diff --git a/m/ctx.go b/m/ctx.go
deleted file mode 100644
index 279e232..0000000
--- a/m/ctx.go
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,73 +0,0 @@
-package m
-
-import (
-	"context"
-	"sync"
-)
-
-type ctxKey int
-
-const (
-	ctxStateKey ctxKey = iota
-)
-
-type ctxState struct {
-	path     []string
-	l        sync.RWMutex
-	children map[string]context.Context
-}
-
-func newCtxState() *ctxState {
-	return &ctxState{
-		children: map[string]context.Context{},
-	}
-}
-
-// Ctx returns a new context which can be used as the root context for all
-// purposes in this framework.
-func Ctx() context.Context {
-	return context.WithValue(context.Background(), ctxStateKey, newCtxState())
-}
-
-func getCtxState(ctx context.Context) *ctxState {
-	s, _ := ctx.Value(ctxStateKey).(*ctxState)
-	if s == nil {
-		panic("non-conforming context used")
-	}
-	return s
-}
-
-// Path returns the sequence of names which were used to produce this context
-// via the ChildOf function.
-func Path(ctx context.Context) []string {
-	return getCtxState(ctx).path
-}
-
-// Children returns all children of this context which have been created by
-// ChildOf, mapped by their name.
-func Children(ctx context.Context) map[string]context.Context {
-	s := getCtxState(ctx)
-	out := map[string]context.Context{}
-	s.l.RLock()
-	defer s.l.RUnlock()
-	for name, childCtx := range s.children {
-		out[name] = childCtx
-	}
-	return out
-}
-
-// ChildOf creates a child of the given context with the given name and returns
-// it. The Path of the returned context will be the path of the parent with its
-// name appended to it. The Children function can be called on the parent to
-// retrieve all children which have been made using this function.
-func ChildOf(ctx context.Context, name string) context.Context {
-	s, childS := getCtxState(ctx), newCtxState()
-	s.l.Lock()
-	defer s.l.Unlock()
-	childS.path = make([]string, 0, len(s.path)+1)
-	childS.path = append(childS.path, s.path...)
-	childS.path = append(childS.path, name)
-	childCtx := context.WithValue(ctx, ctxStateKey, childS)
-	s.children[name] = childCtx
-	return childCtx
-}
diff --git a/m/ctx_test.go b/m/ctx_test.go
deleted file mode 100644
index 19b5d69..0000000
--- a/m/ctx_test.go
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,39 +0,0 @@
-package m
-
-import (
-	"context"
-	. "testing"
-
-	"github.com/mediocregopher/mediocre-go-lib/mtest/massert"
-)
-
-func TestContext(t *T) {
-	ctx := Ctx()
-	ctx1 := ChildOf(ctx, "1")
-	ctx1a := ChildOf(ctx1, "a")
-	ctx1b := ChildOf(ctx1, "b")
-	ctx2 := ChildOf(ctx, "2")
-
-	massert.Fatal(t, massert.All(
-		massert.Len(Path(ctx), 0),
-		massert.Equal(Path(ctx1), []string{"1"}),
-		massert.Equal(Path(ctx1a), []string{"1", "a"}),
-		massert.Equal(Path(ctx1b), []string{"1", "b"}),
-		massert.Equal(Path(ctx2), []string{"2"}),
-	))
-
-	massert.Fatal(t, massert.All(
-		massert.Equal(
-			map[string]context.Context{"1": ctx1, "2": ctx2},
-			Children(ctx),
-		),
-		massert.Equal(
-			map[string]context.Context{"a": ctx1a, "b": ctx1b},
-			Children(ctx1),
-		),
-		massert.Equal(
-			map[string]context.Context{},
-			Children(ctx2),
-		),
-	))
-}
diff --git a/m/m.go b/m/m.go
index fbe6ef0..7e35de2 100644
--- a/m/m.go
+++ b/m/m.go
@@ -5,10 +5,7 @@
 package m
 
 import (
-	"io"
-
 	"github.com/mediocregopher/mediocre-go-lib/mcfg"
-	"github.com/mediocregopher/mediocre-go-lib/mlog"
 )
 
 // CfgSource returns an mcfg.Source which takes in configuration info from the
@@ -19,30 +16,3 @@ func CfgSource() mcfg.Source {
 		mcfg.SourceCLI{},
 	}
 }
-
-// TODO this isn't going to work. At some point there will be something like
-// mhttp which will have some glue code for it in here, but then something
-// within it which logs (like the http server), and then there'll be an import
-// cycle.
