diff --git a/.changeset/thin-turtles-beg.md b/.changeset/thin-turtles-beg.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..a266d57b9ec
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/thin-turtles-beg.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+'@keystone-6/core': patch
+---
+
+Fix withRequest behavior when no session strategy is configured
diff --git a/packages/core/src/lib/context/createContext.ts b/packages/core/src/lib/context/createContext.ts
index bc581777af5..95812cb4681 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/lib/context/createContext.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/lib/context/createContext.ts
@@ -75,14 +75,19 @@ export function makeCreateContext({
       return result.data as any;
     };
 
-    async function withRequest(req: IncomingMessage, res?: ServerResponse) {
-      contextToReturn.req = req;
-      contextToReturn.res = res;
-      if (!config.session) {
-        return contextToReturn;
+    async function withRequest(newReq: IncomingMessage, newRes?: ServerResponse) {
+      const newContext = createContext({
+        session,
+        sudo,
+        req: newReq,
+        res: newRes,
+      });
+
+      if (config.session) {
+        newContext.session = await config.session.get({ context: newContext });
       }
-      contextToReturn.session = await config.session.get({ context: contextToReturn });
-      return createContext({ session: contextToReturn.session, sudo, req, res });
+
+      return newContext;
     }
     const dbAPI: KeystoneContext['db'] = {};
     const itemAPI: KeystoneContext['query'] = {};