diff --git a/piker/ui/_editors.py b/piker/ui/_editors.py
index 8fb7bc7b..2210d874 100644
--- a/piker/ui/_editors.py
+++ b/piker/ui/_editors.py
@@ -21,7 +21,8 @@ Higher level annotation editors.
 from __future__ import annotations
 from collections import defaultdict
 from typing import (
-    TYPE_CHECKING
+    Sequence,
+    TYPE_CHECKING,
 )
 
 import pyqtgraph as pg
@@ -31,24 +32,36 @@ from pyqtgraph import (
     QtCore,
     QtWidgets,
 )
+from PyQt5.QtCore import (
+    QPointF,
+    QRectF,
+)
 from PyQt5.QtGui import (
     QColor,
+    QTransform,
 )
 from PyQt5.QtWidgets import (
+    QGraphicsProxyWidget,
+    QGraphicsScene,
     QLabel,
 )
 
 from pyqtgraph import functions as fn
-from PyQt5.QtCore import QPointF
 import numpy as np
 
 from piker.types import Struct
-from ._style import hcolor, _font
+from ._style import (
+    hcolor,
+    _font,
+)
 from ._lines import LevelLine
 from ..log import get_logger
 
 if TYPE_CHECKING:
-    from ._chart import GodWidget
+    from ._chart import (
+        GodWidget,
+        ChartPlotWidget,
+    )
     from ._interaction import ChartView
 
 
@@ -66,7 +79,7 @@ class ArrowEditor(Struct):
         uid: str,
         x: float,
         y: float,
-        color='default',
+        color: str = 'default',
         pointing: str | None = None,
 
     ) -> pg.ArrowItem:
@@ -252,27 +265,56 @@ class LineEditor(Struct):
         return lines
 
 
-class SelectRect(QtWidgets.QGraphicsRectItem):
+def as_point(
+    pair: Sequence[float, float] | QPointF,
+) -> list[QPointF, QPointF]:
+    '''
+    Case any input tuple of floats to a a list of `QPoint` objects
+    for use in Qt geometry routines.
 
+    '''
+    if isinstance(pair, QPointF):
+        return pair
+
+    return QPointF(pair[0], pair[1])
+
+
+# TODO: maybe implement better, something something RectItemProxy??
+# -[ ] dig into details of how proxy's work?
+#    https://doc.qt.io/qt-5/qgraphicsscene.html#addWidget
+# -[ ] consider using `.addRect()` maybe?
+
+class SelectRect(QtWidgets.QGraphicsRectItem):
+    '''
+    A data-view "selection rectangle": the most fundamental
+    geometry for annotating data views.
+
+    - https://doc.qt.io/qt-5/qgraphicsrectitem.html
+    - https://doc.qt.io/qt-6/qgraphicsrectitem.html
+
+    '''
     def __init__(
         self,
         viewbox: ViewBox,
-        color: str = 'dad_blue',
+        color: str | None = None,
     ) -> None:
         super().__init__(0, 0, 1, 1)
 
         # self.rbScaleBox = QGraphicsRectItem(0, 0, 1, 1)
         self.vb: ViewBox = viewbox
-        self._chart: 'ChartPlotWidget' = None  # noqa
 
-        # override selection box color
+        self._chart: ChartPlotWidget | None = None  # noqa
+
+        # TODO: maybe allow this to be dynamic via a method?
+        #l override selection box color
+        color: str = color or 'dad_blue'
         color = QColor(hcolor(color))
+
         self.setPen(fn.mkPen(color, width=1))
         color.setAlpha(66)
         self.setBrush(fn.mkBrush(color))
         self.setZValue(1e9)
         self.hide()
-        self._label = None
 
         label = self._label = QLabel()
         label.setTextFormat(0)  # markdown
@@ -282,13 +324,15 @@ class SelectRect(QtWidgets.QGraphicsRectItem):
             QtCore.Qt.AlignLeft
             # | QtCore.Qt.AlignVCenter
         )
+        label.hide()  # always right after init
 
         # proxy is created after containing scene is initialized
-        self._label_proxy = None
-        self._abs_top_right = None
+        self._label_proxy: QGraphicsProxyWidget | None = None
+        self._abs_top_right: Point | None = None
 
-        # TODO: "swing %" might be handy here (data's max/min # % change)
-        self._contents = [
+        # TODO: "swing %" might be handy here (data's max/min
+        # # % change)?
+        self._contents: list[str] = [
             'change: {pchng:.2f} %',
             'range: {rng:.2f}',
             'bars: {nbars}',
@@ -298,25 +342,30 @@ class SelectRect(QtWidgets.QGraphicsRectItem):
             'sigma: {std:.2f}',
         ]
 
+        self.add_to_view(viewbox)
+
     def add_to_view(
         self,
         view: ChartView,
     ) -> None:
         '''
-        Self-defined view hookup impl.
+        Self-defined view hookup impl which will
+        also re-assign the internal ref.
 
