+---
+
+## Aggregations & Statistics
+
+### STATS - Aggregate Functions
+
+#### COUNT
+```esql
+// Count all rows
+FROM logs-*
+| STATS count = COUNT()
+
+// Count distinct
+FROM employees
+| STATS unique_departments = COUNT_DISTINCT(department)
+
+// Count by group
+FROM logs-*
+| STATS event_count = COUNT() BY log_level
+```
+
+#### SUM, AVG, MIN, MAX
+```esql
+FROM sales
+| STATS 
+    total_revenue = SUM(amount),
+    avg_sale = AVG(amount),
+    min_sale = MIN(amount),
+    max_sale = MAX(amount)
+
+// With grouping
+FROM sales
+| STATS 
+    total = SUM(amount),
+    average = AVG(amount)
+  BY product_category
+```
+
+#### MEDIAN, PERCENTILE
+```esql
+FROM response_times
+| STATS 
+    median_time = MEDIAN(duration),
+    p95 = PERCENTILE(duration, 95),
+    p99 = PERCENTILE(duration, 99)
+```
+
+#### Multiple Aggregations
+```esql
+FROM orders
+| STATS 
+    order_count = COUNT(),
+    total_revenue = SUM(amount),
+    avg_order_value = AVG(amount),
+    unique_customers = COUNT_DISTINCT(customer_id)
+  BY region, product_category
+```
+
+---
+
+## String Functions
+
+### CONCAT - Concatenate Strings
+```esql
+FROM employees
+| EVAL full_name = CONCAT(first_name, " ", last_name)
+
+// With separator
+FROM logs-*
+| EVAL log_info = CONCAT(level, ": ", message)
+```
+
+### SUBSTRING - Extract Substring
+```esql
+FROM employees
+| EVAL first_initial = SUBSTRING(first_name, 0, 1)
+
+// Extract with length
+FROM products
+| EVAL short_code = SUBSTRING(product_id, 0, 5)
+```
+
+### LENGTH - String Length
+```esql
+FROM messages
+| EVAL message_length = LENGTH(message)
+| WHERE message_length > 100
+```
+
+### TRIM, LTRIM, RTRIM - Remove Whitespace
+```esql
+FROM user_input
+| EVAL cleaned = TRIM(input_field)
+| EVAL left_trimmed = LTRIM(input_field)
+| EVAL right_trimmed = RTRIM(input_field)
+```
+
+### UPPER, LOWER - Case Conversion
+```esql
+FROM employees
+| EVAL name_upper = UPPER(name)
+| EVAL email_lower = LOWER(email)
+```
+
+### REPLACE - Replace String
+```esql
+FROM logs-*
+| EVAL cleaned_message = REPLACE(message, "ERROR", "Warning")
+```
+
+### SPLIT - Split String into Array
+```esql
+FROM logs-*
+| EVAL tags_array = SPLIT(tags, ",")
+```
+
+### STARTS_WITH, ENDS_WITH
+```esql
+FROM files
+| WHERE STARTS_WITH(filename, "log_")
+| WHERE ENDS_WITH(filename, ".txt")
+```
+
+---
+
+## Mathematical Functions
+
+### Basic Operations
+```esql
+FROM sales
+| EVAL 
+    total = price * quantity,
+    discount_price = price * 0.9,
+    tax = price * 0.08
+
+// Multiple operations
+FROM metrics
+| EVAL 
+    sum_val = field1 + field2,
+    diff_val = field1 - field2,
+    product = field1 * field2,
+    ratio = field1 / field2,
+    remainder = field1 % field2
+```
+
+### ABS - Absolute Value
+```esql
+FROM transactions
+| EVAL abs_amount = ABS(transaction_amount)
+```
+
+### ROUND, FLOOR, CEIL
+```esql
+FROM measurements
+| EVAL 
+    rounded = ROUND(value, 2),
+    floored = FLOOR(value),
+    ceiled = CEIL(value)
+```
+
+### POW - Power
+```esql
+FROM data
+| EVAL squared = POW(value, 2)
+| EVAL cubed = POW(value, 3)
+```
+
+### SQRT - Square Root
+```esql
+FROM measurements
+| EVAL sqrt_value = SQRT(value)
+```
+
+### LOG, LOG10
+```esql
+FROM data
