diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 37ccc74bdc..9c6be5a0e5 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -137,6 +137,8 @@ ___
 - Fix select and excludeKey queries to properly accept JSON string arrays. Also allow nested fields in exclude (Corey Baker) [#7242](https://github.com/parse-community/parse-server/pull/7242)
 - Fix LiveQuery server crash when using $all query operator on a missing object key (Jason Posthuma) [#7421](https://github.com/parse-community/parse-server/pull/7421)
 - Added runtime deprecation warnings (Manuel Trezza) [#7451](https://github.com/parse-community/parse-server/pull/7451)
+- Add ability to pass context of an object via a header, X-Parse-Cloud-Context, for Cloud Code triggers. The header addition allows client SDK's to add context without injecting _context in the body of JSON objects (Corey Baker) [#7437](https://github.com/parse-community/parse-server/pull/7437)
+
 ___
 ## 4.5.0
 [Full Changelog](https://github.com/parse-community/parse-server/compare/4.4.0...4.5.0)
diff --git a/spec/CloudCode.spec.js b/spec/CloudCode.spec.js
index c53a284273..86a7627427 100644
--- a/spec/CloudCode.spec.js
+++ b/spec/CloudCode.spec.js
@@ -2519,6 +2519,201 @@ describe('afterFind hooks', () => {
       });
   });
 
+  it('should throw error if context header is malformed', async () => {
+    let calledBefore = false;
+    let calledAfter = false;
+    Parse.Cloud.beforeSave('TestObject', () => {
+      calledBefore = true;
+    });
+    Parse.Cloud.afterSave('TestObject', () => {
+      calledAfter = true;
+    });
+    const req = request({
+      method: 'POST',
+      url: 'http://localhost:8378/1/classes/TestObject',
+      headers: {
+        'X-Parse-Application-Id': 'test',
+        'X-Parse-REST-API-Key': 'rest',
+        'X-Parse-Cloud-Context': 'key',
+      },
+      body: {
+        foo: 'bar',
+      },
+    });
+    try {
+      await req;
+      fail('Should have thrown error');
+    } catch (e) {
+      expect(e).toBeDefined();
+      expect(e.data.code).toEqual(Parse.Error.INVALID_JSON);
+    }
+    expect(calledBefore).toBe(false);
+    expect(calledAfter).toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  it('should throw error if context header is string "1"', async () => {
+    let calledBefore = false;
+    let calledAfter = false;
+    Parse.Cloud.beforeSave('TestObject', () => {
+      calledBefore = true;
+    });
+    Parse.Cloud.afterSave('TestObject', () => {
+      calledAfter = true;
+    });
+    const req = request({
+      method: 'POST',
+      url: 'http://localhost:8378/1/classes/TestObject',
+      headers: {
+        'X-Parse-Application-Id': 'test',
+        'X-Parse-REST-API-Key': 'rest',
+        'X-Parse-Cloud-Context': '1',
+      },
+      body: {
+        foo: 'bar',
+      },
+    });
+    try {
+      await req;
+      fail('Should have thrown error');
+    } catch (e) {
+      expect(e).toBeDefined();
+      expect(e.data.code).toEqual(Parse.Error.INVALID_JSON);
+    }
+    expect(calledBefore).toBe(false);
+    expect(calledAfter).toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  it('should expose context in beforeSave/afterSave via header', async () => {
+    let calledBefore = false;
+    let calledAfter = false;
+    Parse.Cloud.beforeSave('TestObject', req => {
+      expect(req.object.get('foo')).toEqual('bar');
+      expect(req.context.otherKey).toBe(1);
+      expect(req.context.key).toBe('value');
+      calledBefore = true;
+    });
+    Parse.Cloud.afterSave('TestObject', req => {
+      expect(req.object.get('foo')).toEqual('bar');
+      expect(req.context.otherKey).toBe(1);
+      expect(req.context.key).toBe('value');
+      calledAfter = true;
+    });
+    const req = request({
+      method: 'POST',
+      url: 'http://localhost:8378/1/classes/TestObject',
+      headers: {
+        'X-Parse-Application-Id': 'test',
+        'X-Parse-REST-API-Key': 'rest',
+        'X-Parse-Cloud-Context': '{"key":"value","otherKey":1}',
+      },
+      body: {
+        foo: 'bar',
+      },
+    });
+    await req;
+    expect(calledBefore).toBe(true);
+    expect(calledAfter).toBe(true);
+  });
+
+  it('should override header context with body context in beforeSave/afterSave', async () => {
+    let calledBefore = false;
+    let calledAfter = false;
+    Parse.Cloud.beforeSave('TestObject', req => {
+      expect(req.object.get('foo')).toEqual('bar');
+      expect(req.context.otherKey).toBe(10);
+      expect(req.context.key).toBe('hello');
+      calledBefore = true;
+    });
+    Parse.Cloud.afterSave('TestObject', req => {
+      expect(req.object.get('foo')).toEqual('bar');
+      expect(req.context.otherKey).toBe(10);
+      expect(req.context.key).toBe('hello');
+      calledAfter = true;
+    });
+    const req = request({
+      method: 'POST',
+      url: 'http://localhost:8378/1/classes/TestObject',
+      headers: {
+        'X-Parse-REST-API-Key': 'rest',
+        'X-Parse-Cloud-Context': '{"key":"value","otherKey":1}',
+      },
+      body: {
+        foo: 'bar',
+        _ApplicationId: 'test',
+        _context: '{"key":"hello","otherKey":10}',
+      },
+    });
+    await req;
+    expect(calledBefore).toBe(true);
+    expect(calledAfter).toBe(true);
+  });
+
+  it('should throw error if context body is malformed', async () => {
+    let calledBefore = false;
+    let calledAfter = false;
+    Parse.Cloud.beforeSave('TestObject', () => {
+      calledBefore = true;
+    });
+    Parse.Cloud.afterSave('TestObject', () => {
+      calledAfter = true;
+    });
+    const req = request({
+      method: 'POST',
+      url: 'http://localhost:8378/1/classes/TestObject',
+      headers: {
+        'X-Parse-REST-API-Key': 'rest',
+        'X-Parse-Cloud-Context': '{"key":"value","otherKey":1}',
+      },
+      body: {
+        foo: 'bar',
+        _ApplicationId: 'test',
+        _context: 'key',
+      },
+    });
+    try {
+      await req;
+      fail('Should have thrown error');
+    } catch (e) {
+      expect(e).toBeDefined();
+      expect(e.data.code).toEqual(Parse.Error.INVALID_JSON);
+    }
+    expect(calledBefore).toBe(false);
+    expect(calledAfter).toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  it('should throw error if context body is string "true"', async () => {
+    let calledBefore = false;
+    let calledAfter = false;
+    Parse.Cloud.beforeSave('TestObject', () => {
+      calledBefore = true;
+    });
+    Parse.Cloud.afterSave('TestObject', () => {
+      calledAfter = true;
+    });
+    const req = request({
+      method: 'POST',
+      url: 'http://localhost:8378/1/classes/TestObject',
+      headers: {
+        'X-Parse-REST-API-Key': 'rest',
+        'X-Parse-Cloud-Context': '{"key":"value","otherKey":1}',
+      },
+      body: {
+        foo: 'bar',
+        _ApplicationId: 'test',
+        _context: 'true',
+      },
+    });
+    try {
+      await req;
+      fail('Should have thrown error');
+    } catch (e) {
+      expect(e).toBeDefined();
+      expect(e.data.code).toEqual(Parse.Error.INVALID_JSON);
+    }
+    expect(calledBefore).toBe(false);
+    expect(calledAfter).toBe(false);
+  });
+
   it('should expose context in before and afterSave', async () => {
     let calledBefore = false;
     let calledAfter = false;
@@ -2804,6 +2999,26 @@ describe('afterLogin hook', () => {
     done();
   });
 
