diff --git a/src/libexpr/eval-cache.cc b/src/libexpr/eval-cache.cc
index 188223957..54fa9b741 100644
--- a/src/libexpr/eval-cache.cc
+++ b/src/libexpr/eval-cache.cc
@@ -21,6 +21,8 @@ struct AttrDb
 {
     std::atomic_bool failed{false};
 
+    const Store & cfg;
+
     struct State
     {
         SQLite db;
@@ -33,8 +35,9 @@ struct AttrDb
 
     std::unique_ptr<Sync<State>> _state;
 
-    AttrDb(const Hash & fingerprint)
-        : _state(std::make_unique<Sync<State>>())
+    AttrDb(const Store & cfg, const Hash & fingerprint)
+        : cfg(cfg)
+        , _state(std::make_unique<Sync<State>>())
     {
         auto state(_state->lock());
 
@@ -254,10 +257,10 @@ struct AttrDb
                 return {{rowId, attrs}};
             }
             case AttrType::String: {
-                std::vector<std::pair<Path, std::string>> context;
+                NixStringContext context;
                 if (!queryAttribute.isNull(3))
                     for (auto & s : tokenizeString<std::vector<std::string>>(queryAttribute.getStr(3), ";"))
-                        context.push_back(decodeContext(s));
+                        context.push_back(decodeContext(cfg, s));
                 return {{rowId, string_t{queryAttribute.getStr(2), context}}};
             }
             case AttrType::Bool:
@@ -274,10 +277,10 @@ struct AttrDb
     }
 };
 
-static std::shared_ptr<AttrDb> makeAttrDb(const Hash & fingerprint)
+static std::shared_ptr<AttrDb> makeAttrDb(const Store & cfg, const Hash & fingerprint)
 {
     try {
-        return std::make_shared<AttrDb>(fingerprint);
+        return std::make_shared<AttrDb>(cfg, fingerprint);
     } catch (SQLiteError &) {
         ignoreException();
         return nullptr;
@@ -288,7 +291,7 @@ EvalCache::EvalCache(
     std::optional<std::reference_wrapper<const Hash>> useCache,
     EvalState & state,
     RootLoader rootLoader)
-    : db(useCache ? makeAttrDb(*useCache) : nullptr)
+    : db(useCache ? makeAttrDb(*state.store, *useCache) : nullptr)
     , state(state)
     , rootLoader(rootLoader)
 {
@@ -546,7 +549,7 @@ string_t AttrCursor::getStringWithContext()
             if (auto s = std::get_if<string_t>(&cachedValue->second)) {
                 bool valid = true;
                 for (auto & c : s->second) {
-                    if (!root->state.store->isValidPath(root->state.store->parseStorePath(c.first))) {
+                    if (!root->state.store->isValidPath(c.first)) {
                         valid = false;
                         break;
                     }
@@ -563,7 +566,7 @@ string_t AttrCursor::getStringWithContext()
     auto & v = forceValue();
 
     if (v.type() == nString)
-        return {v.string.s, v.getContext()};
+        return {v.string.s, v.getContext(*root->state.store)};
     else if (v.type() == nPath)
         return {v.path, {}};
     else
diff --git a/src/libexpr/eval-cache.hh b/src/libexpr/eval-cache.hh
index 40f1d4ffc..c9a9bf471 100644
--- a/src/libexpr/eval-cache.hh
+++ b/src/libexpr/eval-cache.hh
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ struct misc_t {};
 struct failed_t {};
 typedef uint64_t AttrId;
 typedef std::pair<AttrId, Symbol> AttrKey;
-typedef std::pair<std::string, std::vector<std::pair<Path, std::string>>> string_t;
+typedef std::pair<std::string, NixStringContext> string_t;
 
 typedef std::variant<
     std::vector<Symbol>,
diff --git a/src/libexpr/eval.cc b/src/libexpr/eval.cc
index c65ef9738..f7911e32b 100644
--- a/src/libexpr/eval.cc
+++ b/src/libexpr/eval.cc
@@ -1903,13 +1903,22 @@ std::string_view EvalState::forceString(Value & v, const Pos & pos)
 
 /* Decode a context string ‘!<name>!<path>’ into a pair <path,
    name>. */
-std::pair<std::string, std::string> decodeContext(std::string_view s)
+NixStringContextElem decodeContext(const Store & store, std::string_view s)
 {
     if (s.at(0) == '!') {
         size_t index = s.find("!", 1);
-        return {std::string(s.substr(index + 1)), std::string(s.substr(1, index - 1))};
+        return {
+            store.parseStorePath(s.substr(index + 1)),
+            std::string(s.substr(1, index - 1)),
+        };
     } else
-        return {s.at(0) == '/' ? std::string(s) : std::string(s.substr(1)), ""};
+        return {
+            store.parseStorePath(
+                s.at(0) == '/'
+                ? s
+                : s.substr(1)),
+            "",
+        };
 }
 