+| EVAL 
+    natural_log = LOG(value),
+    log_base_10 = LOG10(value)
+```
+
+### GREATEST, LEAST
+```esql
+FROM comparisons
+| EVAL 
+    max_val = GREATEST(val1, val2, val3),
+    min_val = LEAST(val1, val2, val3)
+```
+
+---
+
+## Date/Time Functions
+
+### NOW - Current Timestamp
+```esql
+FROM logs-*
+| EVAL current_time = NOW()
+```
+
+### DATE_EXTRACT - Extract Date Parts
+```esql
+FROM events
+| EVAL 
+    year = DATE_EXTRACT("year", @timestamp),
+    month = DATE_EXTRACT("month", @timestamp),
+    day = DATE_EXTRACT("day", @timestamp),
+    hour = DATE_EXTRACT("hour", @timestamp),
+    minute = DATE_EXTRACT("minute", @timestamp),
+    day_of_week = DATE_EXTRACT("day_of_week", @timestamp)
+```
+
+### DATE_FORMAT - Format Date
+```esql
+FROM events
+| EVAL formatted_date = DATE_FORMAT("yyyy-MM-dd", @timestamp)
+| EVAL custom_format = DATE_FORMAT("MMM dd, yyyy HH:mm", @timestamp)
+```
+
+### DATE_TRUNC - Truncate Date
+```esql
+FROM logs-*
+| EVAL 
+    hour_bucket = DATE_TRUNC("hour", @timestamp),
+    day_bucket = DATE_TRUNC("day", @timestamp),
+    month_bucket = DATE_TRUNC("month", @timestamp)
+```
+
+### DATE_DIFF - Date Difference
+```esql
+FROM orders
+| EVAL days_since_order = DATE_DIFF("days", order_date, NOW())
+| EVAL hours_to_delivery = DATE_DIFF("hours", order_date, delivery_date)
+```
+
+### DATE_PARSE - Parse String to Date
+```esql
+FROM data
+| EVAL parsed_date = DATE_PARSE("yyyy-MM-dd", date_string)
+```
+
+---
+
+## Type Conversion Functions
+
+### TO_STRING - Convert to String
+```esql
+FROM data
+| EVAL id_string = TO_STRING(id)
+| EVAL amount_string = TO_STRING(amount)
+```
+
+### TO_INTEGER, TO_LONG - Convert to Integer
+```esql
+FROM data
+| EVAL age_int = TO_INTEGER(age_string)
+| EVAL id_long = TO_LONG(id_string)
+```
+
+### TO_DOUBLE - Convert to Double
+```esql
+FROM data
+| EVAL price_double = TO_DOUBLE(price_string)
+```
+
+### TO_BOOLEAN - Convert to Boolean
+```esql
+FROM data
+| EVAL is_active = TO_BOOLEAN(active_string)
+```
+
+### TO_DATETIME - Convert to DateTime
+```esql
+FROM data
+| EVAL timestamp = TO_DATETIME(date_string)
+```
+
+### TO_IP - Convert to IP Address
+```esql
+FROM logs-*
+| EVAL ip_address = TO_IP(ip_string)
+```
+
+---
+
+## Conditional Functions
+
+### CASE - Conditional Logic
+```esql
+FROM employees
+| EVAL salary_grade = CASE(
+    salary < 50000, "Entry",
+    salary < 80000, "Mid",
+    salary < 120000, "Senior",
+    "Executive"
+  )
+
+// With multiple conditions
+FROM orders
+| EVAL order_status = CASE(
+    status == "pending" AND days_old > 7, "Overdue",
+    status == "pending", "Processing",
+    status == "shipped", "In Transit",
+    status == "delivered", "Completed",
+    "Unknown"
+  )
+```
+
+### COALESCE - Return First Non-Null Value
+```esql
+FROM data
+| EVAL display_name = COALESCE(nickname, first_name, username, "Unknown")
+```
+
+### IF - Simple Conditional
+```esql
+FROM products
+| EVAL stock_status = 
+    CASE(stock > 0, "Available", "Out of Stock")
+
+// Nested conditions
+FROM employees
+| EVAL bonus = CASE(
+    performance_rating >= 4.5, salary * 0.15,
+    performance_rating >= 3.5, salary * 0.10,
+    performance_rating >= 2.5, salary * 0.05,
+    0
+  )
+```
+
+---
+
