diff --git a/tractor/_actor.py b/tractor/_actor.py
index deeda73..43ee2f3 100644
--- a/tractor/_actor.py
+++ b/tractor/_actor.py
@@ -318,7 +318,7 @@ class Actor:
         # @dataclass once we get py3.7
         self.loglevel = loglevel
 
-        self._arb_addr = arbiter_addr
+        self._arb_addr = (str(arbiter_addr[0]), int(arbiter_addr[1])) if arbiter_addr else None
 
         # marked by the process spawning backend at startup
         # will be None for the parent most process started manually
@@ -780,6 +780,7 @@ class Actor:
 
             if self._spawn_method == "trio":
                 # Receive runtime state from our parent
+                parent_data: dict[str, Any]
                 parent_data = await chan.recv()
                 log.debug(
                     "Received state from parent:\n"
@@ -797,12 +798,11 @@ class Actor:
                 for attr, value in parent_data.items():
 
                     if attr == '_arb_addr':
-                        # XXX: msgspec doesn't support serializing tuples
+                        # XXX: ``msgspec`` doesn't support serializing tuples
                         # so just cash manually here since it's what our
                         # internals expect.
-                        self._arb_addr: Tuple[str, int] = (
-                            tuple(value) if value else value
-                        )
+                        value = tuple(value) if value else None
+                        self._arb_addr = value
 
                     else:
                         setattr(self, attr, value)
@@ -1185,12 +1185,13 @@ class Actor:
         parlance.
         """
         await chan.send(self.uid)
-        uid: Tuple[str, str] = tuple(await chan.recv())
+        value = await chan.recv()
+        uid: Tuple[str, str] = (str(value[0]), str(value[1]))
 
         if not isinstance(uid, tuple):
             raise ValueError(f"{uid} is not a valid uid?!")
 
-        chan.uid = uid
+        chan.uid = str(uid[0]), str(uid[1])
         log.runtime(f"Handshake with actor {uid}@{chan.raddr} complete")
         return uid
 
@@ -1208,7 +1209,10 @@ class Arbiter(Actor):
 
     def __init__(self, *args, **kwargs):
 
-        self._registry = defaultdict(list)
+        self._registry: Dict[
+            Tuple[str, str],
+            Tuple[str, int],
+        ] = {}
         self._waiters = {}
 
         super().__init__(*args, **kwargs)
@@ -1222,7 +1226,7 @@ class Arbiter(Actor):
 
     async def get_registry(
         self
-    ) -> Dict[str, Tuple[str, str]]:
+    ) -> Dict[Tuple[str, str], Tuple[str, int]]:
         '''Return current name registry.
 
         This method is async to allow for cross-actor invocation.
@@ -1231,7 +1235,7 @@ class Arbiter(Actor):
         # unpacker since we have tuples as keys (not this makes the
         # arbiter suscetible to hashdos):
         # https://github.com/msgpack/msgpack-python#major-breaking-changes-in-msgpack-10
-        return dict(self._registry)
+        return self._registry
 
     async def wait_for_actor(
         self,
@@ -1260,11 +1264,11 @@ class Arbiter(Actor):
     async def register_actor(
         self,
         uid: Tuple[str, str],
-        sockaddr: Tuple[str, str]
+        sockaddr: Tuple[str, int]
 
     ) -> None:
-        name, uuid = uid = tuple(uid)
-        self._registry[uid] = tuple(sockaddr)
+        uid = name, uuid = (str(uid[0]), str(uid[1]))
+        self._registry[uid] = (str(sockaddr[0]), int(sockaddr[1]))
 
         # pop and signal all waiter events
         events = self._waiters.pop(name, ())
@@ -1277,4 +1281,5 @@ class Arbiter(Actor):
         self,
         uid: Tuple[str, str]
     ) -> None:
-        self._registry.pop(tuple(uid))
+        uid = (str(uid[0]), str(uid[1]))
+        self._registry.pop(uid)
diff --git a/tractor/_ipc.py b/tractor/_ipc.py
index 6296d94..e420509 100644
--- a/tractor/_ipc.py
+++ b/tractor/_ipc.py
@@ -185,7 +185,7 @@ class MsgspecTCPStream(MsgpackTCPStream):
                 # ignore decoding errors for now and assume they have to
                 # do with a channel drop - hope that receiving from the
                 # channel will raise an expected error and bubble up.
-                log.error(f'`msgspec` failed to decode!?\n{msg_bytes}')
+                log.error(f'`msgspec` failed to decode!?')
                 last_decode_failed = True
 
     async def send(self, data: Any) -> None:
diff --git a/tractor/_root.py b/tractor/_root.py
index bbf337a..b153755 100644
--- a/tractor/_root.py
+++ b/tractor/_root.py
@@ -21,8 +21,8 @@ from ._exceptions import is_multi_cancelled
 
 
 # set at startup and after forks
-_default_arbiter_host = '127.0.0.1'
-_default_arbiter_port = 1616
+_default_arbiter_host: str = '127.0.0.1'
+_default_arbiter_port: int = 1616
 
 
 logger = log.get_logger('tractor')
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ logger = log.get_logger('tractor')
 async def open_root_actor(
 
     # defaults are above
-    arbiter_addr: Tuple[str, int] = (
+    arbiter_addr: Optional[Tuple[str, int]] = (
         _default_arbiter_host,
         _default_arbiter_port,
     ),
@@ -95,10 +95,10 @@ async def open_root_actor(
             "Debug mode is only supported for the `trio` backend!"
         )
 
-    arbiter_addr = (host, port) = tuple(arbiter_addr or (
+    arbiter_addr = (host, port) = arbiter_addr or (
         _default_arbiter_host,
         _default_arbiter_port,
-    ))
+    )
 
     loglevel = loglevel or log.get_loglevel()
     if loglevel is not None: