diff --git a/piker/data/_sharedmem.py b/piker/data/_sharedmem.py
index 0a797600..acb8070f 100644
--- a/piker/data/_sharedmem.py
+++ b/piker/data/_sharedmem.py
@@ -520,9 +520,12 @@ def open_shm_array(
 
     # "unlink" created shm on process teardown by
     # pushing teardown calls onto actor context stack
-    stack = tractor.current_actor().lifetime_stack
-    stack.callback(shmarr.close)
-    stack.callback(shmarr.destroy)
+    stack = tractor.current_actor(
+        err_on_no_runtime=False,
+    ).lifetime_stack
+    if stack:
+        stack.callback(shmarr.close)
+        stack.callback(shmarr.destroy)
 
     return shmarr
 
@@ -607,7 +610,10 @@ def attach_shm_array(
         _known_tokens[key] = token
 
     # "close" attached shm on actor teardown
-    tractor.current_actor().lifetime_stack.callback(sha.close)
+    if (actor := tractor.current_actor(
+        err_on_no_runtime=False,
+    )):
+        actor.lifetime_stack.callback(sha.close)
 
     return sha