diff --git a/tractor/devx/_stackscope.py b/tractor/devx/_stackscope.py
index aab313eb..8e1605fd 100644
--- a/tractor/devx/_stackscope.py
+++ b/tractor/devx/_stackscope.py
@@ -381,11 +381,13 @@ def enable_stack_on_sig(
                 message=r"coroutine method '(asend|athrow)' .* was never awaited",
             )
             import stackscope
+            _state._runtime_vars['use_stackscope'] = True
     except ImportError:
         log.warning(
             'The `stackscope` lib is not installed!\n'
             '`Ignoring enable_stack_on_sig() call!\n'
         )
+        assert not _state._runtime_vars['use_stackscope']
         return None
 
     # Capture the trio token if we're inside `trio.run`
diff --git a/tractor/runtime/_runtime.py b/tractor/runtime/_runtime.py
index 8b6780cd..1111d30f 100644
--- a/tractor/runtime/_runtime.py
+++ b/tractor/runtime/_runtime.py
@@ -940,32 +940,30 @@ class Actor:
                 # `tractor._testing.pytest`'s `--enable-stackscope`
                 # CLI flag — env var propagates via fork-inherited
                 # environ).
-                import os
-                if (
-                    rvs['_debug_mode']
-                    or
-                    os.environ.get('TRACTOR_ENABLE_STACKSCOPE')
-                ):
-                    from ..devx import (
-                        enable_stack_on_sig,
-                        maybe_init_greenback,
-                    )
-                    try:
-                        # TODO: maybe return some status msgs upward
-                        # to that we can emit them in `con_status`
-                        # instead?
-                        log.devx(
-                            'Enabling `stackscope` traces on SIGUSR1'
-                        )
-                        enable_stack_on_sig()
+                if rvs['_debug_mode']:
+                    if (
+                        rvs.get('use_stackscope')
+                        or
+                        os.environ.get('TRACTOR_ENABLE_STACKSCOPE')
+                    ):
+                        from ..devx import enable_stack_on_sig
+                        try:
+                            # TODO: maybe return some status msgs upward
+                            # to that we can emit them in `con_status`
+                            # instead?
+                            log.devx(
+                                'Enabling `stackscope` traces on SIGUSR1'
+                            )
+                            enable_stack_on_sig()
 
-                    except ImportError:
-                        log.warning(
-                            '`stackscope` not installed for use in '
-                            'debug mode / `--enable-stackscope`!'
-                        )
+                        except ImportError:
+                            log.warning(
+                                '`stackscope` not installed for use in '
+                                'debug mode / `--enable-stackscope`!'
+                            )
 
                     if rvs.get('use_greenback', False):
+                        from ..devx import maybe_init_greenback
                         maybe_mod: ModuleType|None = await maybe_init_greenback()
                         if maybe_mod:
                             log.devx(
diff --git a/tractor/runtime/_state.py b/tractor/runtime/_state.py
index b9316448..11e0c0fd 100644
--- a/tractor/runtime/_state.py
+++ b/tractor/runtime/_state.py
@@ -93,6 +93,7 @@ class RuntimeVars(Struct):
     repl_fixture: bool|Callable = False  # |AbstractContextManager[bool]
     # for `tractor.pause_from_sync()` & `breakpoint()` support
     use_greenback: bool = False
+    use_stackscope: bool = False
 
     # infected-`asyncio`-mode: `trio` running as guest.
     _is_infected_aio: bool = False
@@ -139,8 +140,9 @@ _RUNTIME_VARS_DEFAULTS: dict[str, Any] = {
     # `debug_mode: bool` settings
     '_debug_mode': False,  # bool
     'repl_fixture': False,  # |AbstractContextManager[bool]
-    # for `tractor.pause_from_sync()` & `breakpoint()` support
-    'use_greenback': False,
+    
+    'use_greenback': False,  # `.pause_from_sync()`/`breakpoint()`
+    'use_stackscope': False,  # trio-task-stack dumps on SIGUSR1
 
     # infected-`asyncio`-mode: `trio` running as guest.
     '_is_infected_aio': False,