---
title: Context Engine APIs
description: Use the Context Engine APIs to manage, inspect, and query AI indices programmatically.
url: https://www.elastic.co/elastic/docs-builder/docs/4300/explore-analyze/ai-features/context-engine/context-engine-api
products:
  - Elastic Documentation
  - Elastic Observability
  - Elastic Security
  - Elasticsearch
  - Kibana
applies_to:
  - Elastic Cloud Serverless: Experimental
  - Elastic Stack: Planned
---

# Context Engine APIs
<important>
  This page is currently hidden from the documentation navigation.The following Context Engine pages are live:
  - [Landing page](https://www.elastic.co/elastic/docs-builder/docs/4300/explore-analyze/ai-features/context-engine)
    - [Get started with Context Engine](https://www.elastic.co/elastic/docs-builder/docs/4300/explore-analyze/ai-features/context-engine/quickstart)
  - [Context Engine concepts](https://www.elastic.co/elastic/docs-builder/docs/4300/explore-analyze/ai-features/context-engine/concepts)
  - [Build and maintain an AI index](https://www.elastic.co/elastic/docs-builder/docs/4300/explore-analyze/ai-features/context-engine/build-and-maintain-ai-index)
    - [Create and manage AI indices](https://www.elastic.co/elastic/docs-builder/docs/4300/explore-analyze/ai-features/context-engine/create-and-manage-ai-indices)
  - [Add and manage sources](https://www.elastic.co/elastic/docs-builder/docs/4300/explore-analyze/ai-features/context-engine/add-and-manage-sources)
  - [Create and manage automations](https://www.elastic.co/elastic/docs-builder/docs/4300/explore-analyze/ai-features/context-engine/create-and-manage-automations)
  - [Evaluate and improve KIs](https://www.elastic.co/elastic/docs-builder/docs/4300/explore-analyze/ai-features/context-engine/evaluate-and-improve-knowledge-indicators)
  - [Use Context Engine with agents and applications](https://www.elastic.co/elastic/docs-builder/docs/4300/explore-analyze/ai-features/context-engine/use-context-engine-with-agents)
    - [Use Context Engine with Agent Builder](https://www.elastic.co/elastic/docs-builder/docs/4300/explore-analyze/ai-features/context-engine/use-context-engine-with-agent-builder)
  - [Query AI indices from LangChain](https://www.elastic.co/elastic/docs-builder/docs/4300/explore-analyze/ai-features/context-engine/langchain-integration)
  - [Context Engine APIs](https://www.elastic.co/elastic/docs-builder/docs/4300/explore-analyze/ai-features/context-engine/context-engine-api)
</important>

Use the Context Engine APIs to manage AI indices, inspect their configuration, and query their Knowledge Indicators (KIs) with ES|QL. The Kibana API reference provides their complete parameters, request and response schemas, and errors.

## Before you begin

Turn on the `contextEngine:enabled` advanced setting in each Kibana space where you want to use the APIs. Requests to a space where the setting is turned off return `404`.
API requests use the permissions and space of the authenticated caller. Include the space in the request URL when you are not using the default space.
The caller also needs the `read` index privilege on each AI index's backing index (`ai-index-*`). AI indices without it are left out of list results, and query requests against them return `403`.

## Operations quick access

The following operations are available:

| Operation                                                                                                                             | Endpoint                                                 |
|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------|
| [List AI indices](https://www.elastic.co/docs/api/doc/kibana/operation/operation-get-context-engine-ai-index)                         | `GET /api/context_engine/ai_index`                       |
| [Create an AI index](https://www.elastic.co/docs/api/doc/kibana/operation/operation-post-context-engine-ai-index)                     | `POST /api/context_engine/ai_index`                      |
| [Query AI indices](https://www.elastic.co/docs/api/doc/kibana/operation/operation-post-context-engine-ai-index-query)                 | `POST /api/context_engine/ai_index/_query`               |
| [Get an AI index](https://www.elastic.co/docs/api/doc/kibana/operation/operation-get-context-engine-ai-index-aiindexid)               | `GET /api/context_engine/ai_index/{aiIndexId}`           |
| [Create or update an AI index](https://www.elastic.co/docs/api/doc/kibana/operation/operation-put-context-engine-ai-index-aiindexid)  | `PUT /api/context_engine/ai_index/{aiIndexId}`           |
| [Delete an AI index](https://www.elastic.co/docs/api/doc/kibana/operation/operation-delete-context-engine-ai-index-aiindexid)         | `DELETE /api/context_engine/ai_index/{aiIndexId}`        |
| [Describe an AI index](https://www.elastic.co/docs/api/doc/kibana/operation/operation-get-context-engine-ai-index-aiindexid-describe) | `GET /api/context_engine/ai_index/{aiIndexId}/_describe` |

For task-oriented examples, refer to [Create and manage AI indices](https://www.elastic.co/elastic/docs-builder/docs/4300/explore-analyze/ai-features/context-engine/create-and-manage-ai-indices), [Add and manage sources](https://www.elastic.co/elastic/docs-builder/docs/4300/explore-analyze/ai-features/context-engine/add-and-manage-sources), and [Query AI indices from LangChain](https://www.elastic.co/elastic/docs-builder/docs/4300/explore-analyze/ai-features/context-engine/langchain-integration).