diff --git a/cli/cmd/ps.go b/cli/cmd/ps.go
index dc8a74691..ecad35043 100644
--- a/cli/cmd/ps.go
+++ b/cli/cmd/ps.go
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ var PsCommand = cobra.Command{
 			return errors.Wrap(err, "cannot connect to backend")
 		}
 
-		containers, err := c.ContainerService(ctx).List(ctx)
+		containers, err := c.ContainerService().List(ctx)
 		if err != nil {
 			return errors.Wrap(err, "fetch containers")
 		}
diff --git a/cli/cmd/serve.go b/cli/cmd/serve.go
index 8e6021f9a..5655eb76d 100644
--- a/cli/cmd/serve.go
+++ b/cli/cmd/serve.go
@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@ func runServe(ctx context.Context, opts serveOpts) error {
 		return err
 	}
 
-	p := proxy.NewContainerApi(c.ContainerService(ctx))
+	p := proxy.NewContainerApi(c)
 
 	containersv1.RegisterContainersServer(s, p)
 	cliv1.RegisterCliServer(s, &cliServer{
diff --git a/cli/main.go b/cli/main.go
index 9bb582fcf..2bf38750f 100644
--- a/cli/main.go
+++ b/cli/main.go
@@ -119,7 +119,19 @@ func main() {
 	ctx, cancel := util.NewSigContext()
 	defer cancel()
 
-	ctx, err := apicontext.WithCurrentContext(ctx, opts.Config, opts.Context)
+	config, err := apicontext.LoadConfigFile(opts.Config, "config.json")
+	if err != nil {
+		logrus.Fatal("unable ot find configuration")
+	}
+	currentContext := opts.Context
+	if currentContext == "" {
+		currentContext = config.CurrentContext
+	}
+	if currentContext == "" {
+		currentContext = "default"
+	}
+
+	ctx = apicontext.WithCurrentContext(ctx, opts.Context)
 	if err != nil {
 		logrus.Fatal(err)
 	}
diff --git a/client/client.go b/client/client.go
index 1d4556834..9a8571020 100644
--- a/client/client.go
+++ b/client/client.go
@@ -69,6 +69,21 @@ type Client struct {
 	cc          containers.ContainerService
 }
 
-func (c *Client) ContainerService(ctx context.Context) containers.ContainerService {
+func (c *Client) SetContext(ctx context.Context, contextType string) error {
+	b, err := backend.Get(ctx, contextType)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	ba, ok := b.(containers.ContainerService)
+	if !ok {
+		return errors.New("unknown context type")
+	}
+
+	c.cc = ba
+	return nil
+}
+
+func (c *Client) ContainerService() containers.ContainerService {
 	return c.cc
 }
diff --git a/containers/proxy/proxy.go b/containers/proxy/proxy.go
index b9e9d9e66..2c2bad247 100644
--- a/containers/proxy/proxy.go
+++ b/containers/proxy/proxy.go
@@ -3,23 +3,29 @@ package proxy
 import (
 	"context"
 
-	"github.com/docker/api/containers"
+	"github.com/docker/api/client"
 	v1 "github.com/docker/api/containers/v1"
+	apicontext "github.com/docker/api/context"
 	"github.com/golang/protobuf/ptypes/empty"
 )
 
-func NewContainerApi(client containers.ContainerService) v1.ContainersServer {
+func NewContainerApi(client *client.Client) v1.ContainersServer {
 	return &proxyContainerApi{
 		client: client,
 	}
 }
 
 type proxyContainerApi struct {
-	client containers.ContainerService
+	client *client.Client
 }
 
 func (p *proxyContainerApi) List(ctx context.Context, _ *v1.ListRequest) (*v1.ListResponse, error) {
-	c, err := p.client.List(ctx)
+	currentContext := apicontext.CurrentContext(ctx)
+	if err := p.client.SetContext(ctx, currentContext); err != nil {
+		return &v1.ListResponse{}, nil
+	}
+
+	c, err := p.client.ContainerService().List(ctx)
 	if err != nil {
 		return &v1.ListResponse{}, nil
 	}
diff --git a/context/context.go b/context/context.go
index 39a696fdd..58d79fdc4 100644
--- a/context/context.go
+++ b/context/context.go
@@ -3,29 +3,15 @@ package context
 import (
 	gocontext "context"
 
-	"github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
 	"golang.org/x/net/context"
 )
 
+const KEY = "context_key"
+
 type currentContextKey struct{}
 
-func WithCurrentContext(ctx gocontext.Context, configName string, contextName string) (context.Context, error) {
-	config, err := LoadConfigFile(configName, "config.json")
-	if err != nil {
-		return ctx, err
-	}
-
-	currentContext := contextName
-	if currentContext == "" {
-		currentContext = config.CurrentContext
-	}
-	if currentContext == "" {
-		currentContext = "default"
-	}
-
-	logrus.Debugf("Current context %q", currentContext)
-
-	return context.WithValue(ctx, currentContextKey{}, currentContext), nil
+func WithCurrentContext(ctx gocontext.Context, contextName string) context.Context {
+	return context.WithValue(ctx, currentContextKey{}, contextName)
 }
 
 // CurrentContext returns the current context name
diff --git a/server/server.go b/server/server.go
index 770083b34..aeb1b2c33 100644
--- a/server/server.go
+++ b/server/server.go
@@ -29,17 +29,23 @@ package server
 
 import (
 	"context"
+	"errors"
 
+	apicontext "github.com/docker/api/context"
 	grpc_prometheus "github.com/grpc-ecosystem/go-grpc-prometheus"
 	"google.golang.org/grpc"
 	"google.golang.org/grpc/health"
 	"google.golang.org/grpc/health/grpc_health_v1"
+	"google.golang.org/grpc/metadata"
 )
 
 // New returns a new GRPC server.
 func New() *grpc.Server {
 	s := grpc.NewServer(
-		grpc.UnaryInterceptor(unary),
+		grpc.ChainUnaryInterceptor(
+			unaryMeta,
+			unary,
+		),
 		grpc.StreamInterceptor(stream),
 	)
 	hs := health.NewServer()
@@ -54,3 +60,16 @@ func unary(ctx context.Context, req interface{}, info *grpc.UnaryServerInfo, han
 func stream(srv interface{}, ss grpc.ServerStream, info *grpc.StreamServerInfo, handler grpc.StreamHandler) error {
 	return grpc_prometheus.StreamServerInterceptor(srv, ss, info, handler)
 }
+
+func unaryMeta(ctx context.Context, req interface{}, info *grpc.UnaryServerInfo, handler grpc.UnaryHandler) (interface{}, error) {
+	md, ok := metadata.FromIncomingContext(ctx)
+	if !ok {
+		return nil, errors.New("missing metadata")
+	}
+	key := md[apicontext.KEY]
+	if len(key) == 1 {
+		ctx = apicontext.WithCurrentContext(ctx, key[0])
+	}
+	m, err := handler(ctx, req)
+	return m, err
+}