 
@@ -1921,13 +1930,13 @@ void copyContext(const Value & v, PathSet & context)
 }
 
 
-std::vector<std::pair<Path, std::string>> Value::getContext()
+NixStringContext Value::getContext(const Store & store)
 {
-    std::vector<std::pair<Path, std::string>> res;
+    NixStringContext res;
     assert(internalType == tString);
     if (string.context)
         for (const char * * p = string.context; *p; ++p)
-            res.push_back(decodeContext(*p));
+            res.push_back(decodeContext(store, *p));
     return res;
 }
 
diff --git a/src/libexpr/eval.hh b/src/libexpr/eval.hh
index f1e00bae7..198a62ad2 100644
--- a/src/libexpr/eval.hh
+++ b/src/libexpr/eval.hh
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@
 namespace nix {
 
 
-class Store;
+struct Store;
 class EvalState;
 class StorePath;
 enum RepairFlag : bool;
@@ -430,7 +430,7 @@ std::string showType(const Value & v);
 
 /* Decode a context string ‘!<name>!<path>’ into a pair <path,
    name>. */
-std::pair<std::string, std::string> decodeContext(std::string_view s);
+NixStringContextElem decodeContext(const Store & store, std::string_view s);
 
 /* If `path' refers to a directory, then append "/default.nix". */
 Path resolveExprPath(Path path);
diff --git a/src/libexpr/primops.cc b/src/libexpr/primops.cc
index bfa18f898..2d16a8d7a 100644
--- a/src/libexpr/primops.cc
+++ b/src/libexpr/primops.cc
@@ -43,8 +43,8 @@ StringMap EvalState::realiseContext(const PathSet & context)
     StringMap res;
 
     for (auto & i : context) {
-        auto [ctxS, outputName] = decodeContext(i);
-        auto ctx = store->parseStorePath(ctxS);
+        auto [ctx, outputName] = decodeContext(*store, i);
+        auto ctxS = store->printStorePath(ctx);
         if (!store->isValidPath(ctx))
             throw InvalidPathError(store->printStorePath(ctx));
         if (!outputName.empty() && ctx.isDerivation()) {
@@ -1118,8 +1118,8 @@ static void prim_derivationStrict(EvalState & state, const Pos & pos, Value * *
 
         /* Handle derivation outputs of the form ‘!<name>!<path>’. */
         else if (path.at(0) == '!') {
-            auto ctx = decodeContext(path);
-            drv.inputDrvs[state.store->parseStorePath(ctx.first)].insert(ctx.second);
+            auto ctx = decodeContext(*state.store, path);
+            drv.inputDrvs[ctx.first].insert(ctx.second);
         }
 
         /* Otherwise it's a source file. */
diff --git a/src/libexpr/primops/context.cc b/src/libexpr/primops/context.cc
index 324394d10..cc74c7f58 100644
--- a/src/libexpr/primops/context.cc
+++ b/src/libexpr/primops/context.cc
@@ -83,8 +83,8 @@ static void prim_getContext(EvalState & state, const Pos & pos, Value * * args,
             drv = std::string(p, 1);
             path = &drv;
         } else if (p.at(0) == '!') {
-            std::pair<std::string, std::string> ctx = decodeContext(p);
-            drv = ctx.first;
+            NixStringContextElem ctx = decodeContext(*state.store, p);
+            drv = state.store->printStorePath(ctx.first);
             output = ctx.second;
             path = &drv;
         }
diff --git a/src/libexpr/value.hh b/src/libexpr/value.hh
index d0fa93e92..d413060f9 100644
--- a/src/libexpr/value.hh
+++ b/src/libexpr/value.hh
@@ -57,6 +57,8 @@ struct ExprLambda;
 struct PrimOp;
 class Symbol;
 struct Pos;
+class StorePath;
+class Store;
 class EvalState;
 class XMLWriter;
 class JSONPlaceholder;
@@ -64,6 +66,8 @@ class JSONPlaceholder;
 
 typedef int64_t NixInt;
 typedef double NixFloat;
+typedef std::pair<StorePath, std::string> NixStringContextElem;
+typedef std::vector<NixStringContextElem> NixStringContext;
 
 /* External values must descend from ExternalValueBase, so that
  * type-agnostic nix functions (e.g. showType) can be implemented
@@ -368,7 +372,7 @@ public:
        non-trivial. */
     bool isTrivial() const;
 
-    std::vector<std::pair<Path, std::string>> getContext();
+    NixStringContext getContext(const Store &);
 
     auto listItems()
     {
diff --git a/src/nix/app.cc b/src/nix/app.cc
index 30e138a96..803d028f0 100644
--- a/src/nix/app.cc
+++ b/src/nix/app.cc
@@ -71,7 +71,7 @@ UnresolvedApp Installable::toApp(EvalState & state)
 
         std::vector<StorePathWithOutputs> context2;
         for (auto & [path, name] : context)
-            context2.push_back({state.store->parseStorePath(path), {name}});
+            context2.push_back({path, {name}});
 
         return UnresolvedApp{App {
             .context = std::move(context2),