diff --git a/tests/discovery/test_registrar.py b/tests/discovery/test_registrar.py
index 18f94c43..60b2b10c 100644
--- a/tests/discovery/test_registrar.py
+++ b/tests/discovery/test_registrar.py
@@ -552,7 +552,7 @@ def test_stale_entry_is_deleted(
                     registry_addrs=[reg_addr],
                 ) as maybe_portal:
                     # because the transitive
-                    # `._discovery.maybe_open_portal()` call should
+                    # `._api.maybe_open_portal()` call should
                     # fail and implicitly call `.delete_addr()`
                     assert maybe_portal is None
                     registry: dict = await unpack_reg(_reg_ptl)
diff --git a/tests/test_multi_program.py b/tests/test_multi_program.py
index 100f01c6..5894ee70 100644
--- a/tests/test_multi_program.py
+++ b/tests/test_multi_program.py
@@ -122,7 +122,7 @@ async def get_root_portal(
 
     # connect back to our immediate parent which should also
     # be the actor-tree's root.
-    from tractor.discovery._discovery import get_root
+    from tractor.discovery._api import get_root
     ptl: Portal
     async with get_root() as ptl:
         root_aid: Aid = ptl.chan.aid
diff --git a/tractor/__init__.py b/tractor/__init__.py
index 1aafe98e..287ac940 100644
--- a/tractor/__init__.py
+++ b/tractor/__init__.py
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ from ._streaming import (
     MsgStream as MsgStream,
     stream as stream,
 )
-from .discovery._discovery import (
+from .discovery._api import (
     get_registry as get_registry,
     find_actor as find_actor,
     wait_for_actor as wait_for_actor,
diff --git a/tractor/devx/debug/_tty_lock.py b/tractor/devx/debug/_tty_lock.py
index 9f7b71e7..3d2be681 100644
--- a/tractor/devx/debug/_tty_lock.py
+++ b/tractor/devx/debug/_tty_lock.py
@@ -1013,7 +1013,7 @@ async def request_root_stdio_lock(
     DebugStatus.req_task = current_task()
     req_err: BaseException|None = None
     try:
-        from tractor.discovery._discovery import get_root
+        from tractor.discovery._api import get_root
         # NOTE: we need this to ensure that this task exits
         # BEFORE the REPl instance raises an error like
         # `bdb.BdbQuit` directly, OW you get a trio cs stack
diff --git a/tractor/discovery/__init__.py b/tractor/discovery/__init__.py
index 13e10b0a..93c19e62 100644
--- a/tractor/discovery/__init__.py
+++ b/tractor/discovery/__init__.py
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ and location management of (service) actors.
 NOTE: to avoid circular imports, this ``__init__``
 does NOT eagerly import submodules. Use direct
 module paths like ``tractor.discovery._addr`` or
-``tractor.discovery._discovery`` instead.
+``tractor.discovery._api`` instead.
 
 '''
 from ._multiaddr import (
diff --git a/tractor/discovery/_discovery.py b/tractor/discovery/_api.py
similarity index 100%
rename from tractor/discovery/_discovery.py
rename to tractor/discovery/_api.py
diff --git a/tractor/ipc/_server.py b/tractor/ipc/_server.py
index 6cfbf474..3fd965c5 100644
--- a/tractor/ipc/_server.py
+++ b/tractor/ipc/_server.py
@@ -274,7 +274,7 @@ async def maybe_wait_on_canced_subs(
                     # ephemeral `.register_actor()` request!
                     # -[ ] also, that should be avoidable by
                     #   re-using any existing chan from the
-                    #   `._discovery.get_registry()` call as
+                    #   `._api.get_registry()` call as
                     #   well..
                     log.runtime(
                         f'Peer IPC broke but subproc is alive?\n\n'
diff --git a/tractor/runtime/_runtime.py b/tractor/runtime/_runtime.py
index 618d33da..210d489c 100644
--- a/tractor/runtime/_runtime.py
+++ b/tractor/runtime/_runtime.py
@@ -115,7 +115,7 @@ from ..devx import (
     debug,
     pformat as _pformat
 )
-from ..discovery._discovery import get_registry
+from ..discovery._api import get_registry
 from ._portal import Portal
 from . import _state
 from ..spawn import _mp_fixup_main