diff --git a/spring-cloud-sleuth-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/cloud/sleuth/instrument/reactor/ScopePassingSpanSubscriber.java b/spring-cloud-sleuth-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/cloud/sleuth/instrument/reactor/ScopePassingSpanSubscriber.java
index 2e24dc278..a1b587052 100644
--- a/spring-cloud-sleuth-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/cloud/sleuth/instrument/reactor/ScopePassingSpanSubscriber.java
+++ b/spring-cloud-sleuth-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/cloud/sleuth/instrument/reactor/ScopePassingSpanSubscriber.java
@@ -54,7 +54,9 @@ final class ScopePassingSpanSubscriber<T> implements SpanSubscription<T>, Scanna
 		this.subscriber = subscriber;
 		this.currentTraceContext = currentTraceContext;
 		this.parent = parent;
-		this.context = parent != null ? ctx.put(TraceContext.class, parent) : ctx;
+		this.context = parent != null
+				&& !parent.equals(ctx.getOrDefault(TraceContext.class, null))
+						? ctx.put(TraceContext.class, parent) : ctx;
 		if (log.isTraceEnabled()) {
 			log.trace("Parent span [" + parent + "], context [" + this.context + "]");
 		}
diff --git a/tests/spring-cloud-sleuth-instrumentation-reactor-tests/src/test/java/org/springframework/cloud/sleuth/instrument/reactor/ScopePassingSpanSubscriberTests.java b/tests/spring-cloud-sleuth-instrumentation-reactor-tests/src/test/java/org/springframework/cloud/sleuth/instrument/reactor/ScopePassingSpanSubscriberTests.java
index 13427635a..65023e5da 100644
--- a/tests/spring-cloud-sleuth-instrumentation-reactor-tests/src/test/java/org/springframework/cloud/sleuth/instrument/reactor/ScopePassingSpanSubscriberTests.java
+++ b/tests/spring-cloud-sleuth-instrumentation-reactor-tests/src/test/java/org/springframework/cloud/sleuth/instrument/reactor/ScopePassingSpanSubscriberTests.java
@@ -138,6 +138,18 @@ public class ScopePassingSpanSubscriberTests {
 		then((String) subscriber.currentContext().get("foo")).isEqualTo("bar");
 	}
 
+	/**
+	 * This ensures when the desired context is in the reactor context we don't copy it.
+	 */
+	@Test
+	public void should_not_redundantly_copy_context() {
+		Context initial = Context.of(TraceContext.class, context);
+		ScopePassingSpanSubscriber<?> subscriber = new ScopePassingSpanSubscriber<>(null,
+				initial, this.currentTraceContext, context);
+
+		then(initial).isSameAs(subscriber.currentContext());
+	}
+
 	@Test
 	public void should_set_empty_context_when_context_is_null() {
 		ScopePassingSpanSubscriber<?> subscriber = new ScopePassingSpanSubscriber<>(null,