diff --git a/src/core_plugins/kibana/public/context/app.js b/src/core_plugins/kibana/public/context/app.js
index 666846c027c1b..5be01d35c1441 100644
--- a/src/core_plugins/kibana/public/context/app.js
+++ b/src/core_plugins/kibana/public/context/app.js
@@ -11,7 +11,9 @@ import {
 } from './dispatch';
 import {
   QueryParameterActionCreatorsProvider,
+  QUERY_PARAMETER_KEYS,
   selectPredecessorCount,
+  selectQueryParameters,
   selectSuccessorCount,
   updateQueryParameters,
 } from './query_parameters';
@@ -41,25 +43,20 @@ module.directive('contextApp', function ContextApp() {
       anchorUid: '=',
       columns: '=',
       indexPattern: '=',
-      size: '=',
+      predecessorCount: '=',
+      successorCount: '=',
       sort: '=',
     },
     template: contextAppTemplate,
   };
 });
 
-function ContextAppController(Private) {
+function ContextAppController($scope, Private) {
   const createDispatch = Private(createDispatchProvider);
   const queryParameterActionCreators = Private(QueryParameterActionCreatorsProvider);
   const queryActionCreators = Private(QueryActionCreatorsProvider);
 
-  this.state = createInitialState(
-    this.anchorUid,
-    this.columns,
-    this.indexPattern,
-    this.size,
-    this.sort,
-  );
+  this.state = createInitialState();
 
   this.update = createPipeline(
     createScopedUpdater('queryParameters', updateQueryParameters),
@@ -91,18 +88,36 @@ function ContextAppController(Private) {
     ),
   };
 
-  this.actions.fetchAllRows();
+  /**
+   * Sync query parameters to arguments
+   */
+  $scope.$watchCollection(
+    () => _.pick(this, QUERY_PARAMETER_KEYS),
+    (newValues) => {
+      // break the watch cycle
+      if (!_.isEqual(newValues, selectQueryParameters(this.state))) {
+        this.dispatch(queryActionCreators.fetchAllRowsWithNewQueryParameters(newValues));
+      }
+    },
+  );
+
+  $scope.$watchCollection(
+    () => selectQueryParameters(this.state),
+    (newValues) => {
+      _.assign(this, newValues);
+    },
+  );
 }
 
-function createInitialState(anchorUid, columns, indexPattern, size, sort) {
+function createInitialState() {
   return {
     queryParameters: {
-      anchorUid,
-      columns,
-      indexPattern,
-      predecessorCount: size,
-      successorCount: size,
-      sort,
+      anchorUid: null,
+      columns: [],
+      indexPattern: null,
+      predecessorCount: 0,
+      successorCount: 0,
+      sort: [],
     },
     rows: {
       anchor: null,
diff --git a/src/core_plugins/kibana/public/context/index.js b/src/core_plugins/kibana/public/context/index.js
index 86950db552505..614b9a0aa6280 100644
--- a/src/core_plugins/kibana/public/context/index.js
+++ b/src/core_plugins/kibana/public/context/index.js
@@ -17,7 +17,8 @@ uiRoutes
       anchor-uid="contextAppRoute.anchorUid"
       columns="contextAppRoute.state.columns"
       index-pattern="contextAppRoute.indexPattern"
-      size="contextAppRoute.state.size"
+      predecessor-count="contextAppRoute.state.predecessorCount"
+      successor-count="contextAppRoute.state.successorCount"
       sort="[contextAppRoute.indexPattern.timeFieldName, 'desc']"
     >`
   ),
@@ -30,7 +31,8 @@ function ContextAppRouteController($routeParams, $scope, AppState, config, index
 
   $scope.$watchGroup([
     'contextAppRoute.state.columns',
-    'contextAppRoute.state.size',
+    'contextAppRoute.state.predecessorCount',
+    'contextAppRoute.state.successorCount',
   ], () => this.state.save());
   this.anchorUid = getDocumentUid($routeParams.type, $routeParams.id);
   this.indexPattern = indexPattern;
@@ -39,6 +41,7 @@ function ContextAppRouteController($routeParams, $scope, AppState, config, index
 function createDefaultAppState(config) {
   return {
     columns: ['_source'],
-    size: parseInt(config.get('context:defaultSize'), 10),
+    predecessorCount: parseInt(config.get('context:defaultSize'), 10),
+    successorCount: parseInt(config.get('context:defaultSize'), 10),
   };
 }
diff --git a/src/core_plugins/kibana/public/context/query.js b/src/core_plugins/kibana/public/context/query.js
index 7cd7daf6c4acb..4fd930c18ee47 100644
--- a/src/core_plugins/kibana/public/context/query.js
+++ b/src/core_plugins/kibana/public/context/query.js
@@ -15,11 +15,13 @@ function QueryActionCreatorsProvider($q, es, Private) {
     increasePredecessorCount,
     increaseSuccessorCount,
     setPredecessorCount,
+    setQueryParameters,
     setSuccessorCount,
   } = Private(QueryParameterActionCreatorsProvider);
 
   return {
     fetchAllRows,
+    fetchAllRowsWithNewQueryParameters,
     fetchAnchorRow,
     fetchGivenPredecessorRows,
     fetchGivenSuccessorRows,
@@ -40,6 +42,13 @@ function QueryActionCreatorsProvider($q, es, Private) {
     });
   }
 
+  function fetchAllRowsWithNewQueryParameters(queryParameters) {
+    return (dispatch) => {
+      dispatch(setQueryParameters(queryParameters));
+      return dispatch(fetchAllRows());
+    };
+  }
+
   function fetchAnchorRow() {
     return (dispatch, getState) => {
       const { queryParameters: { indexPattern, anchorUid, sort } } = getState();
diff --git a/src/core_plugins/kibana/public/context/query_parameters.js b/src/core_plugins/kibana/public/context/query_parameters.js
index ffc7680fadc03..b86eb5272c9c7 100644
--- a/src/core_plugins/kibana/public/context/query_parameters.js
+++ b/src/core_plugins/kibana/public/context/query_parameters.js
@@ -1,4 +1,15 @@
+import _ from 'lodash';
+
+
 const MIN_CONTEXT_SIZE = 0;
+const QUERY_PARAMETER_KEYS = [
+  'anchorUid',
+  'columns',
+  'indexPattern',
+  'predecessorCount',
+  'successorCount',
+  'sort',
+];
 
 function QueryParameterActionCreatorsProvider(config) {
   const defaultSizeStep = parseInt(config.get('context:step'), 10);
@@ -7,6 +18,7 @@ function QueryParameterActionCreatorsProvider(config) {
     increasePredecessorCount,
     increaseSuccessorCount,
     setPredecessorCount,
+    setQueryParameters,
     setSuccessorCount,
   };
 
@@ -37,12 +49,23 @@ function QueryParameterActionCreatorsProvider(config) {
       payload: value,
     };
   }
+
+  function setQueryParameters(queryParameters) {
+    return {
+      type: 'context/set_query_parameters',
+      payload: queryParameters,
+    };
+  }
 }
 
 function selectPredecessorCount(state) {
   return state.queryParameters.predecessorCount;
 }
 
+function selectQueryParameters(state) {
+  return state.queryParameters;
+}
+
 function selectSuccessorCount(state) {
   return state.queryParameters.successorCount;
 }
@@ -57,6 +80,8 @@ function updateQueryParameters(state, action) {
       return { ...state, predecessorCount: Math.max(MIN_CONTEXT_SIZE, action.payload) };
     case 'context/set_successor_count':
       return { ...state, successorCount: Math.max(MIN_CONTEXT_SIZE, action.payload) };
+    case 'context/set_query_parameters':
+      return { ...state, ...(_.pick(action.payload, QUERY_PARAMETER_KEYS)) };
     default:
       return state;
   }
@@ -65,7 +90,9 @@ function updateQueryParameters(state, action) {
 
 export {
   QueryParameterActionCreatorsProvider,
+  QUERY_PARAMETER_KEYS,
   selectPredecessorCount,
+  selectQueryParameters,
   selectSuccessorCount,
   updateQueryParameters,
 };