Fix Django "Got an Unexpected Keyword Argument 'context'" Error (2026)

This error means Django’s view layer received a keyword argument in a function call that it wasn’t expecting.

The most common culprit is passing context directly to a render call when context itself is already a dictionary containing the variables you want to render.

Here’s the breakdown of what’s happening and how to fix it:

The Root Cause: Misunderstanding render’s Signature

The django.shortcuts.render function has a signature like this:

render(request, template_name, context=None, content_type=None, status=None, using=None)

Notice that context is already a parameter. When you write something like this:

def my_view(request):
    my_data = {'user': request.user}
    return render(request, 'my_template.html', context=my_data)

You are trying to pass a keyword argument named context which contains your dictionary, to the context parameter of the render function. This is redundant and, more importantly, if you also happened to have a variable named context in your local scope that was not a dictionary (e.g., an integer, a string, or None in a specific scenario), you’d get this exact error because Django tries to unpack context=my_data and then sees another context keyword argument coming from somewhere else.

More often, the error arises when you’re trying to pass multiple dictionaries or variables to render and accidentally create a nested context structure.

Common Scenarios and Fixes

Redundant context= Keyword:

Diagnosis: You’re explicitly passing context=your_dictionary.
Why it happens: You might be trying to be explicit, but render expects the dictionary as the third positional argument, or as the context keyword argument directly.

The Fix: Remove the redundant context= keyword.

# Incorrect
def my_view(request):
    data = {'greeting': 'Hello'}
    return render(request, 'template.html', context=data)

# Correct
def my_view(request):
    data = {'greeting': 'Hello'}
    return render(request, 'template.html', data) # Pass the dictionary directly

# Correct (using keyword argument explicitly)
def my_view(request):
    data = {'greeting': 'Hello'}
    return render(request, 'template.html', context=data) # This is also correct

Why it works: You’re providing the dictionary of context variables as the third argument to render, which is its intended purpose.

Accidental Nested Context Dictionary:
- Diagnosis: You have a dictionary that itself contains a key named context which is also a dictionary.
- Why it happens: You’re building up context data and, perhaps by mistake, create a structure like {'user': ..., 'context': {'some_other_data': ...}}. When render is called with this, it sees context={'user': ..., 'context': {'some_other_data': ...}} and tries to use {'some_other_data': ...} as the actual context, but then it finds the context key within that, leading to the confusion.
- The Fix: Ensure your top-level context dictionary does not have a key named context. Rename the inner key.
```
# Incorrect
def my_view(request):
    user_data = {'username': request.user.username}
    template_vars = {
        'user': request.user,
        'context': user_data # Problematic key name!
    }
    return render(request, 'template.html', template_vars)

# Correct
def my_view(request):
    user_data = {'username': request.user.username}
    template_vars = {
        'user': request.user,
        'user_info': user_data # Renamed key
    }
    return render(request, 'template.html', template_vars)
```
- Why it works: The render function expects a single dictionary where keys are template variable names. By renaming the inner key, you avoid creating a conflict.
Incorrectly Using render_to_response (Older Django or specific use cases):
- Diagnosis: You’re using render_to_response and passing context as a keyword argument, but render_to_response expects context_instance in older versions or a dictionary directly.
- Why it happens: render_to_response has a different signature and usage pattern than render. It was deprecated in favor of render which handles context merging more gracefully.
- The Fix: Migrate to render or use render_to_response correctly if absolutely necessary (though render is preferred).
```
# Using render_to_response (older style, less common now)
from django.shortcuts import render_to_response
from django.template.context import Context

# Incorrect usage with render_to_response
# def my_view(request):
#     data = {'greeting': 'Hello'}
#     return render_to_response('template.html', context=data) # This would error

# Correct usage with render_to_response (requires Context object)
def my_view(request):
    data = {'greeting': 'Hello'}
    return render_to_response('template.html', Context(data))

# Preferred: Use render
from django.shortcuts import render
def my_view(request):
    data = {'greeting': 'Hello'}
    return render(request, 'template.html', data)
```
- Why it works: render_to_response expected a Context object or the dictionary directly as the second argument in its original form. The modern render is more flexible and forgiving.
Third-Party Libraries or Custom Middleware:
- Diagnosis: A custom middleware or a library you’re using might be modifying the request object or intercepting the render call in an unexpected way, injecting a context argument.
- Why it happens: Middleware runs before and after view execution. If middleware is poorly written, it could add unexpected arguments to function calls it tries to wrap.
- The Fix: Temporarily disable custom middleware or third-party apps one by one, starting with those that might interact with template rendering or view processing, to isolate the offender. Check their documentation for known issues or configuration.
```
# Example: Temporarily disable a custom middleware in settings.py
MIDDLEWARE = [
    'django.middleware.security.SecurityMiddleware',
    # 'my_app.middleware.MyCustomMiddleware', # Comment this out
    'django.contrib.sessions.middleware.SessionMiddleware',
    'django.middleware.common.CommonMiddleware',
    'django.middleware.csrf.CsrfViewMiddleware',
    'django.contrib.auth.middleware.AuthenticationMiddleware',
    'django.contrib.messages.middleware.MessageMiddleware',
    'django.middleware.clickjacking.XFrameOptionsMiddleware',
]
```
- Why it works: By removing the problematic middleware, you eliminate the source of the unexpected context argument.

Complex View Logic with RequestContext (Less Common Now):

Diagnosis: You’re manually constructing a RequestContext and then passing it incorrectly to render.

Why it happens: In older Django patterns, you might have manually created RequestContext instances. If you then tried to pass this object as a keyword argument named context to render, it would cause the error.

# Incorrect
from django.template import RequestContext
from django.shortcuts import render

def my_view(request):
    data = {'greeting': 'Hello'}
    rc = RequestContext(request, data)
    # The error happens here if you do:
    # return render(request, 'template.html', context=rc)
    # Because 'context' is already a parameter name, and you're passing
    # an object that's not a simple dictionary.

    # Correct usage if you must manually create RequestContext (but render handles it)
    return render(request, 'template.html', rc) # Pass the RequestContext object directly as the 3rd arg

Why it works: render can accept a RequestContext object as its third argument, which it will then use. The error comes from trying to pass it as a keyword argument named context.

Decorator Interference:

Diagnosis: A decorator applied to your view function is modifying the arguments passed to the view function or the return value in a way that interferes with render.
Why it happens: Decorators wrap functions. If a decorator isn’t carefully written, it might add arguments or alter the function signature seen by render.

The Fix: Examine the decorators applied to your view. Temporarily remove them to see if the error disappears. If it does, investigate the decorator’s implementation or consult its documentation for compatibility issues.

# Example: A problematic decorator
def add_extra_context(func):
    def wrapper(request, *args, **kwargs):
        extra_data = {'site_name': 'MySite'}
        # If this decorator incorrectly merged `extra_data` into `kwargs`
        # and `kwargs` already contained `context`, it could cause issues.
        # A more direct example of error:
        # kwargs['context'] = extra_data # This would be bad if view also had context
        return func(request, *args, **kwargs)
    return wrapper

@add_extra_context # If this decorator is faulty
def my_view(request):
    user_data = {'user': request.user}
    return render(request, 'template.html', context=user_data)

Why it works: Removing or fixing the decorator ensures that the arguments passed to render are correct.

The Next Error You’ll See

If you fix this "Unexpected Keyword Argument 'context'" error and your template is still missing variables, you’ll likely encounter TemplateDoesNotExist if the template path is wrong, or VariableDoesNotExist if a variable you’re trying to access in the template isn’t actually in the context dictionary you passed.