diff --git a/piker/_daemon.py b/piker/_daemon.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..72e390f2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/piker/_daemon.py
@@ -0,0 +1,226 @@
+# piker: trading gear for hackers
+# Copyright (C) Tyler Goodlet (in stewardship for piker0)
+
+# This program is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify
+# it under the terms of the GNU Affero General Public License as published by
+# the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or
+# (at your option) any later version.
+
+# This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+# but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+# MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
+# GNU Affero General Public License for more details.
+
+# You should have received a copy of the GNU Affero General Public License
+# along with this program.  If not, see <https://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
+
+"""
+Structured, daemon tree service management.
+
+"""
+from typing import Optional, Union
+from contextlib import asynccontextmanager
+
+from pydantic import BaseModel
+import trio
+import tractor
+
+from .log import get_logger, get_console_log
+from .brokers import get_brokermod
+
+
+log = get_logger(__name__)
+
+_root_dname = 'pikerd'
+_root_modules = [
+    __name__,
+    'piker.clearing._ems',
+    'piker.clearing._client',
+]
+
+
+class Services(BaseModel):
+    actor_n: tractor._trionics.ActorNursery
+    service_n: trio.Nursery
+
+    class Config:
+        arbitrary_types_allowed = True
+
+
+_services: Optional[Services] = None
+
+
+@asynccontextmanager
+async def open_pikerd(
+    loglevel: Optional[str] = None,
+    **kwargs,
+) -> Optional[tractor._portal.Portal]:
+    """Start a root piker daemon who's lifetime extends indefinitely
+    until cancelled.
+
+    A root actor nursery is created which can be used to create and keep
+    alive underling services (see below).
+
+    """
+    global _services
+    assert _services is None
+
+    # XXX: this may open a root actor as well
+    async with tractor.open_root_actor(
+            # passed through to ``open_root_actor``
+            name=_root_dname,
+            loglevel=loglevel,
+            # TODO: eventually we should be able to avoid
+            # having the root have more then permissions to
+            # spawn other specialized daemons I think?
+            # enable_modules=[__name__],
+            enable_modules=_root_modules,
+    ) as _, tractor.open_nursery() as actor_nursery:
+        async with trio.open_nursery() as service_nursery:
+
+            # assign globally for future daemon/task creation
+            _services = Services(
+                actor_n=actor_nursery,
+                service_n=service_nursery
+            )
+
+            yield _services
+
+
+@asynccontextmanager
+async def maybe_open_pikerd(
+    loglevel: Optional[str] = None,
+    **kwargs,
+) -> Union[tractor._portal.Portal, Services]:
+    """If no ``pikerd`` daemon-root-actor can be found start it and
+    yield up (we should probably figure out returning a portal to self
+    though).
+
+    """
+    if loglevel:
+        get_console_log(loglevel)
+
+    try:
+        async with tractor.find_actor(_root_dname) as portal:
+            assert portal is not None
+            yield portal
+            return
+
+    except (RuntimeError, AssertionError):  # tractor runtime not started yet
+
+        # presume pikerd role
+        async with open_pikerd(
+            loglevel,
+            **kwargs,
+        ) as _:
+            # in the case where we're starting up the
+            # tractor-piker runtime stack in **this** process
+            # we return no portal to self.
+            yield None
+
+
+# brokerd enabled modules
+_data_mods = [
+    'piker.brokers.core',
+    'piker.brokers.data',
+    'piker.data',
+    'piker.data._buffer'
+]
+
+
+async def spawn_brokerd(
+    brokername,
+    loglevel: Optional[str] = None,
+    **tractor_kwargs
+) -> tractor._portal.Portal:
+
+    log.info(f'Spawning {brokername} broker daemon')
+
+    brokermod = get_brokermod(brokername)
+    dname = f'brokerd.{brokername}'
+
+    extra_tractor_kwargs = getattr(brokermod, '_spawn_kwargs', {})
+    tractor_kwargs.update(extra_tractor_kwargs)
+
+    global _services
+    assert _services
+
+    await _services.actor_n.start_actor(
+        dname,
+        enable_modules=_data_mods + [brokermod.__name__],
+        loglevel=loglevel,
+        **tractor_kwargs
+    )
+
+    return dname
+
+
+@asynccontextmanager
+async def maybe_spawn_brokerd(
+    brokername: str,
+    loglevel: Optional[str] = None,
+
+    # XXX: you should pretty much never want debug mode
+    # for data daemons when running in production.
+    debug_mode: bool = True,
+) -> tractor._portal.Portal:
+    """If no ``brokerd.{brokername}`` daemon-actor can be found,
+    spawn one in a local subactor and return a portal to it.
+
+    """
+    if loglevel:
+        get_console_log(loglevel)
+
+    dname = f'brokerd.{brokername}'
+
+    # attach to existing brokerd if possible
+    async with tractor.find_actor(dname) as portal:
+        if portal is not None:
+            yield portal
+            return
+
+    # ask root ``pikerd`` daemon to spawn the daemon we need if
+    # pikerd is not live we now become the root of the
+    # process tree
+    async with maybe_open_pikerd(
+        loglevel=loglevel
+    ) as pikerd_portal:
+
+        if pikerd_portal is None:
+            # we are root so spawn brokerd directly in our tree
+            # the root nursery is accessed through process global state
+            await spawn_brokerd(brokername, loglevel=loglevel)
+
+        else:
+            await pikerd_portal.run(
+                spawn_brokerd,
+                brokername=brokername,
+                loglevel=loglevel,
+                debug_mode=debug_mode,
+            )
+
+        async with tractor.wait_for_actor(dname) as portal:
+            yield portal
+
+
+async def spawn_emsd(
+    brokername,
+    loglevel: Optional[str] = None,
+    **extra_tractor_kwargs
+) -> tractor._portal.Portal:
+
+    log.info('Spawning emsd')
+
+    # TODO: raise exception when _services == None?
+    global _services
+
+    await _services.actor_n.start_actor(
+        'emsd',
+        enable_modules=[
+            'piker.clearing._ems',
+            'piker.clearing._client',
+        ],
+        loglevel=loglevel,
+        **extra_tractor_kwargs
+    )
+    return 'emsd'
diff --git a/piker/exchange/__init__.py b/piker/clearing/__init__.py
similarity index 100%
rename from piker/exchange/__init__.py
rename to piker/clearing/__init__.py
diff --git a/piker/exchange/_client.py b/piker/clearing/_client.py
similarity index 92%
rename from piker/exchange/_client.py
rename to piker/clearing/_client.py
index 0fa23e60..6accc0b8 100644
--- a/piker/exchange/_client.py
+++ b/piker/clearing/_client.py
@@ -168,27 +168,27 @@ async def send_order_cmds():
 
