diff --git a/piker/service/marketstore.py b/piker/service/marketstore.py
index f2174ad2..4ca496b5 100644
--- a/piker/service/marketstore.py
+++ b/piker/service/marketstore.py
@@ -59,6 +59,7 @@ from ._util import (
 )
 from ..data.feed import maybe_open_feed
 from .._profile import Profiler
+from .. import config
 
 
 # ahabd-supervisor and container level config
@@ -332,8 +333,8 @@ def quote_to_marketstore_structarray(
 
 @acm
 async def get_client(
-    host: str = 'localhost',
-    port: int = _config['grpc_listen_port'],
+    host: str | None,
+    port: int | None,
 
 ) -> MarketstoreClient:
     '''
@@ -342,8 +343,8 @@ async def get_client(
 
     '''
     async with open_marketstore_client(
-        host,
-        port
+        host or 'localhost',
+        port or _config['grpc_listen_port'],
     ) as client:
         yield client
 
@@ -407,7 +408,7 @@ class Storage:
 
     async def load(
         self,
-        fqsn: str,
+        fqme: str,
         timeframe: int,
 
     ) -> tuple[
@@ -418,7 +419,7 @@ class Storage:
 
         first_tsdb_dt, last_tsdb_dt = None, None
         hist = await self.read_ohlcv(
-            fqsn,
+            fqme,
             # on first load we don't need to pull the max
             # history per request size worth.
             limit=3000,
@@ -441,7 +442,7 @@ class Storage:
 
     async def read_ohlcv(
         self,
-        fqsn: str,
+        fqme: str,
         timeframe: int | str,
         end: int | None = None,
         limit: int = int(800e3),
@@ -451,14 +452,14 @@ class Storage:
         client = self.client
         syms = await client.list_symbols()
 
-        if fqsn not in syms:
+        if fqme not in syms:
             return {}
 
         # use the provided timeframe or 1s by default
         tfstr = tf_in_1s.get(timeframe, tf_in_1s[1])
 
         params = Params(
-            symbols=fqsn,
+            symbols=fqme,
             timeframe=tfstr,
             attrgroup='OHLCV',
             end=end,
@@ -488,7 +489,7 @@ class Storage:
         # TODO: it turns out column access on recarrays is actually slower:
         # https://jakevdp.github.io/PythonDataScienceHandbook/02.09-structured-data-numpy.html#RecordArrays:-Structured-Arrays-with-a-Twist
         # it might make sense to make these structured arrays?
-        data_set = result.by_symbols()[fqsn]
+        data_set = result.by_symbols()[fqme]
         array = data_set.array
 
         # XXX: ensure sample rate is as expected
@@ -503,11 +504,11 @@ class Storage:
                     'YOUR DATABASE LIKELY CONTAINS BAD DATA FROM AN OLD BUG'
                     f'WIPING HISTORY FOR {ts}s'
                 )
-                await self.delete_ts(fqsn, timeframe)
+                await self.delete_ts(fqme, timeframe)
 
                 # try reading again..
                 return await self.read_ohlcv(
-                    fqsn,
+                    fqme,
                     timeframe,
                     end,
                     limit,
@@ -537,7 +538,7 @@ class Storage:
 
     async def write_ohlcv(
         self,
-        fqsn: str,
+        fqme: str,
         ohlcv: np.ndarray,
         timeframe: int,
         append_and_duplicate: bool = True,
@@ -570,7 +571,7 @@ class Storage:
             # write to db
             resp = await self.client.write(
                 to_push,
-                tbk=f'{fqsn}/{tfkey}/OHLCV',
+                tbk=f'{fqme}/{tfkey}/OHLCV',
 
                 # NOTE: will will append duplicates
                 # for the same timestamp-index.
@@ -593,7 +594,7 @@ class Storage:
             # write to db
             resp = await self.client.write(
                 to_push,
-                tbk=f'{fqsn}/{tfkey}/OHLCV',
+                tbk=f'{fqme}/{tfkey}/OHLCV',
 
                 # NOTE: will will append duplicates
                 # for the same timestamp-index.
@@ -625,8 +626,8 @@ class Storage:
 
 @acm
 async def open_storage_client(
-    fqsn: str,
-    period: Union[int, str | None] = None,  # in seconds
+    host: str,
+    grpc_port: int,
 
 ) -> tuple[Storage, dict[str, np.ndarray]]:
     '''
@@ -635,7 +636,10 @@ async def open_storage_client(
     '''
     async with (
         # eventually a storage backend endpoint
-        get_client() as client,
+        get_client(
+            host=host,
+            port=grpc_port,
+        ) as client,
     ):
         # slap on our wrapper api
         yield Storage(client)
@@ -643,7 +647,7 @@ async def open_storage_client(
 
 @acm
 async def open_tsdb_client(
-    fqsn: str,
+    fqme: str,
 ) -> Storage:
 
     # TODO: real-time dedicated task for ensuring
@@ -677,25 +681,31 @@ async def open_tsdb_client(
         delayed=False,
     )
 
+    # load any user service settings for connecting to tsdb
+    conf, path = config.load('conf')
+    tsdbconf = conf['network'].get('tsdb')
+    backend = tsdbconf.pop('backend')
     async with (
-        open_storage_client(fqsn) as storage,
+        open_storage_client(
+            **tsdbconf,
+        ) as storage,
 
         maybe_open_feed(
-            [fqsn],
+            [fqme],
             start_stream=False,
 
         ) as feed,
     ):
-        profiler(f'opened feed for {fqsn}')
+        profiler(f'opened feed for {fqme}')
 
         # to_append = feed.hist_shm.array
         # to_prepend = None
 
-        if fqsn:
-            flume = feed.flumes[fqsn]
+        if fqme:
+            flume = feed.flumes[fqme]
             symbol = flume.symbol
             if symbol:
-                fqsn = symbol.fqsn
+                fqme = symbol.fqme
 
             # diff db history with shm and only write the missing portions
             # ohlcv = flume.hist_shm.array
@@ -703,7 +713,7 @@ async def open_tsdb_client(
             # TODO: use pg profiler
             # for secs in (1, 60):
             #     tsdb_array = await storage.read_ohlcv(
-            #         fqsn,
+            #         fqme,
             #         timeframe=timeframe,
             #     )
             #     # hist diffing:
@@ -726,7 +736,7 @@ async def open_tsdb_client(
         #     log.info(
         #         f'Writing datums {array.size} -> to tsdb from shm\n'
         #     )
-        #     await storage.write_ohlcv(fqsn, array)
+        #     await storage.write_ohlcv(fqme, array)
 
         # profiler('Finished db writes')