diff --git a/piker/ui/_curve.py b/piker/ui/_curve.py
index 091bbad0..5442d347 100644
--- a/piker/ui/_curve.py
+++ b/piker/ui/_curve.py
@@ -163,22 +163,32 @@ class FlowGraphic(pg.GraphicsObject):
 
         return None
 
+    # XXX: due to a variety of weird jitter bugs and "smearing"
+    # artifacts when click-drag panning and viewing history time series,
+    # we offer this ctx-mngr interface to allow temporarily disabling
+    # Qt's graphics caching mode; this is now currently used from
+    # ``ChartView.start/signal_ic()`` methods which also disable the
+    # rt-display loop when the user is moving around a view.
     @cm
     def reset_cache(self) -> None:
-        self.setCacheMode(QtWidgets.QGraphicsItem.NoCache)
         try:
-            log.debug(f'{self._name} -> CACHE DISABLE')
+            none = QGraphicsItem.NoCache
+            log.debug(
+                f'{self._name} -> CACHE DISABLE: {none}'
+            )
+            self.setCacheMode(none)
             yield
         finally:
-            log.debug(f'{self._name} -> CACHE ENABLE')
-            self.setCacheMode(self.cache_mode)
+            mode = self.cache_mode
+            log.debug(f'{self._name} -> CACHE ENABLE {mode}')
+            self.setCacheMode(mode)
 
 
 class Curve(FlowGraphic):
     '''
     A faster, simpler, append friendly version of
     ``pyqtgraph.PlotCurveItem`` built for highly customizable real-time
-    updates.
+    updates; a graphics object to render a simple "line" plot.
 
     This type is a much stripped down version of a ``pyqtgraph`` style
     "graphics object" in the sense that the internal lower level
@@ -385,7 +395,6 @@ class Curve(FlowGraphic):
 
     ) -> None:
         # default line draw last call
-        # with self.reset_cache():
         x = src_data[index_field]
         y = src_data[array_key]
 
@@ -413,12 +422,20 @@ class Curve(FlowGraphic):
 # element such that the current datum in view can be shown
 # (via it's max / min) even when highly zoomed out.
 class FlattenedOHLC(Curve):
+    '''
+    More or less the exact same as a standard line ``Curve`` above
+    but meant to handle a traced-and-downsampled OHLC time series.
+              _
+    _|         |    _
+     |_  |     |_  | |
+        _|  =>   |_| |
+         |           |
+         |_          |_
 
-    # avoids strange dragging/smearing artifacts when panning
-    # as well as mouse over artefacts when the vlm chart series
-    # is "shorter" then some overlay..
-    # cache_mode: int = QGraphicsItem.NoCache
+    The main implementation different is that ``.draw_last_datum()``
+    expects an underlying OHLC array for the ``src_data`` input.
 
+    '''
     def draw_last_datum(
         self,
         path: QPainterPath,
@@ -443,12 +460,19 @@ class FlattenedOHLC(Curve):
 
 
 class StepCurve(Curve):
+    '''
+    A familiar rectangle-with-y-height-per-datum type curve:
 
-    # avoids strange dragging/smearing artifacts when panning
-    # as well as mouse over artefacts when the vlm chart series
-    # is "shorter" then some overlay..
-    # cache_mode: int = QGraphicsItem.NoCache
+              ||
+        ||    ||
+     || ||    ||||
+    _||_||_||_||||_   where each datum's y-value is drawn as
+    a nearly full rectangle, each "level" spans some x-step size.
 
+    This is most often used for vlm and option OI style curves and/or
+    the very popular "bar chart".
+
+    '''
     def declare_paintables(
         self,
     ) -> None:
diff --git a/piker/ui/_display.py b/piker/ui/_display.py
index 8a4de766..685fcca7 100644
--- a/piker/ui/_display.py
+++ b/piker/ui/_display.py
@@ -473,7 +473,7 @@ async def graphics_update_loop(
                     fast_chart.pause_all_feeds()
                     continue
 
