neo4j-graphql-skill

When to Use

• Creating a GraphQL API from a Neo4j graph schema with @neo4j/graphql
• Writing type definitions with @relationship, @cypher, @authorization directives
• Using OGM for server-side programmatic Neo4j access (bypasses GraphQL auth)
• Configuring auto-generated queries, mutations, subscriptions
• Securing types/fields with JWT or JWKS-based @authorization rules
• Migrating from v5/v6 to v7 (breaking changes below)

When NOT to Use

• Raw Cypher queries outside GraphQL resolvers → neo4j-cypher-skill
• Spring Data Neo4j / Java entity mapping → neo4j-spring-data-skill
• Generic GraphQL without Neo4j — outside scope

---

Version Matrix

Version	Status	Notes
v7	Current — use ≥ 7.6.2	@node required; options removed; explicit eq syntax
v5	LTS — use ≥ 5.12.15	Older syntax; options: {limit, offset, sort} still valid

Default to v7 unless codebase is on v5. Upgrade past these security patches before shipping auth:

Fix	Fixed in
Subscriptions accepted an unverified JWT from WebSocket connectionParams (auth/authz bypass)	7.5.6 / 5.12.14
Field-level @authentication on a root custom-resolver field ignored when the operation type also had type-level @authentication (privilege escalation)	7.6.0 / 5.12.15
@authorization rules not applied on create-relationship operations	7.6.2

---

Step 1 — Install

npm install @neo4j/graphql neo4j-driver graphql @apollo/server

For subscriptions (CDC required):

npm install ws graphql-ws express body-parser cors

---

Step 2 — Minimal Server Setup

import { ApolloServer } from '@apollo/server';
import { startStandaloneServer } from '@apollo/server/standalone';
import { Neo4jGraphQL } from '@neo4j/graphql';
import neo4j from 'neo4j-driver';

const typeDefs = `#graphql
  type Movie @node {
    id: ID! @id
    title: String!
    actors: [Person!]! @relationship(type: "ACTED_IN", direction: IN)
  }

  type Person @node {
    id: ID! @id
    name: String!
    movies: [Movie!]! @relationship(type: "ACTED_IN", direction: OUT)
  }
`;

const driver = neo4j.driver(
  process.env.NEO4J_URI,
  neo4j.auth.basic(process.env.NEO4J_USERNAME, process.env.NEO4J_PASSWORD)
);

const neoSchema = new Neo4jGraphQL({ typeDefs, driver });

// assertIndexesAndConstraints syncs @id → UNIQUE constraints; wrap in try/catch
await neoSchema.assertIndexesAndConstraints({ options: { create: true } });

const server = new ApolloServer({ schema: await neoSchema.getSchema() });

const { url } = await startStandaloneServer(server, {
  context: async ({ req }) => ({ token: req.headers.authorization }),
  listen: { port: 4000 },
});

---

Key Directives

@node (v7 required)

type Product @node {
  id: ID! @id
  name: String!
}

# Custom label (default = type name)
type Article @node(labels: ["Post", "Content"]) {
  title: String!
}

@relationship — Full Syntax

type Person @node {
  # direction: OUT = (this)-[:KNOWS]->(other)
  friends: [Person!]! @relationship(type: "KNOWS", direction: OUT)

  # direction: IN = (other)-[:ACTED_IN]->(this)
  actedIn: [Movie!]! @relationship(type: "ACTED_IN", direction: IN)

  # direction: UNDIRECTED = matches both directions (use sparingly — double-counts)
  colleagues: [Person!]! @relationship(type: "COLLEAGUE_OF", direction: UNDIRECTED)

  # Relationship with properties — reference an @relationshipProperties interface
  reviews: [Movie!]! @relationship(type: "REVIEWED", direction: OUT, properties: "ReviewedProps")
}

interface ReviewedProps @relationshipProperties {
  rating: Int!
  date: Date
}

Querying Relationship Properties — Connection API

For each relationship with properties:, a {field}Connection field is auto-generated. Access rel properties via actorsConnection.edges.properties, not via actors:

query {
  movies(where: { title: { eq: "The Matrix" } }) {
    title
    actorsConnection {
      edges {
        properties { role }   # maps to @relationshipProperties interface
        node { name }
      }
    }
  }
}

@cypher — Custom Resolver

type Person @node {
  name: String!

