diff --git a/zstd/src/main/java/io/github/dfa1/zstd/ZstdCompressStream.java b/zstd/src/main/java/io/github/dfa1/zstd/ZstdCompressStream.java
index 44b028c..75fec0c 100644
--- a/zstd/src/main/java/io/github/dfa1/zstd/ZstdCompressStream.java
+++ b/zstd/src/main/java/io/github/dfa1/zstd/ZstdCompressStream.java
@@ -41,39 +41,50 @@ public ZstdCompressStream() {
     ///
     /// @param level the compression level
     public ZstdCompressStream(int level) {
-        super(create(level, null));
+        this(level, null);
     }
 
     /// Creates a streaming compressor at `level` using `dictionary`.
     ///
     /// @param level      the compression level
-    /// @param dictionary the dictionary to compress against
+    /// @param dictionary the dictionary to compress against, or `null` for none
     public ZstdCompressStream(int level, ZstdDictionary dictionary) {
-        super(create(level, dictionary));
+        // Own the context first, so any failure setting it up is cleaned up by
+        // close() — one release path, no leak on a half-built stream.
+        super(createCctx());
+        try {
+            Zstd.call(() -> (long) Bindings.CCTX_SET_PARAMETER.invokeExact(
+                    ptr(), ZstdCompressParameter.COMPRESSION_LEVEL.value(), level));
+            if (dictionary != null) {
+                loadDictionary(dictionary);
+            }
+        } catch (Throwable t) {
+            close();
+            throw rethrow(t);
+        }
     }
 
-    private static MemorySegment create(int level, ZstdDictionary dictionary) {
+    private static MemorySegment createCctx() {
         try {
             MemorySegment cctx = (MemorySegment) Bindings.CREATE_CCTX.invokeExact();
             if (MemorySegment.NULL.equals(cctx)) {
                 throw new ZstdException("ZSTD_createCCtx returned NULL");
             }
-            Zstd.call(() -> (long) Bindings.CCTX_SET_PARAMETER.invokeExact(
-                    cctx, ZstdCompressParameter.COMPRESSION_LEVEL.value(), level));
-            if (dictionary != null) {
-                try (Arena staging = Arena.ofConfined()) {
-                    byte[] raw = dictionary.raw();
-                    MemorySegment d = Zstd.copyIn(staging, raw);
-                    Zstd.call(() -> (long) Bindings.CCTX_LOAD_DICTIONARY.invokeExact(
-                            cctx, d, (long) raw.length));
-                }
-            }
             return cctx;
         } catch (Throwable t) {
             throw rethrow(t);
         }
     }
 
+    private void loadDictionary(ZstdDictionary dictionary) {
+        try (Arena staging = Arena.ofConfined()) {
+            byte[] raw = dictionary.raw();
+            MemorySegment d = Zstd.copyIn(staging, raw);
+            Zstd.call(() -> (long) Bindings.CCTX_LOAD_DICTIONARY.invokeExact(
+                    ptr(), d, (long) raw.length));
+        }
+    }
+
     /// Compresses as much of `src` as fits into `dst` in one step.
     ///
     /// Advance the source by [ZstdStreamResult#bytesConsumed()] and write out
diff --git a/zstd/src/main/java/io/github/dfa1/zstd/ZstdDecompressStream.java b/zstd/src/main/java/io/github/dfa1/zstd/ZstdDecompressStream.java
index 6f8f482..c42aa2f 100644
--- a/zstd/src/main/java/io/github/dfa1/zstd/ZstdDecompressStream.java
+++ b/zstd/src/main/java/io/github/dfa1/zstd/ZstdDecompressStream.java
@@ -18,36 +18,47 @@ public final class ZstdDecompressStream extends NativeObject {
 
     /// Creates a streaming decompressor.
     public ZstdDecompressStream() {
-        super(create(null));
+        this(null);
     }
 
