Create a remote SharePoint knowledge source (preview)

• The latest Azure.Search.Documents preview package: dotnet add package Azure.Search.Documents --prerelease

• The latest azure-search-documents preview package: pip install --pre azure-search-documents

• The 2026-05-01-preview version of the Search Service REST APIs.

// List knowledge sources by name and type
using Azure.Search.Documents.Indexes;

var indexClient = new SearchIndexClient(new Uri(searchEndpoint), credential);
var knowledgeSources = indexClient.GetKnowledgeSourcesAsync();

Console.WriteLine("Knowledge Sources:");

await foreach (var ks in knowledgeSources)
{
    Console.WriteLine($"  Name: {ks.Name}, Type: {ks.GetType().Name}");
}

Reference: SearchIndexClient

# List knowledge sources by name and type
from azure.core.credentials import AzureKeyCredential
from azure.search.documents.indexes import SearchIndexClient

index_client = SearchIndexClient(endpoint = "search_url", credential = AzureKeyCredential("api_key"))

for ks in index_client.list_knowledge_sources():
    print(f"  - {ks.name} ({ks.kind})")

Reference: SearchIndexClient

### List knowledge sources by name and type
GET {{search-url}}/knowledgesources?api-version={{api-version}}&$select=name,kind
api-key: {{api-key}}

Reference: Knowledge Sources - List

using Azure.Search.Documents.Indexes;
using System.Text.Json;

var indexClient = new SearchIndexClient(new Uri(searchEndpoint), credential);

// Specify the knowledge source name to retrieve
string ksNameToGet = "earth-knowledge-source";

// Get its definition
var knowledgeSourceResponse = await indexClient.GetKnowledgeSourceAsync(ksNameToGet);
var ks = knowledgeSourceResponse.Value;

// Serialize to JSON for display
var jsonOptions = new JsonSerializerOptions 
{ 
    WriteIndented = true,
    DefaultIgnoreCondition = System.Text.Json.Serialization.JsonIgnoreCondition.Never
};
Console.WriteLine(JsonSerializer.Serialize(ks, ks.GetType(), jsonOptions));

Reference: SearchIndexClient

# Get a knowledge source definition
from azure.core.credentials import AzureKeyCredential
from azure.search.documents.indexes import SearchIndexClient
import json

index_client = SearchIndexClient(endpoint = "search_url", credential = AzureKeyCredential("api_key"))

ks = index_client.get_knowledge_source("knowledge_source_name")
print(json.dumps(ks.as_dict(), indent = 2))

Reference: SearchIndexClient

### Get a knowledge source definition
GET {{search-url}}/knowledgesources/{{knowledge-source-name}}?api-version={{api-version}}
api-key: {{api-key}}

Reference: Knowledge Sources - Get

// Create a remote SharePoint knowledge source
using Azure.Search.Documents.Indexes;
using Azure.Search.Documents.Indexes.Models;
using Azure.Search.Documents.KnowledgeBases.Models;
using Azure;

var indexClient = new SearchIndexClient(new Uri(searchEndpoint), credential);

var knowledgeSource = new RemoteSharePointKnowledgeSource(name: "my-remote-sharepoint-ks")
{
    Description = "This knowledge source queries .docx files in a trusted Microsoft 365 tenant.",
    RemoteSharePointParameters = new RemoteSharePointKnowledgeSourceParameters()
    {
        FilterExpression = "filetype:docx",
        ResourceMetadata = { "Author", "Title" }
    }
};

await indexClient.CreateOrUpdateKnowledgeSourceAsync(knowledgeSource);
Console.WriteLine($"Knowledge source '{knowledgeSource.Name}' created or updated successfully.");

Reference: SearchIndexClient, RemoteSharePointKnowledgeSource

# Create a remote SharePoint knowledge source
from azure.core.credentials import AzureKeyCredential
from azure.search.documents.indexes import SearchIndexClient
from azure.search.documents.indexes.models import RemoteSharePointKnowledgeSource, RemoteSharePointKnowledgeSourceParameters

index_client = SearchIndexClient(endpoint = "search_url", credential = AzureKeyCredential("api_key"))

knowledge_source = RemoteSharePointKnowledgeSource(
    name = "my-remote-sharepoint-ks",
    description= "This knowledge source queries .docx files in a trusted Microsoft 365 tenant.",
    encryption_key = None,
    remote_share_point_parameters = RemoteSharePointKnowledgeSourceParameters(
        filter_expression = "filetype:docx",
        resource_metadata = ["Author", "Title"],
        container_type_id = None
    )
)

index_client.create_or_update_knowledge_source(knowledge_source)
print(f"Knowledge source '{knowledge_source.name}' created or updated successfully.")