-//
-// Ultimately it might be worthwhile to make Logger be a field on Cfg, that
-// really seems like the only other place where code like this makes sense to
-// go. But then that's greatly expanding the purview of Cfg, which is
-// unfortunate....
-
-// Log returns a Logger which will automatically include with the log extra
-// contextual information based on the Cfg and the given KVs
-//
-// If the cfg is nil then mlog.DefaultLogger is returned.
-func Log(cfg *mcfg.Cfg, kvs ...mlog.KVer) *mlog.Logger {
-	fn := cfg.FullName()
-	l := mlog.DefaultLogger.Clone()
-	l.SetWriteFn(func(w io.Writer, msg mlog.Message) error {
-		msg.Msg = "(" + fn + ") " + msg.Msg
-		return mlog.DefaultWriteFn(w, msg)
-	})
-	if len(kvs) > 0 {
-		l.AddKV(kvs...)
-	}
-	return l
-}
diff --git a/mctx/ctx.go b/mctx/ctx.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..886b0e6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/mctx/ctx.go
@@ -0,0 +1,177 @@
+// Package mctx provides a framework, based around the Context type, for
+// managing configuration, initialization, runtime, and shutdown of a binary.
+// The framework allows components to manage these aspects individually by means
+// of a heirarchical system.
+//
+// Each node in the hierarchy is given a name and is aware of all of its
+// ancestors, and can incorporate this information into its functionality.
+package mctx
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"sync"
+	"time"
+)
+
+// Context is the same as the builtin type, but is used to indicate that the
+// Context originally came from this package (aka New or ChildOf).
+type Context context.Context
+
+// CancelFunc is a direct alias of the type from the context package, see its
+// docs.
+type CancelFunc = context.CancelFunc
+
+// WithValue mimics the function from the context package.
+func WithValue(parent Context, key, val interface{}) Context {
+	return Context(context.WithValue(context.Context(parent), key, val))
+}
+
+// WithCancel mimics the function from the context package.
+func WithCancel(parent Context) (Context, CancelFunc) {
+	ctx, fn := context.WithCancel(context.Context(parent))
+	return Context(ctx), fn
+}
+
+// WithDeadline mimics the function from the context package.
+func WithDeadline(parent Context, t time.Time) (Context, CancelFunc) {
+	ctx, fn := context.WithDeadline(context.Context(parent), t)
+	return Context(ctx), fn
+}
+
+// WithTimeout mimics the function from the context package.
+func WithTimeout(parent Context, d time.Duration) (Context, CancelFunc) {
+	ctx, fn := context.WithTimeout(context.Context(parent), d)
+	return Context(ctx), fn
+}
+
+////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
+
+type ctxKey int
+
+type ctxState struct {
+	path     []string
+	l        sync.RWMutex
+	parent   Context
+	children map[string]Context
+
+	mutVals map[interface{}]interface{}
+}
+
+func getCtxState(ctx Context) *ctxState {
+	s, _ := ctx.Value(ctxKey(0)).(*ctxState)
+	if s == nil {
+		panic("non-conforming context used")
+	}
+	return s
+}
+
+func withCtxState(ctx Context, s *ctxState) Context {
+	return WithValue(ctx, ctxKey(0), s)
+}
+
+// New returns a new context which can be used as the root context for all
+// purposes in this framework.
+func New() Context {
+	return withCtxState(Context(context.Background()), &ctxState{
+		//logger: mlog.NewLogger(os.Stderr),
+	})
+}
+
+// Path returns the sequence of names which were used to produce this context
+// via the ChildOf function.
+func Path(ctx Context) []string {
+	return getCtxState(ctx).path
+}
+
+// Children returns all children of this context which have been created by
+// ChildOf, mapped by their name.
+func Children(ctx Context) map[string]Context {
+	s := getCtxState(ctx)
+	out := map[string]Context{}
+	s.l.RLock()
+	defer s.l.RUnlock()
+	for name, childCtx := range s.children {
+		out[name] = childCtx
+	}
+	return out
+}
+
+// Parent returns the parent Context of the given one, or nil if this is a root
+// context (i.e. returned from New).
+func Parent(ctx Context) Context {
+	return getCtxState(ctx).parent
+}
+
+// ChildOf creates a child of the given context with the given name and returns
+// it. The Path of the returned context will be the path of the parent with its
+// name appended to it. The Children function can be called on the parent to
+// retrieve all children which have been made using this function.
