diff --git a/packages/aws-cdk/lib/commands/context.ts b/packages/aws-cdk/lib/commands/context.ts
index d51b730febe22..21ec2f923e37d 100644
--- a/packages/aws-cdk/lib/commands/context.ts
+++ b/packages/aws-cdk/lib/commands/context.ts
@@ -1,13 +1,13 @@
 import * as chalk from 'chalk';
-import * as minimatch from 'minimatch';
 import * as version from '../../lib/version';
 import { CommandOptions } from '../command-api';
-import { print, error, warning } from '../logging';
-import { Context, PROJECT_CONFIG, PROJECT_CONTEXT, USER_DEFAULTS } from '../settings';
+import { print } from '../logging';
+import { Context, PROJECT_CONFIG } from '../settings';
 import { renderTable } from '../util';
 
 export async function realHandler(options: CommandOptions): Promise<number> {
   const { configuration, args } = options;
+
   if (args.clear) {
     configuration.context.clear();
     await configuration.saveContext();
@@ -48,8 +48,9 @@ function listContext(context: Context) {
     const jsonWithoutNewlines = JSON.stringify(context.all[key], undefined, 2).replace(/\s+/g, ' ');
     data.push([i, key, jsonWithoutNewlines]);
   }
-  print('Context found in %s:', chalk.blue(PROJECT_CONFIG));
-  print('');
+
+  print(`Context found in ${chalk.blue(PROJECT_CONFIG)}:\n`);
+
   print(renderTable(data, process.stdout.columns));
 
   // eslint-disable-next-line max-len
@@ -62,75 +63,14 @@ function invalidateContext(context: Context, key: string) {
     // was a number and we fully parsed it.
     key = keyByNumber(context, i);
   }
+
   // Unset!
   if (context.has(key)) {
     context.unset(key);
-    // check if the value was actually unset.
-    if (!context.has(key)) {
-      print('Context value %s reset. It will be refreshed on next synthesis', chalk.blue(key));
-      return;
-    }
-
-    // Value must be in readonly bag
-    error('Only context values specified in %s can be reset through the CLI', chalk.blue(PROJECT_CONTEXT));
-    throw new Error(`Cannot reset readonly context value with key: ${key}`);
-  }
-
-  // check if value is expression matching keys
-  const matches = keysByExpression(context, key);
-
-  if (matches.length > 0) {
-
-    matches.forEach((match) => {
-      context.unset(match);
-    });
-
-    const { unset, readonly } = getUnsetAndReadonly(context, matches);
-
-    // output the reset values
-    printUnset(unset);
-
-    // warn about values not reset
-    printReadonly(readonly);
-
-    // throw when none of the matches were reset
-    if (unset.length === 0) {
-      throw new Error('None of the matched context values could be reset');
-    }
-    return;
+    print(`Context value ${chalk.blue(key)} reset. It will be refreshed on next synthesis`);
+  } else {
+    print(`No context value with key ${chalk.blue(key)}`);
   }
-
-  throw new Error(`No context value matching key: ${key}`);
-}
-function printUnset(unset: string[]) {
-  if (unset.length === 0) return;
-  print('The following matched context values reset. They will be refreshed on next synthesis');
-  unset.forEach((match) => {
-    print('  %s', match);
-  });
-}
-function printReadonly(readonly: string[]) {
-  if (readonly.length === 0) return;
-  warning('The following matched context values could not be reset through the CLI');
-  readonly.forEach((match) => {
-    print('  %s', match);
-  });
-  print('');
-  print('This usually means they are configured in %s or %s', chalk.blue(PROJECT_CONFIG), chalk.blue(USER_DEFAULTS));
-}
-function keysByExpression(context: Context, expression: string) {
-  return context.keys.filter(minimatch.filter(expression));
-}
-
-function getUnsetAndReadonly(context: Context, matches: string[]) {
-  return matches.reduce<{ unset: string[], readonly: string[] }>((acc, match) => {
-    if (context.has(match)) {
-      acc.readonly.push(match);
-    } else {
-      acc.unset.push(match);
-    }
-    return acc;
-  }, { unset: [], readonly: [] });
 }
 
 function keyByNumber(context: Context, n: number) {
diff --git a/packages/aws-cdk/test/commands/context-command.test.ts b/packages/aws-cdk/test/commands/context-command.test.ts
index 88023c49aa730..6a73c8008b52e 100644
--- a/packages/aws-cdk/test/commands/context-command.test.ts
+++ b/packages/aws-cdk/test/commands/context-command.test.ts
@@ -1,221 +1,64 @@
 import { realHandler } from '../../lib/commands/context';
-import { Configuration, Settings, Context } from '../../lib/settings';
+import { Configuration } from '../../lib/settings';
 
-describe('context --list', () => {
-  test('runs', async() => {
-    // GIVEN
-    const configuration = new Configuration();
-    configuration.context.set('foo', 'bar');
+test('context list', async() => {
+  // GIVEN
+  const configuration = new Configuration();
+  configuration.context.set('foo', 'bar');
 