Reference: SearchIndexClient

### Create a remote SharePoint knowledge source
PUT {{search-url}}/knowledgesources/my-remote-sharepoint-ks?api-version=2026-05-01-preview
api-key: {{api-key}}
Content-Type: application/json

{
    "name": "my-remote-sharepoint-ks",
    "kind": "remoteSharePoint",
    "description": "This knowledge source queries .docx files in a trusted Microsoft 365 tenant.",
    "encryptionKey": null,
    "remoteSharePointParameters": {
        "filterExpression": "filetype:docx",
        "resourceMetadata": [ "Author", "Title" ],
        "containerTypeId": null
    }
}

Reference: Knowledge Sources - Create or Update

You can pass a FilterExpressionAddOn in the KnowledgeSourceParams on the retrieve request to apply a KQL filter at query time. If you specify FilterExpressionAddOn on the retrieve request and a FilterExpression on the knowledge source definition, the filters are AND'd together.

var retrievalRequest = new KnowledgeBaseRetrievalRequest();
retrievalRequest.Messages.Add(
    new KnowledgeBaseMessage(
        content: new[] {
            new KnowledgeBaseMessageTextContent("contoso product planning")
        }
    ) { Role = "user" }
);
retrievalRequest.KnowledgeSourceParams.Add(
    new RemoteSharePointKnowledgeSourceParams("my-remote-sharepoint-ks")
    {
        FilterExpressionAddOn = "filetype:docx"
    }
);

var result = await kbClient.RetrieveAsync(
    retrievalRequest, xMsQuerySourceAuthorization: token
);

Reference: KnowledgeBaseRetrievalClient, KnowledgeBaseRetrievalRequest

You can pass a filter_expression_add_on in the knowledge_source_params on the retrieve request to apply a KQL filter at query time. If you specify filter_expression_add_on on the retrieve request and a filter_expression on the knowledge source definition, the filters are AND'd together.

from azure.search.documents.knowledgebases.models import (
    KnowledgeBaseMessage,
    KnowledgeBaseMessageTextContent,
    KnowledgeBaseRetrievalRequest,
    RemoteSharePointKnowledgeSourceParams,
)

request = KnowledgeBaseRetrievalRequest(
    messages=[
        KnowledgeBaseMessage(
            role="user",
            content=[
                KnowledgeBaseMessageTextContent(
                    text="contoso product planning"
                )
            ],
        )
    ],
    knowledge_source_params=[
        RemoteSharePointKnowledgeSourceParams(
            knowledge_source_name="my-remote-sharepoint-ks",
            filter_expression_add_on="filetype:docx",
        )
    ],
)

result = kb_client.retrieve(
    retrieval_request=request,
    x_ms_query_source_authorization=token,
)

Reference: KnowledgeBaseRetrievalClient, KnowledgeBaseRetrievalRequest

You can pass a filterExpressionAddOn in the knowledgeSourceParams on the retrieve request to apply a KQL filter at query time. If you specify filterExpressionAddOn on the retrieve request and a filterExpression on the knowledge source definition, the filters are AND'd together.

### Retrieve knowledge base content
POST {{search-url}}/knowledgebases/{{knowledge-base-name}}/retrieve?api-version=2026-05-01-preview
Authorization: Bearer {{accessToken}}
Content-Type: application/json
x-ms-query-source-authorization: {{user-access-token}}

{
    "messages": [
        {
            "role": "user",
            "content": [
                { "type": "text", "text": "contoso product planning" }
            ]
        }
    ],
    "knowledgeSourceParams": [
        {
            "knowledgeSourceName": "my-remote-sharepoint-ks",
            "kind": "remoteSharePoint",
            "filterExpressionAddOn": "filetype:docx"
        }
    ]
}

Reference: Knowledge Retrieval - Retrieve

Queries that ask about the content itself are more effective than questions about where a file is located or when it was last updated. For example, "Where is the keynote doc for Ignite 2024" might return no results because the content itself doesn't disclose its location. A FilterExpression on metadata is a better approach for file location or date-specific queries.

Queries that ask about the content itself are more effective than questions about where a file is located or when it was last updated. For example, "Where is the keynote doc for Ignite 2024" might return no results because the content itself doesn't disclose its location. A filter_expression on metadata is a better approach for file location or date-specific queries.

Queries that ask about the content itself are more effective than questions about where a file is located or when it was last updated. For example, "Where is the keynote doc for Ignite 2024" might return no results because the content itself doesn't disclose its location. A filterExpression on metadata is a better approach for file location or date-specific queries.

1. Get a list of all knowledge bases on your search service.

   using Azure.Search.Documents.Indexes;
   
   var indexClient = new SearchIndexClient(new Uri(searchEndpoint), credential);
   var knowledgeBases = indexClient.GetKnowledgeBasesAsync();
   
   Console.WriteLine("Knowledge Bases:");
   
   await foreach (var kb in knowledgeBases)
   {
       Console.WriteLine($"  - {kb.Name}");
   }
   

   Reference: SearchIndexClient

   An example response might look like the following:

    {
        "@odata.context": "https://my-search-service.search.windows.net/$metadata#knowledgebases(name)",
        "value": [
        {
            "name": "my-kb"
        },
        {
            "name": "my-kb-2"
        }
        ]
    }
   

2. Get an individual knowledge base definition to check for knowledge source references.

   using Azure.Search.Documents.Indexes;
   using System.Text.Json;
   
   var indexClient = new SearchIndexClient(new Uri(searchEndpoint), credential);
   
   // Specify the knowledge base name to retrieve
   string kbNameToGet = "earth-knowledge-base";
   
   // Get a specific knowledge base definition
   var knowledgeBaseResponse = await indexClient.GetKnowledgeBaseAsync(kbNameToGet);
   var kb = knowledgeBaseResponse.Value;
   
   // Serialize to JSON for display
   string json = JsonSerializer.Serialize(kb, new JsonSerializerOptions { WriteIndented = true });
   Console.WriteLine(json);
   

   Reference: SearchIndexClient

   An example response might look like the following:

    {
      "Name": "earth-knowledge-base",
      "KnowledgeSources": [
        {
          "Name": "earth-knowledge-source"
        }
      ],
      "Models": [
        {}
      ],
      "RetrievalReasoningEffort": {},
      "OutputMode": {},
      "ETag": "\u00220x8DE278629D782B3\u0022",
      "EncryptionKey": null,
      "Description": null,
      "RetrievalInstructions": null,
      "AnswerInstructions": null
    }
   

3. Either delete the knowledge base or, if you have multiple knowledge sources, update the knowledge base to remove the source. This example shows deletion.

   using Azure.Search.Documents.Indexes;
   var indexClient = new SearchIndexClient(new Uri(searchEndpoint), credential);
   
   await indexClient.DeleteKnowledgeBaseAsync(knowledgeBaseName);
   System.Console.WriteLine($"Knowledge base '{knowledgeBaseName}' deleted successfully.");
   

   Reference: SearchIndexClient

4. Delete the knowledge source.

   await indexClient.DeleteKnowledgeSourceAsync(knowledgeSourceName);
   System.Console.WriteLine($"Knowledge source '{knowledgeSourceName}' deleted successfully.");
   

   Reference: SearchIndexClient

1. Get a list of all knowledge bases on your search service.

   # Get knowledge bases
   from azure.core.credentials import AzureKeyCredential
   from azure.search.documents.indexes import SearchIndexClient
   
   index_client = SearchIndexClient(endpoint = "search_url", credential = AzureKeyCredential("api_key"))
   
   print("Knowledge Bases:")
   for kb in index_client.list_knowledge_bases():
       print(f"  - {kb.name}")
   

   Reference: SearchIndexClient

   An example response might look like the following:

    {
        "@odata.context": "https://my-search-service.search.windows.net/$metadata#knowledgebases(name)",
        "value": [
        {
            "name": "my-kb"
        },
        {
            "name": "my-kb-2"
        }
        ]
    }
   

2. Get an individual knowledge base definition to check for knowledge source references.

   # Get a knowledge base definition
   from azure.core.credentials import AzureKeyCredential
   from azure.search.documents.indexes import SearchIndexClient
   
   index_client = SearchIndexClient(endpoint = "search_url", credential = AzureKeyCredential("api_key"))
   kb = index_client.get_knowledge_base("knowledge_base_name")
   print(kb)
   

   Reference: SearchIndexClient

   An example response might look like the following:

    {
      "name": "my-kb",
      "description": null,
      "retrievalInstructions": null,
      "answerInstructions": null,
      "outputMode": null,
      "knowledgeSources": [
        {
          "name": "my-blob-ks",
        }
      ],
      "models": [],
      "encryptionKey": null,
      "retrievalReasoningEffort": {
        "kind": "low"
      }
    }
   

3. Either delete the knowledge base or, if you have multiple knowledge sources, update the knowledge base to remove the source. This example shows deletion.

   # Delete a knowledge base
   from azure.core.credentials import AzureKeyCredential 
   from azure.search.documents.indexes import SearchIndexClient
   
   index_client = SearchIndexClient(endpoint = "search_url", credential = AzureKeyCredential("api_key"))
   index_client.delete_knowledge_base("knowledge_base_name")
   print(f"Knowledge base deleted successfully.")
   

   Reference: SearchIndexClient

4. Delete the knowledge source.

   # Delete a knowledge source
   from azure.core.credentials import AzureKeyCredential 
   from azure.search.documents.indexes import SearchIndexClient
   
   index_client = SearchIndexClient(endpoint = "search_url", credential = AzureKeyCredential("api_key"))
   index_client.delete_knowledge_source("knowledge_source_name")
   print(f"Knowledge source deleted successfully.")
   

   Reference: SearchIndexClient

1. Get a list of all knowledge bases on your search service.

   ### Get knowledge bases
   GET {{search-url}}/knowledgebases?api-version={{api-version}}&$select=name
   api-key: {{api-key}}
   

   Reference: Knowledge Bases - List

   An example response might look like the following:

    {
        "@odata.context": "https://my-search-service.search.windows.net/$metadata#knowledgebases(name)",
        "value": [
        {
            "name": "my-kb"
        },
        {
            "name": "my-kb-2"
        }
        ]
    }
   

2. Get an individual knowledge base definition to check for knowledge source references.

   ### Get a knowledge base definition
   GET {{search-url}}/knowledgebases/{{knowledge-base-name}}?api-version={{api-version}}
   api-key: {{api-key}}
   

   Reference: Knowledge Bases - Get

   An example response might look like the following:

    {
      "name": "my-kb",
      "description": null,
      "retrievalInstructions": null,
      "answerInstructions": null,
      "outputMode": null,
      "knowledgeSources": [
        {
          "name": "my-blob-ks",
        }
      ],
      "models": [],
      "encryptionKey": null,
      "retrievalReasoningEffort": {
        "kind": "low"
      }
    }
   

3. Either delete the knowledge base or, if you have multiple knowledge sources, update the knowledge base to remove the source. This example shows deletion.

   ### Delete a knowledge base
   DELETE {{search-url}}/knowledgebases/{{knowledge-base-name}}?api-version={{api-version}}
   api-key: {{api-key}}
   

   Reference: Knowledge Bases - Delete

4. Delete the knowledge source.

   ### Delete a knowledge source
   DELETE {{search-url}}/knowledgesources/{{knowledge-source-name}}?api-version={{api-version}}
   api-key: {{api-key}}
   

   Reference: Knowledge Sources - Delete