diff --git a/concore_base.py b/concore_base.py
index f6b3e1b..24547b0 100644
--- a/concore_base.py
+++ b/concore_base.py
@@ -11,15 +11,29 @@
 # ===================================================================
 # ZeroMQ Communication Wrapper
 # ===================================================================
+# lazy-initialized shared ZMQ context for the entire process.
+# using None until first ZMQ port is created, so file-only workflows
+# never spawn ZMQ I/O threads at import time.
+_zmq_context = None
+
+def _get_zmq_context():
+    """Return the process-level shared ZMQ context, creating it on first call."""
+    global _zmq_context
+    if _zmq_context is None or _zmq_context.closed:
+        _zmq_context = zmq.Context()
+    return _zmq_context
+
 class ZeroMQPort:
-    def __init__(self, port_type, address, zmq_socket_type):
+    def __init__(self, port_type, address, zmq_socket_type, context=None):
         """
         port_type: "bind" or "connect"
         address: ZeroMQ address (e.g., "tcp://*:5555")
         zmq_socket_type: zmq.REQ, zmq.REP, zmq.PUB, zmq.SUB etc.
+        context: optional zmq.Context() for the process; defaults to the shared _zmq_context.
         """
-        self.context = zmq.Context()
-        self.socket = self.context.socket(zmq_socket_type)
+        if context is None:
+            context = _get_zmq_context()
+        self.socket = context.socket(zmq_socket_type)
         self.port_type = port_type  # "bind" or "connect"
         self.address = address
 
@@ -76,7 +90,7 @@ def init_zmq_port(mod, port_name, port_type, address, socket_type_str):
     try:
         # Map socket type string to actual ZMQ constant (e.g., zmq.REQ, zmq.REP)
         zmq_socket_type = getattr(zmq, socket_type_str.upper())
-        mod.zmq_ports[port_name] = ZeroMQPort(port_type, address, zmq_socket_type)
+        mod.zmq_ports[port_name] = ZeroMQPort(port_type, address, zmq_socket_type, _get_zmq_context())
         logger.info(f"Initialized ZMQ port: {port_name} ({socket_type_str}) on {address}")
     except AttributeError:
         logger.error(f"Error: Invalid ZMQ socket type string '{socket_type_str}'.")
@@ -86,23 +100,35 @@ def init_zmq_port(mod, port_name, port_type, address, socket_type_str):
         logger.error(f"An unexpected error occurred during ZMQ port initialization for {port_name}: {e}")
 
 def terminate_zmq(mod):
-    """Clean up all ZMQ sockets and contexts before exit."""
+    """Clean up all ZMQ sockets, then terminate the shared context once."""
+    global _zmq_context  # declared first — used both in the early-return guard and reset below
     if mod._cleanup_in_progress:
         return  # Already cleaning up, prevent reentrant calls
-    
-    if not mod.zmq_ports:
-        return  # No ports to clean up
-    
+
+    if not mod.zmq_ports and (_zmq_context is None or _zmq_context.closed):
+        return  # Nothing to clean up: no ports and no active context
+
     mod._cleanup_in_progress = True
     print("\nCleaning up ZMQ resources...")
+
+    # all sockets must be closed before context.term() is called.
     for port_name, port in mod.zmq_ports.items():
         try:
             port.socket.close()
-            port.context.term()
             print(f"Closed ZMQ port: {port_name}")
         except Exception as e:
             logger.error(f"Error while terminating ZMQ port {port.address}: {e}")
     mod.zmq_ports.clear()
+
+    # terminate the single shared context exactly once, then reset so it
+    # can be safely recreated if init_zmq_port is called again later.
+    if _zmq_context is not None and not _zmq_context.closed:
+        try:
+            _zmq_context.term()
+        except Exception as e:
+            logger.error(f"Error while terminating shared ZMQ context: {e}")
+        _zmq_context = None
+
     mod._cleanup_in_progress = False
 
 # --- ZeroMQ Integration End ---