diff --git a/piker/data/feed.py b/piker/data/feed.py
index 6d4c0689..c3d17ac2 100644
--- a/piker/data/feed.py
+++ b/piker/data/feed.py
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 # piker: trading gear for hackers
-# Copyright (C) Tyler Goodlet (in stewardship for piker0)
+# Copyright (C) Tyler Goodlet (in stewardship for pikers)
 
 # 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
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ from contextlib import asynccontextmanager
 from functools import partial
 from types import ModuleType
 from typing import (
-    Any, Sequence,
+    Any,
     AsyncIterator, Optional,
     Awaitable,
 )
@@ -56,7 +56,9 @@ from ._source import (
 )
 from ..ui import _search
 from ._sampling import (
-    _shms,
+    # TODO: should probably group these in a compound type at this point XD
+    _ohlcv_shms,
+    _subscribers,
     _incrementers,
     increment_ohlc_buffer,
     iter_ohlc_periods,
@@ -108,6 +110,7 @@ class _FeedsBus(BaseModel):
         self,
         target: Awaitable,
         *args,
+
     ) -> None:
 
         async def start_with_cs(
@@ -159,7 +162,8 @@ def get_feed_bus(
 @tractor.context
 async def _setup_persistent_brokerd(
     ctx: tractor.Context,
-    brokername: str
+    brokername: str,
+
 ) -> None:
     '''
     Allocate a actor-wide service nursery in ``brokerd``
@@ -167,22 +171,22 @@ async def _setup_persistent_brokerd(
     the broker backend as needed.
 
     '''
-    try:
-        async with trio.open_nursery() as service_nursery:
+    get_console_log(tractor.current_actor().loglevel)
 
-            # assign a nursery to the feeds bus for spawning
-            # background tasks from clients
-            bus = get_feed_bus(brokername, service_nursery)
+    global _bus
+    assert not _bus
 
-            # unblock caller
-            await ctx.started()
+    async with trio.open_nursery() as service_nursery:
+        # assign a nursery to the feeds bus for spawning
+        # background tasks from clients
+        get_feed_bus(brokername, service_nursery)
 
-            # we pin this task to keep the feeds manager active until the
-            # parent actor decides to tear it down
-            await trio.sleep_forever()
-    finally:
-        # TODO: this needs to be shielded?
-        bus.nursery.cancel_scope.cancel()
+        # unblock caller
+        await ctx.started()
+
+        # we pin this task to keep the feeds manager active until the
+        # parent actor decides to tear it down
+        await trio.sleep_forever()
 
 
 async def manage_history(
@@ -194,6 +198,8 @@ async def manage_history(
     some_data_ready: trio.Event,
     feed_is_live: trio.Event,
 
+    task_status: TaskStatus = trio.TASK_STATUS_IGNORED,
+
 ) -> None:
     '''
     Load and manage historical data including the loading of any
@@ -202,13 +208,15 @@ async def manage_history(
     buffer.
 
     '''
-    # TODO:
-    # history retreival, see if we can pull from an existing
+    # TODO: history retreival, see if we can pull from an existing
     # ``marketstored`` daemon
-    # log.info('Scanning for existing `marketstored`')
-    # from .marketstore import load_history
-    # arrays = await load_history(symbol)
+    log.info('Scanning for existing `marketstored`')
+    fqsn = mk_fqsn(mod.name, symbol)
+    # from .marketstore import manage_history
+    # arrays = await manage_history(symbol)
+
     arrays = {}
+    task_status.started()
 
     opened = we_opened_shm
     # TODO: history validation
@@ -218,6 +226,8 @@ async def manage_history(
 
     if opened:
         if arrays:
+            await tractor.breakpoint()
+
             # push to shm
             # set data ready
             # some_data_ready.set()
@@ -245,7 +255,7 @@ async def manage_history(
     await feed_is_live.wait()
 
     if opened:
-        _shms.setdefault(delay_s, []).append(shm)
+        _ohlcv_shms.setdefault(delay_s, []).append(shm)
 
         # start shm incrementing for OHLC sampling at the current
         # detected sampling period if one dne.
@@ -309,7 +319,13 @@ async def allocate_persistent_feed(
     # - a history loader / maintainer
     # - a real-time streamer which consumers and sends new data to any
     #   consumers as well as writes to storage backends (as configured).
-    bus.nursery.start_soon(
+
+    # XXX: neither of these will raise but will cause an inf hang due to:
+    # https://github.com/python-trio/trio/issues/2258
+    # bus.nursery.start_soon(
+    # await bus.start_task(
+
+    await bus.nursery.start(
         manage_history,
         mod,
         shm,
@@ -345,7 +361,9 @@ async def allocate_persistent_feed(
 
     # yield back control to starting nursery once we receive either
     # some history or a real-time quote.
+    log.info(f'waiting on history to load: {fqsn}')
     await some_data_ready.wait()
+
     bus.feeds[symbol.lower()] = (init_msg, first_quotes)
     task_status.started((init_msg,  first_quotes))
 
@@ -518,8 +536,8 @@ async def open_sample_step_stream(
             portal.open_stream_from,
             iter_ohlc_periods,
         ),
-
         kwargs={'delay_s': delay_s},
+
     ) as (cache_hit, istream):
         if cache_hit:
             # add a new broadcast subscription for the quote stream
@@ -623,9 +641,8 @@ async def install_brokerd_search(
 
 @asynccontextmanager
 async def open_feed(
-
     brokername: str,
-    symbols: Sequence[str],
+    symbols: list[str],
     loglevel: Optional[str] = None,
 
     backpressure: bool = True,
@@ -725,7 +742,7 @@ async def open_feed(
 async def maybe_open_feed(
 
     brokername: str,
-    symbols: Sequence[str],
+    symbols: list[str],
     loglevel: Optional[str] = None,
 
     **kwargs,