+  it('context options should override _context object property when saving a new object', async () => {
+    Parse.Cloud.beforeSave('TestObject', req => {
+      expect(req.context.a).toEqual('a');
+      expect(req.context.hello).not.toBeDefined();
+      expect(req._context).not.toBeDefined();
+      expect(req.object._context).not.toBeDefined();
+      expect(req.object.context).not.toBeDefined();
+    });
+    Parse.Cloud.afterSave('TestObject', req => {
+      expect(req.context.a).toEqual('a');
+      expect(req.context.hello).not.toBeDefined();
+      expect(req._context).not.toBeDefined();
+      expect(req.object._context).not.toBeDefined();
+      expect(req.object.context).not.toBeDefined();
+    });
+    const obj = new TestObject();
+    obj.set('_context', { hello: 'world' });
+    await obj.save(null, { context: { a: 'a' } });
+  });
+
   it('should have access to context when saving a new object', async () => {
     Parse.Cloud.beforeSave('TestObject', req => {
       expect(req.context.a).toEqual('a');
diff --git a/src/middlewares.js b/src/middlewares.js
index 1c0a372031..88de107264 100644
--- a/src/middlewares.js
+++ b/src/middlewares.js
@@ -25,6 +25,17 @@ const getMountForRequest = function (req) {
 export function handleParseHeaders(req, res, next) {
   var mount = getMountForRequest(req);
 
+  let context = {};
+  if (req.get('X-Parse-Cloud-Context') != null) {
+    try {
+      context = JSON.parse(req.get('X-Parse-Cloud-Context'));
+      if (Object.prototype.toString.call(context) !== '[object Object]') {
+        throw 'Context is not an object';
+      }
+    } catch (e) {
+      return malformedContext(req, res);
+    }
+  }
   var info = {
     appId: req.get('X-Parse-Application-Id'),
     sessionToken: req.get('X-Parse-Session-Token'),
@@ -35,7 +46,7 @@ export function handleParseHeaders(req, res, next) {
     dotNetKey: req.get('X-Parse-Windows-Key'),
     restAPIKey: req.get('X-Parse-REST-API-Key'),
     clientVersion: req.get('X-Parse-Client-Version'),
-    context: {},
+    context: context,
   };
 
   var basicAuth = httpAuth(req);
@@ -105,8 +116,19 @@ export function handleParseHeaders(req, res, next) {
         info.masterKey = req.body._MasterKey;
         delete req.body._MasterKey;
       }
-      if (req.body._context && req.body._context instanceof Object) {
-        info.context = req.body._context;
+      if (req.body._context) {
+        if (req.body._context instanceof Object) {
+          info.context = req.body._context;
+        } else {
+          try {
+            info.context = JSON.parse(req.body._context);
+            if (Object.prototype.toString.call(info.context) !== '[object Object]') {
+              throw 'Context is not an object';
+            }
+          } catch (e) {
+            return malformedContext(req, res);
+          }
+        }
         delete req.body._context;
       }
       if (req.body._ContentType) {
@@ -454,3 +476,8 @@ function invalidRequest(req, res) {
   res.status(403);
   res.end('{"error":"unauthorized"}');
 }
+
+function malformedContext(req, res) {
+  res.status(400);
+  res.json({ code: Parse.Error.INVALID_JSON, error: 'Invalid object for context.' });
+}