diff --git a/piker/_daemon.py b/piker/_daemon.py
index 1dfebae3..64c22875 100644
--- a/piker/_daemon.py
+++ b/piker/_daemon.py
@@ -35,7 +35,12 @@ log = get_logger(__name__)
 
 _root_dname = 'pikerd'
 
-_registry_addr = ('127.0.0.1', 6116)
+_registry_host: str = '127.0.0.1'
+_registry_port: int = 6116
+_registry_addr = (
+    _registry_host,
+    _registry_port,
+)
 _tractor_kwargs: dict[str, Any] = {
     # use a different registry addr then tractor's default
     'arbiter_addr': _registry_addr
@@ -135,6 +140,7 @@ async def open_pikerd(
     # XXX: you should pretty much never want debug mode
     # for data daemons when running in production.
     debug_mode: bool = False,
+    registry_addr: None | tuple[str, int] = None,
 
 ) -> Optional[tractor._portal.Portal]:
     '''
@@ -153,7 +159,7 @@ async def open_pikerd(
         tractor.open_root_actor(
 
             # passed through to ``open_root_actor``
-            arbiter_addr=_registry_addr,
+            arbiter_addr=registry_addr or _registry_addr,
             name=_root_dname,
             loglevel=loglevel,
             debug_mode=debug_mode,
diff --git a/piker/cli/__init__.py b/piker/cli/__init__.py
index c87f9751..4bfd134a 100644
--- a/piker/cli/__init__.py
+++ b/piker/cli/__init__.py
@@ -27,7 +27,11 @@ import tractor
 
 from ..log import get_console_log, get_logger, colorize_json
 from ..brokers import get_brokermod
-from .._daemon import _tractor_kwargs
+from .._daemon import (
+    _tractor_kwargs,
+    _registry_host,
+    _registry_port,
+)
 from .. import config
 
 
@@ -39,13 +43,21 @@ DEFAULT_BROKER = 'questrade'
 @click.option('--loglevel', '-l', default='warning', help='Logging level')
 @click.option('--tl', is_flag=True, help='Enable tractor logging')
 @click.option('--pdb', is_flag=True, help='Enable tractor debug mode')
-@click.option('--host', '-h', default='127.0.0.1', help='Host address to bind')
+@click.option('--host', '-h', default=None, help='Host addr to bind')
+@click.option('--port', '-p', default=None, help='Port number to bind')
 @click.option(
     '--tsdb',
     is_flag=True,
     help='Enable local ``marketstore`` instance'
 )
-def pikerd(loglevel, host, tl, pdb, tsdb):
+def pikerd(
+    loglevel: str,
+    host: str,
+    port: int,
+    tl: bool,
+    pdb: bool,
+    tsdb: bool,
+):
     '''
     Spawn the piker broker-daemon.
 
@@ -62,12 +74,21 @@ def pikerd(loglevel, host, tl, pdb, tsdb):
             "\n"
         ))
 
+    reg_addr: None | tuple[str, int] = None
+    if host or port:
+        reg_addr = (
+            host or _registry_host,
+            int(port) or _registry_port,
+        )
+
     async def main():
 
         async with (
             open_pikerd(
                 loglevel=loglevel,
                 debug_mode=pdb,
+                registry_addr=reg_addr,
+
             ),  # normally delivers a ``Services`` handle
             trio.open_nursery() as n,
         ):