diff --git a/.changeset/thirty-pots-lay.md b/.changeset/thirty-pots-lay.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..e5cbade3ba4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/thirty-pots-lay.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+"@remix-run/server-runtime": patch
+---
+
+Make the loadContext parameter not optional so that augmenting AppLoadContext does not require checking if the context is undefined
diff --git a/contributors.yml b/contributors.yml
index 27682b60675..3e5f92aa748 100644
--- a/contributors.yml
+++ b/contributors.yml
@@ -204,6 +204,7 @@
 - juliaqiuxy
 - justinnoel
 - justinsalasdev
+- justinwaite
 - justsml
 - juwiragiye
 - jveldridge
diff --git a/packages/remix-server-runtime/data.ts b/packages/remix-server-runtime/data.ts
index 82c54f7bf80..f5a6ca0f1fe 100644
--- a/packages/remix-server-runtime/data.ts
+++ b/packages/remix-server-runtime/data.ts
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ export async function callRouteAction({
   match,
   request,
 }: {
-  loadContext?: AppLoadContext;
+  loadContext: AppLoadContext;
   match: RouteMatch<ServerRoute>;
   request: Request;
 }) {
@@ -67,7 +67,7 @@ export async function callRouteLoader({
 }: {
   request: Request;
   match: RouteMatch<ServerRoute>;
-  loadContext?: AppLoadContext;
+  loadContext: AppLoadContext;
 }) {
   let loader = match.route.module.loader;
 
diff --git a/packages/remix-server-runtime/routeModules.ts b/packages/remix-server-runtime/routeModules.ts
index ffea0987576..b6bdf23c74a 100644
--- a/packages/remix-server-runtime/routeModules.ts
+++ b/packages/remix-server-runtime/routeModules.ts
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ export interface RouteModules<RouteModule> {
  */
 export interface DataFunctionArgs {
   request: Request;
-  context?: AppLoadContext;
+  context: AppLoadContext;
   params: Params;
 }
 
diff --git a/packages/remix-server-runtime/server.ts b/packages/remix-server-runtime/server.ts
index 33cc2dd22a1..23d38ea1768 100644
--- a/packages/remix-server-runtime/server.ts
+++ b/packages/remix-server-runtime/server.ts
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ export const createRequestHandler: CreateRequestHandlerFunction = (
   let routes = createRoutes(build.routes);
   let serverMode = isServerMode(mode) ? mode : ServerMode.Production;
 
-  return async function requestHandler(request, loadContext) {
+  return async function requestHandler(request, loadContext = {}) {
     let url = new URL(request.url);
     let matches = matchServerRoutes(routes, url.pathname);
 
@@ -82,7 +82,7 @@ async function handleDataRequest({
   serverMode,
 }: {
   handleDataRequest?: HandleDataRequestFunction;
-  loadContext?: AppLoadContext;
+  loadContext: AppLoadContext;
   matches: RouteMatch<ServerRoute>[];
   request: Request;
   serverMode: ServerMode;
@@ -180,7 +180,7 @@ async function handleDocumentRequest({
   serverMode,
 }: {
   build: ServerBuild;
-  loadContext?: AppLoadContext;
+  loadContext: AppLoadContext;
   matches: RouteMatch<ServerRoute>[] | null;
   request: Request;
   routes: ServerRoute[];
@@ -516,7 +516,7 @@ async function handleResourceRequest({
   serverMode,
 }: {
   request: Request;
-  loadContext?: AppLoadContext;
+  loadContext: AppLoadContext;
   matches: RouteMatch<ServerRoute>[];
   serverMode: ServerMode;
 }): Promise<Response> {