 @asynccontextmanager
 async def maybe_open_emsd(
-) -> 'StreamReceiveChannel':  # noqa
+    brokername: str,
+) -> tractor._portal.Portal:  # noqa
 
     async with tractor.find_actor('emsd') as portal:
         if portal is not None:
             yield portal
+            return
 
-        else:
-            # we gotta spawn it
-            log.info("Spawning EMS daemon")
+    # ask remote daemon tree to spawn it
+    from .._daemon import spawn_emsd
 
-            # TODO: add ``maybe_spawn_emsd()`` for this
-            async with tractor.open_nursery() as n:
+    async with tractor.find_actor('pikerd') as portal:
+        assert portal
+        name = await portal.run(
+            spawn_emsd,
+            brokername=brokername,
+        )
 
-                portal = await n.start_actor(
-                    'emsd',
-                    enable_modules=[
-                        'piker.exchange._ems',
-                    ],
-                )
+        async with tractor.wait_for_actor(name) as portal:
+            yield portal
 
-                yield portal
 
 
 @asynccontextmanager
@@ -235,7 +235,7 @@ async def open_ems(
     # ready for order commands
     book = get_orders()
 
-    async with maybe_open_emsd() as portal:
+    async with maybe_open_emsd(broker) as portal:
 
         trades_stream = await portal.run(
             _emsd_main,
diff --git a/piker/exchange/_ems.py b/piker/clearing/_ems.py
similarity index 100%
rename from piker/exchange/_ems.py
rename to piker/clearing/_ems.py
diff --git a/piker/exchange/_paper_engine.py b/piker/clearing/_paper_engine.py
similarity index 100%
rename from piker/exchange/_paper_engine.py
rename to piker/clearing/_paper_engine.py
diff --git a/piker/cli/__init__.py b/piker/cli/__init__.py
index b43f52b1..f8f37095 100644
--- a/piker/cli/__init__.py
+++ b/piker/cli/__init__.py
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ CLI commons.
 import os
 
 import click
+import trio
 import tractor
 
 from ..log import get_console_log, get_logger, colorize_json
@@ -35,13 +36,14 @@ _context_defaults = dict(
 def pikerd(loglevel, host, tl):
     """Spawn the piker broker-daemon.
     """
-    from ..data import _data_mods
+    from .._daemon import _data_mods, open_pikerd
     get_console_log(loglevel)
-    tractor.run_daemon(
-        rpc_module_paths=_data_mods,
-        name='brokerd',
-        loglevel=loglevel if tl else None,
-    )
+
+    async def main():
+        async with open_pikerd(loglevel):
+            await trio.sleep_forever()
+
+    trio.run(main)
 
 
 @click.group(context_settings=_context_defaults)
diff --git a/piker/data/__init__.py b/piker/data/__init__.py
index 49b0acb9..0559cbfb 100644
--- a/piker/data/__init__.py
+++ b/piker/data/__init__.py
@@ -29,11 +29,11 @@ from typing import (
     Dict, Any, Sequence, AsyncIterator, Optional
 )
 
