diff --git a/tractor/_ipc.py b/tractor/_ipc.py
index 6051a15..5989a2e 100644
--- a/tractor/_ipc.py
+++ b/tractor/_ipc.py
@@ -3,10 +3,11 @@ Inter-process comms abstractions
 
 """
 import platform
+import struct
 import typing
-from typing import Any, Tuple, Optional, Callable
-from functools import partial
+from typing import Any, Tuple, Optional
 
+from tricycle import BufferedReceiveStream
 import msgpack
 import msgspec
 import trio
@@ -18,20 +19,11 @@ log = get_logger(__name__)
 
 
 _is_windows = platform.system() == 'Windows'
-
-# :eyeroll:
-try:
-    import msgpack_numpy
-    Unpacker = msgpack_numpy.Unpacker
-except ImportError:
-    # just plain ``msgpack`` requires tweaking key settings
-    Unpacker = partial(msgpack.Unpacker, strict_map_key=False)
-
-
+log = get_logger(__name__)
 ms_decode = msgspec.Encoder().encode
 
 
-class MsgpackTCPStream:
+class MsgpackStream:
     '''A ``trio.SocketStream`` delivering ``msgpack`` formatted data
     using ``msgpack-python``.
 
@@ -39,6 +31,7 @@ class MsgpackTCPStream:
     def __init__(
         self,
         stream: trio.SocketStream,
+
     ) -> None:
 
         self.stream = stream
@@ -62,11 +55,10 @@ class MsgpackTCPStream:
     async def _iter_packets(self) -> typing.AsyncGenerator[dict, None]:
         """Yield packets from the underlying stream.
         """
-        unpacker = Unpacker(
+        unpacker = msgpack.Unpacker(
             raw=False,
             use_list=False,
         )
-        # decoder = msgspec.Decoder()  #dict[str, Any])
         while True:
             try:
                 data = await self.stream.receive_some(2**10)
@@ -101,7 +93,6 @@ class MsgpackTCPStream:
                     f'transport {self} was already closed prior ro read'
                 )
 
-            # yield decoder.decode(data)
             unpacker.feed(data)
             for packet in unpacker:
                 yield packet
@@ -118,8 +109,7 @@ class MsgpackTCPStream:
     async def send(self, data: Any) -> None:
         async with self._send_lock:
             return await self.stream.send_all(
-                # msgpack.dumps(data, use_bin_type=True))
-                ms_decode(data)
+                msgpack.dumps(data, use_bin_type=True)
             )
 
     async def recv(self) -> Any:
@@ -132,27 +122,95 @@ class MsgpackTCPStream:
         return self.stream.socket.fileno() != -1
 
 
+class MsgspecStream(MsgpackStream):
+    '''A ``trio.SocketStream`` delivering ``msgpack`` formatted data
+    using ``msgspec``.
+
+    '''
+    ms_encode = msgspec.Encoder().encode
+
+    def __init__(
+        self,
+        stream: trio.SocketStream,
+        prefix_size: int = 4,
+
+    ) -> None:
+        super().__init__(stream)
+        self.recv_stream = BufferedReceiveStream(transport_stream=stream)
+        self.prefix_size = prefix_size
+
+    async def _iter_packets(self) -> typing.AsyncGenerator[dict, None]:
+        """Yield packets from the underlying stream.
+        """
+        decoder = msgspec.Decoder()  # dict[str, Any])
+
+        while True:
+            try:
+                header = await self.recv_stream.receive_exactly(4)
+                if header is None:
+                    continue
+
+                if header == b'':
+                    log.debug(f"Stream connection {self.raddr} was closed")
+                    return
+
+                size, = struct.unpack("<I", header)
+
+                log.trace(f'received header {size}')
+
+                msg_bytes = await self.recv_stream.receive_exactly(size)
+
+            # the value error here is to catch a connect with immediate
+            # disconnect that will cause an EOF error inside `tricycle`.
+            except (ValueError, trio.BrokenResourceError):
+                log.warning(f"Stream connection {self.raddr} broke")
+                return
+
+            log.trace(f"received {msg_bytes}")  # type: ignore
+            yield decoder.decode(msg_bytes)
+
+    async def send(self, data: Any) -> None:
+        async with self._send_lock:
+
+            bytes_data = self.ms_encode(data)
+
+            # supposedly the fastest says,
+            # https://stackoverflow.com/a/54027962
+            size: int = struct.pack("<I", len(bytes_data))
+
+            return await self.stream.send_all(size + bytes_data)
+
+
 class Channel:
     """An inter-process channel for communication between (remote) actors.
 
     Currently the only supported transport is a ``trio.SocketStream``.
     """
     def __init__(
+
         self,
         destaddr: Optional[Tuple[str, int]] = None,
         on_reconnect: typing.Callable[..., typing.Awaitable] = None,
         auto_reconnect: bool = False,
         stream: trio.SocketStream = None,  # expected to be active
 
+        # stream_serializer: type = MsgpackStream,
+        stream_serializer_type: type = MsgspecStream,
+
     ) -> None:
+
         self._recon_seq = on_reconnect
         self._autorecon = auto_reconnect
-        self.msgstream: Optional[MsgpackTCPStream] = MsgpackTCPStream(
+
+        self.stream_serializer_type = stream_serializer_type
+        self.msgstream: Optional[type] = stream_serializer_type(
             stream) if stream else None
+
         if self.msgstream and destaddr:
             raise ValueError(
                 f"A stream was provided with local addr {self.laddr}"
             )
+
         self._destaddr = self.msgstream.raddr if self.msgstream else destaddr
         # set after handshake - always uid of far end
         self.uid: Optional[Tuple[str, str]] = None
@@ -195,7 +253,7 @@ class Channel:
             *destaddr,
             **kwargs
         )
-        self.msgstream = MsgpackTCPStream(stream)
+        self.msgstream = self.stream_serializer_type(stream)
 
         log.transport(
             f'Opened channel to peer {self.laddr} -> {self.raddr}'