Neo4j Cypher Manual

https://neo4j.com/docs/cypher-manual/current/
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The official documentation for Cypher, Neo4j's declarative query language for querying and...
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### Enable Java Vector API with server.jvm.additional

Source: https://neo4j.com/docs/cypher-manual/current/indexes/search-indexes/vector-indexes/

Configuration setting to enable the incubated Java Vector API for vector index performance improvements. Requires at least Java 20 for Neo4j 5.14-5.26, or Java 21 for Neo4j 2025.01 and later. Starting with Neo4j 2026.08, this module is enabled by default.

```config
server.jvm.additional=--add-modules=jdk.incubator.vector
```

--------------------------------

### Load and migrate recommendations database dump

Source: https://neo4j.com/docs/cypher-manual/current/indexes/search-indexes/vector-indexes/

Commands to load the recommendations-5.26 dump file into an on-prem Neo4j instance, migrate it to the current version, and create a database with the same name as the dump file.

```none
bin/neo4j-admin database load recommendations-5.26 --from-path=./
bin/neo4j-admin database migrate recommendations-5.26
bin/cypher-shell -u neo4j -p <databasePassword> -d system 'CREATE DATABASE `recommendations-5.26` WAIT'
```

--------------------------------

### SHOW VECTOR INDEXES - default columns

Source: https://neo4j.com/docs/cypher-manual/current/indexes/search-indexes/vector-indexes/

Use this command to list all vector indexes with default return columns. Requires the SHOW INDEX privilege.

```cypher
SHOW VECTOR INDEXES
```

```none
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| id | name                             | state    | populationPercent | type     | entityType | labelsOrTypes      | properties                                     | indexProvider    | owningConstraint | lastRead                 | readCount |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| 1  | "moviePlots"                     | "ONLINE" | 100.0             | "VECTOR" | "NODE"     | ["Movie"]          | ["embedding"]                                  | "vector-2026.08" | NULL             | 2026-08-24T12:10:35.169Z | 2         |
| 2  | "multiLabelAdditionalProperties" | "ONLINE" | 100.0             | "VECTOR" | "NODE"     | ["Movie", "Actor"] | ["embedding", "title", "plot", "name", "born"] | "vector-2026.08" | NULL             | NULL                     | 0         |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
```

--------------------------------

### Show vector index providers with SHOW VECTOR INDEXES

Source: https://neo4j.com/docs/cypher-manual/current/indexes/search-indexes/vector-indexes/

Lists vector indexes with their name, type, and indexProvider to identify the provider used.

```cypher
SHOW VECTOR INDEXES YIELD name, type, indexProvider
```

--------------------------------

### SHOW VECTOR INDEXES YIELD * - full details

Source: https://neo4j.com/docs/cypher-manual/current/indexes/search-indexes/vector-indexes/

Use this command to return all vector index details, including additional columns like trackedSince, options, failureMessage, and createStatement.

```cypher
SHOW VECTOR INDEXES YIELD *
```

--------------------------------

### Show all vector indexes with filtered return columns

Source: https://neo4j.com/docs/cypher-manual/current/indexes/search-indexes/vector-indexes/

Use the SHOW VECTOR INDEXES command with a YIELD clause to display only the name, type, entityType, labelsOrTypes, and properties columns for all vector indexes.

```cypher
SHOW VECTOR INDEXES YIELD name, type, entityType, labelsOrTypes, properties
```

```none
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| name                             | type     | entityType | labelsOrTypes      | properties                                     |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| "moviePlots"                     | "VECTOR" | "NODE"     | ["Movie"]          | ["embedding"]                                  |
| "multiLabelAdditionalProperties" | "VECTOR" | "NODE"     | ["Movie", "Actor"] | ["embedding", "title", "plot", "name", "born"] |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
```

--------------------------------

### Create vector index on multiple labels with additional properties

Source: https://neo4j.com/docs/cypher-manual/current/indexes/search-indexes/vector-indexes/

