diff --git a/tests/test_streaming.py b/tests/test_streaming.py
index c7ea4e0..a64515f 100644
--- a/tests/test_streaming.py
+++ b/tests/test_streaming.py
@@ -262,7 +262,7 @@ async def test_respawn_consumer_task(
     spawn_backend,
     loglevel,
 ):
-    """Verify that ``._portal.StreamReceiveChannel.shield_channel()``
+    """Verify that ``._portal.ReceiveStream.shield()``
     sucessfully protects the underlying IPC channel from being closed
     when cancelling and respawning a consumer task.
 
@@ -292,7 +292,7 @@ async def test_respawn_consumer_task(
                 task_status.started(cs)
 
                 # shield stream's underlying channel from cancellation
-                with stream.shield_channel():
+                with stream.shield():
 
                     async for v in stream:
                         print(f'from stream: {v}')
diff --git a/tractor/_portal.py b/tractor/_portal.py
index 50036a8..15d86e3 100644
--- a/tractor/_portal.py
+++ b/tractor/_portal.py
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ Portal api
 import importlib
 import inspect
 import typing
-from typing import Tuple, Any, Dict, Optional, Set
+from typing import Tuple, Any, Dict, Optional, Set, Iterator
 from functools import partial
 from dataclasses import dataclass
 from contextlib import contextmanager
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ async def maybe_open_nursery(
             yield nursery
 
 
-class StreamReceiveChannel(trio.abc.ReceiveChannel):
+class ReceiveStream(trio.abc.ReceiveChannel):
     """A wrapper around a ``trio._channel.MemoryReceiveChannel`` with
     special behaviour for signalling stream termination across an
     inter-actor ``Channel``. This is the type returned to a local task
@@ -86,9 +86,9 @@ class StreamReceiveChannel(trio.abc.ReceiveChannel):
             raise unpack_error(msg, self._portal.channel)
 
     @contextmanager
-    def shield_channel(
+    def shield(
         self
-    ) -> typing.AsyncGenerator['StreamReceiveChannel', None]:
+    ) -> Iterator['ReceiveStream']:  # noqa
         """Shield this stream's underlying channel such that a local consumer task
         can be cancelled (and possibly restarted) using ``trio.Cancelled``.
 
@@ -156,7 +156,7 @@ class Portal:
         self._expect_result: Optional[
             Tuple[str, Any, str, Dict[str, Any]]
         ] = None
-        self._streams: Set[StreamReceiveChannel] = set()
+        self._streams: Set[ReceiveStream] = set()
         self.actor = current_actor()
 
     async def _submit(
@@ -219,7 +219,7 @@ class Portal:
         # to make async-generators the fundamental IPC API over channels!
         # (think `yield from`, `gen.send()`, and functional reactive stuff)
         if resptype == 'yield':  # stream response
-            rchan = StreamReceiveChannel(cid, recv_chan, self)
+            rchan = ReceiveStream(cid, recv_chan, self)
             self._streams.add(rchan)
             return rchan
 
@@ -322,7 +322,7 @@ class LocalPortal:
     A compatibility shim for normal portals but for invoking functions
     using an in process actor instance.
     """
-    actor: 'Actor'  # type: ignore
+    actor: 'Actor'  # type: ignore # noqa
     channel: Channel
 
     async def run(self, ns: str, func_name: str, **kwargs) -> Any: