diff --git a/internal/pkg/pkg.go b/internal/pkg/pkg.go
index 4fc2d3b2..d7191907 100644
--- a/internal/pkg/pkg.go
+++ b/internal/pkg/pkg.go
@@ -542,6 +542,20 @@ const (
 	CHostAbstract
 )
 
+// toplevel holds [context.WithCancel] over caller-supplied context, where all
+// [Artifact] context are derived from.
+type toplevel struct {
+	ctx    context.Context
+	cancel context.CancelFunc
+}
+
+// newToplevel returns the address of a new toplevel via ctx.
+func newToplevel(ctx context.Context) *toplevel {
+	var t toplevel
+	t.ctx, t.cancel = context.WithCancel(ctx)
+	return &t
+}
+
 // pendingCure provides synchronisation and cancellation for pending cures.
 type pendingCure struct {
 	// Closed on cure completion.
@@ -557,11 +571,10 @@ type Cache struct {
 	// implementation and receives an equal amount of elements after.
 	cures chan struct{}
 
-	// [context.WithCancel] over caller-supplied context, used by [Artifact] and
-	// all dependency curing goroutines.
-	ctx context.Context
-	// Cancels ctx.
-	cancel context.CancelFunc
+	// Parent context which toplevel was derived from.
+	parent context.Context
+	// For deriving curing context, must not be accessed directly.
+	toplevel atomic.Pointer[toplevel]
 	// For waiting on dependency curing goroutines.
 	wg sync.WaitGroup
 	// Reports new cures and passed to [Artifact].
@@ -596,8 +609,10 @@ type Cache struct {
 
 	// Unlocks the on-filesystem cache. Must only be called from Close.
 	unlock func()
-	// Synchronises calls to Close.
-	closeOnce sync.Once
+	// Whether [Cache] is considered closed.
+	closed bool
+	// Synchronises calls to Abort and Close.
+	closeMu sync.Mutex
 
 	// Whether EnterExec has not yet returned.
 	inExec atomic.Bool
@@ -1053,7 +1068,7 @@ func (c *Cache) loadOrStoreIdent(id unique.Handle[ID]) (
 
 	d := make(chan struct{})
 	pending = &pendingCure{done: d}
-	ctx, pending.cancel = context.WithCancel(c.ctx)
+	ctx, pending.cancel = context.WithCancel(c.toplevel.Load().ctx)
 	c.identPending[id] = pending
 	c.identMu.Unlock()
 	done = d
@@ -1295,7 +1310,7 @@ func (c *Cache) Cure(a Artifact) (
 	checksum unique.Handle[Checksum],
 	err error,
 ) {
-	if err = c.ctx.Err(); err != nil {
+	if err = c.toplevel.Load().ctx.Err(); err != nil {
 		return
 	}
 
@@ -1382,15 +1397,16 @@ func (c *Cache) enterCure(a Artifact, curesExempt bool) error {
 		return nil
 	}
 
+	ctx := c.toplevel.Load().ctx
 	select {
 	case c.cures <- struct{}{}:
 		return nil
 
-	case <-c.ctx.Done():
+	case <-ctx.Done():
 		if a.IsExclusive() {
 			c.exclMu.Unlock()
 		}
-		return c.ctx.Err()
+		return ctx.Err()
 	}
 }
 
@@ -1855,14 +1871,33 @@ func (c *Cache) OpenStatus(a Artifact) (r io.ReadSeekCloser, err error) {
 	return
 }
 
+// Abort cancels all pending cures but does not close the store. Abort does not
+// wait for cures to complete.
+func (c *Cache) Abort() {
+	c.closeMu.Lock()
+	defer c.closeMu.Unlock()
+
+	if c.closed {
+		return
+	}
+
+	c.toplevel.Swap(newToplevel(c.parent)).cancel()
+}
+
 // Close cancels all pending cures and waits for them to clean up.
 func (c *Cache) Close() {
-	c.closeOnce.Do(func() {
-		c.cancel()
-		c.wg.Wait()
-		close(c.cures)
-		c.unlock()
-	})
+	c.closeMu.Lock()
+	defer c.closeMu.Unlock()
+
+	if c.closed {
+		return
+	}
+
+	c.closed = true
+	c.toplevel.Load().cancel()
+	c.wg.Wait()
+	close(c.cures)
+	c.unlock()
 }
 
