diff --git a/core/jvm-native/src/main/scala/cats/effect/unsafe/PollingSystem.scala b/core/jvm-native/src/main/scala/cats/effect/unsafe/PollingSystem.scala
index 5a11d598b2..17046cd6cd 100644
--- a/core/jvm-native/src/main/scala/cats/effect/unsafe/PollingSystem.scala
+++ b/core/jvm-native/src/main/scala/cats/effect/unsafe/PollingSystem.scala
@@ -51,7 +51,7 @@ abstract class PollingSystem {
   /**
    * Creates a new instance of the user-facing interface.
    */
-  def makeApi(provider: PollerProvider[Poller]): Api
+  def makeApi(ctx: PollingContext[Poller]): Api
 
   /**
    * Creates a new instance of the thread-local data structure used for polling.
@@ -104,7 +104,7 @@ abstract class PollingSystem {
 
 }
 
-trait PollerProvider[P] {
+trait PollingContext[P] {
 
   /**
    * Register a callback to obtain a thread-local `Poller`
diff --git a/core/jvm/src/main/scala/cats/effect/unsafe/SelectorSystem.scala b/core/jvm/src/main/scala/cats/effect/unsafe/SelectorSystem.scala
index c5f5e011ef..fbf6da0065 100644
--- a/core/jvm/src/main/scala/cats/effect/unsafe/SelectorSystem.scala
+++ b/core/jvm/src/main/scala/cats/effect/unsafe/SelectorSystem.scala
@@ -31,8 +31,8 @@ final class SelectorSystem private (selectorProvider: SelectorProvider) extends
 
   def close(): Unit = ()
 
-  def makeApi(provider: PollerProvider[Poller]): Selector =
-    new SelectorImpl(provider, selectorProvider)
+  def makeApi(ctx: PollingContext[Poller]): Selector =
+    new SelectorImpl(ctx, selectorProvider)
 
   def makePoller(): Poller = new Poller(selectorProvider.openSelector())
 
@@ -100,13 +100,13 @@ final class SelectorSystem private (selectorProvider: SelectorProvider) extends
   }
 
   final class SelectorImpl private[SelectorSystem] (
-      pollerProvider: PollerProvider[Poller],
+      ctx: PollingContext[Poller],
       val provider: SelectorProvider
   ) extends Selector {
 
     def select(ch: SelectableChannel, ops: Int): IO[Int] = IO.async { selectCb =>
       IO.async_[Option[IO[Unit]]] { cb =>
-        pollerProvider.accessPoller { poller =>
+        ctx.accessPoller { poller =>
           try {
             val selector = poller.selector
             val key = ch.keyFor(selector)
@@ -123,7 +123,7 @@ final class SelectorSystem private (selectorProvider: SelectorProvider) extends
             }
 
             val cancel = IO {
-              if (pollerProvider.ownPoller(poller))
+              if (ctx.ownPoller(poller))
                 node.remove()
               else
                 node.clear()
diff --git a/core/jvm/src/main/scala/cats/effect/unsafe/SleepSystem.scala b/core/jvm/src/main/scala/cats/effect/unsafe/SleepSystem.scala
index 5ca8aae87f..c64c86ee80 100644
--- a/core/jvm/src/main/scala/cats/effect/unsafe/SleepSystem.scala
+++ b/core/jvm/src/main/scala/cats/effect/unsafe/SleepSystem.scala
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ object SleepSystem extends PollingSystem {
 
   def close(): Unit = ()
 
-  def makeApi(provider: PollerProvider[Poller]): Api = this
+  def makeApi(ctx: PollingContext[Poller]): Api = this
 
   def makePoller(): Poller = this
 
diff --git a/core/jvm/src/main/scala/cats/effect/unsafe/WorkStealingThreadPool.scala b/core/jvm/src/main/scala/cats/effect/unsafe/WorkStealingThreadPool.scala
index ea182f78f5..d715e51d5e 100644
--- a/core/jvm/src/main/scala/cats/effect/unsafe/WorkStealingThreadPool.scala
+++ b/core/jvm/src/main/scala/cats/effect/unsafe/WorkStealingThreadPool.scala
@@ -72,7 +72,7 @@ private[effect] final class WorkStealingThreadPool[P <: AnyRef](
     reportFailure0: Throwable => Unit
 ) extends ExecutionContextExecutor
     with Scheduler
-    with PollerProvider[P] {
+    with PollingContext[P] {
 
   import TracingConstants._
   import WorkStealingThreadPoolConstants._
diff --git a/core/native/src/main/scala/cats/effect/unsafe/EpollSystem.scala b/core/native/src/main/scala/cats/effect/unsafe/EpollSystem.scala
index b32660aabf..fa7b299337 100644
--- a/core/native/src/main/scala/cats/effect/unsafe/EpollSystem.scala
+++ b/core/native/src/main/scala/cats/effect/unsafe/EpollSystem.scala
@@ -47,8 +47,8 @@ object EpollSystem extends PollingSystem {
 
   def close(): Unit = ()
 
