diff --git a/tractor/_context.py b/tractor/_context.py
index 027f15f..2230598 100644
--- a/tractor/_context.py
+++ b/tractor/_context.py
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@ disjoint, parallel executing tasks in separate actors.
 from __future__ import annotations
 from collections import deque
 from contextlib import asynccontextmanager as acm
+from contextvars import ContextVar
 from dataclasses import (
     dataclass,
     field,
@@ -56,6 +57,7 @@ from ._exceptions import (
 )
 from .log import get_logger
 from .msg import (
+    _codec,
     Error,
     MsgType,
     MsgCodec,
@@ -80,6 +82,9 @@ if TYPE_CHECKING:
     from ._portal import Portal
     from ._runtime import Actor
     from ._ipc import MsgTransport
+    from .devx._code import (
+        CallerInfo,
+    )
 
 
 log = get_logger(__name__)
@@ -499,6 +504,18 @@ class Context:
     _started_called: bool = False
     _stream_opened: bool = False
     _stream: MsgStream|None = None
+    _pld_codec_var: ContextVar[MsgCodec] = ContextVar(
+        'pld_codec',
+        default=_codec._def_msgspec_codec,  # i.e. `Any`-payloads
+    )
+
+    @property
+    def pld_codec(self) -> MsgCodec|None:
+        return self._pld_codec_var.get()
+
+    # caller of `Portal.open_context()` for
+    # logging purposes mostly
+    _caller_info: CallerInfo|None = None
 
     # overrun handling machinery
     # NOTE: none of this provides "backpressure" to the remote
@@ -525,6 +542,7 @@ class Context:
 
     # TODO: figure out how we can enforce this without losing our minds..
     _strict_started: bool = False
+    _cancel_on_msgerr: bool = True
 
     def __str__(self) -> str:
         ds: str = '='
@@ -857,6 +875,7 @@ class Context:
         # TODO: never do this right?
         # if self._remote_error:
         #     return
+        peer_side: str = self.peer_side(self.side)
 
         # XXX: denote and set the remote side's error so that
         # after we cancel whatever task is the opener of this
@@ -864,14 +883,15 @@ class Context:
         # appropriately.
         log.runtime(
             'Setting remote error for ctx\n\n'
-            f'<= remote ctx uid: {self.chan.uid}\n'
-            f'=>{error}'
+            f'<= {peer_side!r}: {self.chan.uid}\n'
+            f'=> {self.side!r}\n\n'
+            f'{error}'
         )
         self._remote_error: BaseException = error
 
         # self-cancel (ack) or,
         # peer propagated remote cancellation.
-        msgtyperr: bool = False
+        msgerr: bool = False
         if isinstance(error, ContextCancelled):
 
             whom: str = (
@@ -884,7 +904,7 @@ class Context:
             )
 
         elif isinstance(error, MsgTypeError):
-            msgtyperr = True
+            msgerr = True
             peer_side: str = self.peer_side(self.side)
             log.error(
                 f'IPC dialog error due to msg-type caused by {peer_side!r} side\n\n'
@@ -935,13 +955,24 @@ class Context:
             and not self._is_self_cancelled()
             and not cs.cancel_called
             and not cs.cancelled_caught
-            and not msgtyperr
+            and (
+                msgerr
+                and
+                # NOTE: allow user to config not cancelling the
+                # local scope on `MsgTypeError`s
+                self._cancel_on_msgerr
+            )
         ):
             # TODO: it'd sure be handy to inject our own
             # `trio.Cancelled` subtype here ;)
             # https://github.com/goodboy/tractor/issues/368
+            log.cancel('Cancelling local `.open_context()` scope!')
             self._scope.cancel()
 
+        else:
+            log.cancel('NOT cancelling local `.open_context()` scope!')
+
+
         # TODO: maybe we should also call `._res_scope.cancel()` if it
         # exists to support cancelling any drain loop hangs?
 
