diff --git a/src/services/search.ts b/src/services/search.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2bbbbcf
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/services/search.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,33 @@
+import { createAud0Client } from "../clients/aud0-client";
+import { resolveDependencyBaseUrl } from "../platform/dependency-mode";
+import { SiaxError } from "../platform/errors";
+import { createSearchDefinitionRepository } from "../repositories/search-definition-repository";
+import { HttpOpenSearchAdapter } from "../search/opensearch-adapter";
+import { SearchService } from "../search/search-service";
+
+let singleton: SearchService | undefined;
+
+export function getSearchService(): SearchService {
+  if (singleton) return singleton;
+  const baseUrl = resolveDependencyBaseUrl("opensearch", process.env.OPENSEARCH_URL);
+  if (!baseUrl) {
+    throw new SiaxError("DEPENDENCY_UNAVAILABLE", "opensearch", "OPENSEARCH_URL is required for the search HTTP surface");
+  }
+  singleton = new SearchService(
+    new HttpOpenSearchAdapter({
+      baseUrl,
+      ...(process.env.OPENSEARCH_BASIC_AUTH
+        ? { basicAuth: process.env.OPENSEARCH_BASIC_AUTH }
+        : {}),
+    }),
+    {
+      aud0Client: createAud0Client(),
+      definitionRepository: createSearchDefinitionRepository(),
+    },
+  );
+  return singleton;
+}
+
+export function resetSearchServiceForTests(): void {
+  singleton = undefined;
+}