diff --git a/tests/test_ems.py b/tests/test_ems.py
index 8ee99807..f9c010f0 100644
--- a/tests/test_ems.py
+++ b/tests/test_ems.py
@@ -20,7 +20,6 @@ from typing import (
 )
 
 import trio
-# import pytest_trio
 from exceptiongroup import BaseExceptionGroup
 
 import pytest
@@ -50,6 +49,7 @@ from piker.accounting import (
 log = get_logger(__name__)
 
 
+
 async def order_and_and_wait_for_ppmsg(
     client: OrderClient,
     trades_stream: tractor.MsgStream,
@@ -370,7 +370,10 @@ def test_multi_fill_positions(
 
     run_and_tollerate_cancels(atest)
 
-    if check_cross_session or accum_size != 0:
+    if (
+        check_cross_session
+        or accum_size != 0
+    ):
         # rerun just to check that position info is persistent for the paper
         # account (i.e. a user can expect to see paper pps persist across
         # runtime sessions.
diff --git a/tests/test_services.py b/tests/test_services.py
index 6f7b6f4c..433e97f3 100644
--- a/tests/test_services.py
+++ b/tests/test_services.py
@@ -2,9 +2,13 @@
 Actor tree daemon sub-service verifications
 
 '''
-from typing import AsyncContextManager
+from typing import (
+    AsyncContextManager,
+    Callable,
+)
 from contextlib import asynccontextmanager as acm
 
+from exceptiongroup import BaseExceptionGroup
 import pytest
 import trio
 import tractor
@@ -61,24 +65,10 @@ def test_runtime_boot(
     trio.run(main)
 
 
-@acm
-async def ensure_service(
-    name: str,
-    sockaddr: tuple[str, int] | None = None,
-) -> None:
-    async with find_service(name) as portal:
-        remote_sockaddr = portal.channel.raddr
-        print(f'FOUND `{name}` @ {remote_sockaddr}')
-
-        if sockaddr:
-            assert remote_sockaddr == sockaddr
-
-        yield portal
-
-
 def test_ensure_datafeed_actors(
     open_test_pikerd: AsyncContextManager,
     loglevel: str,
+    # cancel_method: str,
 
 ) -> None:
     '''
@@ -94,6 +84,7 @@ def test_ensure_datafeed_actors(
     async def main():
         async with (
             open_test_pikerd(),
+
             open_feed(
                 ['xbtusdt.kraken'],
                 loglevel=loglevel,
@@ -106,15 +97,89 @@ def test_ensure_datafeed_actors(
                 ensure_service(brokerd_name),
                 ensure_service('samplerd'),
             ):
-                pass
+                await trio.sleep(0.1)
 
     trio.run(main)
 
 
+@acm
+async def ensure_service(
+    name: str,
+    sockaddr: tuple[str, int] | None = None,
+) -> None:
+    async with find_service(name) as portal:
+        remote_sockaddr = portal.channel.raddr
+        print(f'FOUND `{name}` @ {remote_sockaddr}')
+
+        if sockaddr:
+            assert remote_sockaddr == sockaddr
+
+        yield portal
+
+
+def run_test_w_cancel_method(
+    cancel_method: str,
+    main: Callable,
+
+) -> None:
+    '''
+    Run our runtime under trio and expect a certain type of cancel condition
+    depending on input.
+
+    '''
+    cancelled_msg: str = (
+        "was remotely cancelled by remote actor (\'pikerd\'")
+
+    if cancel_method == 'sigint':
+        with pytest.raises(
+            BaseExceptionGroup,
+        ) as exc_info:
+            trio.run(main)
+
+        multi = exc_info.value
+
+        for suberr in multi.exceptions:
+            match suberr:
+                # ensure we receive a remote cancellation error caused
+                # by the pikerd root actor since we used the
+                # `.cancel_service()` API above B)
+                case tractor.ContextCancelled():
+                    assert cancelled_msg in suberr.args[0]
+
+                case KeyboardInterrupt():
+                    pass
+
+                case _:
+                    pytest.fail(f'Unexpected error {suberr}')
+
+    elif cancel_method == 'services':
+
+        # XXX NOTE: oddly, when you pass --pdb to pytest, i think since
+        # we also use that to enable the underlying tractor debug mode,
+        # it causes this to not raise for some reason? So if you see
+        # that while changing this test.. it's prolly that.
+
+        with pytest.raises(
+            tractor.ContextCancelled
+        ) as exc_info:
+            trio.run(main)
+
+        assert cancelled_msg in exc_info.value.args[0]
+
+    else:
+        pytest.fail(f'Test is broken due to {cancel_method}')
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize(
+    'cancel_method',
+    ['services', 'sigint'],
+)
 def test_ensure_ems_in_paper_actors(
     open_test_pikerd: AsyncContextManager,
     loglevel: str,
 
+    cancel_method: str,
+
 ) -> None:
 
     actor_name: str = 'brokerd'
@@ -153,7 +218,7 @@ def test_ensure_ems_in_paper_actors(
                 # local ledger and `pps.toml` state ;)
                 assert not pps
                 assert not dialogs
-
+                # XXX: should be new client with no state from other tests
                 assert not client._sent_orders
                 assert accounts
 
@@ -171,16 +236,13 @@ def test_ensure_ems_in_paper_actors(
                     # implicitly by the ems.
                     assert brokerd_name in services.service_tasks
 
-                    print('ALL SERVICES STARTED, terminating..')
-                    await services.cancel_service('emsd')
+                    print('ALL SERVICES STARTED, cancelling runtime with:\n'
+                          f'-> {cancel_method}')
 
-    # ensure we receive a remote cancellation error caused by the
-    # pikerd root actor since we used the `.cancel_service()` API
-    # above B)
-    with pytest.raises(
-        tractor._exceptions.ContextCancelled,
-    ) as exc_info:
-        trio.run(main)
+                    if cancel_method == 'services':
+                        await services.cancel_service('emsd')
 
-    cancelled_msg: str = "was remotely cancelled by remote actor (\'pikerd\'"
-    assert cancelled_msg in exc_info.value.args[0]
+                    elif cancel_method == 'sigint':
+                        raise KeyboardInterrupt
+
+    run_test_w_cancel_method(cancel_method, main)