diff --git a/apis/r/src/rinterface.cpp b/apis/r/src/rinterface.cpp
index b67afa7cb8..b3bd33670c 100644
--- a/apis/r/src/rinterface.cpp
+++ b/apis/r/src/rinterface.cpp
@@ -80,7 +80,7 @@ Rcpp::List soma_array_reader(const std::string& uri,
     auto sr = tdbs::SOMAArray::open(OpenMode::read,
 				    uri,
                                     "unnamed",         // name parameter could be added
-                                    platform_config,   // to add, done in iterated reader
+                                    platform_config,
                                     column_names,
                                     batch_size,
                                     tdb_result_order);
diff --git a/apis/r/src/riterator.cpp b/apis/r/src/riterator.cpp
index 759e1081d0..73ce662886 100644
--- a/apis/r/src/riterator.cpp
+++ b/apis/r/src/riterator.cpp
@@ -88,17 +88,10 @@ Rcpp::XPtr<tdbs::SOMAArray> sr_setup(const std::string& uri,
 
     std::string_view name = "unnamed";
     std::vector<std::string> column_names = {};
-
-    std::shared_ptr<tiledb::Context> ctxptr = nullptr;
-
-    std::map<std::string, std::string> platform_config = config_vector_to_map(Rcpp::wrap(config));
-    tiledb::Config cfg(platform_config);
-    spdl::debug("[sr_setup] Creating ctx object with supplied config");
-    ctxptr = std::make_shared<tiledb::Context>(cfg);
-
     if (!colnames.isNull()) {
         column_names = Rcpp::as<std::vector<std::string>>(colnames);
     }
+    std::map<std::string, std::string> platform_config = config_vector_to_map(Rcpp::wrap(config));
 
     std::uint64_t ts_start = 0; 		// beginning of time aka the epoch (force double signature)
     std::uint64_t ts_end = std::numeric_limits<uint64_t>::max(); 	// max if unset
@@ -109,7 +102,7 @@ Rcpp::XPtr<tdbs::SOMAArray> sr_setup(const std::string& uri,
 
     auto tdb_result_order = get_tdb_result_order(result_order);
 
-    auto ptr = new tdbs::SOMAArray(OpenMode::read, uri, name, ctxptr, column_names, batch_size,
+    auto ptr = new tdbs::SOMAArray(OpenMode::read, uri, name, platform_config, column_names, batch_size,
                                    tdb_result_order, std::make_pair(ts_start, ts_end));
 
     std::unordered_map<std::string, std::shared_ptr<tiledb::Dimension>> name2dim;