     /// Creates a streaming decompressor for frames built with `dictionary`.
     ///
-    /// @param dictionary the dictionary the frames were compressed against
+    /// @param dictionary the dictionary the frames were compressed against, or `null` for none
     public ZstdDecompressStream(ZstdDictionary dictionary) {
-        super(create(dictionary));
+        // Own the context first, so any failure setting it up is cleaned up by
+        // close() — one release path, no leak on a half-built stream.
+        super(createDctx());
+        try {
+            if (dictionary != null) {
+                loadDictionary(dictionary);
+            }
+        } catch (Throwable t) {
+            close();
+            throw rethrow(t);
+        }
     }
 
-    private static MemorySegment create(ZstdDictionary dictionary) {
+    private static MemorySegment createDctx() {
         try {
             MemorySegment dctx = (MemorySegment) Bindings.CREATE_DCTX.invokeExact();
             if (MemorySegment.NULL.equals(dctx)) {
                 throw new ZstdException("ZSTD_createDCtx returned NULL");
             }
-            if (dictionary != null) {
-                try (Arena staging = Arena.ofConfined()) {
-                    byte[] raw = dictionary.raw();
-                    MemorySegment d = Zstd.copyIn(staging, raw);
-                    Zstd.call(() -> (long) Bindings.DCTX_LOAD_DICTIONARY.invokeExact(
-                            dctx, d, (long) raw.length));
-                }
-            }
             return dctx;
         } catch (Throwable t) {
             throw rethrow(t);
         }
     }
 
+    private void loadDictionary(ZstdDictionary dictionary) {
+        try (Arena staging = Arena.ofConfined()) {
+            byte[] raw = dictionary.raw();
+            MemorySegment d = Zstd.copyIn(staging, raw);
+            Zstd.call(() -> (long) Bindings.DCTX_LOAD_DICTIONARY.invokeExact(
+                    ptr(), d, (long) raw.length));
+        }
+    }
+
     /// Decompresses as much of `src` as fits into `dst` in one step.
     ///
     /// Advance the source by [ZstdStreamResult#bytesConsumed()] and read out
diff --git a/zstd/src/main/java/io/github/dfa1/zstd/ZstdInputStream.java b/zstd/src/main/java/io/github/dfa1/zstd/ZstdInputStream.java
index e16ab4d..1380875 100644
--- a/zstd/src/main/java/io/github/dfa1/zstd/ZstdInputStream.java
+++ b/zstd/src/main/java/io/github/dfa1/zstd/ZstdInputStream.java
@@ -57,24 +57,39 @@ public ZstdInputStream(InputStream in) {
     /// @param dictionary the dictionary the frame was compressed against, or `null` for none
     public ZstdInputStream(InputStream in, ZstdDictionary dictionary) {
         this.in = in;
+        MemorySegment d = null;
         try {
-            this.dctx = (MemorySegment) Bindings.CREATE_DCTX.invokeExact();
-            if (MemorySegment.NULL.equals(dctx)) {
+            d = (MemorySegment) Bindings.CREATE_DCTX.invokeExact();
+            if (MemorySegment.NULL.equals(d)) {
                 throw new ZstdException("ZSTD_createDCtx returned NULL");
             }
+            this.dctx = d;
             if (dictionary != null) {
                 loadDictionary(dictionary);
             }
             this.inCap = (long) Bindings.DSTREAM_IN_SIZE.invokeExact();
             this.outCap = (long) Bindings.DSTREAM_OUT_SIZE.invokeExact();
+            this.inSeg = arena.allocate(inCap);
+            this.outSeg = arena.allocate(outCap);
+            this.feed = new byte[Math.toIntExact(inCap)];
+            this.hold = new byte[Math.toIntExact(outCap)];
         } catch (Throwable t) {
+            // Free the context if it was created, then the arena, so a failed
+            // constructor leaks neither the native dctx nor the arena buffers.
+            if (d != null && !MemorySegment.NULL.equals(d)) {
+                freeDctx(d);
+            }
             arena.close();
             throw rethrow(t);
         }
-        this.inSeg = arena.allocate(inCap);
-        this.outSeg = arena.allocate(outCap);
-        this.feed = new byte[Math.toIntExact(inCap)];
-        this.hold = new byte[Math.toIntExact(outCap)];
+    }
+
+    private static void freeDctx(MemorySegment dctx) {
+        try {
+            var _ = (long) Bindings.FREE_DCTX.invokeExact(dctx);
+        } catch (Throwable _) {
+            // best-effort free
+        }
     }
 
