diff --git a/tractor/_spawn.py b/tractor/_spawn.py
index a3e3194e..1faadd73 100644
--- a/tractor/_spawn.py
+++ b/tractor/_spawn.py
@@ -34,9 +34,9 @@ from typing import (
 import trio
 from trio import TaskStatus
 
-from .devx.debug import (
-    maybe_wait_for_debugger,
-    acquire_debug_lock,
+from .devx import (
+    debug,
+    pformat as _pformat
 )
 from tractor._state import (
     current_actor,
@@ -51,14 +51,17 @@ from tractor._portal import Portal
 from tractor._runtime import Actor
 from tractor._entry import _mp_main
 from tractor._exceptions import ActorFailure
-from tractor.msg.types import (
-    Aid,
-    SpawnSpec,
+from tractor.msg import (
+    types as msgtypes,
+    pretty_struct,
 )
 
 
 if TYPE_CHECKING:
-    from ipc import IPCServer
+    from ipc import (
+        _server,
+        Channel,
+    )
     from ._supervise import ActorNursery
     ProcessType = TypeVar('ProcessType', mp.Process, trio.Process)
 
@@ -328,20 +331,21 @@ async def soft_kill(
     see `.hard_kill()`).
 
     '''
-    peer_aid: Aid = portal.channel.aid
+    chan: Channel = portal.channel
+    peer_aid: msgtypes.Aid = chan.aid
     try:
         log.cancel(
             f'Soft killing sub-actor via portal request\n'
             f'\n'
-            f'(c=> {peer_aid}\n'
-            f'  |_{proc}\n'
+            f'c)=> {peer_aid.reprol()}@[{chan.maddr}]\n'
+            f'   |_{proc}\n'
         )
         # wait on sub-proc to signal termination
         await wait_func(proc)
 
     except trio.Cancelled:
         with trio.CancelScope(shield=True):
-            await maybe_wait_for_debugger(
+            await debug.maybe_wait_for_debugger(
                 child_in_debug=_runtime_vars.get(
                     '_debug_mode', False
                 ),
@@ -465,7 +469,7 @@ async def trio_proc(
         "--uid",
         # TODO, how to pass this over "wire" encodings like
         # cmdline args?
-        # -[ ] maybe we can add an `Aid.min_tuple()` ?
+        # -[ ] maybe we can add an `msgtypes.Aid.min_tuple()` ?
         str(subactor.uid),
         # Address the child must connect to on startup
         "--parent_addr",
@@ -483,13 +487,14 @@ async def trio_proc(
 
     cancelled_during_spawn: bool = False
     proc: trio.Process|None = None
-    ipc_server: IPCServer = actor_nursery._actor.ipc_server
+    ipc_server: _server.Server = actor_nursery._actor.ipc_server
     try:
         try:
             proc: trio.Process = await trio.lowlevel.open_process(spawn_cmd, **proc_kwargs)
             log.runtime(
-                'Started new child\n'
-                f'|_{proc}\n'
+                f'Started new child subproc\n'
+                f'(>\n'
+                f' |_{proc}\n'
             )
 
             # wait for actor to spawn and connect back to us
@@ -507,10 +512,10 @@ async def trio_proc(
                 with trio.CancelScope(shield=True):
                     # don't clobber an ongoing pdb
                     if is_root_process():
-                        await maybe_wait_for_debugger()
+                        await debug.maybe_wait_for_debugger()
 
                     elif proc is not None:
-                        async with acquire_debug_lock(subactor.uid):
+                        async with debug.acquire_debug_lock(subactor.uid):
                             # soft wait on the proc to terminate
                             with trio.move_on_after(0.5):
                                 await proc.wait()
@@ -528,14 +533,19 @@ async def trio_proc(
 
         # send a "spawning specification" which configures the
         # initial runtime state of the child.
-        sspec = SpawnSpec(
+        sspec = msgtypes.SpawnSpec(
             _parent_main_data=subactor._parent_main_data,
             enable_modules=subactor.enable_modules,
             reg_addrs=subactor.reg_addrs,
             bind_addrs=bind_addrs,
             _runtime_vars=_runtime_vars,
         )
-        log.runtime(f'Sending spawn spec: {str(sspec)}')
+        log.runtime(
+            f'Sending spawn spec to child\n'
+            f'{{}}=> {chan.aid.reprol()!r}\n'
+            f'\n'
+            f'{pretty_struct.pformat(sspec)}\n'
+        )
         await chan.send(sspec)
 
         # track subactor in current nursery
@@ -563,7 +573,7 @@ async def trio_proc(
             # condition.
             await soft_kill(
                 proc,
-                trio.Process.wait,
+                trio.Process.wait,  # XXX, uses `pidfd_open()` below.
                 portal
             )
 
@@ -571,8 +581,7 @@ async def trio_proc(
             # tandem if not done already
             log.cancel(
                 'Cancelling portal result reaper task\n'
-                f'>c)\n'
-                f' |_{subactor.uid}\n'
+                f'c)> {subactor.aid.reprol()!r}\n'
             )
             nursery.cancel_scope.cancel()
 
@@ -581,21 +590,24 @@ async def trio_proc(
         # allowed! Do this **after** cancellation/teardown to avoid
         # killing the process too early.
         if proc:
+            reap_repr: str = _pformat.nest_from_op(
+                input_op='>x)',
+                text=subactor.pformat(),
+            )
             log.cancel(
                 f'Hard reap sequence starting for subactor\n'
-                f'>x)\n'
-                f' |_{subactor}@{subactor.uid}\n'
+                f'{reap_repr}'
             )
 
             with trio.CancelScope(shield=True):
                 # don't clobber an ongoing pdb
                 if cancelled_during_spawn:
                     # Try again to avoid TTY clobbering.
-                    async with acquire_debug_lock(subactor.uid):
+                    async with debug.acquire_debug_lock(subactor.uid):
                         with trio.move_on_after(0.5):
                             await proc.wait()
 
-                await maybe_wait_for_debugger(
+                await debug.maybe_wait_for_debugger(
                     child_in_debug=_runtime_vars.get(
                         '_debug_mode', False
                     ),
@@ -624,7 +636,7 @@ async def trio_proc(
                 #     acquire the lock and get notified of who has it,
                 #     check that uid against our known children?
                 # this_uid: tuple[str, str] = current_actor().uid
-                # await acquire_debug_lock(this_uid)
+                # await debug.acquire_debug_lock(this_uid)
 
                 if proc.poll() is None:
                     log.cancel(f"Attempting to hard kill {proc}")
@@ -727,7 +739,7 @@ async def mp_proc(
 
     log.runtime(f"Started {proc}")
 
-    ipc_server: IPCServer = actor_nursery._actor.ipc_server
+    ipc_server: _server.Server = actor_nursery._actor.ipc_server
     try:
         # wait for actor to spawn and connect back to us
         # channel should have handshake completed by the