diff --git a/clientapi/routing/routing.go b/clientapi/routing/routing.go
index e5a8d0b81..63dcaa413 100644
--- a/clientapi/routing/routing.go
+++ b/clientapi/routing/routing.go
@@ -1118,18 +1118,4 @@ func Setup(
 			return SetReceipt(req, eduAPI, device, vars["roomId"], vars["receiptType"], vars["eventId"])
 		}),
 	).Methods(http.MethodPost, http.MethodOptions)
-	r0mux.Handle("/rooms/{roomId}/context/{eventId}",
-		httputil.MakeAuthAPI(gomatrixserverlib.Join, userAPI, func(req *http.Request, device *userapi.Device) util.JSONResponse {
-			vars, err := httputil.URLDecodeMapValues(mux.Vars(req))
-			if err != nil {
-				return util.ErrorResponse(err)
-			}
-
-			return Context(
-				req, device,
-				rsAPI, userAPI,
-				vars["roomId"], vars["eventId"],
-			)
-		}),
-	).Methods(http.MethodGet, http.MethodOptions)
 }
diff --git a/clientapi/routing/context.go b/syncapi/routing/context.go
similarity index 69%
rename from clientapi/routing/context.go
rename to syncapi/routing/context.go
index 7ba7713d9..b8afcd0ba 100644
--- a/clientapi/routing/context.go
+++ b/syncapi/routing/context.go
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ import (
 
 	"github.com/matrix-org/dendrite/clientapi/jsonerror"
 	roomserver "github.com/matrix-org/dendrite/roomserver/api"
+	"github.com/matrix-org/dendrite/syncapi/storage"
 	userapi "github.com/matrix-org/dendrite/userapi/api"
 	"github.com/matrix-org/gomatrixserverlib"
 	"github.com/matrix-org/util"
@@ -35,13 +36,13 @@ type ContextRespsonse struct {
 	EventsAfter  []gomatrixserverlib.ClientEvent `json:"events_after,omitempty"`
 	EventsBefore []gomatrixserverlib.ClientEvent `json:"events_before,omitempty"`
 	Start        string                          `json:"start,omitempty"`
-	State        []gomatrixserverlib.ClientEvent `json:"state,omitempty"`
+	State        []gomatrixserverlib.ClientEvent `json:"state"`
 }
 
 func Context(
 	req *http.Request, device *userapi.Device,
 	rsAPI roomserver.RoomserverInternalAPI,
-	userAPI userapi.UserInternalAPI,
+	syncDB storage.Database,
 	roomID, eventID string,
 ) util.JSONResponse {
 	limit, filter, err := parseContextParams(req)
@@ -60,6 +61,12 @@ func Context(
 		}
 	}
 	ctx := req.Context()
+	membershipRes := roomserver.QueryMembershipForUserResponse{}
+	membershipReq := roomserver.QueryMembershipForUserRequest{UserID: device.UserID, RoomID: roomID}
+	if err := rsAPI.QueryMembershipForUser(ctx, &membershipReq, &membershipRes); err != nil {
+		logrus.WithError(err).Error("unable to fo membership")
+		return jsonerror.InternalServerError()
+	}
 
 	state, userAllowed, err := getCurrentState(ctx, rsAPI, roomID, device.UserID)
 	if err != nil {
@@ -71,41 +78,76 @@ func Context(
 			JSON: jsonerror.Forbidden("User is not allowed to query contenxt"),
 		}
 	}
-
-	requestedEvent := &roomserver.QueryEventsByIDResponse{}
-	if err := rsAPI.QueryEventsByID(ctx, &roomserver.QueryEventsByIDRequest{
-		EventIDs: []string{eventID},
-	}, requestedEvent); err != nil {
+	id, requestedEvent, err := syncDB.SelectContextEvent(ctx, roomID, eventID)
+	if err != nil {
+		logrus.WithError(err).WithField("eventID", eventID).Error("unable to find requested event")
 		return jsonerror.InternalServerError()
 	}
-	if requestedEvent.Events == nil || len(requestedEvent.Events) == 0 {
-		logrus.WithField("eventID", eventID).Error("unable to find requested event")
-		return jsonerror.InternalServerError()
-	}
-	// this should be safe now
-	event := requestedEvent.Events[0]
 
-	eventsBefore, err := queryEventsBefore(rsAPI, ctx, event.PrevEventIDs(), limit)
+	eventsBefore, err := syncDB.SelectContextBeforeEvent(ctx, id, roomID, limit/2)
 	if err != nil && err != sql.ErrNoRows {
 		logrus.WithError(err).Error("unable to fetch before events")
 		return jsonerror.InternalServerError()
 	}
 
