diff --git a/piker/data/feed.py b/piker/data/feed.py
index 82b7b59b..d26c7f37 100644
--- a/piker/data/feed.py
+++ b/piker/data/feed.py
@@ -32,6 +32,7 @@ from typing import (
     Callable,
     Optional,
     Awaitable,
+    Sequence,
     TYPE_CHECKING,
     Union,
 )
@@ -627,26 +628,31 @@ async def tsdb_backfill(
                 field_map=marketstore.ohlc_key_map,
             )
 
+            tsdb_last_frame_start = tsdb_history['Epoch'][0]
+
+            # load as much from storage into shm possible (depends on
+            # user's shm size settings).
             while (
                 shm._first.value > 0
             ):
-                # load as much from storage into shm as space will
-                # allow according to user's shm size settings.
-                tsdb_last_frame_start = tsdb_history['Epoch'][0]
 
                 tsdb_history = await storage.read_ohlcv(
                     fqsn,
                     end=tsdb_last_frame_start,
                     timeframe=timeframe,
                 )
+
+                next_start = tsdb_history['Epoch'][0]
                 if (
                     not len(tsdb_history)  # empty query
 
                     # no earlier data detected
-                    or tsdb_history['Epoch'][0] >= tsdb_last_frame_start
+                    or next_start >= tsdb_last_frame_start
 
                 ):
                     break
+                else:
+                    tsdb_last_frame_start = next_start
 
                 prepend_start = shm._first.value
                 to_push = tsdb_history[-prepend_start:]
@@ -868,6 +874,9 @@ class Flume(Struct):
     izero_hist: int = 0
     izero_rt: int = 0
     throttle_rate: int | None = None
+
+    # TODO: do we need this really if we can pull the `Portal` from
+    # ``tractor``'s internals?
     feed: Feed | None = None
 
     @property
@@ -905,12 +914,15 @@ class Flume(Struct):
         if not self.feed:
             raise RuntimeError('This flume is not part of any ``Feed``?')
 
+        # TODO: maybe a public (property) API for this in ``tractor``?
+        portal = self.stream._ctx._portal
+
         # XXX: this should be singleton on a host,
         # a lone broker-daemon per provider should be
         # created for all practical purposes
         async with maybe_open_context(
             acm_func=partial(
-                self.feed.portal.open_context,
+                portal.open_context,
                 iter_ohlc_periods,
             ),
             kwargs={'delay_s': delay_s},
@@ -1384,24 +1396,66 @@ class Feed(Struct):
     similarly allocated shm arrays.
 
     '''
-    mod: ModuleType
-    _portal: tractor.Portal
+    mods: dict[str, ModuleType] = {}
+    portals: dict[ModuleType, tractor.Portal] = {}
     flumes: dict[str, Flume] = {}
     streams: dict[
         str,
         trio.abc.ReceiveChannel[dict[str, Any]],
     ] = {}
-    status: dict[str, Any]
+
+    # used for UI to show remote state
+    status: dict[str, Any] = {}
+
+    @acm
+    async def open_multi_stream(
+        self,
+        brokers: Sequence[str] | None = None,
+
+    ) -> trio.abc.ReceiveChannel:
+
+        if brokers is None:
+            mods = self.mods
+        else:
+            mods = {name: self.mods[name] for name in brokers}
+
+        if len(mods) == 1:
+            # just pass the brokerd stream directly if only one provider
+            # was detected.
+            stream = self.streams[list(brokers)[0]]
+            async with stream.subscribe() as bstream:
+                yield bstream
+                return
+
+        # start multiplexing task tree
+        tx, rx = trio.open_memory_channel(616)
+
+        async def relay_to_common_memchan(stream: tractor.MsgStream):
+            async with tx:
+                async for msg in stream:
+                    await tx.send(msg)
+
+        async with trio.open_nursery() as nurse:
+            # spawn a relay task for each stream so that they all
+            # multiplex to a common channel.
+            for brokername in mods:
+                stream = self.streams[brokername]
+                nurse.start_soon(relay_to_common_memchan, stream)
+
+            try:
+                yield rx
+            finally:
+                nurse.cancel_scope.cancel()
 
     _max_sample_rate: int = 1
 
-    @property
-    def portal(self) -> tractor.Portal:
-        return self._portal
+    # @property
+    # def portal(self) -> tractor.Portal:
+    #     return self._portal
 
-    @property
-    def name(self) -> str:
-        return self.mod.name
+    # @property
+    # def name(self) -> str:
+    #     return self.mod.name
 
 
 @acm
@@ -1457,6 +1511,7 @@ async def open_feed(
 
     '''
     providers: dict[ModuleType, list[str]] = {}
+    feed = Feed()
 
     for fqsn in fqsns:
         brokername, key, suffix = unpack_fqsn(fqsn)
@@ -1469,6 +1524,7 @@ async def open_feed(
 
         # built a per-provider map to instrument names
         providers.setdefault(mod, []).append(bfqsn)
+        feed.mods[mod.name] = mod
 
