diff --git a/tractor/_actor.py b/tractor/_actor.py
index cddfb1f..9c89f8e 100644
--- a/tractor/_actor.py
+++ b/tractor/_actor.py
@@ -430,7 +430,10 @@ class Actor:
             uid = await self._do_handshake(chan)
 
         except (
+            # we need this for ``msgspec`` for some reason?
+            # for now, it's been put in the stream backend.
             # trio.BrokenResourceError,
+
             # trio.ClosedResourceError,
             TransportClosed,
         ):
@@ -797,7 +800,7 @@ class Actor:
                         # XXX: msgspec doesn't support serializing tuples
                         # so just cash manually here since it's what our
                         # internals expect.
-                        address: Tuple[str, int] = tuple(value)
+                        address: Tuple[str, int] = tuple(value) if value else value
                         self._arb_addr = address
 
                     else:
diff --git a/tractor/_ipc.py b/tractor/_ipc.py
index f3b08f6..c516189 100644
--- a/tractor/_ipc.py
+++ b/tractor/_ipc.py
@@ -148,7 +148,14 @@ class MsgspecTCPStream(MsgpackTCPStream):
             try:
                 header = await self.recv_stream.receive_exactly(4)
 
-            except (ValueError):
+            except (
+                ValueError,
+
+                # not sure entirely why we need this but without it we
+                # seem to be getting racy failures here on
+                # arbiter/registry name subs..
+                trio.BrokenResourceError,
+            ):
                 raise TransportClosed(
                     f'transport {self} was already closed prior ro read'
                 )