> For the complete MongoDB documentation index, see www.mongodb.com/docs/llms.txt

# cursor.addOption() (mongosh method)

## Definition

**Important: mongosh Method**

This page documents a [`mongosh`](https://www.mongodb.com/docs/mongodb-shell.md#mongodb-binary-bin.mongosh) method. This is *not* the documentation for a language-specific driver, such as Node.js.

For MongoDB API drivers, refer to the language-specific [MongoDB driver documentation.](https://www.mongodb.com/docs/drivers/)

**Note: Deprecated since v3.2**

Starting in v3.2, the `cursor.addOption()` operator is deprecated in [`mongo`](https://www.mongodb.com/docs/manual/reference/mongo.md#mongodb-binary-bin.mongo). Use available [cursor methods](https://www.mongodb.com/docs/manual/reference/method.md#std-label-doc-cursor-methods) instead.

Used to change query behavior by setting the flags listed below.

The `cursor.addOption()` method has the following parameter:

| Parameter | Type | Description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `flag` | flag | For [`mongosh`](https://www.mongodb.com/docs/mongodb-shell.md#mongodb-binary-bin.mongosh), you can use the cursor flags listed below. For the driver-specific list, see your [driver documentation.](https://www.mongodb.com/docs/drivers/) |

## Compatibility

This method is available in deployments hosted in the following environments:

- [MongoDB Atlas](https://www.mongodb.com/docs/atlas): The fully managed service for MongoDB deployments in the cloud

**Important:**

This command has limited support in all MongoDB Atlas clusters. For more information, see [Unsupported Commands.](https://www.mongodb.com/docs/atlas/unsupported-commands/)

- [MongoDB Enterprise](https://www.mongodb.com/docs/manual/administration/install-enterprise.md#std-label-install-mdb-enterprise): The subscription-based, self-managed version of MongoDB

- [MongoDB Community](https://www.mongodb.com/docs/manual/administration/install-community.md#std-label-install-mdb-community-edition): The source-available, free-to-use, and self-managed version of MongoDB

## Flags

[`mongosh`](https://www.mongodb.com/docs/mongodb-shell.md#mongodb-binary-bin.mongosh) provides several additional cursor flags to modify the behavior of the cursor.

| Flag | Description |
| --- | --- |
|  | Sets the cursor not to close once the last data is received, allowing the query to continue returning data added after the initial results were exhausted. |
|  | Allows querying of a replica secondary. |
|  | Prevents the server from timing out idle cursors. |
|  | For use with [`DBQuery.Option.tailable`](https://www.mongodb.com/docs/manual/reference/method/cursor.addoption.md#mongodb-data-DBQuery.Option.tailable). Sets the cursor to block the query thread when no data is available and await data for a set time instead of immediately returning no data. The cursor returns no data only if the timeout expires. |
|  | Sets the cursor to return all data returned by the query at once rather than splitting the results into batches. |
|  | Sets the cursor to return partial data from a query against a sharded cluster in which some shards do not respond rather than throwing an error. |

## Example

The following example adds the `DBQuery.Option.tailable` flag and the `DBQuery.Option.awaitData` flag to ensure that the query returns a [tailable cursor](https://www.mongodb.com/docs/manual/core/tailable-cursors.md#std-label-tailable-cursors-landing-page). The sequence creates a cursor. After returning the full result set, it waits for the default interval of 1000 milliseconds so that it can capture and return additional data added during the query:

```javascript
var t = db.myCappedCollection;
var cursor = t.find().addOption(DBQuery.Option.tailable).
                      addOption(DBQuery.Option.awaitData)
```

**Warning:**

Adding incorrect wire protocol flags can cause problems and/or extra server load.