diff --git a/pin/gc/gc.go b/pin/gc/gc.go
index f79d11ebd5a..7c196009fa1 100644
--- a/pin/gc/gc.go
+++ b/pin/gc/gc.go
@@ -58,7 +58,10 @@ func GC(ctx context.Context, bs bstore.GCBlockstore, dstor dstore.Datastore, pn
 
 		gcs, err := ColoredSet(ctx, pn, ds, bestEffortRoots, output)
 		if err != nil {
-			output <- Result{Error: err}
+			select {
+			case output <- Result{Error: err}:
+			case <-ctx.Done():
+			}
 			return
 		}
 		emark.Append(logging.LoggableMap{
@@ -69,7 +72,10 @@ func GC(ctx context.Context, bs bstore.GCBlockstore, dstor dstore.Datastore, pn
 
 		keychan, err := bs.AllKeysChan(ctx)
 		if err != nil {
-			output <- Result{Error: err}
+			select {
+			case output <- Result{Error: err}:
+			case <-ctx.Done():
+			}
 			return
 		}
 
@@ -108,7 +114,11 @@ func GC(ctx context.Context, bs bstore.GCBlockstore, dstor dstore.Datastore, pn
 		})
 		esweep.Done()
 		if errors {
-			output <- Result{Error: ErrCannotDeleteSomeBlocks}
+			select {
+			case output <- Result{Error: ErrCannotDeleteSomeBlocks}:
+			case <-ctx.Done():
+				return
+			}
 		}
 
 		defer log.EventBegin(ctx, "GC.datastore").Done()
@@ -119,7 +129,10 @@ func GC(ctx context.Context, bs bstore.GCBlockstore, dstor dstore.Datastore, pn
 
 		err = gds.CollectGarbage()
 		if err != nil {
-			output <- Result{Error: err}
+			select {
+			case output <- Result{Error: err}:
+			case <-ctx.Done():
+			}
 			return
 		}
 	}()
@@ -177,28 +190,44 @@ func ColoredSet(ctx context.Context, pn pin.Pinner, ng ipld.NodeGetter, bestEffo
 		links, err := ipld.GetLinks(ctx, ng, cid)
 		if err != nil {
 			errors = true
-			output <- Result{Error: &CannotFetchLinksError{cid, err}}
+			select {
+			case output <- Result{Error: &CannotFetchLinksError{cid, err}}:
+			case <-ctx.Done():
+				return nil, ctx.Err()
+			}
 		}
 		return links, nil
 	}
 	err := Descendants(ctx, getLinks, gcs, pn.RecursiveKeys())
 	if err != nil {
 		errors = true
-		output <- Result{Error: err}
+		select {
+		case output <- Result{Error: err}:
+		case <-ctx.Done():
+			return nil, ctx.Err()
+		}
 	}
 
 	bestEffortGetLinks := func(ctx context.Context, cid cid.Cid) ([]*ipld.Link, error) {
 		links, err := ipld.GetLinks(ctx, ng, cid)
 		if err != nil && err != ipld.ErrNotFound {
 			errors = true
-			output <- Result{Error: &CannotFetchLinksError{cid, err}}
+			select {
+			case output <- Result{Error: &CannotFetchLinksError{cid, err}}:
+			case <-ctx.Done():
+				return nil, ctx.Err()
+			}
 		}
 		return links, nil
 	}
 	err = Descendants(ctx, bestEffortGetLinks, gcs, bestEffortRoots)
 	if err != nil {
 		errors = true
-		output <- Result{Error: err}
+		select {
+		case output <- Result{Error: err}:
+		case <-ctx.Done():
+			return nil, ctx.Err()
+		}
 	}
 
 	for _, k := range pn.DirectKeys() {
@@ -208,7 +237,11 @@ func ColoredSet(ctx context.Context, pn pin.Pinner, ng ipld.NodeGetter, bestEffo
 	err = Descendants(ctx, getLinks, gcs, pn.InternalPins())
 	if err != nil {
 		errors = true
-		output <- Result{Error: err}
+		select {
+		case output <- Result{Error: err}:
+		case <-ctx.Done():
+			return nil, ctx.Err()
+		}
 	}
 
 	if errors {