+## Array Functions
+
+### MV_COUNT - Count Array Elements
+```esql
+FROM logs-*
+| EVAL tag_count = MV_COUNT(tags)
+| WHERE tag_count > 3
+```
+
+### MV_AVG, MV_SUM, MV_MIN, MV_MAX - Array Aggregations
+```esql
+FROM metrics
+| EVAL 
+    avg_value = MV_AVG(values),
+    total = MV_SUM(values),
+    min_value = MV_MIN(values),
+    max_value = MV_MAX(values)
+```
+
+### MV_CONCAT - Concatenate Array Elements
+```esql
+FROM logs-*
+| EVAL all_tags = MV_CONCAT(tags, ", ")
+```
+
+### MV_DEDUPE - Remove Duplicates from Array
+```esql
+FROM data
+| EVAL unique_values = MV_DEDUPE(values)
+```
+
+### MV_FIRST, MV_LAST - Get First/Last Element
+```esql
+FROM logs-*
+| EVAL first_tag = MV_FIRST(tags)
+| EVAL last_tag = MV_LAST(tags)
+```
+
+### MV_SLICE - Extract Array Slice
+```esql
+FROM data
+| EVAL first_three = MV_SLICE(values, 0, 3)
+```
+
+---
+
+## Join Operations (LOOKUP)
+
+ES|QL uses ENRICH (similar to LOOKUP/JOIN) to join data from enrich policies.
+
+### Prerequisites: Create Enrich Policy
+First, create an enrich policy in Kibana Dev Tools:
+
+```json
+PUT /_enrich/policy/user_lookup
+{
+  "match": {
+    "indices": "users",
+    "match_field": "user_id",
+    "enrich_fields": ["username", "email", "department"]
+  }
+}
+
+POST /_enrich/policy/user_lookup/_execute
+```
+
+### ENRICH - Join/Lookup Data
+```esql
+FROM logs-*
+| ENRICH user_lookup ON user_id
+| KEEP @timestamp, user_id, username, email, message
+
+// With field renaming
+FROM transactions
+| ENRICH product_lookup ON product_id WITH product_name, category, price
+| KEEP transaction_id, product_name, category, quantity, price
+
+// Multiple enrichments
+FROM orders
+| ENRICH customer_lookup ON customer_id WITH customer_name, customer_tier
+| ENRICH product_lookup ON product_id WITH product_name, product_category
+| KEEP order_id, customer_name, product_name, order_amount
+```
+
+### Complex Join Example
+```esql
+FROM orders
+| ENRICH customer_lookup ON customer_id 
+    WITH customer_name, customer_email, customer_segment
+| ENRICH product_lookup ON product_id 
+    WITH product_name, product_category, product_price
+| EVAL total_price = quantity * product_price
+| WHERE customer_segment == "Premium"
+| STATS 
+    total_orders = COUNT(),
+    total_revenue = SUM(total_price)
+  BY customer_name, product_category
+| SORT total_revenue DESC
+```
+
+---
+
+## Sorting & Limiting
+
+### SORT - Order Results
+```esql
+// Ascending order (default)
+FROM employees
+| SORT salary
+
+// Descending order
+FROM employees
+| SORT salary DESC
+
+// Multiple fields
+FROM employees
+| SORT department ASC, salary DESC
+
+// With nulls first/last
+FROM data
+| SORT value DESC NULLS FIRST
+```
+
+### LIMIT - Limit Results
+```esql
+// Get first 10 rows
+FROM logs-*
+| LIMIT 10
+
+// Top 5 highest salaries
+FROM employees
+| SORT salary DESC
+| LIMIT 5
+
+// Pagination (skip and limit)
+FROM products
+| SORT price
+| LIMIT 20  // Results 0-19
+```
+
+### HEAD - Get First N Rows (Alias for LIMIT)
+```esql
+FROM logs-*
+| HEAD 100
+```
+
+---
+
+## Grouping & Aggregating
+
+### GROUP BY with STATS
+```esql
+// Single field grouping
+FROM sales
+| STATS total_sales = SUM(amount) BY region
+
+// Multiple field grouping