@@ -966,9 +997,7 @@ class Context:
     dmaddr = dst_maddr
 
     @property
-    def repr_rpc(
-        self,
-    ) -> str:
+    def repr_rpc(self) -> str:
         # TODO: how to show the transport interchange fmt?
         # codec: str = self.chan.transport.codec_key
         outcome_str: str = self.repr_outcome(
@@ -980,6 +1009,27 @@ class Context:
             f'{self._nsf}() -> {outcome_str}:'
         )
 
+    @property
+    def repr_caller(self) -> str:
+        ci: CallerInfo|None = self._caller_info
+        if ci:
+            return (
+                f'{ci.caller_nsp}()'
+                # f'|_api: {ci.api_nsp}'
+            )
+
+        return '<UNKNOWN caller-frame>'
+
+    @property
+    def repr_api(self) -> str:
+        # ci: CallerInfo|None = self._caller_info
+        # if ci:
+        #     return (
+        #         f'{ci.api_nsp}()\n'
+        #     )
+
+        return 'Portal.open_context()'
+
     async def cancel(
         self,
         timeout: float = 0.616,
@@ -1184,8 +1234,9 @@ class Context:
             )
 
         # NOTE: in one way streaming this only happens on the
-        # caller side inside `Actor.start_remote_task()` so if you try
-        # to send a stop from the caller to the callee in the
+        # parent-ctx-task side (on the side that calls
+        # `Actor.start_remote_task()`) so if you try to send
+        # a stop from the caller to the callee in the
         # single-direction-stream case you'll get a lookup error
         # currently.
         ctx: Context = actor.get_context(
@@ -1850,6 +1901,19 @@ class Context:
         send_chan: trio.MemorySendChannel = self._send_chan
         nsf: NamespacePath = self._nsf
 
+        side: str = self.side
+        if side == 'child':
+            assert not self._portal
+        peer_side: str = self.peer_side(side)
+
+        flow_body: str = (
+            f'<= peer {peer_side!r}: {from_uid}\n'
+            f'  |_<{nsf}()>\n\n'
+
+            f'=> {side!r}: {self._task}\n'
+            f'  |_<{self.repr_api} @ {self.repr_caller}>\n\n'
+        )
+
         re: Exception|None
         if re := unpack_error(
             msg,
@@ -1860,18 +1924,10 @@ class Context:
             else:
                 log_meth = log.runtime
 
-            side: str = self.side
-
-            peer_side: str = self.peer_side(side)
-
             log_meth(
                 f'Delivering IPC ctx error from {peer_side!r} to {side!r} task\n\n'
 
-                f'<= peer {peer_side!r}: {from_uid}\n'
-                f'  |_ {nsf}()\n\n'
-
-                f'=> {side!r} cid: {cid}\n'
-                f'  |_{self._task}\n\n'
+                f'{flow_body}'
 
                 f'{pformat(re)}\n'
             )
@@ -1884,30 +1940,27 @@ class Context:
             # or `RemoteActorError`).
             self._maybe_cancel_and_set_remote_error(re)
 
-        # XXX only case where returning early is fine!
+        # TODO: expose as mod func instead!
         structfmt = pretty_struct.Struct.pformat
         if self._in_overrun:
             log.warning(
-                f'Queueing OVERRUN msg on caller task:\n'
-                f'<= peer: {from_uid}\n'
-                f'  |_ {nsf}()\n\n'
+                f'Queueing OVERRUN msg on caller task:\n\n'
 
-                f'=> cid: {cid}\n'
-                f'  |_{self._task}\n\n'
+                f'{flow_body}'
 
                 f'{structfmt(msg)}\n'
             )
             self._overflow_q.append(msg)
+
+            # XXX NOTE XXX
+            # overrun is the ONLY case where returning early is fine!
             return False
 
         try:
             log.runtime(
                 f'Delivering msg from IPC ctx:\n\n'
-                f'<= {from_uid}\n'
-                f'  |_ {nsf}()\n\n'
 
