Query the first document in a stream.
Section: Select and inspect documents
Read the first YAML document
bash
bash
yq 'select(documentIndex == 0)' stack.yamlExplanation
Helpful when a file contains multiple resources and you only need one.
Learn the surrounding workflow
Compare similar commands or jump into common fixes when this command is part of a bigger troubleshooting path.
Related commands
Same sheet · prioritizing Select and inspect documents
Select Kubernetes documents by kind
Filter documents in a manifest stream.
Render Helm templates to YAML
Generate YAML output for inspection before deployment.
Split YAML documents into separate files
Write each YAML document to its own output file.
Two YAML documents in one file
Use `---` to separate resources or configs.
Explicit document end marker
Use `...` to mark the end of a document when needed.
Apply a multi-document manifest
Send several Kubernetes resources in one file.