Creates a vector index on nodes with multiple labels (Movie or Actor) and an additional property. Uses the 'cosine' similarity function and 1536 dimensions.

```cypher
CREATE VECTOR INDEX multiLabelAdditionalProperties IF NOT EXISTS
FOR (n:Movie|Actor)
ON n.embedding
WITH [n.title, n.plot, n.name, n.born]
OPTIONS { indexConfig: {
 `vector.dimensions`: 1536,
 `vector.similarity_function`: 'cosine'
}}
```

--------------------------------

### Create vector index on multiple relationship types with additional property

Source: https://neo4j.com/docs/cypher-manual/current/indexes/search-indexes/vector-indexes/

Creates a vector index on relationships of multiple types (REL_TYPE1, REL_TYPE2, REL_TYPE3) with an additional property. Uses parameters for dimensions and similarity function.

```cypher
CREATE VECTOR INDEX name IF NOT EXISTS
FOR ()-[r:REL_TYPE1|REL_TYPE2|REL_TYPE3]-()
ON (r.embedding)
WITH [r.property]
OPTIONS { indexConfig: {
 `vector.dimensions`: $dimension,
 `vector.similarity_function`: $similarityFunction
}}
```

--------------------------------

### Create vector index for Movie nodes on embedding property

Source: https://neo4j.com/docs/cypher-manual/current/indexes/search-indexes/vector-indexes/

Creates a vector index named moviePlots for Movie nodes on the embedding property with explicit dimensions (1536) and cosine similarity. IF NOT EXISTS makes the command idempotent, avoiding errors if the index already exists.

```cypher
CREATE VECTOR INDEX moviePlots IF NOT EXISTS
FOR (m:Movie)
ON m.embedding
OPTIONS { indexConfig: {
 `vector.dimensions`: 1536,
 `vector.similarity_function`: 'cosine'
}}
```

--------------------------------

### db.create.setNodeVectorProperty()

Source: https://neo4j.com/docs/cypher-manual/current/indexes/search-indexes/vector-indexes/

Updates a given node property with the given vector in a more space-efficient way than directly using SET.

```APIDOC
## db.create.setNodeVectorProperty()

### Description
Updates a given node property with the given vector in a more space-efficient way than directly using `SET`.

### Procedure
`db.create.setNodeVectorProperty()`

### Usage
Set node vector property.

```

--------------------------------

### db.index.vector.queryNodes() procedure signature

Source: https://neo4j.com/docs/cypher-manual/current/indexes/search-indexes/vector-indexes/

The signature for the db.index.vector.queryNodes() procedure, deprecated in Neo4j 2026.04. It takes an index name, number of nearest neighbors, and a query vector, returning nodes with similarity scores.

```syntax
db.index.vector.queryNodes(indexName :: STRING, numberOfNearestNeighbours :: INTEGER, query :: ANY) :: (node :: NODE, score :: FLOAT)
```

--------------------------------

### Create vector index for a relationship type on a single property

Source: https://neo4j.com/docs/cypher-manual/current/indexes/search-indexes/vector-indexes/

Creates a vector index for relationships of type REL_TYPE on the embedding property, using parameters for dimensions and similarity function. IF NOT EXISTS prevents errors if the index already exists.

```cypher
CREATE VECTOR INDEX name IF NOT EXISTS
FOR ()-[r:REL_TYPE]-() ON (r.embedding)
OPTIONS { indexConfig: {
 `vector.dimensions`: $dimension,
 `vector.similarity_function`: $similarityFunction
}}
```

--------------------------------

### Drop a vector index with DROP INDEX

Source: https://neo4j.com/docs/cypher-manual/current/indexes/search-indexes/vector-indexes/

Drops a vector index named 'moviePlots'. Requires the DROP INDEX privilege.

```cypher
DROP INDEX moviePlots
```

--------------------------------

### Query node vector index with SEARCH clause

Source: https://neo4j.com/docs/cypher-manual/current/indexes/search-indexes/vector-indexes/

