diff --git a/tractor/_exceptions.py b/tractor/_exceptions.py
index 8442ecfd..c9449a7b 100644
--- a/tractor/_exceptions.py
+++ b/tractor/_exceptions.py
@@ -126,6 +126,12 @@ class TrioTaskExited(Exception):
     '''
 
 
+class DebugRequestError(RuntimeError):
+    '''
+    Failed to request stdio lock from root actor!
+
+    '''
+
 # NOTE: more or less should be close to these:
 # 'boxed_type',
 # 'src_type',
@@ -191,6 +197,8 @@ def get_err_type(type_name: str) -> BaseException|None:
         ):
             return type_ref
 
+    return None
+
 
 def pack_from_raise(
     local_err: (
@@ -1009,7 +1017,10 @@ class TransportClosed(trio.BrokenResourceError):
                 f'    {cause}\n'  # exc repr
             )
 
-        getattr(log, self._loglevel)(message)
+        getattr(
+            log,
+            self._loglevel
+        )(message)
 
         # some errors we want to blow up from
         # inside the RPC msg loop
diff --git a/tractor/devx/_debug.py b/tractor/devx/_debug.py
index b95640dc..77753ff0 100644
--- a/tractor/devx/_debug.py
+++ b/tractor/devx/_debug.py
@@ -73,6 +73,7 @@ from tractor.log import get_logger
 from tractor._context import Context
 from tractor import _state
 from tractor._exceptions import (
+    DebugRequestError,
     InternalError,
     NoRuntime,
     is_multi_cancelled,
@@ -1740,13 +1741,6 @@ def sigint_shield(
 _pause_msg: str = 'Opening a pdb REPL in paused actor'
 
 
-class DebugRequestError(RuntimeError):
-    '''
-    Failed to request stdio lock from root actor!
-
-    '''
-
-
 _repl_fail_msg: str|None = (
     'Failed to REPl via `_pause()` '
 )