     # one actor per brokerd for now
     brokerd_ctxs = []
@@ -1495,18 +1551,15 @@ async def open_feed(
             (brokermod, bfqsns),
         ) in zip(portals, providers.items()):
 
-            feed = Feed(
-                mod=brokermod,
-                _portal=portal,
-                status={},
-            )
+            feed.portals[brokermod] = portal
+
             # fill out "status info" that the UI can show
-            host, port = feed.portal.channel.raddr
+            host, port = portal.channel.raddr
             if host == '127.0.0.1':
                 host = 'localhost'
 
             feed.status.update({
-                'actor_name': feed.portal.channel.uid[0],
+                'actor_name': portal.channel.uid[0],
                 'host': host,
                 'port': port,
                 'hist_shm': 'NA',
@@ -1519,8 +1572,7 @@ async def open_feed(
             bus_ctxs.append(
                 portal.open_context(
                     open_feed_bus,
-                    # brokername=brokermod.name,
-                    brokername=brokername,
+                    brokername=brokermod.name,
                     symbols=bfqsns,
                     loglevel=loglevel,
                     start_stream=start_stream,
@@ -1528,61 +1580,66 @@ async def open_feed(
                 )
             )
 
-            async with (
-                gather_contexts(bus_ctxs) as ctxs,
-            ):
-                remote_scopes = []
-                for (
-                    (ctx, flumes_msg_dict),
-                    (brokermod, bfqsns),
-                ) in zip(ctxs, providers.items()):
+        assert len(feed.mods) == len(feed.portals)
 
-                    stream_ctxs = []
-                    for fqsn, flume_msg in flumes_msg_dict.items():
-                        flume = Flume.from_msg(flume_msg)
-                        assert flume.symbol.fqsn == fqsn
-                        feed.flumes[fqsn] = flume
-                        flume.feed = feed
+        async with (
+            gather_contexts(bus_ctxs) as ctxs,
+        ):
+            stream_ctxs = []
+            for (
+                (ctx, flumes_msg_dict),
+                (brokermod, bfqsns),
+            ) in zip(ctxs, providers.items()):
 
-                        # attach and cache shm handles
-                        rt_shm = flume.rt_shm
-                        assert rt_shm
-                        hist_shm = flume.hist_shm
-                        assert hist_shm
+                for fqsn, flume_msg in flumes_msg_dict.items():
+                    flume = Flume.from_msg(flume_msg)
+                    assert flume.symbol.fqsn == fqsn
+                    feed.flumes[fqsn] = flume
 
-                        feed.status['hist_shm'] = (
-                            f'{humanize(hist_shm._shm.size)}'
-                        )
-                        feed.status['rt_shm'] = f'{humanize(rt_shm._shm.size)}'
+                    # TODO: do we need this?
+                    flume.feed = feed
 
-                    remote_scopes.append(ctx)
-                    stream_ctxs.append(
-                        ctx.open_stream(
-                            # XXX: be explicit about stream backpressure
-                            # since we should **never** overrun on feeds
-                            # being too fast, which will pretty much
-                            # always happen with HFT XD
-                            backpressure=backpressure,
-                        )
+                    # attach and cache shm handles
+                    rt_shm = flume.rt_shm
+                    assert rt_shm
+                    hist_shm = flume.hist_shm
+                    assert hist_shm
+
+                    feed.status['hist_shm'] = (
+                        f'{humanize(hist_shm._shm.size)}'
                     )
+                    feed.status['rt_shm'] = f'{humanize(rt_shm._shm.size)}'
 
-                async with (
-                    gather_contexts(stream_ctxs) as streams,
-                ):
-                    for (
-                        stream,
-                        (brokermod, bfqsns),
-                    ) in zip(streams, providers.items()):
+                stream_ctxs.append(
+                    ctx.open_stream(
+                        # XXX: be explicit about stream backpressure
+                        # since we should **never** overrun on feeds
+                        # being too fast, which will pretty much
+                        # always happen with HFT XD
+                        backpressure=backpressure,
+                    )
+                )
 
-                        # for bfqsn in bfqsns:
-                        for fqsn in flumes_msg_dict:
+            async with (
+                gather_contexts(stream_ctxs) as streams,
+            ):
+                for (
+                    stream,
+                    (brokermod, bfqsns),
+                ) in zip(streams, providers.items()):
 
-                            # apply common rt steam to each flume
-                            # (normally one per broker)
-                            feed.flumes[fqsn].stream = stream
-                            feed.streams[brokermod.name] = stream
+                    feed.streams[brokermod.name] = stream
 
-                    yield feed
+                    # for bfqsn in bfqsns:
+                    for fqsn in flumes_msg_dict:
+
+                        # apply common rt steam to each flume
+                        # (normally one per broker)
+                        feed.flumes[fqsn].stream = stream
+
+                assert len(feed.mods) == len(feed.portals) == len(feed.streams)
+
+                yield feed
 
 
 @acm