-                ic = fast_chart.view._ic
+                ic = fast_chart.view._in_interact
                 if ic:
                     fast_chart.pause_all_feeds()
                     print(f'{fqsn} PAUSING DURING INTERACTION')
@@ -756,8 +756,8 @@ def graphics_update_cycle(
             mx = max(mx, lmx)
 
             if (
-                main_vb._ic is None
-                or not main_vb._ic.is_set()
+                main_vb._in_interact is None
+                or not main_vb._in_interact.is_set()
             ):
                 # print(f'SETTING Y-mnmx -> {main_viz.name}: {(mn, mx)}')
                 this_vb.interact_graphics_cycle(
diff --git a/piker/ui/_interaction.py b/piker/ui/_interaction.py
index 6de25aa8..15e5b2ff 100644
--- a/piker/ui/_interaction.py
+++ b/piker/ui/_interaction.py
@@ -19,7 +19,10 @@ Chart view box primitives
 
 '''
 from __future__ import annotations
-from contextlib import asynccontextmanager
+from contextlib import (
+    asynccontextmanager,
+    ExitStack,
+)
 import time
 from typing import (
     Callable,
@@ -405,7 +408,8 @@ class ChartView(ViewBox):
         self.order_mode: bool = False
 
         self.setFocusPolicy(QtCore.Qt.StrongFocus)
-        self._ic = None
+        self._in_interact: trio.Event | None = None
+        self._interact_stack: ExitStack = ExitStack()
 
         # TODO: probably just assign this whenever a new `PlotItem` is
         # allocated since they're 1to1 with views..
@@ -420,10 +424,20 @@ class ChartView(ViewBox):
         to any interested task waiters.
 
         '''
-        if self._ic is None:
+        if self._in_interact is None:
+            chart = self.chart
             try:
-                self.chart.pause_all_feeds()
-                self._ic = trio.Event()
+                chart.pause_all_feeds()
+                self._in_interact = trio.Event()
+                for viz in chart.iter_vizs():
+                    self._interact_stack.enter_context(
+                        viz.graphics.reset_cache(),
+                    )
+                    dsg = viz.ds_graphics
+                    if dsg:
+                        self._interact_stack.enter_context(
+                            dsg.reset_cache(),
+                        )
             except RuntimeError:
                 pass
 
@@ -437,10 +451,11 @@ class ChartView(ViewBox):
         to any waiters.
 
         '''
-        if self._ic:
+        if self._in_interact:
             try:
-                self._ic.set()
-                self._ic = None
+                self._in_interact.set()
+                self._in_interact = None
+                self._interact_stack.close()
                 self.chart.resume_all_feeds()
             except RuntimeError:
                 pass
@@ -667,9 +682,6 @@ class ChartView(ViewBox):
                     self.start_ic()
                 except RuntimeError:
                     pass
-                # if self._ic is None:
-                #     self.chart.pause_all_feeds()
-                #     self._ic = trio.Event()
 
                 if axis == 1:
                     self.chart._static_yrange = 'axis'
@@ -693,8 +705,8 @@ class ChartView(ViewBox):
 
                 if ev.isFinish():
                     self.signal_ic()
-                    # self._ic.set()
-                    # self._ic = None
+                    # self._in_interact.set()
+                    # self._in_interact = None
                     # self.chart.resume_all_feeds()
 
                 # # XXX: WHY
diff --git a/piker/ui/_ohlc.py b/piker/ui/_ohlc.py
index f3eb12b0..33d7bbda 100644
--- a/piker/ui/_ohlc.py
+++ b/piker/ui/_ohlc.py
@@ -28,7 +28,6 @@ from PyQt5.QtCore import (
     QLineF,
     QRectF,
 )
-from PyQt5.QtWidgets import QGraphicsItem
 from PyQt5.QtGui import QPainterPath
 
 from ._curve import FlowGraphic
@@ -91,10 +90,6 @@ class BarItems(FlowGraphic):
     "Price range" bars graphics rendered from a OHLC sampled sequence.
 
     '''
-    # XXX: causes this weird jitter bug when click-drag panning
-    # where the path curve will awkwardly flicker back and forth?
-    # cache_mode: int = QGraphicsItem.NoCache
-
     def __init__(
         self,
         *args,