+FROM orders
+| STATS 
+    order_count = COUNT(),
+    total_revenue = SUM(amount)
+  BY region, product_category, sales_rep
+
+// Time-based grouping
+FROM logs-*
+| EVAL hour = DATE_TRUNC("hour", @timestamp)
+| STATS event_count = COUNT() BY hour, log_level
+| SORT hour DESC
+```
+
+### Complex Aggregation Example
+```esql
+FROM sales_data
+| WHERE order_date >= "2024-01-01"
+| EVAL month = DATE_TRUNC("month", order_date)
+| STATS 
+    total_orders = COUNT(),
+    total_revenue = SUM(amount),
+    avg_order_value = AVG(amount),
+    unique_customers = COUNT_DISTINCT(customer_id),
+    max_order = MAX(amount),
+    min_order = MIN(amount)
+  BY month, region, product_category
+| EVAL revenue_per_customer = total_revenue / unique_customers
+| WHERE total_orders > 100
+| SORT month DESC, total_revenue DESC
+| LIMIT 50
+```
+
+---
+
+## Advanced Patterns
+
+### Window Functions Pattern
+```esql
+// Running total by group
+FROM sales
+| SORT date
+| STATS 
+    daily_sales = SUM(amount),
+    order_count = COUNT()
+  BY date, region
+| SORT region, date
+```
+
+### Pivoting Data
+```esql
+// Count by status and priority
+FROM tickets
+| STATS ticket_count = COUNT() BY status, priority
+| SORT status, priority
+```
+
+### Finding Duplicates
+```esql
+FROM users
+| STATS count = COUNT() BY email
+| WHERE count > 1
+| SORT count DESC
+```
+
+### Time Series Analysis
+```esql
+FROM metrics-*
+| EVAL 
+    hour = DATE_TRUNC("hour", @timestamp),
+    day = DATE_EXTRACT("day", @timestamp)
+| STATS 
+    avg_cpu = AVG(cpu_percent),
+    max_cpu = MAX(cpu_percent),
+    avg_memory = AVG(memory_percent)
+  BY hour, host
+| WHERE avg_cpu > 80
+| SORT hour DESC
+```
+
+### Percentage Calculations
+```esql
+FROM sales
+| STATS 
+    total_sales = SUM(amount),
+    count = COUNT()
+  BY product_category
+| EVAL percentage = ROUND(total_sales / SUM(total_sales) * 100, 2)
+| SORT percentage DESC
+```
+
+### Top N per Group
+```esql
+// Top 3 products per category by sales
+FROM sales
+| STATS total_sales = SUM(amount) BY product_category, product_name
+| SORT product_category, total_sales DESC
+// Note: ES|QL doesn't have native PARTITION BY, 
+// so you may need to process this in multiple queries or use aggregations
+```
+
+### Data Cleaning
+```esql
+FROM raw_data
+| EVAL 
+    // Clean whitespace
+    cleaned_name = TRIM(name),
+    // Standardize case
+    email_lower = LOWER(email),
+    // Replace values
+    status = REPLACE(status, "N/A", "Unknown"),
+    // Handle nulls
+    age = COALESCE(age, 0),
+    // Validate ranges
+    valid_age = CASE(age < 0 OR age > 150, NULL, age)
+| WHERE cleaned_name IS NOT NULL
+| DROP name, email
+| RENAME cleaned_name AS name, email_lower AS email
+```
+
+### Cohort Analysis
+```esql
+FROM user_events
+| EVAL 
+    signup_month = DATE_TRUNC("month", signup_date),
+    event_month = DATE_TRUNC("month", event_date)
+| STATS 
+    active_users = COUNT_DISTINCT(user_id)
+  BY signup_month, event_month
+| SORT signup_month, event_month
+```
+
+### Anomaly Detection Pattern
+```esql
+FROM metrics-*
+| EVAL hour = DATE_TRUNC("hour", @timestamp)
+| STATS 
+    avg_value = AVG(value),
+    stddev = SQRT(AVG(POW(value - AVG(value), 2)))
