diff --git a/interface/ceed-fortran.c b/interface/ceed-fortran.c
index d3ed061c3e..501d901c2e 100644
--- a/interface/ceed-fortran.c
+++ b/interface/ceed-fortran.c
@@ -845,6 +845,8 @@ CEED_EXTERN void fCeedQFunctionSetContext(int *qf, int *ctx, int *err) {
   if (*err) return;
   fctxdata->inner_ctx = ctx_;
   *err                = CeedQFunctionContextRestoreData(fctx, (void **)&fctxdata);
+  if (*err) return;
+  *err = CeedQFunctionContextDestroy(&fctx);
 }
 
 #define fCeedQFunctionView FORTRAN_NAME(ceedqfunctionview, CEEDQFUNCTIONVIEW)
diff --git a/interface/ceed-operator.c b/interface/ceed-operator.c
index 3d6f6dd004..f77938e1e4 100644
--- a/interface/ceed-operator.c
+++ b/interface/ceed-operator.c
@@ -370,26 +370,22 @@ static int CeedOperatorContextSetGeneric(CeedOperator op, CeedContextFieldLabel
               "Composite operator modified after ContextFieldLabel created");
 
     for (CeedInt i = 0; i < num_sub; i++) {
-      CeedQFunction        qf;
       CeedQFunctionContext ctx;
 
-      CeedCall(CeedOperatorGetQFunction(sub_operators[i], &qf));
-      CeedCall(CeedQFunctionGetContext(qf, &ctx));
-      CeedCall(CeedQFunctionDestroy(&qf));
+      CeedCall(CeedOperatorGetContext(sub_operators[i], &ctx));
       // Try every sub-operator, ok if some sub-operators do not have field
-      if (field_label->sub_labels[i] && ctx) {
+      if (ctx && field_label->sub_labels[i]) {
         CeedCall(CeedQFunctionContextSetGeneric(ctx, field_label->sub_labels[i], field_type, values));
       }
+      CeedCall(CeedQFunctionContextDestroy(&ctx));
     }
   } else {
-    CeedQFunction        qf;
     CeedQFunctionContext ctx;
 
-    CeedCall(CeedOperatorGetQFunction(op, &qf));
-    CeedCall(CeedQFunctionGetContext(qf, &ctx));
-    CeedCall(CeedQFunctionDestroy(&qf));
+    CeedCall(CeedOperatorGetContext(op, &ctx));
     CeedCheck(ctx, CeedOperatorReturnCeed(op), CEED_ERROR_UNSUPPORTED, "QFunction does not have context data");
     CeedCall(CeedQFunctionContextSetGeneric(ctx, field_label, field_type, values));
+    CeedCall(CeedQFunctionContextDestroy(&ctx));
   }
   CeedCall(CeedOperatorSetQFunctionAssemblyDataUpdateNeeded(op, true));
   return CEED_ERROR_SUCCESS;
@@ -441,27 +437,24 @@ static int CeedOperatorContextGetGenericRead(CeedOperator op, CeedContextFieldLa
               "Composite operator modified after ContextFieldLabel created");
 
     for (CeedInt i = 0; i < num_sub; i++) {
-      CeedQFunction        qf;
       CeedQFunctionContext ctx;
 
-      CeedCall(CeedOperatorGetQFunction(sub_operators[i], &qf));
-      CeedCall(CeedQFunctionGetContext(qf, &ctx));
-      CeedCall(CeedQFunctionDestroy(&qf));
+      CeedCall(CeedOperatorGetContext(sub_operators[i], &ctx));
       // Try every sub-operator, ok if some sub-operators do not have field
-      if (field_label->sub_labels[i] && ctx) {
+      if (ctx && field_label->sub_labels[i]) {
         CeedCall(CeedQFunctionContextGetGenericRead(ctx, field_label->sub_labels[i], field_type, num_values, values));
+        CeedCall(CeedQFunctionContextDestroy(&ctx));
         return CEED_ERROR_SUCCESS;
       }
+      CeedCall(CeedQFunctionContextDestroy(&ctx));
     }
   } else {
-    CeedQFunction        qf;
     CeedQFunctionContext ctx;
 
-    CeedCall(CeedOperatorGetQFunction(op, &qf));
-    CeedCall(CeedQFunctionGetContext(qf, &ctx));
-    CeedCall(CeedQFunctionDestroy(&qf));
+    CeedCall(CeedOperatorGetContext(op, &ctx));
     CeedCheck(ctx, CeedOperatorReturnCeed(op), CEED_ERROR_UNSUPPORTED, "QFunction does not have context data");
     CeedCall(CeedQFunctionContextGetGenericRead(ctx, field_label, field_type, num_values, values));
+    CeedCall(CeedQFunctionContextDestroy(&ctx));
   }
   return CEED_ERROR_SUCCESS;
 }
@@ -507,27 +500,24 @@ static int CeedOperatorContextRestoreGenericRead(CeedOperator op, CeedContextFie
               "Composite operator modified after ContextFieldLabel created");
 
     for (CeedInt i = 0; i < num_sub; i++) {
-      CeedQFunction        qf;
       CeedQFunctionContext ctx;
 
