I Used context.Background in My Repository and My Timeout Stopped Working

The fix is simple: propagate the parent context through every layer. If the repository needs extra values or a tighter deadline, derive from the parent with context.WithTimeout or context.WithValue. Never from context.Background() inside a function that already receives a context parameter.

A code-review grep for context.Background() inside any function that also takes a context.Context argument catches this pattern. The only legitimate uses are in main(), test helpers, or situations where no parent context exists – none of which apply inside a repository.

The bug slipped past unit tests because those tests run in isolation and finish quickly. Under real traffic, a 10-second query triggers the leak. One developer traced the fix to a single line change.