-  def makeApi(provider: PollerProvider[Poller]): Api =
-    new FileDescriptorPollerImpl(provider)
+  def makeApi(ctx: PollingContext[Poller]): Api =
+    new FileDescriptorPollerImpl(ctx)
 
   def makePoller(): Poller = {
     val fd = epoll_create1(0)
@@ -67,7 +67,7 @@ object EpollSystem extends PollingSystem {
   def interrupt(targetThread: Thread, targetPoller: Poller): Unit = ()
 
   private final class FileDescriptorPollerImpl private[EpollSystem] (
-      provider: PollerProvider[Poller])
+      ctx: PollingContext[Poller])
       extends FileDescriptorPoller {
 
     def registerFileDescriptor(
@@ -78,7 +78,7 @@ object EpollSystem extends PollingSystem {
       Resource {
         (Mutex[IO], Mutex[IO]).flatMapN { (readMutex, writeMutex) =>
           IO.async_[(PollHandle, IO[Unit])] { cb =>
-            provider.accessPoller { epoll =>
+            ctx.accessPoller { epoll =>
               val handle = new PollHandle(readMutex, writeMutex)
               epoll.register(fd, reads, writes, handle, cb)
             }
diff --git a/core/native/src/main/scala/cats/effect/unsafe/IORuntimeCompanionPlatform.scala b/core/native/src/main/scala/cats/effect/unsafe/IORuntimeCompanionPlatform.scala
index d3f6a78fbf..79f1b823da 100644
--- a/core/native/src/main/scala/cats/effect/unsafe/IORuntimeCompanionPlatform.scala
+++ b/core/native/src/main/scala/cats/effect/unsafe/IORuntimeCompanionPlatform.scala
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ private[unsafe] abstract class IORuntimeCompanionPlatform { this: IORuntime.type
     val loop = new EventLoopExecutorScheduler[system.Poller](64, system)
     val poller = loop.poller
     val api = system.makeApi(
-      new PollerProvider[system.Poller] {
+      new PollingContext[system.Poller] {
         def accessPoller(cb: system.Poller => Unit) = cb(poller)
         def ownPoller(poller: system.Poller) = true
       }
diff --git a/core/native/src/main/scala/cats/effect/unsafe/KqueueSystem.scala b/core/native/src/main/scala/cats/effect/unsafe/KqueueSystem.scala
index 028bca1540..aece3265c2 100644
--- a/core/native/src/main/scala/cats/effect/unsafe/KqueueSystem.scala
+++ b/core/native/src/main/scala/cats/effect/unsafe/KqueueSystem.scala
@@ -46,8 +46,8 @@ object KqueueSystem extends PollingSystem {
 
   def close(): Unit = ()
 
-  def makeApi(provider: PollerProvider[Poller]): FileDescriptorPoller =
-    new FileDescriptorPollerImpl(provider)
+  def makeApi(ctx: PollingContext[Poller]): FileDescriptorPoller =
+    new FileDescriptorPollerImpl(ctx)
 
   def makePoller(): Poller = {
     val fd = kqueue()
@@ -67,7 +67,7 @@ object KqueueSystem extends PollingSystem {
   def interrupt(targetThread: Thread, targetPoller: Poller): Unit = ()
 
   private final class FileDescriptorPollerImpl private[KqueueSystem] (
-      provider: PollerProvider[Poller]
+      ctx: PollingContext[Poller]
   ) extends FileDescriptorPoller {
     def registerFileDescriptor(
         fd: Int,
@@ -76,7 +76,7 @@ object KqueueSystem extends PollingSystem {
     ): Resource[IO, FileDescriptorPollHandle] =
       Resource.eval {
         (Mutex[IO], Mutex[IO]).mapN {
-          new PollHandle(provider, fd, _, _)
+          new PollHandle(ctx, fd, _, _)
         }
       }
   }
@@ -86,7 +86,7 @@ object KqueueSystem extends PollingSystem {
     (filter.toLong << 32) | ident.toLong
 