-      CeedCall(CeedOperatorGetQFunction(sub_operators[i], &qf));
-      CeedCall(CeedQFunctionGetContext(qf, &ctx));
-      CeedCall(CeedQFunctionDestroy(&qf));
+      CeedCall(CeedOperatorGetContext(sub_operators[i], &ctx));
       // Try every sub-operator, ok if some sub-operators do not have field
-      if (field_label->sub_labels[i] && ctx) {
+      if (ctx && field_label->sub_labels[i]) {
         CeedCall(CeedQFunctionContextRestoreGenericRead(ctx, field_label->sub_labels[i], field_type, values));
+        CeedCall(CeedQFunctionContextDestroy(&ctx));
         return CEED_ERROR_SUCCESS;
       }
+      CeedCall(CeedQFunctionContextDestroy(&ctx));
     }
   } else {
-    CeedQFunction        qf;
     CeedQFunctionContext ctx;
 
-    CeedCall(CeedOperatorGetQFunction(op, &qf));
-    CeedCall(CeedQFunctionGetContext(qf, &ctx));
-    CeedCall(CeedQFunctionDestroy(&qf));
+    CeedCall(CeedOperatorGetContext(op, &ctx));
     CeedCheck(ctx, CeedOperatorReturnCeed(op), CEED_ERROR_UNSUPPORTED, "QFunction does not have context data");
     CeedCall(CeedQFunctionContextRestoreGenericRead(ctx, field_label, field_type, values));
+    CeedCall(CeedQFunctionContextDestroy(&ctx));
   }
   return CEED_ERROR_SUCCESS;
 }
diff --git a/interface/ceed-preconditioning.c b/interface/ceed-preconditioning.c
index 5535b91661..1cc767cb08 100644
--- a/interface/ceed-preconditioning.c
+++ b/interface/ceed-preconditioning.c
@@ -71,6 +71,7 @@ static int CeedQFunctionCreateFallback(Ceed fallback_ceed, CeedQFunction qf, Cee
 
     CeedCall(CeedQFunctionGetContext(qf, &ctx));
     CeedCall(CeedQFunctionSetContext(*qf_fallback, ctx));
+    CeedCall(CeedQFunctionContextDestroy(&ctx));
   }
   CeedCall(CeedQFunctionGetFields(qf, &num_input_fields, &input_fields, &num_output_fields, &output_fields));
   for (CeedInt i = 0; i < num_input_fields; i++) {
diff --git a/interface/ceed-qfunction.c b/interface/ceed-qfunction.c
index 0daa4b98fc..6936974fa4 100644
--- a/interface/ceed-qfunction.c
+++ b/interface/ceed-qfunction.c
@@ -330,7 +330,8 @@ int CeedQFunctionGetUserFunction(CeedQFunction qf, CeedQFunctionUser *f) {
   @ref Backend
 **/
 int CeedQFunctionGetContext(CeedQFunction qf, CeedQFunctionContext *ctx) {
-  *ctx = qf->ctx;
+  *ctx = NULL;
+  if (qf->ctx) CeedCall(CeedQFunctionContextReferenceCopy(qf->ctx, ctx));
   return CEED_ERROR_SUCCESS;
 }
 
@@ -361,6 +362,7 @@ int CeedQFunctionGetContextData(CeedQFunction qf, CeedMemType mem_type, void *da
   } else {
     *(void **)data = NULL;
   }
+  CeedCall(CeedQFunctionContextDestroy(&ctx));
   return CEED_ERROR_SUCCESS;
 }
 
@@ -387,7 +389,7 @@ int CeedQFunctionRestoreContextData(CeedQFunction qf, void *data) {
       CeedCall(CeedQFunctionContextRestoreDataRead(ctx, data));
     }
   }
-  *(void **)data = NULL;
+  CeedCall(CeedQFunctionContextDestroy(&ctx));
   return CEED_ERROR_SUCCESS;
 }
 
@@ -415,6 +417,7 @@ int CeedQFunctionGetInnerContext(CeedQFunction qf, CeedQFunctionContext *ctx) {
   } else {
     *ctx = qf_ctx;
   }
+  CeedCall(CeedQFunctionContextDestroy(&qf_ctx));
   return CEED_ERROR_SUCCESS;
 }
 
@@ -730,6 +733,7 @@ int CeedQFunctionCreateIdentity(Ceed ceed, CeedInt size, CeedEvalMode in_mode, C
   CeedCall(CeedQFunctionGetContext(*qf, &ctx));
   CeedCall(CeedQFunctionContextGetFieldLabel(ctx, "size", &size_label));
   CeedCall(CeedQFunctionContextSetInt32(ctx, size_label, &size));
+  CeedCall(CeedQFunctionContextDestroy(&ctx));
   return CEED_ERROR_SUCCESS;
 }