diff --git a/src/context/signal.rs b/src/context/signal.rs
index 19f4ebc01f..a472bb69bd 100644
--- a/src/context/signal.rs
+++ b/src/context/signal.rs
@@ -74,7 +74,21 @@ pub fn signal_handler(token: &mut CleanLockToken) {
 pub fn excp_handler(excp: syscall::Exception) {
     let mut token = unsafe { CleanLockToken::new() };
 
-    let current = context::current();
+    let Some(current) = context::try_current() else {
+        // No context exists — this happens during early boot (before
+        // context::init() in kmain) or very early in AP startup. The
+        // exception details (page fault address, stack trace, etc.) have
+        // already been printed by the caller in the exception handler.
+        // There is no userspace context to deliver a signal to, so halt.
+        info!(
+            "excp_handler: no current context (early boot), CPU {}, kind {}, code {}, address {:#x}",
+            crate::cpu_id(),
+            excp.kind,
+            excp.code,
+            excp.address
+        );
+        panic!("unhandled exception during early boot (no context)");
+    };
 
     let context = current.write(token.token());