-                f'=> {self._task}\n'
-                f'  |_cid={self.cid}\n\n'
+                f'{flow_body}'
 
                 f'{structfmt(msg)}\n'
             )
@@ -1939,6 +1992,7 @@ class Context:
                 f'cid: {self.cid}\n'
                 'Failed to deliver msg:\n'
                 f'send_chan: {send_chan}\n\n'
+
                 f'{pformat(msg)}\n'
             )
             return False
@@ -2092,6 +2146,12 @@ async def open_context_from_portal(
     '''
     __tracebackhide__: bool = hide_tb
 
+    # denote this frame as a "runtime frame" for stack
+    # introspection where we report the caller code in logging
+    # and error message content.
+    # NOTE: 2 bc of the wrapping `@acm`
+    __runtimeframe__: int = 2  # noqa
+
     # conduct target func method structural checks
     if not inspect.iscoroutinefunction(func) and (
         getattr(func, '_tractor_contex_function', False)
@@ -2119,6 +2179,8 @@ async def open_context_from_portal(
         nsf=nsf,
         kwargs=kwargs,
 
+        portal=portal,
+
         # NOTE: it's imporant to expose this since you might
         # get the case where the parent who opened the context does
         # not open a stream until after some slow startup/init
@@ -2129,13 +2191,17 @@ async def open_context_from_portal(
         # place..
         allow_overruns=allow_overruns,
     )
-    # ASAP, so that `Context.side: str` can be determined for
-    # logging / tracing / debug!
-    ctx._portal: Portal = portal
-
     assert ctx._remote_func_type == 'context'
-    msg: Started = await ctx._recv_chan.receive()
+    assert ctx._caller_info
 
+    # XXX NOTE since `._scope` is NOT set BEFORE we retreive the
+    # `Started`-msg any cancellation triggered
+    # in `._maybe_cancel_and_set_remote_error()` will
+    # NOT actually cancel the below line!
+    # -> it's expected that if there is an error in this phase of
+    # the dialog, the `Error` msg should be raised from the `msg`
+    # handling block below.
+    msg: Started = await ctx._recv_chan.receive()
     try:
         # the "first" value here is delivered by the callee's
         # ``Context.started()`` call.
@@ -2145,6 +2211,7 @@ async def open_context_from_portal(
 
     # except KeyError as src_error:
     except AttributeError as src_error:
+        log.exception('Raising from unexpected msg!\n')
         _raise_from_no_key_in_msg(
             ctx=ctx,
             msg=msg,
@@ -2570,7 +2637,6 @@ async def open_context_from_portal(
             None,
         )
 
-
 def mk_context(
     chan: Channel,
     cid: str,
@@ -2592,6 +2658,10 @@ def mk_context(
     recv_chan: trio.MemoryReceiveChannel
     send_chan, recv_chan = trio.open_memory_channel(msg_buffer_size)
 
+    # TODO: only scan caller-info if log level so high!
+    from .devx._code import find_caller_info
+    caller_info: CallerInfo|None = find_caller_info()
+
     ctx = Context(
         chan=chan,
         cid=cid,
@@ -2600,6 +2670,7 @@ def mk_context(
         _recv_chan=recv_chan,
         _nsf=nsf,
         _task=trio.lowlevel.current_task(),
+        _caller_info=caller_info,
         **kwargs,
     )
     # TODO: we can drop the old placeholder yah?
@@ -2610,7 +2681,11 @@ def mk_context(
 
 def context(func: Callable) -> Callable:
     '''
-    Mark an async function as a streaming routine with ``@context``.
+    Mark an (async) function as an SC-supervised, inter-`Actor`,
+    child-`trio.Task`, IPC endpoint otherwise known more
+    colloquially as a (RPC) "context".
+
+    Functions annotated the fundamental IPC endpoint type offered by `tractor`.
 
     '''
     # TODO: apply whatever solution ``mypy`` ends up picking for this: