diff --git a/lib/api-internal.ts b/lib/api-internal.ts
index b49d5e808..7e79523f6 100644
--- a/lib/api-internal.ts
+++ b/lib/api-internal.ts
@@ -87,22 +87,27 @@ export function decorateApi<A>(
 ) {
   // read existing total and local
   let current = scope.get(api.context) ?? { total: {}, local: {} };
+  let hasOwnContext = scope.hasOwn(api.context);
 
-  let local = decorate(current.local, {
+  let total = hasOwnContext
+    ? current.total
+    : decorate(current.total, current.local);
+
+  let local = decorate(hasOwnContext ? current.local : {}, {
     [options?.at ?? "max"]: decorator,
   });
 
-  if (!scope.hasOwn(api.context)) {
+  if (!hasOwnContext) {
     scope.set(api.context, {
       local,
-      total: current.total,
+      total,
       handle: api.core,
     });
   } else {
     current.local = local;
   }
 
-  install(scope, api, current.total);
+  install(scope, api, total);
 }
 
 function decorate<A>(base: Decorator<A>, next: Decorator<A>): Decorator<A> {
diff --git a/test/api.test.ts b/test/api.test.ts
index 6e9083445..79a124277 100644
--- a/test/api.test.ts
+++ b/test/api.test.ts
@@ -289,6 +289,59 @@ describe("api", () => {
     });
   });
 
+  it("does not duplicate existing ancestor middleware when propagating later additions", async () => {
+    let api = createApi("test", {
+      *test(order: string[]): Operation<string[]> {
+        return order;
+      },
+    });
+
+    await run(function* () {
+      yield* api.around({
+        *test(args, next) {
+          let [input] = args;
+          let output = yield* next(input.concat("parent-before"));
+          return output.concat("/parent-before");
+        },
+      });
+
+      let tester = yield* resource<{ test(): Operation<string[]> }>(
+        function* (provide) {
+          let scope = yield* useScope();
+          yield* api.around({
+            *test(args, next) {
+              let [input] = args;
+              let output = yield* next(input.concat("child"));
+              return output.concat("/child");
+            },
+          });
+          yield* provide({
+            *test() {
+              return yield* scope.run(() => api.operations.test([]));
+            },
+          });
+        },
+      );
+
+      yield* api.around({
+        *test(args, next) {
+          let [input] = args;
+          let output = yield* next(input.concat("parent-after"));
+          return output.concat("/parent-after");
+        },
+      });
+
+      expect(yield* tester.test()).toEqual([
+        "parent-before",
+        "parent-after",
+        "child",
+        "/child",
+        "/parent-after",
+        "/parent-before",
+      ]);
+    });
+  });
+
   it("isolates sibling scopes from each other's middleware", async () => {
     let api = createApi("test", {
       *test(order: string[]): Operation<string[]> {