 // Open returns the address of a newly opened instance of [Cache].
@@ -1916,6 +1951,8 @@ func open(
 	}
 
 	c := Cache{
+		parent: ctx,
+
 		cures: make(chan struct{}, cures),
 		flags: flags,
 		jobs:  jobs,
@@ -1932,7 +1969,7 @@ func open(
 		brPool: sync.Pool{New: func() any { return new(bufio.Reader) }},
 		bwPool: sync.Pool{New: func() any { return new(bufio.Writer) }},
 	}
-	c.ctx, c.cancel = context.WithCancel(ctx)
+	c.toplevel.Store(newToplevel(ctx))
 
 	if lock || !testing.Testing() {
 		if unlock, err := lockedfile.MutexAt(
diff --git a/internal/pkg/pkg_test.go b/internal/pkg/pkg_test.go
index dbaa0801..3110ed06 100644
--- a/internal/pkg/pkg_test.go
+++ b/internal/pkg/pkg_test.go
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ import (
 	"path/filepath"
 	"reflect"
 	"strconv"
+	"sync"
 	"syscall"
 	"testing"
 	"unique"
@@ -903,26 +904,46 @@ func TestCache(t *testing.T) {
 			<-wCureDone
 		}, pkg.MustDecode("E4vEZKhCcL2gPZ2Tt59FS3lDng-d_2SKa2i5G_RbDfwGn6EemptFaGLPUDiOa94C")},
 
-		{"cancel hanging", pkg.CValidateKnown, nil, func(t *testing.T, base *check.Absolute, c *pkg.Cache) {
-			started := make(chan struct{})
-			go func() {
-				<-started
-				if !c.Cancel(unique.Make(pkg.ID{0xff})) {
-					panic("missed cancellation")
+		{"cancel abort block", pkg.CValidateKnown, nil, func(t *testing.T, base *check.Absolute, c *pkg.Cache) {
+			var wg sync.WaitGroup
+			defer wg.Wait()
+
+			var started sync.WaitGroup
+			defer started.Wait()
+
+			blockCures := func(d byte, n int) {
+				started.Add(n)
+				for i := range n {
+					wg.Go(func() {
+						if _, _, err := c.Cure(overrideIdent{pkg.ID{d, byte(i)}, &stubArtifact{
+							kind: pkg.KindTar,
+							cure: func(t *pkg.TContext) error {
+								started.Done()
+								<-t.Unwrap().Done()
+								return stub.UniqueError(0xbad0 + i)
+							},
+						}}); !reflect.DeepEqual(err, stub.UniqueError(0xbad0+i)) {
+							panic(err)
+						}
+					})
 				}
-			}()
-			if _, _, err := c.Cure(overrideIdent{pkg.ID{0xff}, &stubArtifact{
-				kind: pkg.KindTar,
-				cure: func(t *pkg.TContext) error {
-					close(started)
-					<-t.Unwrap().Done()
-					return stub.UniqueError(0xbad)
-				},
-			}}); !reflect.DeepEqual(err, stub.UniqueError(0xbad)) {
-				t.Fatalf("Cure: error = %v", err)
+				started.Wait()
 			}
+
+			blockCures(0xfd, 16)
+			c.Abort()
+			wg.Wait()
+
+			blockCures(0xff, 1)
+			if !c.Cancel(unique.Make(pkg.ID{0xff})) {
+				t.Fatal("missed cancellation")
+			}
+			wg.Wait()
 			for c.Cancel(unique.Make(pkg.ID{0xff})) {
 			}
+
+			c.Close()
+			c.Abort()
 		}, pkg.MustDecode("E4vEZKhCcL2gPZ2Tt59FS3lDng-d_2SKa2i5G_RbDfwGn6EemptFaGLPUDiOa94C")},
 
 		{"no assume checksum", 0, nil, func(t *testing.T, base *check.Absolute, c *pkg.Cache) {