diff --git a/piker/brokers/kraken.py b/piker/brokers/kraken.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..75333b9d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/piker/brokers/kraken.py
@@ -0,0 +1,309 @@
+"""
+Kraken backend.
+"""
+from contextlib import asynccontextmanager
+from dataclasses import dataclass, asdict, field
+from itertools import starmap
+from typing import List, Dict, Any, Callable
+import json
+import time
+
+import trio_websocket
+from trio_websocket._impl import ConnectionClosed, DisconnectionTimeout
+import arrow
+import asks
+import numpy as np
+import trio
+import tractor
+
+from ._util import resproc, SymbolNotFound, BrokerError
+from ..log import get_logger, get_console_log
+
+log = get_logger(__name__)
+
+
+# <uri>/<version>/
+_url = 'https://api.kraken.com/0'
+
+
+# conversion to numpy worthy types
+_ohlc_dtype = [
+    ('index', int),
+    ('time', int),
+    ('open', float),
+    ('high', float),
+    ('low', float),
+    ('close', float),
+    ('vwap', float),
+    ('volume', float),
+    ('count', int)
+]
+
+# UI components allow this to be declared such that additional
+# (historical) fields can be exposed.
+ohlc_dtype = np.dtype(_ohlc_dtype)
+
+
+class Client:
+
+    def __init__(self) -> None:
+        self._sesh = asks.Session(connections=4)
+        self._sesh.base_location = _url
+        self._sesh.headers.update({
+            'User-Agent':
+                'krakenex/2.1.0 (+https://github.com/veox/python3-krakenex)'
+        })
+
+    async def _public(
+        self,
+        method: str,
+        data: dict,
+    ) -> Dict[str, Any]:
+        resp = await self._sesh.post(
+            path=f'/public/{method}',
+            json=data,
+            timeout=float('inf')
+        )
+        return resproc(resp, log)
+
+    async def symbol_info(
+        self,
+        pair: str = 'all',
+    ):
+        resp = await self._public('AssetPairs', {'pair': pair})
+        err = resp['error']
+        if err:
+            raise BrokerError(err)
+        true_pair_key, data = next(iter(resp['result'].items()))
+        return data
+
+    async def bars(
+        self,
+        symbol: str = 'XBTUSD',
+        # UTC 2017-07-02 12:53:20
+        since: int = None,
+        count: int = 720,  # <- max allowed per query
+        as_np: bool = True,
+    ) -> dict:
+        if since is None:
+            since = arrow.utcnow().floor('minute').shift(
+                minutes=-count).timestamp
+        # UTC 2017-07-02 12:53:20 is oldest seconds value
+        since = str(max(1499000000, since))
+        json = await self._public(
+            'OHLC',
+            data={
+                'pair': symbol,
+                'since': since,
+            },
+        )
+        try:
+            res = json['result']
+            res.pop('last')
+            bars = next(iter(res.values()))
+
+            # convert all fields to native types
+            new_bars = []
+            last_nz_vwap = None
+            for i, bar in enumerate(bars):
+                # normalize weird zero-ed vwap values..cmon kraken..
+                vwap = float(bar[-3])
+                if vwap != 0:
+                    last_nz_vwap = vwap
+                if vwap == 0:
+                    bar[-3] = last_nz_vwap
+
+                new_bars.append(
+                    (i,) + tuple(
+                        ftype(bar[j]) for j, (name, ftype) in enumerate(_ohlc_dtype[1:])
+                    )
+                )
+            return np.array(new_bars, dtype=_ohlc_dtype) if as_np else bars
+        except KeyError:
+            raise SymbolNotFound(json['error'][0] + f': {symbol}')
+
+
+@asynccontextmanager
+async def get_client() -> Client:
+    yield Client()
+
+
+@dataclass
+class OHLC:
+    """Description of the flattened OHLC quote format.
+
+    For schema details see:
+        https://docs.kraken.com/websockets/#message-ohlc
+    """
+    chan_id: int  # internal kraken id
+    chan_name: str  # eg. ohlc-1  (name-interval)
+    pair: str  # fx pair
+    time: float  # Begin time of interval, in seconds since epoch
+    etime: float  # End time of interval, in seconds since epoch
+    open: float  # Open price of interval
+    high: float  # High price within interval
+    low: float  # Low price within interval
+    close: float  # Close price of interval
+    vwap: float  # Volume weighted average price within interval
+    volume: float  # Accumulated volume **within interval**
+    count: int  # Number of trades within interval
+    # (sampled) generated tick data
+    ticks: List[Any] = field(default_factory=list)
+
+    # XXX: ugh, super hideous.. needs built-in converters.
+    def __post_init__(self):
+        for f, val in self.__dataclass_fields__.items():
+            if f == 'ticks':
+                continue
+            setattr(self, f, val.type(getattr(self, f)))
+
+
+async def recv_ohlc(recv):
+    too_slow_count = last_hb = 0
+    while True:
+        with trio.move_on_after(1.5) as cs:
+            msg = await recv()
+
+        # trigger reconnection logic if too slow
+        if cs.cancelled_caught:
+            too_slow_count += 1
+            if too_slow_count > 2:
+                log.warning(
+                    "Heartbeat is to slow, "
+                    "resetting ws connection")
+                raise trio_websocket._impl.ConnectionClosed(
+                    "Reset Connection")
+
+        if isinstance(msg, dict):
+            if msg.get('event') == 'heartbeat':
+                now = time.time()
+                delay = now - last_hb
+                last_hb = now
+                log.trace(f"Heartbeat after {delay}")
+                # TODO: hmm i guess we should use this
+                # for determining when to do connection
+                # resets eh?
