diff --git a/piker/cli.py b/piker/cli.py
index 6dd3b327..e282f669 100644
--- a/piker/cli.py
+++ b/piker/cli.py
@@ -22,6 +22,10 @@ DEFAULT_BROKER = 'robinhood'
 
 _config_dir = click.get_app_dir('piker')
 _watchlists_data_path = os.path.join(_config_dir, 'watchlists.json')
+_data_mods = [
+    'piker.brokers.core',
+    'piker.brokers.data',
+]
 
 
 @click.command()
@@ -33,7 +37,7 @@ def pikerd(loglevel, host, tl):
     """
     get_console_log(loglevel)
     tractor.run_daemon(
-        rpc_module_paths=['piker.brokers.data'],
+        rpc_module_paths=_data_mods,
         name='brokerd',
         loglevel=loglevel if tl else None,
     )
@@ -133,7 +137,7 @@ async def maybe_spawn_brokerd_as_subactor(sleep=0.5, tries=10, loglevel=None):
                     "No broker daemon could be found, spawning brokerd..")
                 portal = await nursery.start_actor(
                     'brokerd',
-                    rpc_module_paths=['piker.brokers.data'],
+                    rpc_module_paths=_data_mods,
                     loglevel=loglevel,
                 )
             yield portal
@@ -144,7 +148,7 @@ async def maybe_spawn_brokerd_as_subactor(sleep=0.5, tries=10, loglevel=None):
               help='Broker backend to use')
 @click.option('--loglevel', '-l', default='warning', help='Logging level')
 @click.option('--tl', is_flag=True, help='Enable tractor logging')
-@click.option('--rate', '-r', default=5, help='Quote rate limit')
+@click.option('--rate', '-r', default=4, help='Quote rate limit')
 @click.option('--test', '-t', help='Test quote stream file')
 @click.option('--dhost', '-dh', default='127.0.0.1',
               help='Daemon host address to connect to')
@@ -358,3 +362,36 @@ def optsquote(loglevel, broker, symbol, df_output, date):
         click.echo(df)
     else:
         click.echo(colorize_json(quotes))
+
+
+@cli.command()
+@click.option('--broker', '-b', default=DEFAULT_BROKER,
+              help='Broker backend to use')
+@click.option('--loglevel', '-l', default='warning', help='Logging level')
+@click.option('--tl', is_flag=True, help='Enable tractor logging')
+@click.option('--date', '-d', help='Contracts expiry date')
+@click.option('--test', '-t', help='Test quote stream file')
+@click.option('--rate', '-r', default=4, help='Logging level')
+@click.argument('symbol', required=True)
+def optschain(loglevel, broker, symbol, date, tl, rate, test):
+    """Start the real-time option chain UI.
+    """
+    from .ui.option_chain import _async_main
+    log = get_console_log(loglevel)  # activate console logging
+    brokermod = get_brokermod(broker)
+
+    async def main(tries):
+        async with maybe_spawn_brokerd_as_subactor(
+            tries=tries, loglevel=loglevel
+        ) as portal:
+            # run app "main"
+            await _async_main(
+                symbol, portal,
+                brokermod, rate=rate, test=test,
+            )
+
+    tractor.run(
+        partial(main, tries=1),
+        name='kivy-options-chain',
+        loglevel=loglevel if tl else None,
+    )
diff --git a/piker/ui/option_chain.py b/piker/ui/option_chain.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..5e1764cf
--- /dev/null
+++ b/piker/ui/option_chain.py
@@ -0,0 +1,275 @@
+"""
+options: a real-time option chain.
+
+Launch with ``piker options <symbol>``.
+"""
+import types
+from functools import partial
+
+import trio
+import tractor
+from kivy.uix.boxlayout import BoxLayout
+from kivy.lang import Builder
+from kivy.app import async_runTouchApp
+from kivy.core.window import Window
+
+from ..log import get_logger
+from ..brokers.core import contracts
+from .pager import PagerView
+
+from .monitor import Row, HeaderCell, Cell, TickerTable, update_quotes
+
+
+log = get_logger('option_chain')
+
+
+async def modify_symbol(symbol):
+    pass
+
+
+class ExpiryButton(HeaderCell):
+    def on_press(self, value=None):
+        log.info(f"Clicked {self}")
+
+
+class StrikeCell(Cell):
+    """Strike cell"""
+
+
+_no_display = ['symbol', 'contract_type', 'strike', 'time', 'open']
+
+
+class StrikeRow(BoxLayout):
+    """A 'row' composed of two ``Row``s sandwiching a
+    ``StrikeCell`.
+    """
+    def __init__(self, strike, **kwargs):
+        super().__init__(orientation='horizontal', **kwargs)
+        self.strike = strike
+        # store 2 rows: 1 for call, 1 for put
+        self._sub_rows = {}
+        self.table = None
+
+    def append_sub_row(
+        self,
+        record: dict,
+        bidasks=None,
+        headers=(),
+        table=None,
+        **kwargs,
+    ) -> None:
+        if self.is_populated():
+            raise TypeError(f"{self} can only append two sub-rows?")
+
+        # the 'contract_type' determines whether this
+        # is a put or call row
+        contract_type = record['contract_type']
+
+        # reverse order of call side cells
+        if contract_type == 'call':
+            record = dict(list(reversed(list(record.items()))))
+
+        row = Row(
+            record,
+            bidasks=bidasks,
+            headers=headers,
+            table=table,
+            no_cell=_no_display,
+            **kwargs
+        )
+        # reassign widget for when rendered in the update loop
+        row.widget = self
+        self._sub_rows[contract_type] = row
+        if self.is_populated():
+            # calls on the left
+            self.add_widget(self._sub_rows['call'])
+            # strikes in the middle
+            self.add_widget(
+                StrikeCell(
+                    key=self.strike,
+                    text=str(self.strike),
+                    is_header=True,
+                    # make centre strike cell nice and small
+                    size_hint=(1/8., 1),
+                )
+            )
+            # puts on the right
+            self.add_widget(self._sub_rows['put'])
+
+    def is_populated(self):
+        """Bool determing if both a put and call subrow have beed appended.
