diff --git a/src/formatter.test.ts b/src/formatter.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2447c78
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/formatter.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,296 @@
+/**
+ * formatter.test.ts - Unit tests verifying context is shown in all output formats
+ *
+ * Run with: bun test formatter.test.ts
+ */
+
+import { describe, test, expect } from "bun:test";
+import {
+  // Search result formatters
+  searchResultsToJson,
+  searchResultsToCsv,
+  searchResultsToFiles,
+  searchResultsToMarkdown,
+  searchResultsToXml,
+  searchResultsToMcpCsv,
+  formatSearchResults,
+  // Document (multi-get) formatters
+  documentsToJson,
+  documentsToCsv,
+  documentsToFiles,
+  documentsToMarkdown,
+  documentsToXml,
+  formatDocuments,
+  // Single document formatters
+  documentToJson,
+  documentToMarkdown,
+  documentToXml,
+  formatDocument,
+  type MultiGetFile,
+} from "./formatter.js";
+import type { SearchResult, DocumentResult } from "./store.js";
+
+// =============================================================================
+// Test Fixtures
+// =============================================================================
+
+const TEST_CONTEXT = "Internal engineering keynotes from company summit events";
+
+function makeSearchResult(overrides: Partial<SearchResult> = {}): SearchResult {
+  return {
+    filepath: "qmd://archive/summit/keynote.md",
+    displayPath: "qmd://archive/summit/keynote.md",
+    title: "Summit Keynote",
+    context: TEST_CONTEXT,
+    hash: "dc5590abcdef",
+    docid: "dc5590",
+    collectionName: "archive",
+    modifiedAt: "2024-01-01T00:00:00Z",
+    bodyLength: 100,
+    body: "---\ntitle: Summit Keynote\n---\n\nThis is the keynote content.",
+    score: 0.84,
+    source: "fts",
+    ...overrides,
+  };
+}
+
+function makeDocumentResult(overrides: Partial<DocumentResult> = {}): DocumentResult {
+  return {
+    filepath: "qmd://archive/summit/keynote.md",
+    displayPath: "qmd://archive/summit/keynote.md",
+    title: "Summit Keynote",
+    context: TEST_CONTEXT,
+    hash: "dc5590abcdef",
+    docid: "dc5590",
+    collectionName: "archive",
+    modifiedAt: "2024-01-01T00:00:00Z",
+    bodyLength: 100,
+    body: "---\ntitle: Summit Keynote\n---\n\nThis is the keynote content.",
+    ...overrides,
+  };
+}
+
+function makeMultiGetFile(overrides: Partial<MultiGetFile & { skipped: false }> = {}): MultiGetFile {
+  return {
+    filepath: "qmd://archive/summit/keynote.md",
+    displayPath: "qmd://archive/summit/keynote.md",
+    title: "Summit Keynote",
+    context: TEST_CONTEXT,
+    body: "---\ntitle: Summit Keynote\n---\n\nThis is the keynote content.",
+    skipped: false,
+    ...overrides,
+  };
+}
+
+// =============================================================================
+// Search Results: Context in Every Format
+// =============================================================================
+
+describe("search results include context in all formats", () => {
+  const results = [makeSearchResult()];
+
+  test("JSON format includes context", () => {
+    const output = searchResultsToJson(results, { query: "keynote" });
+    const parsed = JSON.parse(output);
+    expect(parsed[0].context).toBe(TEST_CONTEXT);
+  });
+
+  test("CSV format includes context", () => {
+    const output = searchResultsToCsv(results, { query: "keynote" });
+    // Header should have context column
+    const lines = output.split("\n");
+    expect(lines[0]).toContain("context");
+    // Data row should contain the context text
+    expect(output).toContain(TEST_CONTEXT);
+  });
+
+  test("files format includes context", () => {
+    const output = searchResultsToFiles(results);
+    expect(output).toContain(TEST_CONTEXT);
+  });
+
+  test("Markdown format includes context", () => {
+    const output = searchResultsToMarkdown(results, { query: "keynote" });
+    expect(output).toContain(TEST_CONTEXT);
+  });
+
+  test("XML format includes context", () => {
+    const output = searchResultsToXml(results, { query: "keynote" });
+    expect(output).toContain(TEST_CONTEXT);
+  });
+
+  test("MCP CSV format includes context", () => {
+    const mcpResults = [{
+      docid: "dc5590",
+      file: "qmd://archive/summit/keynote.md",
+      title: "Summit Keynote",
+      score: 0.84,
+      context: TEST_CONTEXT,
+      snippet: "This is the keynote content.",
+    }];
+    const output = searchResultsToMcpCsv(mcpResults);
+    expect(output).toContain(TEST_CONTEXT);
+  });
+
+  test("formatSearchResults (JSON) includes context", () => {
+    const output = formatSearchResults(results, "json", { query: "keynote" });
+    const parsed = JSON.parse(output);
+    expect(parsed[0].context).toBe(TEST_CONTEXT);
+  });
+
+  test("formatSearchResults (CSV) includes context", () => {
+    const output = formatSearchResults(results, "csv", { query: "keynote" });
+    expect(output).toContain(TEST_CONTEXT);
+  });
+
+  test("formatSearchResults (files) includes context", () => {
+    const output = formatSearchResults(results, "files");
+    expect(output).toContain(TEST_CONTEXT);
+  });
+
+  test("formatSearchResults (md) includes context", () => {
+    const output = formatSearchResults(results, "md", { query: "keynote" });
+    expect(output).toContain(TEST_CONTEXT);
+  });
+
+  test("formatSearchResults (xml) includes context", () => {
+    const output = formatSearchResults(results, "xml", { query: "keynote" });
+    expect(output).toContain(TEST_CONTEXT);
+  });
+});
+
+// =============================================================================
+// Search Results: No Context When Absent
