diff --git a/tractor/trionics/__init__.py b/tractor/trionics/__init__.py
index 2090a6e..22b5bcd 100644
--- a/tractor/trionics/__init__.py
+++ b/tractor/trionics/__init__.py
@@ -18,8 +18,15 @@
 Sugary patterns for trio + tractor designs.
 
 '''
-from ._mngrs import gather_contexts
-from ._broadcast import broadcast_receiver, BroadcastReceiver, Lagged
+from ._mngrs import (
+    gather_contexts,
+    maybe_open_context,
+)
+from ._broadcast import (
+    broadcast_receiver,
+    BroadcastReceiver,
+    Lagged,
+)
 
 
 __all__ = [
@@ -27,4 +34,5 @@ __all__ = [
     'broadcast_receiver',
     'BroadcastReceiver',
     'Lagged',
+    'maybe_open_context',
 ]
diff --git a/tractor/trionics/_mngrs.py b/tractor/trionics/_mngrs.py
index 909fe42..115311e 100644
--- a/tractor/trionics/_mngrs.py
+++ b/tractor/trionics/_mngrs.py
@@ -18,12 +18,25 @@
 Async context manager primitives with hard ``trio``-aware semantics
 
 '''
-from typing import AsyncContextManager, AsyncGenerator
-from typing import TypeVar, Sequence
 from contextlib import asynccontextmanager as acm
+from typing import (
+    Any,
+    AsyncContextManager,
+    AsyncGenerator,
+    Hashable,
+    Optional,
+    Sequence,
+    TypeVar,
+)
 
 import trio
+from trio_typing import TaskStatus
 
+from ..log import get_logger
+from .._state import current_actor
+
+
+log = get_logger(__name__)
 
 # A regular invariant generic type
 T = TypeVar("T")
@@ -92,3 +105,111 @@ async def gather_contexts(
         # we don't need a try/finally since cancellation will be triggered
         # by the surrounding nursery on error.
         parent_exit.set()
+
+
+# Per actor task caching helpers.
+# Further potential examples of interest:
+# https://gist.github.com/njsmith/cf6fc0a97f53865f2c671659c88c1798#file-cache-py-L8
+
+class cache:
+    '''
+    Globally (processs wide) cached, task access to a
+    kept-alive-while-in-use async resource.
+
+    '''
+    lock = trio.Lock()
+    users: int = 0
+    values: dict[Any,  Any] = {}
+    resources: dict[
+        int,
+        Optional[tuple[trio.Nursery, trio.Event]]
+    ] = {}
+    no_more_users: Optional[trio.Event] = None
+
+    @classmethod
+    async def run_ctx(
+        cls,
+        mng,
+        key,
+        task_status: TaskStatus[T] = trio.TASK_STATUS_IGNORED,
+
+    ) -> None:
+        async with mng as value:
+
+            _, no_more_users = cls.resources[id(mng)]
+            cls.values[key] = value
+            task_status.started(value)
+            try:
+                await no_more_users.wait()
+            finally:
+                value = cls.values.pop(key)
+                # discard nursery ref so it won't be re-used (an error)
+                cls.resources.pop(id(mng))
+
+
+@acm
+async def maybe_open_context(
+
+    key: Hashable,
+    mngr: AsyncContextManager[T],
+
+) -> (bool, T):
+    '''
+    Maybe open a context manager if there is not already a cached
+    version for the provided ``key``. Return the cached instance on
+    a cache hit.
+
+    '''
+    await cache.lock.acquire()
+
+    ctx_key = id(mngr)
+
+    value = None
+    try:
+        # lock feed acquisition around task racing  / ``trio``'s
+        # scheduler protocol
+        value = cache.values[key]
+        log.info(f'Reusing cached resource for {key}')
+        cache.users += 1
+        cache.lock.release()
+        yield True, value
+
+    except KeyError:
+        log.info(f'Allocating new resource for {key}')
+
+        # **critical section** that should prevent other tasks from
+        # checking the cache until complete otherwise the scheduler
+        # may switch and by accident we create more then one feed.
+
+        # TODO: avoid pulling from ``tractor`` internals and
+        # instead offer a "root nursery" in piker actors?
+        service_n = current_actor()._service_n
+
+        # TODO: does this need to be a tractor "root nursery"?
+        ln = cache.resources.get(ctx_key)
+        assert not ln
+
+        ln, _ = cache.resources[ctx_key] = (service_n, trio.Event())
+
+        value = await ln.start(cache.run_ctx, mngr, key)
+        cache.users += 1
+        cache.lock.release()
+
+        yield False, value
+
+    finally:
+        cache.users -= 1
+
+        if cache.lock.locked():
+            cache.lock.release()
+
+        if value is not None:
+            # if no more consumers, teardown the client
+            if cache.users <= 0:
+                log.info(f'De-allocating resource for {key}')
+
+                # terminate mngr nursery
+                entry = cache.resources.get(ctx_key)
+                if entry:
+                    _, no_more_users = entry
+                    no_more_users.set()