# How to create a search context with the GraphQL API

This document will take you through how to create a search context for your user with Sourcegraph's GraphQL API.

## Prerequisites

-   This document assumes that you have a private Sourcegraph instance
-   Assumes you are creating a Private search context with a user namespace which is only available to the user
-   For more information on available permissions and ways to alter the following examples, please see [Managing search contexts with api - permissions and visibility overview](/api/graphql/managing-search-contexts-with-api#permissions-and-visibility-overview)

## Steps to create

Step 1: Add to global configuration (must be site-admin):

```json
{
	"experimentalFeatures": {
		"showSearchContext": true
	}
}
```

Step 2: Make sure you have added code hosts: [Add repositories (from code hosts) to Sourcegraph](/admin/repo/add)

Step 3: Follow the steps to [Generate an access token for GraphQL](/api/graphql#quickstart) if you already haven't

Step 4: Navigate to the API console on your instance, replacing sourcegraph.example with the correct string for your instance URL.

-   Example: `https://sourcegraph.example.com/api/console`

Step 5: Query your user namespace id and save the value

-   The name: will be your Sourcegraph instance login name
    Example:

```json
query {
  namespaceByName(name: "my_login_name") {
    id
  }
}
```

Step 6: Query your desired repo id and save the value.

-   It should be whatever the URL is for that repo.
    Example:

```json
query {
  repository(name: "github.com/org_name/repo_name") {
    id
  }
}
```

Step 7: Take the values from steps 5 and 6 and put them into the example variables from our docs here:

-   [Managing search contexts with API - Create a context](/api/graphql/managing-search-contexts-with-api#create-a-context)

Run this with no changes:

```json
mutation CreateSearchContext(
  $searchContext: SearchContextInput!
  $repositories: [SearchContextRepositoryRevisionsInput!]!
) {
  createSearchContext(searchContext: $searchContext, repositories: $repositories) {
    id
    spec
  }
}
```

Then in the Query Variables section on the bottom of the GraphQL API page, use this variables example, changing at least the name and description:

```json
{
	"searchContext": {
		"name": "MySearchContext",
		"description": "A description of my search context",
		"namespace": "user-id-from-step-5",
		"public": true
	},
	"repositories": [
		{
			"repositoryID": "repo-id-from-step-6",
			"revisions": ["main", "branch-1"]
		}
	]
}
```

Step 8: Run the query, that should create a search context and the output will look something like:

```json
{
	"data": {
		"createSearchContext": {
			"id": "V2VhcmNoQ29udGV4dDoiQGdpc2VsbGUvTXlTZWFyY2hDb250ZXh0MiI=",
			"spec": "@my_login_name/MySearchContext"
		}
	}
}
```

Step 9: Go to the main search page and you should see the new Search context as part of the search bar!

## Further resources

-   [Using and creating search contexts](/code-search/working/search-contexts)
-   [Sourcegraph - Administration Config](/admin)