diff --git a/piker/data/_ahab.py b/piker/data/_ahab.py
index fea19a4d..98b3b41f 100644
--- a/piker/data/_ahab.py
+++ b/piker/data/_ahab.py
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ Supervisor for docker with included specific-image service helpers.
 
 '''
 import os
+import time
 from typing import (
     Optional,
     Callable,
@@ -186,45 +187,65 @@ class Container:
 
     async def cancel(
         self,
+        stop_msg: str,
     ) -> None:
 
         cid = self.cntr.id
+        # first try a graceful cancel
+        log.cancel(
+            f'SIGINT cancelling container: {cid}\n'
+            f'waiting on stop msg: "{stop_msg}"'
+        )
         self.try_signal('SIGINT')
 
-        with trio.move_on_after(0.5) as cs:
-            cs.shield = True
-            await self.process_logs_until('initiating graceful shutdown')
-            await self.process_logs_until('exiting...',)
+        start = time.time()
+        for _ in range(30):
 
-        for _ in range(10):
             with trio.move_on_after(0.5) as cs:
                 cs.shield = True
-                await self.process_logs_until('exiting...',)
+                await self.process_logs_until(stop_msg)
+
+                # if we aren't cancelled on above checkpoint then we
+                # assume we read the expected stop msg and terminated.
                 break
 
-            if cs.cancelled_caught:
-                # get out the big guns, bc apparently marketstore
-                # doesn't actually know how to terminate gracefully
-                # :eyeroll:...
-                self.try_signal('SIGKILL')
+            try:
+                log.info(f'Polling for container shutdown:\n{cid}')
 
-                try:
-                    log.info('Waiting on container shutdown: {cid}')
+                if self.cntr.status not in {'exited', 'not-running'}:
                     self.cntr.wait(
                         timeout=0.1,
                         condition='not-running',
                     )
-                    break
 
-                except (
-                    ReadTimeout,
-                    ConnectionError,
-                ):
-                    log.error(f'failed to wait on container {cid}')
-                    raise
+                break
 
+            except (
+                ReadTimeout,
+            ):
+                log.info(f'Still waiting on container:\n{cid}')
+                continue
+
+            except (
+                docker.errors.APIError,
+                ConnectionError,
+            ):
+                log.exception('Docker connection failure')
+                break
         else:
-            raise RuntimeError('Failed to cancel container {cid}')
+            delay = time.time() - start
+            log.error(
+                f'Failed to kill container {cid} after {delay}s\n'
+                'sending SIGKILL..'
+            )
+            # get out the big guns, bc apparently marketstore
+            # doesn't actually know how to terminate gracefully
+            # :eyeroll:...
+            self.try_signal('SIGKILL')
+            self.cntr.wait(
+                timeout=3,
+                condition='not-running',
+            )
 
         log.cancel(f'Container stopped: {cid}')
 
@@ -245,13 +266,16 @@ async def open_ahabd(
         # params, etc. passing to ``Containter.run()``?
         # call into endpoint for container config/init
         ep_func = NamespacePath(endpoint).load_ref()
-        dcntr, cntr_config = ep_func(client)
+        (
+            dcntr,
+            cntr_config,
+            start_msg,
+            stop_msg,
+        ) = ep_func(client)
         cntr = Container(dcntr)
 
         with trio.move_on_after(1):
-            found = await cntr.process_logs_until(
-                "launching tcp listener for all services...",
-            )
+            found = await cntr.process_logs_until(start_msg)
 
             if not found and cntr not in client.containers.list():
                 raise RuntimeError(
@@ -271,16 +295,9 @@ async def open_ahabd(
             # callers to have root perms?
             await trio.sleep_forever()
 
-        except (
-            BaseException,
-            # trio.Cancelled,
-            # KeyboardInterrupt,
-        ):
-
+        finally:
             with trio.CancelScope(shield=True):
-                await cntr.cancel()
-
-            raise
+                await cntr.cancel(stop_msg)
 
 
 async def start_ahab(
diff --git a/piker/data/marketstore.py b/piker/data/marketstore.py
index 4d1c91ad..ee76ba1e 100644
--- a/piker/data/marketstore.py
+++ b/piker/data/marketstore.py
@@ -127,10 +127,15 @@ def start_marketstore(
     import os
     import docker
     from .. import config
-
     get_console_log('info', name=__name__)
 
-    yml_file = os.path.join(config._config_dir, 'mkts.yml')
+    mktsdir = os.path.join(config._config_dir, 'marketstore')
+
+    # create when dne
+    if not os.path.isdir(mktsdir):
+        os.mkdir(mktsdir)
+
+    yml_file = os.path.join(mktsdir, 'mkts.yml')
     if not os.path.isfile(yml_file):
         log.warning(
             f'No `marketstore` config exists?: {yml_file}\n'
@@ -143,14 +148,14 @@ def start_marketstore(
     # create a mount from user's local piker config dir into container
     config_dir_mnt = docker.types.Mount(
         target='/etc',
-        source=config._config_dir,
+        source=mktsdir,
         type='bind',
     )
 
     # create a user config subdir where the marketstore
     # backing filesystem database can be persisted.
     persistent_data_dir = os.path.join(
-        config._config_dir, 'data',
+        mktsdir, 'data',
     )
     if not os.path.isdir(persistent_data_dir):
         os.mkdir(persistent_data_dir)
@@ -180,7 +185,14 @@ def start_marketstore(
         init=True,
         # remove=True,
     )
-    return dcntr, _config
+    return (
+        dcntr,
+        _config,
+
+        # expected startup and stop msgs
+        "launching tcp listener for all services...",
+        "exiting...",
+    )
 
 
 _tick_tbk_ids: tuple[str, str] = ('1Sec', 'TICK')
@@ -383,7 +395,12 @@ class Storage:
     ]:
 
         first_tsdb_dt, last_tsdb_dt = None, None
-        tsdb_arrays = await self.read_ohlcv(fqsn)
+        tsdb_arrays = await self.read_ohlcv(
+            fqsn,
+            # on first load we don't need to pull the max
+            # history per request size worth.
+            limit=3000,
+        )
         log.info(f'Loaded tsdb history {tsdb_arrays}')
 
         if tsdb_arrays:
@@ -401,6 +418,7 @@ class Storage:
         fqsn: str,
         timeframe: Optional[Union[int, str]] = None,
         end: Optional[int] = None,
+        limit: int = int(800e3),
 
     ) -> tuple[
         MarketstoreClient,
@@ -423,7 +441,7 @@ class Storage:
 
             # TODO: figure the max limit here given the
             # ``purepc`` msg size limit of purerpc: 33554432
-            limit=int(800e3),
+            limit=limit,
         )
 
         if timeframe is None: