diff --git a/piker/fsp/_engine.py b/piker/fsp/_engine.py
index 5d1fd45a..7d47e05f 100644
--- a/piker/fsp/_engine.py
+++ b/piker/fsp/_engine.py
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ from functools import partial
 from typing import (
     AsyncIterator,
     Callable,
+    TYPE_CHECKING,
 )
 
 import numpy as np
@@ -33,12 +34,12 @@ import tractor
 from tractor.msg import NamespacePath
 
 from piker.types import Struct
-from ..log import get_logger, get_console_log
-from .. import data
-from ..data.feed import (
-    Flume,
-    Feed,
+from ..log import (
+    get_logger,
+    get_console_log,
 )
+from .. import data
+from ..data.flows import Flume
 from ..data._sharedmem import ShmArray
 from ..data._sampling import (
     _default_delay_s,
@@ -52,6 +53,9 @@ from ._api import (
 )
 from ..toolz import Profiler
 
+if TYPE_CHECKING:
+    from ..data.feed import Feed
+
 log = get_logger(__name__)
 
 
@@ -169,8 +173,10 @@ class Cascade(Struct):
         if not synced:
             fsp: Fsp = self.fsp
             log.warning(
-                '***DESYNCED FSP***\n'
-                f'{fsp.ns_path}@{src_shm.token}\n'
+                f'***DESYNCED fsp***\n'
+                f'------------------\n'
+                f'ns-path: {fsp.ns_path!r}\n'
+                f'shm-token: {src_shm.token}\n'
                 f'step_diff: {step_diff}\n'
                 f'len_diff: {len_diff}\n'
             )
@@ -398,7 +404,6 @@ async def connect_streams(
 
 @tractor.context
 async def cascade(
-
     ctx: tractor.Context,
 
     # data feed key
@@ -412,7 +417,7 @@ async def cascade(
     shm_registry: dict[str, _Token],
 
     zero_on_step: bool = False,
-    loglevel: str | None = None,
+    loglevel: str|None = None,
 
 ) -> None:
     '''
@@ -426,7 +431,17 @@ async def cascade(
     )
 
     if loglevel:
-        get_console_log(loglevel)
+        log = get_console_log(
+            loglevel,
+            name=__name__,
+        )
+        # XXX TODO!
+        # figure out why this writes a dict to,
+        # `tractor._state._runtime_vars['_root_mailbox']`
+        # XD .. wtf
+        # TODO, solve this as reported in,
+        # https://www.pikers.dev/pikers/piker/issues/70
+        # await tractor.pause()
 
     src: Flume = Flume.from_msg(src_flume_addr)
     dst: Flume = Flume.from_msg(