diff --git a/src/backend/access/common/toast_compression.c b/src/backend/access/common/toast_compression.c
index 849ec174539..ef7c65e1276 100644
--- a/src/backend/access/common/toast_compression.c
+++ b/src/backend/access/common/toast_compression.c
@@ -29,6 +29,30 @@
 /* GUC */
 int			default_toast_compression = DEFAULT_TOAST_COMPRESSION;
 
+#ifdef USE_ZSTD
+/*
+ * zstd decompression context, created on first use and kept for the life of
+ * the backend.  Creating one per value costs more than decompressing a small
+ * value.  It is reset at the start of each use, so an error in the middle of
+ * a decompression leaves nothing behind that matters.
+ */
+static ZSTD_DCtx *zstd_dctx = NULL;
+
+static ZSTD_DCtx *
+zstd_get_dctx(void)
+{
+	if (zstd_dctx == NULL)
+	{
+		zstd_dctx = ZSTD_createDCtx();
+		if (zstd_dctx == NULL)
+			elog(ERROR, "could not create zstd decompression context");
+	}
+	else
+		ZSTD_DCtx_reset(zstd_dctx, ZSTD_reset_session_only);
+	return zstd_dctx;
+}
+#endif
+
 #define NO_COMPRESSION_SUPPORT(method) \
 	ereport(ERROR, \
 			(errcode(ERRCODE_FEATURE_NOT_SUPPORTED), \
@@ -327,7 +351,8 @@ zstd_decompress_datum(const varlena *value)
 	result = (varlena *) palloc(VARDATA_COMPRESSED_GET_EXTSIZE(value) + VARHDRSZ);
 
 	/* decompress the data */
-	rawsize = ZSTD_decompress(VARDATA(result),
+	rawsize = ZSTD_decompressDCtx(zstd_get_dctx(),
+							  VARDATA(result),
 							  VARDATA_COMPRESSED_GET_EXTSIZE(value),
 							  (const char *) value + VARHDRSZ_COMPRESSED_LONG,
 							  VARSIZE(value) - VARHDRSZ_COMPRESSED_LONG);
@@ -374,9 +399,7 @@ zstd_decompress_datum_slice(const varlena *value, int32 slicelength)
 	 */
 	result = (varlena *) palloc(slicelength + VARHDRSZ);
 
-	dctx = ZSTD_createDCtx();
-	if (dctx == NULL)
-		elog(ERROR, "could not create zstd decompression context");
+	dctx = zstd_get_dctx();
 
 	inbuf.src = (const char *) value + VARHDRSZ_COMPRESSED_LONG;
 	inbuf.size = VARSIZE(value) - VARHDRSZ_COMPRESSED_LONG;
@@ -409,9 +432,6 @@ zstd_decompress_datum_slice(const varlena *value, int32 slicelength)
 		}
 	}
 
-	/* release the context before any possible error is thrown */
-	ZSTD_freeDCtx(dctx);
-
 	if (failed)
 		ereport(ERROR,
 				(errcode(ERRCODE_DATA_CORRUPTED),