  # columnName must exactly match the RETURN alias — mismatch returns null silently
  friendCount: Int
    @cypher(
      statement: "MATCH (this)-[:KNOWS]->(f:Person) RETURN count(f) AS friendCount"
      columnName: "friendCount"
    )

  recommendedMovies: [Movie!]!
    @cypher(
      statement: """
        MATCH (this)-[:WATCHED]->(m:Movie)<-[:WATCHED]-(o:Person)-[:WATCHED]->(rec:Movie)
        WHERE NOT (this)-[:WATCHED]->(rec)
        RETURN rec
      """
      columnName: "rec"
    )
}

# @cypher on Query field — custom top-level query
type Query {
  topRatedMovies(limit: Int = 10): [Movie!]!
    @cypher(
      statement: "MATCH (m:Movie) WHERE m.rating IS NOT NULL RETURN m ORDER BY m.rating DESC LIMIT $limit"
      columnName: "m"
    )
}

this refers to the current node in field-level @cypher. Parameters are passed as $paramName.

@cypher — Field Arguments and extend type

# extend type adds computed fields without modifying the base type definition
extend type Movie @node {
  avgRating: Float
    @cypher(statement: "MATCH (this)<-[r:RATED]-(:User) RETURN avg(r.rating) AS result", columnName: "result")

  # Field arguments passed as Cypher params; always provide default to avoid null
  recommended(limit: Int = 3): [Movie!]!
    @cypher(
      statement: "MATCH (this)<-[:RATED]-(u:User)-[:RATED]->(rec:Movie) WITH rec, COUNT(u) AS score ORDER BY score DESC RETURN rec LIMIT $limit"
      columnName: "rec"
    )
}

@id and @timestamp

type Post @node {
  id: ID! @id                          # auto-generates UUID; creates UNIQUE constraint
  createdAt: DateTime! @timestamp(operations: [CREATE])
  updatedAt: DateTime @timestamp(operations: [CREATE, UPDATE])
  title: String!
}

@alias — Map GraphQL field to Neo4j property

type User @node {
  id: ID! @id
  email: String! @alias(property: "emailAddress")  # GraphQL: email → DB: emailAddress
}

@fulltext and @vector

Index must exist in Cypher before use. Phrase-capable @vector indexes accept maxPhraseLength [7.6.0] to cap embedding cost. A provider without matching features.vector config fails at schema build [7.6.1]. Full syntax, generated query shapes, provider config: references/search-directives.md.

---

Security — @authentication and @authorization

Step 1: Configure JWT in constructor

// Symmetric secret
const neoSchema = new Neo4jGraphQL({
  typeDefs,
  driver,
  features: {
    authorization: { key: process.env.JWT_SECRET },
  },
});

// JWKS endpoint (production)
const neoSchema = new Neo4jGraphQL({
  typeDefs,
  driver,
  features: {
    authorization: {
      key: { url: 'https://myapp.com/.well-known/jwks.json' },
    },
  },
});

Step 2: Pass token in context

context: async ({ req }) => ({ token: req.headers.authorization }),
// Or pass pre-decoded JWT:
context: async ({ req }) => ({ jwt: myDecodeJwt(req.headers.authorization) }),

Step 3: Apply @authentication and @authorization

# Require auth on all operations for a type
type Post @node
  @authentication
  @authorization(filter: [{ where: { node: { author: { id: { eq: "$jwt.sub" } } } } }]) {
  title: String!
  author: User! @relationship(type: "AUTHORED", direction: IN)
}

# requireAuthentication: false = allow public access without JWT
type Article @node
  @authorization(filter: [
    { requireAuthentication: false, where: { node: { published: { eq: true } } } }
    { where: { node: { author: { id: { eq: "$jwt.sub" } } } } }
  ]) {
  title: String!
  published: Boolean!
}

# validate (throws error) vs filter (silently hides data)
type BankAccount @node
  @authorization(validate: [{
    when: [BEFORE],
    where: { node: { owner: { id: { eq: "$jwt.sub" } } } }
  }]) {
  balance: Float!
}

# Role-based with custom JWT claims
type JWT @jwt {
  roles: [String!]! @jwtClaim(path: "myApp.roles")
}

type AdminReport @node
  @authentication(operations: [READ], jwt: { roles: { includes: "admin" } }) {
  data: String!
}

BEFORE vs AFTER: CREATE supports only AFTER; READ supports only BEFORE.

---

Auto-Generated Operations

Operation	Generated Name	Example
Query all	{plural}	movies(where, sort, limit, offset)
Cursor pagination	{plural}Connection	moviesConnection(first, after, where, sort)
Create	create{Plural}	createMovies(input: [MovieCreateInput!]!)
Update	update{Plural}	updateMovies(where, update)
Delete	delete{Plural}	deleteMovies(where, delete)

v7 Filter Syntax (explicit eq)

# v7: explicit eq required
query {
  movies(where: { title: { eq: "The Matrix" } }) {
    title
    actors { name }
  }
}

# Sort and paginate (v7: direct args, not options wrapper)
query {
  movies(sort: [{ title: ASC }], limit: 10, offset: 0) {
    title
  }
}