-	eventsAfter, err := queryEventsAfter(rsAPI, ctx, event.EventID(), limit)
-	if err != nil {
+	_, eventsAfter, err := syncDB.SelectContextAfterEvent(ctx, id, roomID, limit/2)
+	if err != nil && err != sql.ErrNoRows {
 		logrus.WithError(err).Error("unable to fetch after events")
 		return jsonerror.InternalServerError()
 	}
 
-	state = applyLazyLoadMembers(filter, eventsAfter, eventsBefore, state)
+	/*excludeEventIDs, err := syncDB.SelectEventIDsAfter(ctx, roomID, lastID)
+	if err != nil {
+		logrus.WithError(err).Error("unable to fetch excludeEventIDs")
+		return jsonerror.InternalServerError()
+	}
+
+	stateFilter := gomatrixserverlib.StateFilter{Limit: 100, Rooms: []string{roomID}}
+	if filter != nil {
+		stateFilter = gomatrixserverlib.StateFilter{
+			Limit:                   filter.Limit,
+			NotSenders:              filter.NotSenders,
+			NotTypes:                filter.NotTypes,
+			Senders:                 filter.Senders,
+			Types:                   filter.Types,
+			LazyLoadMembers:         filter.LazyLoadMembers,
+			IncludeRedundantMembers: filter.IncludeRedundantMembers,
+			NotRooms:                filter.NotRooms,
+			Rooms:                   filter.Rooms,
+			ContainsURL:             filter.ContainsURL,
+		}
+	}
+	_ = stateFilter
+	_ = excludeEventIDs
+
+	sstate, _ := syncDB.CurrentState(ctx, roomID, &stateFilter, nil)
+	for _, x := range sstate {
+		hisVis, err := x.HistoryVisibility()
+		if err != nil {
+			continue
+		}
+		allowed := hisVis != "world_readable" && membershipRes.Membership == "join"
+		logrus.Debugf("State: %+v %+v %+v", x.Type(), hisVis, allowed)
+		if !allowed {
+			return util.JSONResponse{
+				Code: http.StatusForbidden,
+				JSON: jsonerror.Forbidden("User is not allowed to query context"),
+			}
+		}
+	}
+	*/
+
+	eventsBeforeClient := gomatrixserverlib.HeaderedToClientEvents(eventsBefore, gomatrixserverlib.FormatAll)
+	eventsAfterClient := gomatrixserverlib.HeaderedToClientEvents(eventsAfter, gomatrixserverlib.FormatAll)
+	newState := applyLazyLoadMembers(filter, eventsAfterClient, eventsBeforeClient, state)
 
 	response := ContextRespsonse{
 		End:          "end",
-		Event:        gomatrixserverlib.HeaderedToClientEvent(event, gomatrixserverlib.FormatAll),
-		EventsAfter:  eventsAfter,
-		EventsBefore: eventsBefore,
+		Event:        gomatrixserverlib.HeaderedToClientEvent(&requestedEvent, gomatrixserverlib.FormatAll),
+		EventsAfter:  eventsAfterClient,
+		EventsBefore: eventsBeforeClient,
 		Start:        "start",
-		State:        state,
+		State:        newState,
 	}
 
 	return util.JSONResponse{
@@ -116,6 +158,7 @@ func Context(
 
 func applyLazyLoadMembers(filter *gomatrixserverlib.RoomEventFilter, eventsAfter, eventsBefore []gomatrixserverlib.ClientEvent, state []gomatrixserverlib.ClientEvent) []gomatrixserverlib.ClientEvent {
 	if filter == nil || !filter.LazyLoadMembers {
+		logrus.Debugf("filter is nil or lazyloadmembers is false")
 		return state
 	}
 	allEvents := append(eventsAfter, eventsBefore...)
@@ -157,6 +200,7 @@ func getCurrentState(ctx context.Context, rsAPI roomserver.RoomserverInternalAPI
 	joinRuleTuple := gomatrixserverlib.StateKeyTuple{EventType: gomatrixserverlib.MRoomJoinRules, StateKey: ""}
 
 	// get the current state
+
 	currentState := &roomserver.QueryCurrentStateResponse{}
 	if err := rsAPI.QueryCurrentState(ctx, &roomserver.QueryCurrentStateRequest{
 		RoomID: roomID,
@@ -206,72 +250,6 @@ func getCurrentState(ctx context.Context, rsAPI roomserver.RoomserverInternalAPI
 	return state, true, nil
 }
 