+func ChildOf(ctx Context, name string) Context {
+	s, childS := getCtxState(ctx), new(ctxState)
+
+	s.l.Lock()
+	defer s.l.Unlock()
+
+	// set child's path field
+	childS.path = make([]string, 0, len(s.path)+1)
+	childS.path = append(childS.path, s.path...)
+	childS.path = append(childS.path, name)
+
+	// set child's parent field
+	childS.parent = ctx
+
+	// set up child's logger
+	//pathStr := "/"
+	//if len(childS.path) > 0 {
+	//	pathStr += path.Join(childS.path...)
+	//}
+	//childS.logger = s.logger.Clone()
+	//childS.logger.SetWriteFn(func(w io.Writer, msg mlog.Message) error {
+	//	msg.Msg = "(" + pathStr + ") " + msg.Msg
+	//	return mlog.DefaultWriteFn(w, msg)
+	//})
+
+	// copy mutable values
+	if len(s.mutVals) > 0 {
+		childS.mutVals = make(map[interface{}]interface{}, len(s.mutVals))
+		for key, val := range s.mutVals {
+			childS.mutVals[key] = val
+		}
+	}
+
+	// create child's ctx and store it in parent
+	childCtx := withCtxState(ctx, childS)
+	if s.children == nil {
+		s.children = map[string]Context{}
+	}
+	s.children[name] = childCtx
+	return childCtx
+}
+
+// TODO these might not be worth the effort, they're very subject to
+// race-conditions
+
+// SetMutableValue is like WithMutable, except rather than leaving the original
+// ctx unaffected it modifies the value in that context. Children of this
+// context will inherit an independent copy of its immutable values.
+func SetMutableValue(ctx Context, key, value interface{}) {
+	s := getCtxState(ctx)
+	s.l.Lock()
+	defer s.l.Unlock()
+	if s.mutVals == nil {
+		s.mutVals = map[interface{}]interface{}{}
+	}
+	s.mutVals[key] = value
+}
+
+// MutableValue acts like the Value method, except that it only deals with
+// keys/values set by SetMutableValue.
+func MutableValue(ctx Context, key interface{}) interface{} {
+	s := getCtxState(ctx)
+	s.l.RLock()
+	defer s.l.RUnlock()
+	if s.mutVals == nil {
+		return nil
+	}
+	return s.mutVals[key]
+}
diff --git a/mctx/ctx_test.go b/mctx/ctx_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d15f7de
--- /dev/null
+++ b/mctx/ctx_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,58 @@
+package mctx
+
+import (
+	. "testing"
+
+	"github.com/mediocregopher/mediocre-go-lib/mtest/massert"
+)
+
+func TestContext(t *T) {
+	ctx := New()
+	SetMutableValue(ctx, "one", 1)
+
+	ctx1 := ChildOf(ctx, "1")
+	ctx1a := ChildOf(ctx1, "a")
+	SetMutableValue(ctx1, "one", 2)
+	ctx1b := ChildOf(ctx1, "b")
+	SetMutableValue(ctx1b, "one", 3)
+	ctx2 := ChildOf(ctx, "2")
+
+	massert.Fatal(t, massert.All(
+		massert.Len(Path(ctx), 0),
+		massert.Equal(Path(ctx1), []string{"1"}),
+		massert.Equal(Path(ctx1a), []string{"1", "a"}),
+		massert.Equal(Path(ctx1b), []string{"1", "b"}),
+		massert.Equal(Path(ctx2), []string{"2"}),
+	))
+
+	massert.Fatal(t, massert.All(
+		massert.Equal(
+			map[string]Context{"1": ctx1, "2": ctx2},
+			Children(ctx),
+		),
+		massert.Equal(
+			map[string]Context{"a": ctx1a, "b": ctx1b},
+			Children(ctx1),
+		),
+		massert.Equal(
+			map[string]Context{},
+			Children(ctx2),
+		),
+	))
+
+	massert.Fatal(t, massert.All(
+		massert.Nil(Parent(ctx)),
+		massert.Equal(Parent(ctx1), ctx),
+		massert.Equal(Parent(ctx1a), ctx1),
+		massert.Equal(Parent(ctx1b), ctx1),
+		massert.Equal(Parent(ctx2), ctx),
+	))
+
+	massert.Fatal(t, massert.All(
+		massert.Equal(MutableValue(ctx, "one"), 1),
+		massert.Equal(MutableValue(ctx1, "one"), 2),
+		massert.Equal(MutableValue(ctx1a, "one"), 1),
+		massert.Equal(MutableValue(ctx1b, "one"), 3),
+		massert.Equal(MutableValue(ctx2, "one"), 1),
+	))
+}