diff --git a/handlers.go b/handlers.go
index 885f799..510479d 100644
--- a/handlers.go
+++ b/handlers.go
@@ -33,8 +33,6 @@ func (rl *Relay) ServeHTTP(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
 }
 
 func (rl *Relay) HandleWebsocket(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
-	connectionContext := r.Context()
-
 	conn, err := rl.upgrader.Upgrade(w, r, nil)
 	if err != nil {
 		rl.Log.Printf("failed to upgrade websocket: %v\n", err)
@@ -54,12 +52,17 @@ func (rl *Relay) HandleWebsocket(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
 		Authed:    make(chan struct{}),
 	}
 
-	connectionContext = context.WithValue(connectionContext, WS_KEY, ws)
-
 	// reader
 	go func() {
+		ctx, cancel := context.WithCancel(
+			context.WithValue(
+				context.Background(),
+				WS_KEY, ws,
+			),
+		)
 		defer func() {
 			ticker.Stop()
+			cancel()
 			if _, ok := rl.clients.Load(conn); ok {
 				conn.Close()
 				rl.clients.Delete(conn)
@@ -75,7 +78,7 @@ func (rl *Relay) HandleWebsocket(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
 		})
 
 		for _, onconnect := range rl.OnConnect {
-			onconnect(connectionContext)
+			onconnect(ctx)
 		}
 
 		for {
@@ -99,14 +102,6 @@ func (rl *Relay) HandleWebsocket(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
 			}
 
 			go func(message []byte) {
-				ctx := context.WithValue(
-					context.WithValue(
-						context.Background(),
-						AUTH_CONTEXT_KEY, connectionContext.Value(AUTH_CONTEXT_KEY),
-					),
-					WS_KEY, ws,
-				)
-
 				envelope := nostr.ParseMessage(message)
 				if envelope == nil {
 					// stop silently
@@ -163,8 +158,10 @@ func (rl *Relay) HandleWebsocket(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
 					eose := sync.WaitGroup{}
 					eose.Add(len(env.Filters))
 
+					reqCtx, cancel := context.WithCancelCause(ctx)
+
 					for _, filter := range env.Filters {
-						err := rl.handleRequest(ctx, env.SubscriptionID, &eose, ws, filter)
+						err := rl.handleRequest(reqCtx, env.SubscriptionID, &eose, ws, filter)
 						if err != nil {
 							reason := nostr.NormalizeOKMessage(err.Error(), "blocked")
 							if isAuthRequired(reason) {
@@ -180,7 +177,7 @@ func (rl *Relay) HandleWebsocket(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
 						ws.WriteJSON(nostr.EOSEEnvelope(env.SubscriptionID))
 					}()
 
-					setListener(env.SubscriptionID, ws, env.Filters)
+					setListener(env.SubscriptionID, ws, env.Filters, cancel)
 				case *nostr.CloseEnvelope:
 					removeListenerId(ws, string(*env))
 				case *nostr.AuthEnvelope:
@@ -188,7 +185,7 @@ func (rl *Relay) HandleWebsocket(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
 					if pubkey, ok := nip42.ValidateAuthEvent(&env.Event, ws.Challenge, wsBaseUrl); ok {
 						ws.AuthedPublicKey = pubkey
 						close(ws.Authed)
-						connectionContext = context.WithValue(ctx, AUTH_CONTEXT_KEY, pubkey)
+						ctx = context.WithValue(ctx, AUTH_CONTEXT_KEY, pubkey)
 						ws.WriteJSON(nostr.OKEnvelope{EventID: env.Event.ID, OK: true})
 					} else {
 						ws.WriteJSON(nostr.OKEnvelope{EventID: env.Event.ID, OK: false, Reason: "error: failed to authenticate"})
diff --git a/listener.go b/listener.go
index 0c51862..0ccb5ca 100644
--- a/listener.go
+++ b/listener.go
@@ -1,12 +1,16 @@
 package khatru
 
 import (
+	"context"
+	"fmt"
+
 	"github.com/nbd-wtf/go-nostr"
 	"github.com/puzpuzpuz/xsync/v2"
 )
 
 type Listener struct {
 	filters nostr.Filters
+	cancel  context.CancelCauseFunc
 }
 
 var listeners = xsync.NewTypedMapOf[*WebSocket, *xsync.MapOf[string, *Listener]](pointerHasher[WebSocket])
@@ -43,24 +47,28 @@ func GetListeningFilters() nostr.Filters {
 	return respfilters
 }
 
-func setListener(id string, ws *WebSocket, filters nostr.Filters) {
+func setListener(id string, ws *WebSocket, filters nostr.Filters, cancel context.CancelCauseFunc) {
 	subs, _ := listeners.LoadOrCompute(ws, func() *xsync.MapOf[string, *Listener] {
 		return xsync.NewMapOf[*Listener]()
 	})
-	subs.Store(id, &Listener{filters: filters})
+	subs.Store(id, &Listener{filters: filters, cancel: cancel})
 }
 
-// Remove a specific subscription id from listeners for a given ws client
+// remove a specific subscription id from listeners for a given ws client
+// and cancel its specific context
 func removeListenerId(ws *WebSocket, id string) {
 	if subs, ok := listeners.Load(ws); ok {
-		subs.Delete(id)
+		if listener, ok := subs.LoadAndDelete(id); ok {
+			listener.cancel(fmt.Errorf("subscription closed by client"))
+		}
 		if subs.Size() == 0 {
 			listeners.Delete(ws)
 		}
 	}
 }
 
-// Remove WebSocket conn from listeners
+// remove WebSocket conn from listeners
+// (no need to cancel contexts as they are all inherited from the main connection context)
 func removeListener(ws *WebSocket) {
 	listeners.Delete(ws)
 }