Finds the five movies with the most similar plot to The Godfather using the VECTOR INDEX moviePlots. The query matches the reference movie and then searches the index for similar embeddings, returning the title, plot, and similarity score. Scores are between 0.0 and 1.0, and results are ordered descending by score.

```cypher
MATCH (m:Movie {title: 'Godfather, The'})
MATCH (movie: Movie)
  SEARCH movie IN (
    VECTOR INDEX moviePlots
    FOR m.embedding
    LIMIT 5
  ) SCORE AS score
RETURN movie.title AS title, movie.plot AS plot, score
```

--------------------------------

### db.index.vector.queryNodes()

Source: https://neo4j.com/docs/cypher-manual/current/indexes/search-indexes/vector-indexes/

Queries a vector index to find the nearest neighbors of a given query vector. Returns nodes with similarity scores, ordered by descending score.

```APIDOC
## db.index.vector.queryNodes()

### Description
Queries a vector index to find the nearest neighbors of a given query vector. Returns nodes with similarity scores, ordered by descending score.

### Signature
```
db.index.vector.queryNodes(indexName :: STRING, numberOfNearestNeighbours :: INTEGER, query :: ANY) :: (node :: NODE, score :: FLOAT)
```

### Parameters
- **indexName** (STRING) - Required - The unique name of the vector index to query.
- **numberOfNearestNeighbours** (INTEGER) - Required - The number of nearest neighbors to return.
- **query** (ANY) - Required - The query vector, either a `LIST<INTEGER | FLOAT>` or, as of Neo4j 2025.10, a `VECTOR`.

### Returns
- **node** (NODE) - The node from the index.
- **score** (FLOAT) - The similarity score between the indexed vector and the query vector, bounded between 0 and 1 (higher is more similar).

### Example
```cypher
MATCH (m:Movie {title: 'Godfather, The'})
CALL db.index.vector.queryNodes('moviePlots', 5, m.embedding)
YIELD node AS movie, score
RETURN movie.title AS title, movie.plot AS plot, score
```

### Notes
- The procedure is deprecated in Neo4j 2026.04.
- Results are ordered by descending score.
- To exclude the query vector itself, add a predicate like `WHERE score < 1`.
```

--------------------------------

### db.index.vector.queryRelationships

Source: https://neo4j.com/docs/cypher-manual/current/indexes/search-indexes/vector-indexes/

Procedure to query a relationship vector index. Deprecated in Neo4j 2026.04. Returns matching relationships and their similarity scores.

```APIDOC
## db.index.vector.queryRelationships

### Description
Queries a relationship vector index to find relationships similar to a given query vector. Returns the relationships and their similarity scores.

### Signature
```syntax
db.index.vector.queryRelationships(indexName :: STRING, numberOfNearestNeighbours :: INTEGER, query :: ANY) :: (relationship :: RELATIONSHIP, score :: FLOAT)
```

### Parameters
- **indexName** (STRING) - Required - The name of the relationship vector index to query.
- **numberOfNearestNeighbours** (INTEGER) - Required - The number of nearest neighbors to return.
- **query** (ANY) - Required - The query vector used for similarity search.

### Returns
- **relationship** (RELATIONSHIP) - The relationship that matches the query.
- **score** (FLOAT) - The similarity score between the relationship and the query vector.

### Notes
- This procedure is deprecated in Neo4j 2026.04. Use the SEARCH clause instead.
- The argument descriptions are the same as for `db.index.vector.queryNodes()`.
```

--------------------------------

### db.create.setRelationshipVectorProperty()

Source: https://neo4j.com/docs/cypher-manual/current/indexes/search-indexes/vector-indexes/

Updates a given relationship property with the given vector in a more space-efficient way than directly using SET.

```APIDOC
## db.create.setRelationshipVectorProperty()

### Description
Updates a given relationship property with the given vector in a more space-efficient way than directly using `SET`.

### Procedure
`db.create.setRelationshipVectorProperty()`

### Usage
Set relationship vector property.