+        """
+        return len(self._sub_rows) == 2
+
+    def update(self, record, displayable):
+        self._sub_rows[record['contract_type']].update(
+            record, displayable)
+
+
+async def _async_main(
+    symbol: str,
+    portal: tractor._portal.Portal,
+    brokermod: types.ModuleType,
+    rate: int = 4,
+    test: bool = False
+) -> None:
+    '''Launch kivy app + all other related tasks.
+
+    This is started with cli cmd `piker options`.
+    '''
+    # retreive all contracts
+    all_contracts = await contracts(brokermod, symbol)
+    first_expiry = next(iter(all_contracts)).expiry
+
+    if test:
+        # stream from a local test file
+        quote_gen = await portal.run(
+            "piker.brokers.data", 'stream_from_file',
+            filename=test
+        )
+    else:
+        # start live streaming from broker daemon
+        quote_gen = await portal.run(
+            "piker.brokers.data",
+            'start_quote_stream',
+            broker=brokermod.name,
+            symbols=[(symbol, first_expiry)],
+            feed_type='option',
+        )
+
+    # get first quotes response
+    log.debug("Waiting on first quote...")
+    quotes = await quote_gen.__anext__()
+    records, displayables = zip(*[
+        brokermod.format_option_quote(quote, {})
+        for quote in quotes.values()
+    ])
+
+    # define bid-ask "stacked" cells
+    # (TODO: needs some rethinking and renaming for sure)
+    bidasks = brokermod._option_bidasks
+
+    # build out UI
+    title = f"option chain: {symbol}\t(press ? for help)"
+    Window.set_title(title)
+
+    # use `monitor` styling for now
+    from .monitor import _kv
+    Builder.load_string(_kv)
+
+    # the master container
+    container = BoxLayout(orientation='vertical', spacing=0)
+
+    # TODO: figure out how to compact these buttons
+    expiries = {
+        key.expiry: key.expiry[:key.expiry.find('T')]
+        for key in all_contracts
+    }
+    expiry_buttons = Row(
+        record=expiries,
+        headers=expiries,
+        is_header=True,
+        size_hint=(1, None),
+        cell_type=ExpiryButton,
+    )
+    # top row of expiry buttons
+    container.add_widget(expiry_buttons)
+
+    # figure out header fields for each table based on quote keys
+    headers = displayables[0].keys()
+    header_row = StrikeRow(strike='strike', size_hint=(1, None))
+    header_record = {key: key for key in headers}
+    header_record['contract_type'] = 'put'
+    header_row.append_sub_row(
+        header_record,
+        headers=headers,
+        bidasks=bidasks,
+        is_header=True,
+        size_hint=(1, None),
+
+    )
+    header_record['contract_type'] = 'call'
+    header_row.append_sub_row(
+        header_record,
+        headers=headers,
+        bidasks=bidasks,
+        is_header=True,
+        size_hint=(1, None),
+
+    )
+    container.add_widget(header_row)
+
+    table = TickerTable(
+        sort_key='strike',
+        cols=1,
+        size_hint=(1, None),
+    )
+    header_row.table = table
+
+    strike_rows = {}
+    for record, display in zip(sorted(
+        records,
+        key=lambda q: q['strike'],
+    ), displayables):
+        strike = record['strike']
+        strike_row = strike_rows.setdefault(
+            strike, StrikeRow(strike))
+        strike_row.append_sub_row(
+            record,
+            bidasks=bidasks,
+            table=table,
+        )
+        if strike_row.is_populated():
+            # We must fill out the the table's symbol2rows manually
+            # using each contracts "symbol" so that the quote updater
+            # task can look up the right row to update easily
+            # See update_quotes() and ``Row`` for details.
+            for contract_type, row in strike_row._sub_rows.items():
+                table.symbols2rows[row._last_record['symbol']] = row
+
+            table.append_row(symbol, strike_row)
+
+    async with trio.open_nursery() as nursery:
+        # set up a pager view for large ticker lists
+        table.bind(minimum_height=table.setter('height'))
+        pager = PagerView(
+            container=container,
+            contained=table,
+            nursery=nursery
+        )
+        container.add_widget(pager)
+        widgets = {
+            'root': container,
+            'container': container,
+            'table': table,
+            'expiry_buttons': expiry_buttons,
+            'pager': pager,
+        }
+        nursery.start_soon(
+            partial(
+                update_quotes,
+                nursery,
+                brokermod.format_option_quote,
+                widgets,
+                quote_gen,
+                symbol_data={},
+                first_quotes=quotes,
+            )
+        )
+        try:
+            # Trio-kivy entry point.
+            await async_runTouchApp(widgets['root'])  # run kivy
+        finally:
+            await quote_gen.aclose()  # cancel aysnc gen call
+            # un-subscribe from symbols stream (cancel if brokerd
+            # was already torn down - say by SIGINT)
+            with trio.move_on_after(0.2):
+                await portal.run(
+                    "piker.brokers.data", 'modify_quote_stream',
+                    broker=brokermod.name,
+                    feed_type='option',
+                    symbols=[]
+                )
+
+            # cancel GUI update task
+            nursery.cancel_scope.cancel()