-// queryEventsAfter retrieves events that happened after a list of events.
-// The function returns once the limit is reached or no new events can be found.
-// TODO: inefficient
-func queryEventsAfter(
-	rsAPI roomserver.RoomserverInternalAPI,
-	ctx context.Context,
-	eventID string,
-	limit int,
-) ([]gomatrixserverlib.ClientEvent, error) {
-	result := []gomatrixserverlib.ClientEvent{}
-	for {
-		res := &roomserver.QueryEventsAfterEventIDesponse{}
-		if err := rsAPI.QueryEventsAfter(ctx, &roomserver.QueryEventsAfterEventIDRequest{EventIDs: eventID}, res); err != nil {
-			if err == sql.ErrNoRows {
-				return result, nil
-			}
-			return nil, err
-		}
-		if len(res.Events) > 0 {
-			for _, ev := range res.Events {
-				result = append(result, *ev)
-				eventID = ev.EventID
-			}
-		}
-	}
-}
-
-// queryEventsBefore retrieves events that happened before a list of events.
-// The function returns once the limit is reached or no new prevEvents can be found.
-// TODO: inefficient
-func queryEventsBefore(
-	rsAPI roomserver.RoomserverInternalAPI,
-	ctx context.Context,
-	prevEventIDs []string,
-	limit int,
-) ([]gomatrixserverlib.ClientEvent, error) {
-	// query prev events
-	eventIDs := prevEventIDs
-	result := []*gomatrixserverlib.HeaderedEvent{}
-	for len(eventIDs) > 0 {
-		prevEvents := &roomserver.QueryEventsByIDResponse{}
-		if err := rsAPI.QueryEventsByID(ctx, &roomserver.QueryEventsByIDRequest{
-			EventIDs: eventIDs,
-		}, prevEvents); err != nil {
-			return gomatrixserverlib.HeaderedToClientEvents(result, gomatrixserverlib.FormatAll), err
-		}
-		// we didn't receive any events, return
-		if len(prevEvents.Events) == 0 {
-			return gomatrixserverlib.HeaderedToClientEvents(result, gomatrixserverlib.FormatAll), nil
-		}
-		// clear eventIDs to search for
-		eventIDs = []string{}
-		// append found events to result
-		for _, ev := range prevEvents.Events {
-			result = append(result, ev)
-			if len(result) >= limit {
-				return gomatrixserverlib.HeaderedToClientEvents(result, gomatrixserverlib.FormatAll), nil
-			}
-			// add prev to new eventIDs
-			eventIDs = append(eventIDs, ev.PrevEventIDs()...)
-		}
-	}
-
-	return gomatrixserverlib.HeaderedToClientEvents(result, gomatrixserverlib.FormatAll), nil
-}
-
 func parseContextParams(req *http.Request) (limit int, filter *gomatrixserverlib.RoomEventFilter, err error) {
 	l := req.URL.Query().Get("limit")
 	f := req.URL.Query().Get("filter")
diff --git a/clientapi/routing/context_test.go b/syncapi/routing/context_test.go
similarity index 100%
rename from clientapi/routing/context_test.go
rename to syncapi/routing/context_test.go
diff --git a/syncapi/routing/routing.go b/syncapi/routing/routing.go
index 005a33555..be366ba10 100644
--- a/syncapi/routing/routing.go
+++ b/syncapi/routing/routing.go
@@ -77,4 +77,19 @@ func Setup(
 	v3mux.Handle("/keys/changes", httputil.MakeAuthAPI("keys_changes", userAPI, func(req *http.Request, device *userapi.Device) util.JSONResponse {
 		return srp.OnIncomingKeyChangeRequest(req, device)
 	})).Methods(http.MethodGet, http.MethodOptions)
+
+	v3mux.Handle("/rooms/{roomId}/context/{eventId}",
+		httputil.MakeAuthAPI(gomatrixserverlib.Join, userAPI, func(req *http.Request, device *userapi.Device) util.JSONResponse {
+			vars, err := httputil.URLDecodeMapValues(mux.Vars(req))
+			if err != nil {
+				return util.ErrorResponse(err)
+			}
+
+			return Context(
+				req, device,
+				rsAPI, syncDB,
+				vars["roomId"], vars["eventId"],
+			)
+		}),
+	).Methods(http.MethodGet, http.MethodOptions)
 }