+// =============================================================================
+
+describe("search results omit context when null", () => {
+  const results = [makeSearchResult({ context: null })];
+
+  test("JSON format omits context field when null", () => {
+    const output = searchResultsToJson(results, { query: "keynote" });
+    const parsed = JSON.parse(output);
+    expect(parsed[0].context).toBeUndefined();
+  });
+
+  test("files format does not include trailing context when null", () => {
+    const output = searchResultsToFiles(results);
+    // Should just be docid,score,path - no trailing comma/context
+    expect(output).not.toContain(",\"");
+  });
+});
+
+// =============================================================================
+// Multi-Get Documents: Context in Every Format
+// =============================================================================
+
+describe("multi-get documents include context in all formats", () => {
+  const docs = [makeMultiGetFile()];
+
+  test("JSON format includes context", () => {
+    const output = documentsToJson(docs);
+    const parsed = JSON.parse(output);
+    expect(parsed[0].context).toBe(TEST_CONTEXT);
+  });
+
+  test("CSV format includes context", () => {
+    const output = documentsToCsv(docs);
+    const lines = output.split("\n");
+    expect(lines[0]).toContain("context");
+    expect(output).toContain(TEST_CONTEXT);
+  });
+
+  test("files format includes context", () => {
+    const output = documentsToFiles(docs);
+    expect(output).toContain(TEST_CONTEXT);
+  });
+
+  test("Markdown format includes context", () => {
+    const output = documentsToMarkdown(docs);
+    expect(output).toContain(TEST_CONTEXT);
+  });
+
+  test("XML format includes context", () => {
+    const output = documentsToXml(docs);
+    expect(output).toContain(TEST_CONTEXT);
+  });
+
+  test("formatDocuments (JSON) includes context", () => {
+    const output = formatDocuments(docs, "json");
+    const parsed = JSON.parse(output);
+    expect(parsed[0].context).toBe(TEST_CONTEXT);
+  });
+
+  test("formatDocuments (md) includes context", () => {
+    const output = formatDocuments(docs, "md");
+    expect(output).toContain(TEST_CONTEXT);
+  });
+
+  test("formatDocuments (xml) includes context", () => {
+    const output = formatDocuments(docs, "xml");
+    expect(output).toContain(TEST_CONTEXT);
+  });
+});
+
+// =============================================================================
+// Single Document: Context in Every Format
+// =============================================================================
+
+describe("single document includes context in all formats", () => {
+  const doc = makeDocumentResult();
+
+  test("JSON format includes context", () => {
+    const output = documentToJson(doc);
+    const parsed = JSON.parse(output);
+    expect(parsed.context).toBe(TEST_CONTEXT);
+  });
+
+  test("Markdown format includes context", () => {
+    const output = documentToMarkdown(doc);
+    expect(output).toContain(TEST_CONTEXT);
+  });
+
+  test("XML format includes context", () => {
+    const output = documentToXml(doc);
+    expect(output).toContain(TEST_CONTEXT);
+  });
+
+  test("formatDocument (JSON) includes context", () => {
+    const output = formatDocument(doc, "json");
+    const parsed = JSON.parse(output);
+    expect(parsed.context).toBe(TEST_CONTEXT);
+  });
+
+  test("formatDocument (md) includes context", () => {
+    const output = formatDocument(doc, "md");
+    expect(output).toContain(TEST_CONTEXT);
+  });
+
+  test("formatDocument (xml) includes context", () => {
+    const output = formatDocument(doc, "xml");
+    expect(output).toContain(TEST_CONTEXT);
+  });
+});
+
+// =============================================================================
+// Single Document: No Context When Absent
+// =============================================================================
+
+describe("single document omits context when null", () => {
+  const doc = makeDocumentResult({ context: null });
+
+  test("JSON format omits context field when null", () => {
+    const output = documentToJson(doc);
+    const parsed = JSON.parse(output);
+    expect(parsed.context).toBeUndefined();
+  });
+
+  test("Markdown format does not show Context line when null", () => {
+    const output = documentToMarkdown(doc);
+    expect(output).not.toContain("Context:");
+  });
+
+  test("XML format does not show context element when null", () => {
+    const output = documentToXml(doc);
+    expect(output).not.toContain("<context>");
+  });
+});
diff --git a/src/formatter.ts b/src/formatter.ts
index 756c8d3..b327830 100644
--- a/src/formatter.ts
+++ b/src/formatter.ts
@@ -180,7 +180,8 @@ export function searchResultsToMarkdown(
     if (opts.lineNumbers) {
       content = addLineNumbers(content);
     }
-    return `---\n# ${heading}\n\n**docid:** \`#${row.docid}\`\n\n${content}\n`;
+    const contextLine = row.context ? `**context:** ${row.context}\n` : "";
+    return `---\n# ${heading}\n\n**docid:** \`#${row.docid}\`\n${contextLine}\n${content}\n`;
   }).join("\n");
 }
 
@@ -199,7 +200,8 @@ export function searchResultsToXml(
     if (opts.lineNumbers) {
       content = addLineNumbers(content);
     }
-    return `<file docid="#${row.docid}" name="${escapeXml(row.displayPath)}"${titleAttr}>\n${escapeXml(content)}\n</file>`;
+    const contextAttr = row.context ? ` context="${escapeXml(row.context)}"` : "";
+    return `<file docid="#${row.docid}" name="${escapeXml(row.displayPath)}"${titleAttr}${contextAttr}>\n${escapeXml(content)}\n</file>`;
   });
   return items.join("\n\n");
 }