diff --git a/piker/brokers/data.py b/piker/brokers/data.py
index 3c4cb944..340ef73a 100644
--- a/piker/brokers/data.py
+++ b/piker/brokers/data.py
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ log = get_logger('broker.data')
 
 
 async def wait_for_network(net_func: Callable, sleep: int = 1) -> dict:
-    """Wait until the network comes back up.
+    """Wait until the network (DNS) comes back up.
     """
     down = False
     while True:
@@ -220,29 +220,30 @@ async def get_cached_feed(
     ss = tractor.current_actor().statespace
     feeds = ss.setdefault('feeds', {'_lock': trio.Lock()})
     lock = feeds['_lock']
+    feed = None
     try:
-        try:
-            async with lock:
-                feed = feeds[brokername]
-                log.info(f"Subscribing with existing `{brokername}` daemon")
-            yield feed
-        except KeyError:
-            async with lock:
-                log.info(f"Creating new client for broker {brokername}")
-                brokermod = get_brokermod(brokername)
-                exit_stack = contextlib.AsyncExitStack()
-                client = await exit_stack.enter_async_context(
-                    brokermod.get_client())
-                feed = BrokerFeed(
-                    mod=brokermod,
-                    client=client,
-                    exit_stack=exit_stack,
-                )
-                feeds[brokername] = feed
-            yield feed
+        async with lock:
+            feed = feeds[brokername]
+            log.info(f"Subscribing with existing `{brokername}` daemon")
+        yield feed
+    except KeyError:
+        async with lock:
+            log.info(f"Creating new client for broker {brokername}")
+            brokermod = get_brokermod(brokername)
+            exit_stack = contextlib.AsyncExitStack()
+            client = await exit_stack.enter_async_context(
+                brokermod.get_client())
+            feed = BrokerFeed(
+                mod=brokermod,
+                client=client,
+                exit_stack=exit_stack,
+            )
+            feeds[brokername] = feed
+        yield feed
     finally:
-        # destroy the API client
-        await feed.exit_stack.aclose()
+        if feed is not None:
+            # destroy the API client
+            await feed.exit_stack.aclose()
 
 
 async def start_quote_stream(
@@ -319,9 +320,18 @@ async def start_quote_stream(
             f"Terminating stream quoter task for {feed.mod.name}")
 
 
+async def call_client(
+    broker: str,
+    methname: str,
+    **kwargs,
+):
+    async with get_cached_feed(broker) as feed:
+        return await getattr(feed.client, methname)(**kwargs)
+
+
 class DataFeed:
-    """Data feed client for streaming symbol data from a (remote)
-    ``brokerd`` data daemon.
+    """Data feed client for streaming symbol data from and making API client calls
+    to a (remote) ``brokerd`` daemon.
     """
     _allowed = ('stock', 'option')
 
@@ -400,6 +410,17 @@ class DataFeed:
         ])
         return records, displayables
 
+    async def call_client(self, method, **kwargs):
+        """Call a broker ``Client`` method using RPC and return result.
+        """
+        return await self.portal.run(
+            'piker.brokers.data',
+            'call_client',
+            broker=self.brokermod.name,
+            methname=method,
+            **kwargs
+        )
+
 
 async def stream_to_file(
     watchlist_name: str,