   private final class PollHandle(
-      provider: PollerProvider[Poller],
+      ctx: PollingContext[Poller],
       fd: Int,
       readMutex: Mutex[IO],
       writeMutex: Mutex[IO]
@@ -101,7 +101,7 @@ object KqueueSystem extends PollingSystem {
             else
               IO.async[Unit] { kqcb =>
                 IO.async_[Option[IO[Unit]]] { cb =>
-                  provider.accessPoller { kqueue =>
+                  ctx.accessPoller { kqueue =>
                     kqueue.evSet(fd, EVFILT_READ, EV_ADD.toUShort, kqcb)
                     cb(Right(Some(IO(kqueue.removeCallback(fd, EVFILT_READ)))))
                   }
@@ -121,7 +121,7 @@ object KqueueSystem extends PollingSystem {
             else
               IO.async[Unit] { kqcb =>
                 IO.async_[Option[IO[Unit]]] { cb =>
-                  provider.accessPoller { kqueue =>
+                  ctx.accessPoller { kqueue =>
                     kqueue.evSet(fd, EVFILT_WRITE, EV_ADD.toUShort, kqcb)
                     cb(Right(Some(IO(kqueue.removeCallback(fd, EVFILT_WRITE)))))
                   }
diff --git a/core/native/src/main/scala/cats/effect/unsafe/PollingExecutorScheduler.scala b/core/native/src/main/scala/cats/effect/unsafe/PollingExecutorScheduler.scala
index 617d876a8b..29abf9f6c4 100644
--- a/core/native/src/main/scala/cats/effect/unsafe/PollingExecutorScheduler.scala
+++ b/core/native/src/main/scala/cats/effect/unsafe/PollingExecutorScheduler.scala
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ abstract class PollingExecutorScheduler(pollEvery: Int)
       type Poller = outer.type
       private[this] var needsPoll = true
       def close(): Unit = ()
-      def makeApi(provider: PollerProvider[Poller]): Api = outer
+      def makeApi(ctx: PollingContext[Poller]): Api = outer
       def makePoller(): Poller = outer
       def closePoller(poller: Poller): Unit = ()
       def poll(poller: Poller, nanos: Long, reportFailure: Throwable => Unit): Boolean = {
diff --git a/core/native/src/main/scala/cats/effect/unsafe/SleepSystem.scala b/core/native/src/main/scala/cats/effect/unsafe/SleepSystem.scala
index c1bf404c94..05ec62ec72 100644
--- a/core/native/src/main/scala/cats/effect/unsafe/SleepSystem.scala
+++ b/core/native/src/main/scala/cats/effect/unsafe/SleepSystem.scala
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ object SleepSystem extends PollingSystem {
 
   def close(): Unit = ()
 
-  def makeApi(provider: PollerProvider[Poller]): Api = this
+  def makeApi(ctx: PollingContext[Poller]): Api = this
 
   def makePoller(): Poller = this
 
diff --git a/tests/jvm/src/test/scala/cats/effect/IOPlatformSpecification.scala b/tests/jvm/src/test/scala/cats/effect/IOPlatformSpecification.scala
index 1603ff0b52..8bd2dfc1cd 100644
--- a/tests/jvm/src/test/scala/cats/effect/IOPlatformSpecification.scala
+++ b/tests/jvm/src/test/scala/cats/effect/IOPlatformSpecification.scala
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ import cats.effect.std.Semaphore
 import cats.effect.unsafe.{
   IORuntime,
   IORuntimeConfig,
-  PollerProvider,
+  PollingContext,
   PollingSystem,
   SleepSystem,
   WorkStealingThreadPool
@@ -514,10 +514,10 @@ trait IOPlatformSpecification extends DetectPlatform { self: BaseSpec with Scala
             }
           }
 
-          def makeApi(provider: PollerProvider[Poller]): DummySystem.Api =
+          def makeApi(ctx: PollingContext[Poller]): DummySystem.Api =
             new DummyPoller {
               def poll = IO.async_[Unit] { cb =>
-                provider.accessPoller { poller =>
+                ctx.accessPoller { poller =>
                   poller.getAndUpdate(cb :: _)
                   ()
                 }