diff --git a/binary-compatibility-validator/reference-public-api/kotlinx-coroutines-core.txt b/binary-compatibility-validator/reference-public-api/kotlinx-coroutines-core.txt
index b10a802492..6a5a4615f6 100644
--- a/binary-compatibility-validator/reference-public-api/kotlinx-coroutines-core.txt
+++ b/binary-compatibility-validator/reference-public-api/kotlinx-coroutines-core.txt
@@ -202,6 +202,7 @@ public final class kotlinx/coroutines/CoroutineScopeKt {
 	public static final fun MainScope ()Lkotlinx/coroutines/CoroutineScope;
 	public static final fun cancel (Lkotlinx/coroutines/CoroutineScope;)V
 	public static final fun coroutineScope (Lkotlin/jvm/functions/Function2;Lkotlin/coroutines/Continuation;)Ljava/lang/Object;
+	public static final fun ensureActive (Lkotlinx/coroutines/CoroutineScope;)V
 	public static final fun isActive (Lkotlinx/coroutines/CoroutineScope;)Z
 	public static final fun plus (Lkotlinx/coroutines/CoroutineScope;Lkotlin/coroutines/CoroutineContext;)Lkotlinx/coroutines/CoroutineScope;
 }
@@ -350,6 +351,8 @@ public final class kotlinx/coroutines/JobKt {
 	public static synthetic fun cancelChildren$default (Lkotlinx/coroutines/Job;Ljava/lang/Throwable;ILjava/lang/Object;)V
 	public static final fun cancelFutureOnCancellation (Lkotlinx/coroutines/CancellableContinuation;Ljava/util/concurrent/Future;)V
 	public static final fun cancelFutureOnCompletion (Lkotlinx/coroutines/Job;Ljava/util/concurrent/Future;)Lkotlinx/coroutines/DisposableHandle;
+	public static final fun ensureActive (Lkotlin/coroutines/CoroutineContext;)V
+	public static final fun ensureActive (Lkotlinx/coroutines/Job;)V
 	public static final fun isActive (Lkotlin/coroutines/CoroutineContext;)Z
 }
 
diff --git a/kotlinx-coroutines-core/common/src/CoroutineScope.kt b/kotlinx-coroutines-core/common/src/CoroutineScope.kt
index 178163ca32..b88f5e8a05 100644
--- a/kotlinx-coroutines-core/common/src/CoroutineScope.kt
+++ b/kotlinx-coroutines-core/common/src/CoroutineScope.kt
@@ -209,3 +209,19 @@ public inline fun CoroutineScope.cancel() {
     val job = coroutineContext[Job] ?: error("Scope cannot be cancelled because it does not have a job: $this")
     job.cancel()
 }
+
+/**
+ * Ensures that current scope is [active][CoroutineScope.isActive].
+ * Throws [IllegalStateException] if the context does not have a job in it.
+ *
+ * If the job is no longer active, throws [CancellationException].
+ * If the job was cancelled, thrown exception contains the original cancellation cause.
+ *
+ * This method is a drop-in replacement for the following code, but with more precise exception:
+ * ```
+ * if (!isActive) {
+ *     throw CancellationException()
+ * }
+ * ```
+ */
+public fun CoroutineScope.ensureActive(): Unit = coroutineContext.ensureActive()
diff --git a/kotlinx-coroutines-core/common/src/Job.kt b/kotlinx-coroutines-core/common/src/Job.kt
index a428de8595..3fe1768657 100644
--- a/kotlinx-coroutines-core/common/src/Job.kt
+++ b/kotlinx-coroutines-core/common/src/Job.kt
@@ -536,6 +536,41 @@ public fun CoroutineContext.cancel(): Unit {
     this[Job]?.cancel()
 }
 
+/**
+ * Ensures that current job is [active][Job.isActive].
+ * If the job is no longer active, throws [CancellationException].
+ * If the job was cancelled, thrown exception contains the original cancellation cause.
+ *
+ * This method is a drop-in replacement for the following code, but with more precise exception:
+ * ```
+ * if (!job.isActive) {
+ *     throw CancellationException()
+ * }
+ * ```
+ */
+public fun Job.ensureActive(): Unit {
+    if (!isActive) throw getCancellationException()
+}
+
+/**
+ * Ensures that job in the current context is [active][Job.isActive].
+ * Throws [IllegalStateException] if the context does not have a job in it.
+ *
+ * If the job is no longer active, throws [CancellationException].
+ * If the job was cancelled, thrown exception contains the original cancellation cause.
+ *
+ * This method is a drop-in replacement for the following code, but with more precise exception:
+ * ```
+ * if (!isActive) {
+ *     throw CancellationException()
+ * }
+ * ```
+ */
+public fun CoroutineContext.ensureActive(): Unit {
+    val job = get(Job) ?: error("Context cannot be checked for liveness because it does not have a job: $this")
+    job.ensureActive()
+}
+
 /**
  * @suppress
  */
diff --git a/kotlinx-coroutines-core/common/test/EnsureActiveTest.kt b/kotlinx-coroutines-core/common/test/EnsureActiveTest.kt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..716be629e8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/kotlinx-coroutines-core/common/test/EnsureActiveTest.kt
@@ -0,0 +1,77 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright 2016-2019 JetBrains s.r.o. Use of this source code is governed by the Apache 2.0 license.
+ */
+
+package kotlinx.coroutines
+
+import kotlin.test.*
+
+class EnsureActiveTest : TestBase() {
+
+    private val job = Job()
+    private val scope = CoroutineScope(job + CoroutineExceptionHandler { _, _ ->  })
+
+    @Test
+    fun testIsActive() = runTest {
+        expect(1)
+        scope.launch(Dispatchers.Unconfined) {
+            ensureActive()
+            coroutineContext.ensureActive()
+            coroutineContext[Job]!!.ensureActive()
+            expect(2)
+            delay(Long.MAX_VALUE)
+        }
+
+        expect(3)
+        job.ensureActive()
+        scope.ensureActive()
+        scope.coroutineContext.ensureActive()
+        job.cancelAndJoin()
+        finish(4)
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    fun testIsCompleted() = runTest {
+        expect(1)
+        scope.launch(Dispatchers.Unconfined) {
+            ensureActive()
+            coroutineContext.ensureActive()
+            coroutineContext[Job]!!.ensureActive()
+            expect(2)
+        }
+
+        expect(3)
+        job.complete()
+        job.join()
+        assertFailsWith<JobCancellationException> { job.ensureActive() }
+        assertFailsWith<JobCancellationException> { scope.ensureActive() }
+        assertFailsWith<JobCancellationException> { scope.coroutineContext.ensureActive() }
+        finish(4)
+    }
+
+
+    @Test
+    fun testIsCancelled() = runTest {
+        expect(1)
+        scope.launch(Dispatchers.Unconfined) {
+            ensureActive()
+            coroutineContext.ensureActive()
+            coroutineContext[Job]!!.ensureActive()
+            expect(2)
+            throw TestException()
+        }
+
+        expect(3)
+        checkException { job.ensureActive() }
+        checkException { scope.ensureActive() }
+        checkException { scope.coroutineContext.ensureActive() }
+        finish(4)
+    }
+
+    private inline fun checkException(block: () -> Unit) {
+        val result = runCatching(block)
+        val exception = result.exceptionOrNull() ?: fail()
+        assertTrue(exception is JobCancellationException)
+        assertTrue(exception.cause is TestException)
+    }
+}