     private void loadDictionary(ZstdDictionary dictionary) {
@@ -158,11 +173,7 @@ public void close() throws IOException {
             return;
         }
         closed = true;
-        try {
-            var _ = (long) Bindings.FREE_DCTX.invokeExact(dctx);
-        } catch (Throwable _) {
-            // best-effort free
-        }
+        freeDctx(dctx);
         arena.close();
         in.close();
     }
diff --git a/zstd/src/main/java/io/github/dfa1/zstd/ZstdOutputStream.java b/zstd/src/main/java/io/github/dfa1/zstd/ZstdOutputStream.java
index 87d59e5..2a42e30 100644
--- a/zstd/src/main/java/io/github/dfa1/zstd/ZstdOutputStream.java
+++ b/zstd/src/main/java/io/github/dfa1/zstd/ZstdOutputStream.java
@@ -93,11 +93,13 @@ private void setPledgedSrcSize(long pledgedSrcSize) {
     /// @param dictionary the dictionary to compress against, or `null` for none
     public ZstdOutputStream(OutputStream out, int level, ZstdDictionary dictionary) {
         this.out = out;
+        MemorySegment c = null;
         try {
-            this.cctx = (MemorySegment) Bindings.CREATE_CCTX.invokeExact();
-            if (MemorySegment.NULL.equals(cctx)) {
+            c = (MemorySegment) Bindings.CREATE_CCTX.invokeExact();
+            if (MemorySegment.NULL.equals(c)) {
                 throw new ZstdException("ZSTD_createCCtx returned NULL");
             }
+            this.cctx = c;
             Zstd.call(() -> (long) Bindings.CCTX_SET_PARAMETER.invokeExact(
                     cctx, ZSTD_C_COMPRESSION_LEVEL, level));
             if (dictionary != null) {
@@ -105,13 +107,26 @@ public ZstdOutputStream(OutputStream out, int level, ZstdDictionary dictionary)
             }
             this.inCap = (long) Bindings.CSTREAM_IN_SIZE.invokeExact();
             this.outCap = (long) Bindings.CSTREAM_OUT_SIZE.invokeExact();
+            this.inSeg = arena.allocate(inCap);
+            this.outSeg = arena.allocate(outCap);
+            this.drain = new byte[Math.toIntExact(outCap)];
         } catch (Throwable t) {
+            // Free the context if it was created, then the arena, so a failed
+            // constructor leaks neither the native cctx nor the arena buffers.
+            if (c != null && !MemorySegment.NULL.equals(c)) {
+                freeCctx(c);
+            }
             arena.close();
             throw rethrow(t);
         }
-        this.inSeg = arena.allocate(inCap);
-        this.outSeg = arena.allocate(outCap);
-        this.drain = new byte[Math.toIntExact(outCap)];
+    }
+
+    private static void freeCctx(MemorySegment cctx) {
+        try {
+            var _ = (long) Bindings.FREE_CCTX.invokeExact(cctx);
+        } catch (Throwable _) {
+            // best-effort free
+        }
     }
 
     private void loadDictionary(ZstdDictionary dictionary) {
@@ -172,11 +187,7 @@ public void close() throws IOException {
             out.flush();
         } finally {
             closed = true;
-            try {
-                var _ = (long) Bindings.FREE_CCTX.invokeExact(cctx);
-            } catch (Throwable _) {
-                // best-effort free
-            }
+            freeCctx(cctx);
             arena.close();
             out.close();
         }