Nested Mutations

mutation {
  createMovies(input: [{
    title: "Inception"
    actors: {
      create: [{ node: { name: "Leonardo DiCaprio" } }]
      connect: { where: { node: { name: { eq: "Joseph Gordon-Levitt" } } } }
    }
  }]) {
    movies { id title }
  }
}

---

OGM — Programmatic Access

OGM bypasses GraphQL authorization — use only in trusted server-side contexts.

import { OGM } from '@neo4j/graphql-ogm';

const ogm = new OGM({ typeDefs, driver });
await ogm.init();  // must await before using models

const Movie = ogm.model('Movie');

// find
const movies = await Movie.find({
  where: { title: { eq: 'The Matrix' } },
  selectionSet: `{ id title actors { name } }`,
});

// create
const { movies: created } = await Movie.create({
  input: [{ title: 'Dune', actors: { create: [{ node: { name: 'Timothée Chalamet' } }] } }],
});

// update
await Movie.update({
  where: { id: { eq: movieId } },
  update: { title: { set: 'Dune: Part One' } },
});

// delete
await Movie.delete({ where: { id: { eq: movieId } } });

Install separately: npm install @neo4j/graphql-ogm

---

Subscriptions (CDC Required)

Requires Neo4j CDC enabled in FULL mode. See CDC docs.

const neoSchema = new Neo4jGraphQL({
  typeDefs,
  driver,
  features: { subscriptions: true },
});

Authenticate subscriptions with a verified token in the WebSocket context; a pre-decoded jwt is trusted only when set server-side (7.5.6 / 5.12.14 stopped trusting client-supplied connectionParams JWTs).

subscription {
  movieCreated(where: { title: { eq: "The Matrix" } }) {
    createdMovie { title }
  }
}
# Also: movieUpdated, movieDeleted

---

Schema Control Directives

type ReadOnlyData @node @mutation(operations: []) { value: String! }  # disable mutations

type HeavyDoc @node {
  id: ID! @id
  content: String! @filterable(byValue: false) @sortable(enabled: false)  # perf guard
  title: String!
}

type Series @node @plural(value: "seriesList") { title: String! }  # irregular plural fix

---

Common Errors

Error	Cause	Fix
Type 'X' not found	Missing @node on type (v7)	Add @node to every node type
@cypher field returns null	columnName mismatch with RETURN alias	Match columnName exactly to RETURN alias
Relationship direction mismatch	Both sides declare same direction	Inverse: if A has direction: OUT, B must have direction: IN
assertIndexesAndConstraints throws	@id constraint not in DB	Add { options: { create: true } } or run CREATE CONSTRAINT manually
Auth not applied	JWT not in context	Pass token: req.headers.authorization in context function
0 results with valid data	v7 filter missing eq	Use { field: { eq: value } } not { field: value }
connectOrCreate not found	Removed in v7	Use connect + create separately
Memory errors on large mutations	Complex Cypher generation	Batch mutations; increase server.memory.heap.max_size
@subscription not generating	v7 requires explicit enable	Add features: { subscriptions: true } to constructor

---

v6 → v7 Breaking Changes Summary

v6	v7
@node optional	@node required on every node type
options: { limit, sort }	limit, sort as direct args
{ field: value } filter	{ field: { eq: value } }
connectOrCreate nested mutation	Removed — use connect + create
directed arg on queries	queryDirection in @relationship
Single rel fields actor: Person	Must use list actors: [Person!]!
@private directive	Removed
@unique directive	Removed

---

References

• Neo4j GraphQL Docs — full directive reference, migration guides
• GraphAcademy: GraphQL Basics — hands-on course
• GitHub: @neo4j/graphql — changelog, issues
• CDC Setup — required for subscriptions
• references/search-directives.md — @fulltext, @vector, maxPhraseLength

---

Checklist

• @node on every GraphQL type representing a Neo4j node (v7 hard requirement)
• @id on identity fields (triggers CREATE CONSTRAINT via assertIndexesAndConstraints)
• assertIndexesAndConstraints called on startup with try/catch
• @relationship direction correct: OUT = arrow leaves this node, IN = arrow enters
• Both sides of relationship declared with inverse directions
• @cypher columnName matches RETURN alias exactly
• JWT secret or JWKS URL in features.authorization.key; token passed in context
• @authorization filter vs validate chosen deliberately (silent hide vs thrown error)
• v7: filters use explicit { field: { eq: value } } syntax
• v7: limit/sort passed as direct query args (not options wrapper)
• OGM: await ogm.init() called before any ogm.model() usage
• Subscriptions: CDC enabled in FULL mode before enabling features.subscriptions
• @neo4j/graphql ≥ 7.6.2 (v7) or ≥ 5.12.15 (LTS) — earlier versions have auth bypasses
• .env holds credentials; .env in .gitignore