diff --git a/aeron-client/src/main/java/io/aeron/Aeron.java b/aeron-client/src/main/java/io/aeron/Aeron.java
index 3f1601a4c2..2e44453377 100644
--- a/aeron-client/src/main/java/io/aeron/Aeron.java
+++ b/aeron-client/src/main/java/io/aeron/Aeron.java
@@ -123,6 +123,8 @@ public static Aeron connect()
      */
     public static Aeron connect(final Context ctx)
     {
+        ctx.verifyNotAlreadyInUse();
+
         try
         {
             final Aeron aeron = new Aeron(ctx);
diff --git a/aeron-client/src/main/java/io/aeron/CommonContext.java b/aeron-client/src/main/java/io/aeron/CommonContext.java
index e4aaa03a71..20810f30ba 100644
--- a/aeron-client/src/main/java/io/aeron/CommonContext.java
+++ b/aeron-client/src/main/java/io/aeron/CommonContext.java
@@ -33,6 +33,7 @@
 import java.text.SimpleDateFormat;
 import java.util.Date;
 import java.util.UUID;
+import java.util.concurrent.atomic.AtomicBoolean;
 import java.util.function.Consumer;
 
 import static io.aeron.Aeron.sleep;
@@ -214,6 +215,8 @@ public class CommonContext implements Cloneable
      */
     public static final String TETHER_PARAM_NAME = "tether";
 
+    private final AtomicBoolean inUse = new AtomicBoolean(false);
+
     private long driverTimeoutMs = DRIVER_TIMEOUT_MS;
     private String aeronDirectoryName = getAeronDirectoryName();
     private File aeronDirectory;
@@ -310,6 +313,21 @@ public CommonContext concludeAeronDirectory()
         return this;
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Checks to see if another instance of the Aeron Client or Media Driver already is already using this
+     * context.
+     *
+     * @throws IllegalStateException if the context is already in use.
+     */
+    public void verifyNotAlreadyInUse()
+    {
+        if (!inUse.compareAndSet(false, true))
+        {
+            throw new IllegalStateException(
+                "Context instances may not be reused, create a new one for each Aeron/MediaDriver instance");
+        }
+    }
+
     /**
      * Get the top level Aeron directory used for communication between the client and Media Driver, and
      * the location of the data buffers.
diff --git a/aeron-driver/src/main/java/io/aeron/driver/MediaDriver.java b/aeron-driver/src/main/java/io/aeron/driver/MediaDriver.java
index 3723a2650d..d5a0df4809 100644
--- a/aeron-driver/src/main/java/io/aeron/driver/MediaDriver.java
+++ b/aeron-driver/src/main/java/io/aeron/driver/MediaDriver.java
@@ -222,6 +222,7 @@ public static MediaDriver launch()
      */
     public static MediaDriver launch(final Context ctx)
     {
+        ctx.verifyNotAlreadyInUse();
         return new MediaDriver(ctx).start();
     }
 
diff --git a/aeron-driver/src/test/java/io/aeron/driver/DriverContextTest.java b/aeron-driver/src/test/java/io/aeron/driver/DriverContextTest.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..5096b07ca9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/aeron-driver/src/test/java/io/aeron/driver/DriverContextTest.java
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+package io.aeron.driver;
+
+import org.junit.Test;
+
+public class DriverContextTest
+{
+    @Test(expected = IllegalStateException.class)
+    public void shouldPreventCreatingMultipleDriversWithTheSameContext()
+    {
+        final MediaDriver.Context ctx = new MediaDriver.Context();
+
+        //noinspection EmptyTryBlock
+        try (
+            MediaDriver mediaDriver1 = MediaDriver.launchEmbedded(ctx);
+            MediaDriver mediaDriver2 = MediaDriver.launchEmbedded(ctx))
+        {
+        }
+    }
+}
diff --git a/aeron-system-tests/src/test/java/io/aeron/ClientContextTest.java b/aeron-system-tests/src/test/java/io/aeron/ClientContextTest.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..5d6932e97b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/aeron-system-tests/src/test/java/io/aeron/ClientContextTest.java
@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
+package io.aeron;
+
+import io.aeron.driver.MediaDriver;
+import org.junit.Test;
+
+public class ClientContextTest
+{
+    @Test(expected = IllegalStateException.class)
+    public void shouldPreventCreatingMultipleClientsWithTheSameContext()
+    {
+        try (MediaDriver mediaDriver = MediaDriver.launchEmbedded())
+        {
+            final Aeron.Context ctx = new Aeron.Context()
+                .aeronDirectoryName(mediaDriver.aeronDirectoryName());
+
+            //noinspection EmptyTryBlock
+            try (
+                Aeron aeron1 = Aeron.connect(ctx);
+                Aeron aeron2 = Aeron.connect(ctx))
+            {
+            }
+        }
+    }
+}