+                continue
+            err = msg.get('errorMessage')
+            if err:
+                raise BrokerError(err)
+        else:
+            chan_id, ohlc_array, chan_name, pair = msg
+            yield OHLC(chan_id, chan_name, pair, *ohlc_array)
+
+
+def normalize(
+    ohlc: OHLC,
+) -> dict:
+    quote = asdict(ohlc)
+    quote['broker_ts'] = quote['time']
+    quote['brokerd_ts'] = time.time()
+    quote['pair'] = quote['pair'].replace('/', '')
+
+    # seriously eh? what's with this non-symmetry everywhere
+    # in subscription systems...
+    topic = quote['pair'].replace('/', '')
+
+    # print(quote)
+    return topic, quote
+
+
+@tractor.msg.pub
+async def stream_quotes(
+    get_topics: Callable,
+    # These are the symbols not expected by the ws api
+    # they are looked up inside this routine.
+    symbols: List[str] = ['XBTUSD', 'XMRUSD'],
+    sub_type: str = 'ohlc',
+    loglevel: str = None,
+) -> None:
+    """Subscribe for ohlc stream of quotes for ``pairs``.
+
+    ``pairs`` must be formatted <crypto_symbol>/<fiat_symbol>.
+    """
+    # XXX: required to propagate ``tractor`` loglevel to piker logging
+    get_console_log(loglevel or tractor.current_actor().loglevel)
+
+    ws_pairs = {}
+    async with get_client() as client:
+        for sym in symbols:
+            ws_pairs[sym] = (await client.symbol_info(sym))['wsname']
+
+    while True:
+        try:
+            async with trio_websocket.open_websocket_url(
+                'wss://ws.kraken.com',
+            ) as ws:
+                # setup subs
+                # see: https://docs.kraken.com/websockets/#message-subscribe
+                subs = {
+                    'pair': list(ws_pairs.values()),
+                    'event': 'subscribe',
+                    'subscription': {
+                        'name': sub_type,
+                        'interval': 1,  # 1 min
+                        # 'name': 'ticker',
+                        # 'name': 'openOrders',
+                        # 'depth': '25',
+                    },
+                }
+                # TODO: we want to eventually allow unsubs which should
+                # be completely fine to request from a separate task
+                # since internally the ws methods appear to be FIFO
+                # locked.
+                await ws.send_message(json.dumps(subs))
+
+                async def recv():
+                    return json.loads(await ws.get_message())
+
+                # pull a first quote and deliver
+                ohlc_gen = recv_ohlc(recv)
+                ohlc_last = await ohlc_gen.__anext__()
+
+                topic, quote = normalize(ohlc_last)
+
+                # packetize as {topic: quote}
+                yield {topic: quote}
+
+                # keep start of last interval for volume tracking
+                last_interval_start = ohlc_last.etime
+
+                # start streaming
+                async for ohlc in ohlc_gen:
+
+                    # generate tick values to match time & sales pane:
+                    # https://trade.kraken.com/charts/KRAKEN:BTC-USD?period=1m
+                    volume = ohlc.volume
+                    if ohlc.etime > last_interval_start:  # new interval
+                        last_interval_start = ohlc.etime
+                        tick_volume = volume
+                    else:
+                        # this is the tick volume *within the interval*
+                        tick_volume = volume - ohlc_last.volume
+
+                    if tick_volume:
+                        ohlc.ticks.append({
+                            'type': 'trade',
+                            'price': ohlc.close,
+                            'size': tick_volume,
+                        })
+
+                    topic, quote = normalize(ohlc)
+
+                    # XXX: format required by ``tractor.msg.pub``
+                    # requires a ``Dict[topic: str, quote: dict]``
+                    yield {topic: quote}
+
+                    ohlc_last = ohlc
+
+        except (ConnectionClosed, DisconnectionTimeout):
+            log.exception("Good job kraken...reconnecting")
+
+
+if __name__ == '__main__':
+
+    async def stream_ohlc():
+        async for msg in stream_quotes():
+            print(msg)
+
+    tractor.run(stream_ohlc)
diff --git a/piker/brokers/questrade.py b/piker/brokers/questrade.py
index de0d1e7a..58b31fcf 100644
--- a/piker/brokers/questrade.py
+++ b/piker/brokers/questrade.py
@@ -1164,10 +1164,10 @@ async def stream_quotes(
             packetizer=partial(
                 packetizer,
                 formatter=formatter,
-                symboal_data=sd,
+                symbol_data=sd,
             ),
 
-            # actual func args
+            # actual target "streaming func" args
             get_quotes=get_quotes,
             diff_cached=diff_cached,
             rate=rate,