diff --git a/src/cuda/api/current_context.hpp b/src/cuda/api/current_context.hpp
index 487e7f0d..96202e9f 100644
--- a/src/cuda/api/current_context.hpp
+++ b/src/cuda/api/current_context.hpp
@@ -45,18 +45,37 @@ inline bool is_(handle_t handle)
 	}
 }
 
+struct status_and_handle_pair { status_t status; handle_t handle; };
+
 /**
  * Returns a raw handle for the current CUDA context
  *
  * @return the raw handle from the CUDA driver - if one exists; none
- * if no context is current/active.
+ * if no context is current/active (e.g. if the driver has not
+ * been initialized). Also returns the status reported by the driver
+ * following the attempt to obtain the context.
  */
-inline handle_t get_handle()
+inline status_and_handle_pair get_with_status()
 {
 	handle_t handle;
 	auto status = cuCtxGetCurrent(&handle);
-	throw_if_error(status, "Failed obtaining the current context's handle");
-	return handle;
+	if (status == status::not_yet_initialized) {
+		handle = context::detail_::none;
+	}
+	return { status, handle };
+}
+
+/**
+ * Returns a raw handle for the current CUDA context
+ *
+ * @return the raw handle from the CUDA driver - if one exists; none
+ * if no context is current/active.
+ */
+inline handle_t get_handle()
+{
+	auto p = get_with_status();
+	throw_if_error(p.status, "Failed obtaining the current context's handle");
+	return p.handle;
 }
 
 // Note: not calling this get_ since flags are read-only anyway
diff --git a/src/cuda/api/multi_wrapper_impls/context.hpp b/src/cuda/api/multi_wrapper_impls/context.hpp
index 4742c143..ad466f52 100644
--- a/src/cuda/api/multi_wrapper_impls/context.hpp
+++ b/src/cuda/api/multi_wrapper_impls/context.hpp
@@ -107,14 +107,14 @@ inline handle_t push_default_if_missing()
 }
 
 /**
- * @note This specialized scope setter is used in API calls which aren't provided a context
- * as a parameter, and when it may be the case that no context is current. Such API calls
- * are generally supposed to be independent of a specific context; but - CUDA still often
- * expects some context to exist and be current to perform whatever it is we want it to do.
- * It would be unreasonable to create new contexts for the purposes of such calls - as then,
- * the caller would often need to maintain these contexts after the call. Instead, we fall
- * back on a primary context of one of the devices - and since no particular device is
- * specified, we choose that to be the default device. When we do want the caller to keep
+ * @note This specialized scope context setter is used in API calls which aren't provided a
+ * context as a parameter, and when it may be the case that no context is current. Such API
+ * calls are generally supposed to be independent of a specific context; but - CUDA still
+ * often expects some context to exist and be current to perform whatever it is we want it
+ * to do. It would be unreasonable to create new contexts for the purposes of such calls -
+ * as then, the caller would often need to maintain these contexts after the call. Instead,
+ * we fall back on a primary context of one of the devices - and since no particular device
+ * is specified, we choose that to be the default device. When we do want the caller to keep
  * a context alive - we increase the primary context's refererence count, keeping it alive
  * automatically. In these situations, the ref unit "leaks" past the scope of the ensurer
  * object - but the instantiator would be aware of this, having asked for such behavior
@@ -130,15 +130,28 @@ class scoped_existence_ensurer_t {
 	bool decrease_pc_refcount_on_destruct_;
 
 	explicit scoped_existence_ensurer_t(bool avoid_pc_refcount_increase = true)
-		: context_handle(get_handle()),
-		  decrease_pc_refcount_on_destruct_(avoid_pc_refcount_increase)
 	{
+		auto status_and_handle = get_with_status();
+		if (status_and_handle.status == cuda::status::not_yet_initialized) {
+			context_handle = context::detail_::none;
+			initialize_driver(); // and the handle
+		}
+		else {
+			context_handle = status_and_handle.handle;
+		}
 		if (context_handle == context::detail_::none) {
 			device_id_ = device::current::detail_::get_id();
 			context_handle = device::primary_context::detail_::obtain_and_increase_refcount(device_id_);
 			context::current::detail_::push(context_handle);
+			decrease_pc_refcount_on_destruct_ = avoid_pc_refcount_increase;
+		}
+		else {
+			// Some compilers fail to detect that device_id is never used
+			// unless it's initialized, and thus warns us of maybe-uninitialized 
+			// use, so...
+			device_id_ = 0;
+			decrease_pc_refcount_on_destruct_ = false;
 		}
-		else { decrease_pc_refcount_on_destruct_ = false; }
 	}
 
 	~scoped_existence_ensurer_t()
diff --git a/src/cuda/nvtx/profiling.hpp b/src/cuda/nvtx/profiling.hpp
index 2fdcdc87..b2f288a1 100644
--- a/src/cuda/nvtx/profiling.hpp
+++ b/src/cuda/nvtx/profiling.hpp
@@ -271,6 +271,8 @@ class scope {
 public:
 	scope() { start(); }
 	~scope() { stop(); }
+protected:
+	context::current::detail_::scoped_existence_ensurer_t context_existence_ensurer;
 };
 
 #define profile_this_scope() ::cuda::profiling::scope cuda_profiling_scope_{};