diff --git a/tests/test_cancellation.py b/tests/test_cancellation.py
index 1ff7f23..458607d 100644
--- a/tests/test_cancellation.py
+++ b/tests/test_cancellation.py
@@ -137,7 +137,7 @@ def test_cancel_single_subactor(arb_addr, mechanism):
             portal = await nursery.start_actor(
                 'nothin', rpc_module_paths=[__name__],
             )
-            assert (await portal.run(__name__, 'do_nothing')) is None
+            assert (await portal.run(do_nothing)) is None
 
             if mechanism == 'nursery_cancel':
                 # would hang otherwise
@@ -173,7 +173,7 @@ async def test_cancel_infinite_streamer(start_method):
 
             # this async for loop streams values from the above
             # async generator running in a separate process
-            async for letter in await portal.run(__name__, 'stream_forever'):
+            async for letter in await portal.run(stream_forever):
                 print(letter)
 
     # we support trio's cancellation system
@@ -247,7 +247,8 @@ async def test_some_cancels_all(num_actors_and_errs, start_method, loglevel):
                     # if this function fails then we should error here
                     # and the nursery should teardown all other actors
                     try:
-                        await portal.run(__name__, func.__name__, **kwargs)
+                        await portal.run(func, **kwargs)
+
                     except tractor.RemoteActorError as err:
                         assert err.type == err_type
                         # we only expect this first error to propogate
diff --git a/tests/test_pubsub.py b/tests/test_pubsub.py
index b963cdb..e55b1d5 100644
--- a/tests/test_pubsub.py
+++ b/tests/test_pubsub.py
@@ -58,7 +58,7 @@ async def subs(
 
     async with tractor.find_actor(pub_actor_name) as portal:
         stream = await portal.run(
-            __name__, 'pubber',
+            pubber,
             topics=which,
             seed=seed,
         )
@@ -76,7 +76,7 @@ async def subs(
         await stream.aclose()
 
         stream = await portal.run(
-            __name__, 'pubber',
+            pubber,
             topics=['odd'],
             seed=seed,
         )
diff --git a/tests/test_spawning.py b/tests/test_spawning.py
index 0f9db30..a8da2c1 100644
--- a/tests/test_spawning.py
+++ b/tests/test_spawning.py
@@ -70,9 +70,9 @@ async def test_movie_theatre_convo(start_method):
             rpc_module_paths=[__name__],
         )
 
-        print(await portal.run(__name__, 'movie_theatre_question'))
+        print(await portal.run(movie_theatre_question))
         # call the subactor a 2nd time
-        print(await portal.run(__name__, 'movie_theatre_question'))
+        print(await portal.run(movie_theatre_question))
 
         # the async with will block here indefinitely waiting
         # for our actor "frank" to complete, we cancel 'frank'
diff --git a/tests/test_streaming.py b/tests/test_streaming.py
index 1a48479..45fbd5b 100644
--- a/tests/test_streaming.py
+++ b/tests/test_streaming.py
@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@ async def context_stream(ctx, sequence):
     assert cs.cancelled_caught
 
 
-async def stream_from_single_subactor(stream_func_name):
+async def stream_from_single_subactor(stream_func):
     """Verify we can spawn a daemon actor and retrieve streamed data.
     """
     async with tractor.find_actor('streamerd') as portals:
@@ -67,8 +67,7 @@ async def stream_from_single_subactor(stream_func_name):
                 seq = range(10)
 
                 stream = await portal.run(
-                    __name__,
-                    stream_func_name,  # one of the funcs above
+                    stream_func,  # one of the funcs above
                     sequence=list(seq),  # has to be msgpack serializable
                 )
                 # it'd sure be nice to have an asyncitertools here...
@@ -96,7 +95,7 @@ async def stream_from_single_subactor(stream_func_name):
 
 
 @pytest.mark.parametrize(
-    'stream_func', ['async_gen_stream', 'context_stream']
+    'stream_func', [async_gen_stream, context_stream]
 )
 def test_stream_from_single_subactor(arb_addr, start_method, stream_func):
     """Verify streaming from a spawned async generator.
@@ -104,7 +103,7 @@ def test_stream_from_single_subactor(arb_addr, start_method, stream_func):
     tractor.run(
         partial(
             stream_from_single_subactor,
-            stream_func_name=stream_func,
+            stream_func=stream_func,
         ),
         arbiter_addr=arb_addr,
         start_method=start_method,