+  BY hour
+| EVAL 
+    upper_bound = avg_value + (2 * stddev),
+    lower_bound = avg_value - (2 * stddev)
+```
+
+---
+
+## Complete Real-World Examples
+
+### Example 1: User Activity Dashboard
+```esql
+FROM user_logs-*
+| WHERE @timestamp >= NOW() - 7 days
+| ENRICH user_lookup ON user_id WITH username, user_tier
+| EVAL day = DATE_TRUNC("day", @timestamp)
+| STATS 
+    daily_active_users = COUNT_DISTINCT(user_id),
+    total_sessions = COUNT(),
+    avg_session_duration = AVG(session_duration)
+  BY day, user_tier
+| EVAL avg_duration_minutes = ROUND(avg_session_duration / 60, 2)
+| SORT day DESC, user_tier
+```
+
+### Example 2: E-commerce Sales Report
+```esql
+FROM orders
+| WHERE order_date >= "2024-01-01"
+| ENRICH customer_lookup ON customer_id 
+    WITH customer_name, customer_segment
+| ENRICH product_lookup ON product_id 
+    WITH product_name, product_category, cost_price
+| EVAL 
+    profit = (price - cost_price) * quantity,
+    month = DATE_TRUNC("month", order_date)
+| STATS 
+    total_orders = COUNT(),
+    total_revenue = SUM(price * quantity),
+    total_profit = SUM(profit),
+    avg_order_value = AVG(price * quantity),
+    unique_customers = COUNT_DISTINCT(customer_id)
+  BY month, product_category, customer_segment
+| EVAL profit_margin = ROUND(total_profit / total_revenue * 100, 2)
+| WHERE total_revenue > 10000
+| SORT month DESC, total_revenue DESC
+| LIMIT 100
+```
+
+### Example 3: Security Log Analysis
+```esql
+FROM security-logs-*
+| WHERE @timestamp >= NOW() - 24 hours
+| WHERE event_type IN ("login_failed", "suspicious_activity")
+| EVAL hour = DATE_TRUNC("hour", @timestamp)
+| STATS 
+    event_count = COUNT(),
+    unique_ips = COUNT_DISTINCT(source_ip),
+    unique_users = COUNT_DISTINCT(username)
+  BY hour, event_type, country
+| WHERE event_count > 100
+| SORT hour DESC, event_count DESC
+```
+
+### Example 4: Application Performance Monitoring
+```esql
+FROM apm-*
+| WHERE @timestamp >= NOW() - 1 hour
+| EVAL 
+    response_category = CASE(
+        response_time < 100, "Fast",
+        response_time < 500, "Medium",
+        response_time < 1000, "Slow",
+        "Very Slow"
+    ),
+    minute = DATE_TRUNC("minute", @timestamp)
+| STATS 
+    request_count = COUNT(),
+    avg_response = AVG(response_time),
+    p95_response = PERCENTILE(response_time, 95),
+    p99_response = PERCENTILE(response_time, 99),
+    error_count = COUNT() WHERE status_code >= 400
+  BY minute, endpoint, response_category
+| EVAL error_rate = ROUND(error_count / request_count * 100, 2)
+| WHERE request_count > 10
+| SORT minute DESC, avg_response DESC
+```
+
+---
+
+## Tips & Best Practices
+
+1. **Use KEEP instead of SELECT** - More explicit about which fields to retain
+2. **Filter early with WHERE** - Reduce data processing by filtering before aggregations
+3. **Use DATE_TRUNC for time bucketing** - Essential for time series analysis
+4. **Leverage ENRICH for joins** - Pre-create enrich policies for frequently joined data
+5. **Use EVAL for calculated fields** - Create derived fields before aggregation
+6. **Combine multiple conditions in WHERE** - More efficient than multiple WHERE clauses
+7. **Use STATS with BY for grouping** - Replaces traditional GROUP BY
+8. **Sort after aggregation** - More efficient than sorting before
+9. **Use LIMIT to control output size** - Especially important for large datasets
+10. **Use metadata fields when needed** - Access _id, _index with METADATA keyword
+
+---
+
+## Common Patterns Cheat Sheet
+
+```esql
+// Count by field
+FROM index | STATS count = COUNT() BY field
+
+// Top N
+FROM index | STATS value = SUM(amount) BY category | SORT value DESC | LIMIT 10
+
+// Time series
+FROM index | EVAL bucket = DATE_TRUNC("hour", @timestamp) | STATS count = COUNT() BY bucket
+
+// Percentage of total
+FROM index | STATS total = SUM(amount) BY category | EVAL pct = total / SUM(total) * 100
+
+// Filter nulls
+FROM index | WHERE field IS NOT NULL
+
+// String matching
+FROM index | WHERE field LIKE "*pattern*"
+
+// Date range
+FROM index | WHERE @timestamp >= NOW() - 7 days
+
+// Multiple aggregations
+FROM index | STATS count = COUNT(), sum = SUM(val), avg = AVG(val) BY group
+
+// Conditional aggregation
+FROM index | STATS error_count = COUNT() WHERE status == "error" BY service
+```
+
+---
+
+## Comparison with Traditional SQL
+
+| SQL | ES|QL |
+|-----|-------|
+| SELECT * | FROM index |
+| SELECT field1, field2 | FROM index \| KEEP field1, field2 |
+| WHERE condition | WHERE condition (same) |
+| GROUP BY field | STATS ... BY field |
+| ORDER BY field | SORT field |
+| LIMIT 10 | LIMIT 10 (same) |
+| COUNT(*) | STATS count = COUNT() |
+| SUM(field) | STATS total = SUM(field) |
+| AVG(field) | STATS avg = AVG(field) |
+| JOIN | ENRICH (using enrich policies) |
+| CASE WHEN | CASE(...) |
+| CONCAT(a, b) | CONCAT(a, b) (same) |
+
+---
+
+## Resources
+
+- Official ES|QL Documentation: https://www.elastic.co/guide/en/elasticsearch/reference/current/esql.html
+- ES|QL Functions Reference: https://www.elastic.co/guide/en/elasticsearch/reference/current/esql-functions.html
+- Enrich Processor: https://www.elastic.co/guide/en/elasticsearch/reference/current/enrich-processor.html
+
+---
+
+*Last Updated: 2024*
+*ES|QL is actively evolving - check official documentation for latest features*
diff --git a/cmd/root.go b/cmd/root.go
index d3a1c42..db7ec05 100644
--- a/cmd/root.go
+++ b/cmd/root.go
@@ -24,10 +24,13 @@ import (
 	"runtime/pprof"
 	"strings"
 
+	"codeberg.org/scip/esctl/assets"
 	"codeberg.org/scip/esctl/pkg/cfg"
 	"codeberg.org/scip/esctl/pkg/es"
 	"codeberg.org/scip/esctl/pkg/log"
+	"codeberg.org/scip/esctl/pkg/printer"
 
+	markdown "github.com/MichaelMure/go-term-markdown"
 	"github.com/urfave/cli/v3"
 )
 
@@ -141,7 +144,7 @@ func Main() int {
 				Name:        "output",
 				Aliases:     []string{"o"},
 				Value:       "",
-				Usage:       "output mode (tsv, json, yaml) default: tsv",
+				Usage:       "output mode (tsv, csv, json, yaml) default: tsv",
 				Destination: &conf.Output,
 			},
 			&cli.StringFlag{
@@ -164,6 +167,7 @@ func Main() int {
 			Node(conf),
 			Roles(conf),
 			Search(conf),
+			SearchQL(conf),
 			Shard(conf),
 			Snapshot(conf),
 			Task(conf),
@@ -171,6 +175,7 @@ func Main() int {
 			Debug(conf),
 			HelpJsonPath(conf),
 			HelpUsage(conf),
+			HelpEsQl(conf),
 		},
 
 		Before: func(ctx context.Context, cmd *cli.Command) (context.Context, error) {
@@ -226,6 +231,22 @@ func HelpJsonPath(conf *cfg.Config) *cli.Command {
 	}
 }
 
+func HelpEsQl(conf *cfg.Config) *cli.Command {
+	return &cli.Command{
+		Name:  "help-esql",
+		Usage: "show esql help",
+
+		Action: func(ctx context.Context, cmd *cli.Command) error {
+			assets.LoadEsql()
+
+			width := cfg.GetTermWidth()
+			printer.Pager("esql cheat sheet", string(markdown.Render(assets.EsQlCheatSheet, width, cfg.DefaultMargin)))
+
+			return nil
+		},
+	}
+}
+
 func Version(conf *cfg.Config) *cli.Command {
 	return &cli.Command{
 		Name:  "version",
diff --git a/cmd/search.go b/cmd/search.go
index 0f33cd7..ac3d0d1 100644
--- a/cmd/search.go
+++ b/cmd/search.go
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ package cmd
 
 import (
 	"context"
+	"strings"
 
 	"codeberg.org/scip/esctl/pkg/cfg"
 	"codeberg.org/scip/esctl/pkg/es"
@@ -45,6 +46,11 @@ https://www.elastic.co/docs/reference/elasticsearch/rest-apis/common-options#dat
 For timestamp formats refer to:
 https://www.elastic.co/docs/reference/elasticsearch/mapping-reference/mapping-date-format`
 
+const QlUsage = `ES|QL documentation:
+https://www.elastic.co/docs/reference/query-languages/esql/esql-getting-started
+
+See also: esctl help-esql`
+
 func Search(conf *cfg.Config) *cli.Command {
 	return &cli.Command{
 		Name:               "search",
@@ -149,3 +155,19 @@ func Search(conf *cfg.Config) *cli.Command {
 		},
 	}
 }
+
+func SearchQL(conf *cfg.Config) *cli.Command {
+	return &cli.Command{
+		Name:               "searchql",
+		Aliases:            []string{"/"},
+		Usage:              "search using ES/QL language",
+		UsageText:          "search <ES/QL term>",
+		CustomHelpTemplate: addReference(QlUsage),
+
+		Action: func(ctx context.Context, cmd *cli.Command) error {
+			args := cmd.Args()
+
+			return es.SearchQL(conf, strings.Join(args.Slice(), " "))
+		},
+	}
+}
diff --git a/pkg/es/searchql.go b/pkg/es/searchql.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d667558
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/es/searchql.go
@@ -0,0 +1,79 @@
+/*
+Copyright © 2026 Thomas von Dein
+
+This program is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify
+it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
+the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or
+(at your option) any later version.
+
+This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
+GNU General Public License for more details.
+
+You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
+along with this program. If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
+*/
+package es
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"encoding/json"
+	"fmt"
+	"log/slog"
+
+	"codeberg.org/scip/esctl/pkg/cfg"
+	"codeberg.org/scip/esctl/pkg/printer"
+)
+
+type searchQlColumn struct {
+	Name string `json:"name"`
+	Type string `json:"type"`
+}
+
+type searchQlResult struct {
+	Partial bool             `json:"is_partial"`
+	Docs    int              `json:"documents_found"`
+	Columns []searchQlColumn `json:"columns"`
+	Values  [][]any          `json:"values"`
+}
+
+func SearchQL(conf *cfg.Config, querystring string) error {
+	query := conf.DefaultCluster.ES().Esql.Query().