```

--------------------------------

### db.index.vector.queryRelationships() signature

Source: https://neo4j.com/docs/cypher-manual/current/indexes/search-indexes/vector-indexes/

Signature for the deprecated db.index.vector.queryRelationships() procedure. It takes an index name, number of nearest neighbours, and query vector, returning a relationship and score. Deprecated in Neo4j 2026.04.

```syntax
db.index.vector.queryRelationships(indexName :: STRING, numberOfNearestNeighbours :: INTEGER, query :: ANY) :: (relationship :: RELATIONSHIP, score :: FLOAT)
```

--------------------------------

### Result of SEARCH clause query

Source: https://neo4j.com/docs/cypher-manual/current/indexes/search-indexes/vector-indexes/

The result table for the SEARCH clause query, showing the five movies with the most similar plots and their similarity scores. The scores are in descending order, with The Godfather having a score of 1.0 because the index was queried with its specific property.

```none
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| title                      | plot                                                                                                                                                                                                                     | score              |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| "Godfather, The"           | "The aging patriarch of an organized crime dynasty transfers control of his clandestine empire to his reluctant son."                                                                                                    | 0.9999999403953552 |
| "Godfather: Part III, The" | "In the midst of trying to legitimize his business dealings in New York and Italy in 1979, aging Mafia don Michael Corleone seeks to avow for his sins while taking a young protégé under his wing."                     | 0.9648237824440002 |
| "Godfather: Part II, The"  | "The early life and career of Vito Corleone in 1920s New York is portrayed while his son, Michael, expands and tightens his grip on his crime syndicate stretching from Lake Tahoe, Nevada to pre-revolution 1958 Cuba." | 0.954778790473938  |
| "Scarface"                 | "An ambitious and near insanely violent gangster climbs the ladder of success in the mob, but his weaknesses prove to be his downfall."                                                                                  | 0.9367182850837708 |
| "Jane Austen's Mafia!"     | "Takeoff on the Godfather with the son of a mafia king taking over for his dying father"                                                                                                                                 | 0.9366796016693115 |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
```

--------------------------------

### Query 5 movies with most similar plot to The Godfather

Source: https://neo4j.com/docs/cypher-manual/current/indexes/search-indexes/vector-indexes/

Cypher query using db.index.vector.queryNodes() to find the 5 movies with the most similar plot to The Godfather. The query matches the movie, calls the procedure with the movie's embedding, and returns the title, plot, and score.

```cypher
MATCH (m:Movie {title: 'Godfather, The'})
CALL db.index.vector.queryNodes('moviePlots', 5, m.embedding)
YIELD node AS movie, score
RETURN movie.title AS title, movie.plot AS plot, score
```

--------------------------------

### db.index.vector.queryNodes()

Source: https://neo4j.com/docs/cypher-manual/current/indexes/search-indexes/vector-indexes/

Queries the given node vector index and returns the requested number of approximate nearest neighbor nodes and their similarity score, ordered by score. Deprecated in Neo4j 2026.04, replaced by Cypher's SEARCH clause.

```APIDOC
## db.index.vector.queryNodes()

### Description
Queries the given node vector index. Returns the requested number of approximate nearest neighbor nodes and their similarity score, ordered by score.

### Procedure
`db.index.vector.queryNodes()`

### Usage
Use node vector index.

### Notes
- Deprecated in Neo4j 2026.04
- Replaced by Cypher's `SEARCH` clause

```

--------------------------------

### db.index.vector.queryRelationships()

Source: https://neo4j.com/docs/cypher-manual/current/indexes/search-indexes/vector-indexes/

Queries the given relationship vector index and returns the requested number of approximate nearest neighbor relationships and their similarity score, ordered by score. Deprecated in Neo4j 2026.04, replaced by Cypher's SEARCH clause.

```APIDOC
## db.index.vector.queryRelationships()

### Description
Queries the given relationship vector index. Returns the requested number of approximate nearest neighbor relationships and their similarity score, ordered by score.

### Procedure
`db.index.vector.queryRelationships()`

### Usage
Use relationship vector index.

### Notes
- Deprecated in Neo4j 2026.04
- Replaced by Cypher's `SEARCH` clause

```
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