-import trio
 import tractor
 
 from ..brokers import get_brokermod
 from ..log import get_logger, get_console_log
+from .._daemon import spawn_brokerd, maybe_open_pikerd
 from ._normalize import iterticks
 from ._sharedmem import (
     maybe_open_shm_array,
@@ -48,7 +48,6 @@ from ._buffer import (
     subscribe_ohlc_for_increment
 )
 
-
 __all__ = [
     'iterticks',
     'maybe_open_shm_array',
@@ -75,15 +74,6 @@ def get_ingestormod(name: str) -> ModuleType:
     return module
 
 
-# capable rpc modules
-_data_mods = [
-    'piker.brokers.core',
-    'piker.brokers.data',
-    'piker.data',
-    'piker.data._buffer',
-]
-
-
 @asynccontextmanager
 async def maybe_spawn_brokerd(
     brokername: str,
@@ -95,11 +85,11 @@ async def maybe_spawn_brokerd(
 ) -> tractor._portal.Portal:
     """If no ``brokerd.{brokername}`` daemon-actor can be found,
     spawn one in a local subactor and return a portal to it.
+
     """
     if loglevel:
         get_console_log(loglevel)
 
-    brokermod = get_brokermod(brokername)
     dname = f'brokerd.{brokername}'
     async with tractor.find_actor(dname) as portal:
 
@@ -107,32 +97,29 @@ async def maybe_spawn_brokerd(
         if portal is not None:
             yield portal
 
-        else:  # no daemon has been spawned yet
+        else:
+            # ask root ``pikerd`` daemon to spawn the daemon we need if
+            # pikerd is not live we now become the root of the
+            # process tree
+            async with maybe_open_pikerd(
+                loglevel=loglevel
+            ) as pikerd_portal:
 
-            log.info(f"Spawning {brokername} broker daemon")
+                if pikerd_portal is None:
+                    # we are root so spawn brokerd directly in our tree
+                    # the root nursery is accessed through process global state
+                    await spawn_brokerd(brokername, loglevel=loglevel)
 
-            # retrieve any special config from the broker mod
-            tractor_kwargs = getattr(brokermod, '_spawn_kwargs', {})
-
-            async with tractor.open_nursery(
-                #debug_mode=debug_mode,
-            ) as nursery:
-                try:
-                    # spawn new daemon
-                    portal = await nursery.start_actor(
-                        dname,
-                        enable_modules=_data_mods + [brokermod.__name__],
+                else:
+                    await pikerd_portal.run(
+                        spawn_brokerd,
+                        brokername=brokername,
                         loglevel=loglevel,
                         debug_mode=debug_mode,
-                        **tractor_kwargs
                     )
-                    async with tractor.wait_for_actor(dname) as portal:
-                        yield portal
 
-                finally:
-                    # client code may block indefinitely so cancel when
-                    # teardown is invoked
-                    await nursery.cancel()
+                async with tractor.wait_for_actor(dname) as portal:
+                    yield portal
 
 
 @dataclass
diff --git a/piker/ui/_exec.py b/piker/ui/_exec.py
index eb0d662c..85901d0c 100644
--- a/piker/ui/_exec.py
+++ b/piker/ui/_exec.py
@@ -41,6 +41,7 @@ import trio
 import tractor
 from outcome import Error
 
+from .._daemon import maybe_open_pikerd
 from ..log import get_logger
 from ._pg_overrides import _do_overrides
 
@@ -194,11 +195,7 @@ def run_qtractor(
     # define tractor entrypoint
     async def main():
 
-        async with tractor.open_root_actor(
-            arbiter_addr=(
-                tractor._root._default_arbiter_host,
-                tractor._root._default_arbiter_port,
-            ),
+        async with maybe_open_pikerd(
             name='qtractor',
             **tractor_kwargs,
         ):
diff --git a/piker/ui/cli.py b/piker/ui/cli.py
index 387a2b4b..a407afe5 100644
--- a/piker/ui/cli.py
+++ b/piker/ui/cli.py
@@ -149,7 +149,7 @@ def chart(config, symbol, profile):
             'debug_mode': True,
             'loglevel': tractorloglevel,
             'enable_modules': [
-                'piker.exchange._client'
+                'piker.clearing._client'
             ],
         },
     )
diff --git a/piker/ui/order_mode.py b/piker/ui/order_mode.py
index 84806156..27059894 100644
--- a/piker/ui/order_mode.py
+++ b/piker/ui/order_mode.py
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ from pydantic import BaseModel
 
 from ._graphics._lines import LevelLine, position_line
 from ._interaction import LineEditor, ArrowEditor, _order_lines
-from ..exchange._client import open_ems, OrderBook
+from ..clearing._client import open_ems, OrderBook
 from ..data._source import Symbol
 from ..log import get_logger