         '''
         view.addItem(
             self,
             ignoreBounds=True,
         )
+        if self.vb is not view:
+            self.vb = view
 
     @property
-    def chart(self) -> 'ChartPlotWidget':  # noqa
+    def chart(self) -> ChartPlotWidget:  # noqa
         return self._chart
 
     @chart.setter
-    def chart(self, chart: 'ChartPlotWidget') -> None:  # noqa
+    def chart(self, chart: ChartPlotWidget) -> None:  # noqa
         self._chart = chart
         chart.sigRangeChanged.connect(self.update_on_resize)
         palette = self._label.palette()
@@ -340,8 +389,10 @@ class SelectRect(QtWidgets.QGraphicsRectItem):
 
     def set_scen_pos(
         self,
-        p1: QPointF,
-        p2: QPointF
+        scen_p1: QPointF,
+        scen_p2: QPointF,
+
+        update_label: bool = True,
 
     ) -> None:
         '''
@@ -350,16 +401,50 @@ class SelectRect(QtWidgets.QGraphicsRectItem):
         match.
 
         '''
-        # map to view coords
-        self.set_view_pos(
-            self.vb.mapToView(p1),
-            self.vb.mapToView(p2),
+        # NOTE XXX: apparently just setting it doesn't work!?
+        # i have no idea why but it's pretty weird we have to do
+        # this transform thing which was basically pulled verbatim
+        # from the `pg.ViewBox.updateScaleBox()` method.
+        view_rect: QRectF = self.vb.childGroup.mapRectFromScene(
+            QRectF(
+                scen_p1, 
+                scen_p2,
+            )
         )
+        self.setPos(view_rect.topLeft())
+        # XXX: does not work..!?!?
+        # https://doc.qt.io/qt-5/qgraphicsrectitem.html#setRect
+        # self.setRect(view_rect)
+
+        tr = QTransform.fromScale(
+            view_rect.width(),
+            view_rect.height(),
+        )
+        self.setTransform(tr)
+
+        # XXX: never got this working, was always offset
+        # / transformed completely wrong (and off to the far right
+        # from the cursor?)
+        # self.set_view_pos(
+        #     view_rect=view_rect,
+        #     # self.vwqpToView(p1),
+        #     # self.vb.mapToView(p2),
+        #     # start_pos=self.vb.mapToScene(p1),
+        #     # end_pos=self.vb.mapToScene(p2),
+        # )
+        self.show()
+
+        if update_label:
+            self.init_label(view_rect)
 
     def set_view_pos(
         self,
-        start_pos: QPointF,
-        end_pos: QPointF,
+
+        start_pos: QPointF | Sequence[float, float] | None = None,
+        end_pos: QPointF | Sequence[float, float] | None = None,
+        view_rect: QRectF | None = None,
+
+        update_label: bool = True,
 
     ) -> None:
         '''
@@ -368,27 +453,80 @@ class SelectRect(QtWidgets.QGraphicsRectItem):
         moved to match).
 
         '''
-        # https://doc.qt.io/qt-5/qgraphicsproxywidget.html
-        if self._label_proxy is None:
-            self._label_proxy = self.vb.scene(
-            ).addWidget(self._label)
+        if self._chart is None:
+            raise RuntimeError(
+                'You MUST assign a `SelectRect.chart: ChartPlotWidget`!'
+            )
 
-        # map to view coords and update area
-        r = QtCore.QRectF(start_pos, end_pos)
+        if view_rect is None:
+            # ensure point casting
+            start_pos: QPointF = as_point(start_pos)
+            end_pos: QPointF = as_point(end_pos)
 
-        # old way; don't need right?
-        # lr = QtCore.QRectF(p1, p2)
-        # r = self.vb.childGroup.mapRectFromParent(lr)
+            # map to view coords and update area
+            view_rect = QtCore.QRectF(
+                start_pos,
+                end_pos,
+            )
 
