diff --git a/piker/brokers/data.py b/piker/brokers/data.py
index 56e99fac..e35b0dec 100644
--- a/piker/brokers/data.py
+++ b/piker/brokers/data.py
@@ -269,9 +269,10 @@ async def get_cached_feed(
     """
     # check if a cached client is in the local actor's statespace
     ss = tractor.current_actor().statespace
-    feeds = ss['feeds']
+    feeds = ss.setdefault('feeds', {'_lock': trio.Lock()})
     lock = feeds['_lock']
-    feed_stack = ss['feed_stacks'][brokername]
+    feed_stacks = ss.setdefault('feed_stacks', {})
+    feed_stack = feed_stacks.setdefault(brokername, contextlib.AsyncExitStack())
     async with lock:
         try:
             feed = feeds[brokername]
@@ -305,18 +306,15 @@ async def start_quote_stream(
     Since most brokers seems to support batch quote requests we
     limit to one task per process for now.
     """
+
     actor = tractor.current_actor()
     # set log level after fork
     get_console_log(actor.loglevel)
     # pull global vars from local actor
     ss = actor.statespace
-    # broker2symbolsubs = ss.setdefault('broker2symbolsubs', {})
-    ss.setdefault('feeds', {'_lock': trio.Lock()})
-    feed_stacks = ss.setdefault('feed_stacks', {})
     symbols = list(symbols)
     log.info(
         f"{chan.uid} subscribed to {broker} for symbols {symbols}")
-    feed_stack = feed_stacks.setdefault(broker, contextlib.AsyncExitStack())
     # another actor task may have already created it
     feed = await get_cached_feed(broker)
     symbols2chans = feed.subscriptions[feed_type]