+		Query(querystring).
+		DropNullColumns(true)
+
+	res, err := query.Do(context.Background())
+	if err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("failed to run esql query: %w", esErrorString(err))
+	}
+
+	if conf.Debug {
+		fmt.Println(string(res))
+	}
+
+	qlResult := searchQlResult{}
+
+	if err = json.Unmarshal(res, &qlResult); err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("failed to unmarshal esql result: %w", err)
+	}
+
+	slog.Debug("searchql result", "qlres", qlResult)
+
+	if qlResult.Docs == 0 {
+		return nil
+	}
+
+	table := printer.NewTable(conf, len(qlResult.Columns), len(qlResult.Values))
+
+	headers := make([]string, len(qlResult.Columns))
+	for idx, col := range qlResult.Columns {
+		headers[idx] = col.Name
+	}
+
+	table.Addheaders(headers...)
+
+	table.Entries = qlResult.Values
+
+	return table.Print()
+}
diff --git a/pkg/printer/table.go b/pkg/printer/table.go
index cf412d4..55b62d0 100644
--- a/pkg/printer/table.go
+++ b/pkg/printer/table.go
@@ -30,9 +30,10 @@ import (
 )
 
 type Table struct {
-	Mode    string // tsv, json, yaml
-	Headers []string
-	Entries [][]any
+	Mode       string // tsv, json, yaml
+	Headers    []string
+	RawHeaders []string
+	Entries    [][]any
 
 	rows       [][]string // representation used for printing
 	processed  bool
@@ -45,6 +46,7 @@ func NewTable(conf *cfg.Config, columns, rows int) *Table {
 	table := Table{Mode: conf.Output, maxwidth: cfg.GetTermWidth()}
 
 	table.Headers = make([]string, columns)
+	table.RawHeaders = make([]string, columns)
 	table.Entries = make([][]any, rows)
 	table.lenHeaders = make([]int, columns)
 	table.alignInts = conf.AlignInts
@@ -65,6 +67,7 @@ func (table *Table) WithHeaders(headers ...string) *Table {
 	table.Entries = [][]any{}
 	table.lenHeaders = make([]int, count)
 	table.Headers = make([]string, count)
+	table.RawHeaders = make([]string, count)
 
 	table.Addheaders(headers...)
 
@@ -77,6 +80,8 @@ func (table *Table) Print() error {
 		return table.PrintJSON()
 	case "yaml":
 		return table.PrintYAML()
+	case "csv":
+		return table.PrintCSV()
 	default:
 		return table.PrintTSV()
 	}
@@ -178,6 +183,28 @@ func (table *Table) PrintTSV() error {
 	return nil
 }
 
+func (table *Table) PrintCSV() error {
+	table.preprocessRows()
+
+	fmt.Println(strings.Join(table.RawHeaders, ","))
+
+	for _, entries := range table.rows {
+		row := make([]string, len(entries))
+
+		for idx, entry := range entries {
+			if strings.Contains(entry, " ") || strings.Contains(entry, ",") {
+				row[idx] = `"` + entry + `"`
+			} else {
+				row[idx] = entry
+			}
+		}
+
+		fmt.Println(strings.Join(row, ","))
+	}
+
+	return nil
+}
+
 func (table *Table) Sort() {
 	// sanity checks
 	if len(table.Entries) == 0 {
@@ -199,6 +226,8 @@ func (table *Table) Addheaders(headers ...string) {
 		default:
 			table.Headers[idx] = bold(strings.ReplaceAll(strings.ToUpper(header), " ", "-"))
 		}
+
+		table.RawHeaders[idx] = header
 	}
 }