-    expect(configuration.context.all).toEqual({
-      foo: 'bar',
-    });
-
-    // WHEN
-    await realHandler({
-      configuration,
-      args: {},
-    } as any);
-  });
-});
-
-describe('context --reset', () => {
-  test('can remove a context key', async () => {
-    // GIVEN
-    const configuration = new Configuration();
-    configuration.context.set('foo', 'bar');
-    configuration.context.set('baz', 'quux');
-
-    expect(configuration.context.all).toEqual({
-      foo: 'bar',
-      baz: 'quux',
-    });
-
-    // WHEN
-    await realHandler({
-      configuration,
-      args: { reset: 'foo' },
-    } as any);
-
-    // THEN
-    expect(configuration.context.all).toEqual({
-      baz: 'quux',
-    });
-  });
-
-  test('can remove a context key using number', async () => {
-    // GIVEN
-    const configuration = new Configuration();
-    configuration.context.set('foo', 'bar');
-    configuration.context.set('baz', 'quux');
-
-    expect(configuration.context.all).toEqual({
-      foo: 'bar',
-      baz: 'quux',
-    });
-
-    // WHEN
-    await realHandler({
-      configuration,
-      args: { reset: '1' },
-    } as any);
-
-    // THEN
-    expect(configuration.context.all).toEqual({
-      foo: 'bar',
-    });
-  });
-
-
-  test('can reset matched pattern', async () => {
-    // GIVEN
-    const configuration = new Configuration();
-    configuration.context.set('foo', 'bar');
-    configuration.context.set('match-a', 'baz');
-    configuration.context.set('match-b', 'qux');
-
-    expect(configuration.context.all).toEqual({
-      'foo': 'bar',
-      'match-a': 'baz',
-      'match-b': 'qux',
-    });
-
-    // WHEN
-    await realHandler({
-      configuration,
-      args: { reset: 'match-*' },
-    } as any);
-
-    // THEN
-    expect(configuration.context.all).toEqual({
-      foo: 'bar',
-    });
+  expect(configuration.context.all).toEqual({
+    foo: 'bar',
   });
 
+  // WHEN
+  await realHandler({
+    configuration,
+    args: {},
+  } as any);
+});
 
-  test('prefers an exact match', async () => {
-    // GIVEN
-    const configuration = new Configuration();
-    configuration.context.set('foo', 'bar');
-    configuration.context.set('fo*', 'baz');
-
-    expect(configuration.context.all).toEqual({
-      'foo': 'bar',
-      'fo*': 'baz',
-    });
-
-    // WHEN
-    await realHandler({
-      configuration,
-      args: { reset: 'fo*' },
-    } as any);
-
-    // THEN
-    expect(configuration.context.all).toEqual({
-      foo: 'bar',
-    });
-  });
-
-
-  test('doesn\'t throw when at least one match is reset', async () => {
-    // GIVEN
-    const configuration = new Configuration();
-    const readOnlySettings = new Settings({
-      'foo': 'bar',
-      'match-a': 'baz',
-    }, true);
-    configuration.context = new Context(readOnlySettings, new Settings());
-    configuration.context.set('match-b', 'quux');
-
-    // When
-    await expect(realHandler({
-      configuration,
-      args: { reset: 'match-*' },
-    } as any));
+test('context reset can remove a context key', async () => {
+  // GIVEN
+  const configuration = new Configuration();
+  configuration.context.set('foo', 'bar');
+  configuration.context.set('baz', 'quux');
 
-    // Then
-    expect(configuration.context.all).toEqual({
-      'foo': 'bar',
-      'match-a': 'baz',
-    });
+  expect(configuration.context.all).toEqual({
+    foo: 'bar',
+    baz: 'quux',
   });
 
-  test('throws when key not found', async () => {
-    // GIVEN
-    const configuration = new Configuration();
-    configuration.context.set('foo', 'bar');
-
-    expect(configuration.context.all).toEqual({
-      foo: 'bar',
-    });
+  // WHEN
+  await realHandler({
+    configuration,
+    args: { reset: 'foo' },
+  } as any);
 
-    // THEN
-    await expect(realHandler({
-      configuration,
-      args: { reset: 'baz' },
-    } as any)).rejects.toThrow(/No context value matching key/);
+  // THEN
+  expect(configuration.context.all).toEqual({
+    baz: 'quux',
   });
+});
 
+test('context reset can remove a context key using number', async () => {
+  // GIVEN
+  const configuration = new Configuration();
+  configuration.context.set('foo', 'bar');
+  configuration.context.set('baz', 'quux');
 
-  test('throws when no key of index found', async () => {
-    // GIVEN
-    const configuration = new Configuration();
-    configuration.context.set('foo', 'bar');
-
-    expect(configuration.context.all).toEqual({
-      foo: 'bar',
-    });
-
-    // THEN
-    await expect(realHandler({
-      configuration,
-      args: { reset: '2' },
-    } as any)).rejects.toThrow(/No context key with number/);
-  });
-
-
-  test('throws when resetting read-only values', async () => {
-    // GIVEN
-    const configuration = new Configuration();
-    const readOnlySettings = new Settings({
-      foo: 'bar',
-    }, true);
-    configuration.context = new Context(readOnlySettings);
-
-    expect(configuration.context.all).toEqual({
-      foo: 'bar',
-    });
-
-    // THEN
-    await expect(realHandler({
-      configuration,
-      args: { reset: 'foo' },
-    } as any)).rejects.toThrow(/Cannot reset readonly context value with key/);
+  expect(configuration.context.all).toEqual({
+    foo: 'bar',
+    baz: 'quux',
   });
 
+  // WHEN
+  await realHandler({
+    configuration,
+    args: { reset: '1' },
+  } as any);
 
-  test('throws when no matches could be reset', async () => {
-    // GIVEN
-    const configuration = new Configuration();
-    const readOnlySettings = new Settings({
-      'foo': 'bar',
-      'match-a': 'baz',
-      'match-b': 'quux',
-    }, true);
-    configuration.context = new Context(readOnlySettings);
-
-    expect(configuration.context.all).toEqual({
-      'foo': 'bar',
-      'match-a': 'baz',
-      'match-b': 'quux',
-    });
-
-    // THEN
-    await expect(realHandler({
-      configuration,
-      args: { reset: 'match-*' },
-    } as any)).rejects.toThrow(/None of the matched context values could be reset/);
+  // THEN
+  expect(configuration.context.all).toEqual({
+    foo: 'bar',
   });
-
 });
-