diff --git a/tractor/to_asyncio.py b/tractor/to_asyncio.py
index 258ba515..09f0781c 100644
--- a/tractor/to_asyncio.py
+++ b/tractor/to_asyncio.py
@@ -48,7 +48,7 @@ from tractor._state import (
     _runtime_vars,
 )
 from tractor._context import Unresolved
-from tractor.devx import debug
+from tractor import devx
 from tractor.log import (
     get_logger,
     StackLevelAdapter,
@@ -439,7 +439,23 @@ def _run_asyncio_task(
 
         orig = result = id(coro)
         try:
+            # XXX TODO UGH!
+            # this seems to break a `test_sync_pause_from_aio_task`
+            # in a REALLY weird way where a `dict` value for
+            # `_runtime_vars['_root_addrs']` is delivered from the
+            # parent actor??
+            #
+            # XXX => see masked `.set_trace()` block in
+            # `Actor.from_parent()`..
+            #
+            # with devx.maybe_open_crash_handler(
+            #     # XXX, if trio-side exits (intentionally) we
+            #     # shouldn't care bc it should have its own crash
+            #     # handling logic.
+            #     ignore={TrioTaskExited,},
+            # ) as _bxerr:
             result: Any = await coro
+
             chan._aio_result = result
         except BaseException as aio_err:
             chan._aio_err = aio_err
@@ -546,7 +562,7 @@ def _run_asyncio_task(
     if (
         debug_mode()
         and
-        (greenback := debug.maybe_import_greenback(
+        (greenback := devx.debug.maybe_import_greenback(
             force_reload=True,
             raise_not_found=False,
         ))
@@ -946,7 +962,11 @@ async def translate_aio_errors(
     except BaseException as _trio_err:
         trio_err = chan._trio_err = _trio_err
         # await tractor.pause(shield=True)  # workx!
-        entered: bool = await debug._maybe_enter_pm(
+
+        # !TODO! we need an inter-loop lock here to avoid aio-tasks
+        # clobbering trio ones when both crash in debug-mode!
+        #
+        entered: bool = await devx.debug._maybe_enter_pm(
             trio_err,
             api_frame=inspect.currentframe(),
         )
@@ -1280,10 +1300,17 @@ async def open_channel_from(
     suppress_graceful_exits: bool = True,
     **target_kwargs,
 
-) -> AsyncIterator[Any]:
+) -> AsyncIterator[
+    tuple[LinkedTaskChannel, Any]
+]:
     '''
-    Open an inter-loop linked task channel for streaming between a target
-    spawned ``asyncio`` task and ``trio``.
+    Start an `asyncio.Task` as `target()` and open an inter-loop
+    (linked) channel for streaming between it and the current
+    `trio.Task`.
+
+    A pair `(chan: LinkedTaskChannel, Any)` is delivered to the caller
+    where the 2nd element is the value provided by the
+    `asyncio.Task`'s unblocking call to `chan.started_nowait()`.
 
     '''
     chan: LinkedTaskChannel = _run_asyncio_task(
@@ -1308,6 +1335,7 @@ async def open_channel_from(
 
                     # deliver stream handle upward
                     yield first, chan
+                    # ^TODO! swap these!!
             except trio.Cancelled as taskc:
                 if cs.cancel_called:
                     if isinstance(chan._trio_to_raise, AsyncioCancelled):
@@ -1338,7 +1366,8 @@ async def open_channel_from(
                         )
                     else:
                         # XXX SHOULD NEVER HAPPEN!
-                        await tractor.pause()
+                        log.error("SHOULD NEVER GET HERE !?!?")
+                        await tractor.pause(shield=True)
                 else:
                     chan._to_trio.close()