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TBS_E_INVALID_CONTEXT
Read the result in context
TBS_E_INVALID_CONTEXT (0x80284004) belongs to the public and internal TPM Base Services path. It indicates the TBS_HCONTEXT supplied to a public API no longer identifies an open TBS client context.
The first producer to identify is the TBS client library, local RPC service and command scheduler before or around device execution. TBS centralizes TPM access through a local RPC service. A failure can therefore occur in the caller contract, RPC/service startup, scheduling, buffer handling or TPM submission, and each layer requires different evidence.
Fields worth decoding
| Question | Evidence |
|---|---|
| What exact state was rejected? | the TBS_HCONTEXT supplied to a public API no longer identifies an open TBS client context |
| Which layer owns the result? | The TBS client library, local RPC service and command scheduler before or around device execution. |
| What must be correlated? | context creation result, close/cancel history, thread and process ownership, service restart, sleep/resume, and the failing function |
| Controlled comparison | create a new context immediately before one capability command and close it only after the result is consumed |
A useful trace links three code-specific timelines: the application call, the local TBS/provider or firmware event, and the raw command/response exchange. The timestamps should describe one attempt; combining data from separate retries is particularly misleading for authorization sessions, context counters, DAA stages and lockout state.
Controlled comparison
The one-variable check is to create a new context immediately before one capability command and close it only after the result is consumed. Record the before/after state that the result command is allowed to change. If the operation can have side effects, use a disposable key, session, counter or NV index rather than production material.
- Capture this result and
0x80284004at the first code-specific return boundary. - Decode the result state: TBS function, context, pointer and buffer contract, service state, command size and nested status.
- Run the controlled comparison once and preserve both binary transcripts.
- Verify the expected output or state transition instead of relying on absence of a UI message.
Adjacent failures
| Comparison code | Built-in distinction |
|---|---|
TBS_E_INSUFFICIENT_BUFFER | A specified output buffer is too small. |
TBS_E_INVALID_OUTPUT_POINTER | A specified output pointer is bad. |
TBS_E_INVALID_CONTEXT_PARAM | One or more context parameters is invalid. |
It specifically answers whether the TBS_HCONTEXT supplied to a public API no longer identifies an open TBS client context. In contrast, TPM_E_INVALID_HANDLE concerns a TPM resource handle carried inside a command.
Repair without destroying evidence
To remediate it, scope the handle to the creating process and recreate it after close, service restart or invalidation. Do not restart or disable TBS before capturing its service and event data. Most caller-contract errors are reproducible without touching TPM ownership, firmware state or stored keys.
Authoritative references
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