-        self.setPos(r.topLeft())
-        self.resetTransform()
-        self.setRect(r)
+        self.setPos(view_rect.topLeft())
+
+        # NOTE: SERIOUSLY NO IDEA WHY THIS WORKS...
+        # but it does and all the other commented stuff above
+        # dint, dawg..
+
+        # self.resetTransform()
+        # self.setRect(view_rect)
+
+        tr = QTransform.fromScale(
+            view_rect.width(),
+            view_rect.height(),
+        )
+        self.setTransform(tr)
+
+        if update_label:
+            self.init_label(view_rect)
+
+        print(
+            'SelectRect modify:\n'
+            f'QRectF: {view_rect}\n'
+            f'start_pos: {start_pos}\n'
+            f'end_pos: {end_pos}\n'
+        )
         self.show()
 
-        y1, y2 = start_pos.y(), end_pos.y()
-        x1, x2 = start_pos.x(), end_pos.x()
+    def init_label(
+        self,
+        view_rect: QRectF,
+   ) -> QLabel:
 
-        # TODO: heh, could probably use a max-min streamin algo here too
+        # should be init-ed in `.__init__()`
+        label: QLabel = self._label
+        cv: ChartView = self.vb
+
+        # https://doc.qt.io/qt-5/qgraphicsproxywidget.html
+        if self._label_proxy is None:
+            scen: QGraphicsScene = cv.scene()
+            # NOTE: specifically this is passing a widget
+            # pointer to the scene's `.addWidget()` as per,
+            # https://doc.qt.io/qt-5/qgraphicsproxywidget.html#embedding-a-widget-with-qgraphicsproxywidget
+            self._label_proxy: QGraphicsProxyWidget = scen.addWidget(label)
+
+        # get label startup coords
+        tl: QPointF = view_rect.topLeft()
+        br: QPointF = view_rect.bottomRight()
+
+        x1, y1 = tl.x(), tl.y()
+        x2, y2 = br.x(), br.y()
+
+        # TODO: to remove, previous label corner point unpacking
+        # x1, y1 = start_pos.x(), start_pos.y()
+        # x2, y2 = end_pos.x(), end_pos.y()
+        # y1, y2 = start_pos.y(), end_pos.y()
+        # x1, x2 = start_pos.x(), end_pos.x()
+
+        # TODO: heh, could probably use a max-min streamin algo
+        # here too?
         _, xmn = min(y1, y2), min(x1, x2)
         ymx, xmx = max(y1, y2), max(x1, x2)
 
@@ -398,26 +536,35 @@ class SelectRect(QtWidgets.QGraphicsRectItem):
         ixmn, ixmx = round(xmn), round(xmx)
         nbars = ixmx - ixmn + 1
 
-        chart = self._chart
-        data = chart.get_viz(chart.name).shm.array[ixmn:ixmx]
+        chart: ChartPlotWidget = self._chart
+        data: np.ndarray = chart.get_viz(
+            chart.name
+        ).shm.array[ixmn:ixmx]
 
         if len(data):
-            std = data['close'].std()
-            dmx = data['high'].max()
-            dmn = data['low'].min()
+            std: float = data['close'].std()
+            dmx: float = data['high'].max()
+            dmn: float = data['low'].min()
         else:
             dmn = dmx = std = np.nan
 
         # update label info
-        self._label.setText('\n'.join(self._contents).format(
-            pchng=pchng, rng=rng, nbars=nbars,
-            std=std, dmx=dmx, dmn=dmn,
+        label.setText('\n'.join(self._contents).format(
+            pchng=pchng,
+            rng=rng,
+            nbars=nbars,
+            std=std,
+            dmx=dmx,
+            dmn=dmn,
         ))
 
         # print(f'x2, y2: {(x2, y2)}')
         # print(f'xmn, ymn: {(xmn, ymx)}')
 
-        label_anchor = Point(xmx + 2, ymx)
+        label_anchor = Point(
+            xmx + 2,
+            ymx,
+        )
 
         # XXX: in the drag bottom-right -> top-left case we don't
         # want the label to overlay the box.
@@ -426,9 +573,11 @@ class SelectRect(QtWidgets.QGraphicsRectItem):
         #     # label_anchor = Point(x2, y2 + self._label.height())
         #     label_anchor = Point(xmn, ymn)
 
-        self._abs_top_right = label_anchor
-        self._label_proxy.setPos(self.vb.mapFromView(label_anchor))
-        # self._label.show()
+        self._abs_top_right: Point = label_anchor
+        self._label_proxy.setPos(
+            cv.mapFromView(label_anchor)
+        )
+        label.show()
 
     def clear(self):
         '''