diff --git a/piker/data/_daemon.py b/piker/data/_daemon.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..663d7102
--- /dev/null
+++ b/piker/data/_daemon.py
@@ -0,0 +1,300 @@
+# piker: trading gear for hackers
+# Copyright (C) Tyler Goodlet (in stewardship for pikers)
+
+# This program is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify
+# it under the terms of the GNU Affero General Public License as published by
+# the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or
+# (at your option) any later version.
+
+# This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+# but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+# MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
+# GNU Affero General Public License for more details.
+
+# You should have received a copy of the GNU Affero General Public License
+# along with this program.  If not, see <https://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
+
+'''
+Data-daemon-actor "endpoint-hooks": the service task entry
+points for `datad.<brokername>`, the per-provider real-time
+and historical market-data feed daemon.
+
+The (data vs. broker)d-split mirrors the ep-groupings in
+`piker.data.validate._eps`: this daemon hosts all `'datad'`
+eps (live quotes, history loading, symbology search) while
+its `brokerd.<brokername>` sibling hosts only the live
+order-control (and thus credentialed) `'brokerd'` eps.
+
+'''
+from __future__ import annotations
+from contextlib import (
+    asynccontextmanager as acm,
+)
+from types import ModuleType
+from typing import (
+    TYPE_CHECKING,
+    AsyncContextManager,
+)
+
+import tractor
+import trio
+
+from piker.log import (
+    get_logger,
+    get_console_log,
+)
+from . import _util
+
+if TYPE_CHECKING:
+    from .feed import _FeedsBus
+
+log = get_logger(name=__name__)
+
+# `datad`-actor-always-enabled mods: the data-side successor
+# to the old `piker.brokers._daemon._data_mods` set.
+# NOTE: keeping this list as small as possible is part of
+# our caps-sec model and should be treated with utmost care!
+_datad_service_mods: list[str] = [
+    'piker.brokers.core',
+    'piker.brokers.data',
+    'piker.data',
+    'piker.data.feed',
+    'piker.data._sampling',
+    'piker.data._daemon',
+]
+
+
+@tractor.context
+async def _setup_persistent_datad(
+    ctx: tractor.Context,
+    brokername: str,
+    loglevel: str|None = None,
+
+) -> None:
+    '''
+    Allocate an actor-wide service nursery in this
+    `datad.<brokername>` actor such that data-feed tasks
+    (shm writer-samplers, history backfillers, symbology
+    loaders) can be run in the background persistently by
+    the provider backend as needed.
+
+    '''
+    # NOTE: we only need to setup logging once (and only)
+    # here since all hosted daemon tasks will reference
+    # this same log instance's (actor local) state and thus
+    # don't require any further (level) configuration on
+    # their own B)
+    actor: tractor.Actor = tractor.current_actor()
+    tll: str = actor.loglevel
+    log = get_console_log(
+        level=loglevel or tll,
+        name=f'{_util.subsys}.{brokername}',
+        with_tractor_log=bool(tll),
+    )
+    assert log.name == _util.subsys
+
+    from piker.data import feed
+    assert not feed._bus
+
+    # allocate a nursery to the bus for spawning background
+    # tasks which service client IPC requests, normally
+    # `tractor.Context` connections to explicitly required
+    # `datad` endpoints such as:
+    # - `stream_quotes()`,
+    # - `manage_history()`,
+    # - `allocate_persistent_feed()`,
+    # - `open_symbol_search()`
+    # NOTE: see ep invocation details inside `.data.feed`.
+    async with (
+        trio.open_nursery() as service_nursery
+    ):
+        bus: _FeedsBus = feed.get_feed_bus(
+            brokername,
+            service_nursery,
+        )
+        assert bus is feed._bus
+
+        # unblock caller
+        await ctx.started()
+
+        # we pin this task to keep the feeds manager active
+        # until the parent actor decides to tear it down
+        await trio.sleep_forever()
+
+
+def datad_init(
+    brokername: str,
+    loglevel: str|None = None,
+
+    **start_actor_kwargs,
+
+) -> tuple[
+    ModuleType,
+    dict,
+    AsyncContextManager,
+]:
+    '''
+    Given an input broker name, load all named arguments
+    which can be passed for daemon endpoint + context spawn
+    as required in every `datad.<brokername>` (actor)
+    service.
+
+    This includes:
+    - load the appropriate <brokername>.py pkg module,
+    - reads any declared `_datad_mods: list[str]` (falling
+      back to the full `__enable_modules__` set for
+      not-yet-split backends) which will be passed to
+      `tractor.ActorNursery.start_actor(enable_modules=)`
+      at actor start time,
+    - deliver a reference to the daemon lifetime fixture,
+      which for now is always the
+      `_setup_persistent_datad()` context defined above.
+
+    '''
+    from piker.brokers import get_brokermod
+    from .validate import get_eps
+    brokermod = get_brokermod(brokername)
+    modpath: str = brokermod.__name__
+
+    # warn (but don't bail) when the backend is missing
+    # some/all of the `datad` ep contract defined by
+    # `piker.data.validate._eps`.
+    datad_eps: dict = get_eps(brokermod, 'datad')
+    if not datad_eps:
+        log.warning(
+            f'Backend {brokername!r} offers NO `datad` '
+            f'(data-feed) eps!?\n'
+            f'Most feed/chart functionality will be '
+            f'broken for this provider..\n'
+        )
+
+    start_actor_kwargs['name'] = f'datad.{brokername}'
+
+    # XXX CRITICAL: include any backend-declared spawn
+    # kwargs, eg. `{'infect_asyncio': True}` required by
+    # `ib`'s embedded `asyncio`-mode `ib_async` usage!
+    start_actor_kwargs.update(
+        getattr(
+            brokermod,
+            '_spawn_kwargs',
+            {},
+        )
+    )
+
+    # lookup actor-enabled modules declared by the backend
+    # offering the `datad` endpoint(s).
+    enabled: list[str]
+    enabled = start_actor_kwargs['enable_modules'] = [
+        __name__,  # so that eps from THIS mod can be invoked
+        modpath,
+    ]
+    for submodname in getattr(
+        brokermod,
+        '_datad_mods',
+        # fallback for (flat, less mature) backends which
+        # don't yet declare a daemon-kind mod split.
+        getattr(
+            brokermod,
+            '__enable_modules__',
+            [],
+        ),
+    ):
+        subpath: str = f'{modpath}.{submodname}'
+        enabled.append(subpath)
+
+    return (
+        brokermod,
+        start_actor_kwargs,  # to `ActorNursery.start_actor()`
+
+        # XXX see impl above; contains all (actor global)
+        # setup/teardown expected in all `datad` actor
+        # instances.
+        _setup_persistent_datad,
+    )
+
+
+async def spawn_datad(
+    brokername: str,
+    loglevel: str|None = None,
+
+    **tractor_kwargs,
+
+) -> bool:
+
+    log.info(
+        f'Spawning data-daemon,\n'
+        f'backend: {brokername!r}'
+    )
+
+    (
+        brokermod,
+        tractor_kwargs,
+        daemon_fixture_ep,
+    ) = datad_init(
+        brokername,
+        loglevel,
+        **tractor_kwargs,
+    )
+
+    # ask `pikerd` to spawn a new sub-actor and manage it
+    # under its actor nursery
+    from piker.service import Services
+
+    dname: str = tractor_kwargs.pop('name')  # f'datad.{brokername}'
+    enable_mods: list[str] = list(dict.fromkeys(
+        _datad_service_mods
+        +
+        tractor_kwargs.pop('enable_modules')
+    ))
+    portal = await Services.actor_n.start_actor(
+        dname,
+        enable_modules=enable_mods,
+        debug_mode=Services.debug_mode,
+        **tractor_kwargs,
+    )
+
+    # NOTE: the service mngr expects an already spawned
+    # actor + its portal ref in order to do non-blocking
+    # setup of the `datad` service nursery.
+    await Services.start_service_task(
+        dname,
+        portal,
+
+        # signature of target root-task endpoint
+        daemon_fixture_ep,
+        brokername=brokername,
+        loglevel=loglevel,
+    )
+    return True
+
+
+@acm
+async def maybe_spawn_datad(
+    brokername: str,
+    loglevel: str|None = None,
+
+    **pikerd_kwargs,
+
+) -> tractor.Portal:
+    '''
+    Helper to spawn a datad service *from* a client who
+    wishes to use the sub-actor-daemon but is fine with
+    re-using any existing and contactable `datad`.
+
+    Mas o menos, acts as a cached-actor-getter factory.
+
+    '''
+    from piker.service import maybe_spawn_daemon
+
+    async with maybe_spawn_daemon(
+        service_name=f'datad.{brokername}',
+        service_task_target=spawn_datad,
+        spawn_args={
+            'brokername': brokername,
+        },
+        loglevel=loglevel,
+
+        **pikerd_kwargs,
+
+    ) as portal:
+        yield portal
diff --git a/piker/service/__init__.py b/piker/service/__init__.py
index 29360620..6fe5a5c8 100644
--- a/piker/service/__init__.py
+++ b/piker/service/__init__.py
@@ -56,3 +56,7 @@ from ..brokers._daemon import (
     spawn_brokerd as spawn_brokerd,
     maybe_spawn_brokerd as maybe_spawn_brokerd,
 )
+from ..data._daemon import (
+    spawn_datad as spawn_datad,
+    maybe_spawn_datad as maybe_spawn_datad,
+)
diff --git a/piker/service/_actor_runtime.py b/piker/service/_actor_runtime.py
index b0f180e4..6c09a9e7 100644
--- a/piker/service/_actor_runtime.py
+++ b/piker/service/_actor_runtime.py
@@ -157,6 +157,7 @@ _root_modules: list[str] = [
     __name__,
     'piker.service._daemon',
     'piker.brokers._daemon',
+    'piker.data._daemon',
 
     'piker.clearing._ems',
     'piker.clearing._client',
diff --git a/tests/test_services.py b/tests/test_services.py
index 69771c09..abbe6c6b 100644
--- a/tests/test_services.py
+++ b/tests/test_services.py
@@ -66,6 +66,41 @@ def test_runtime_boot(
     trio.run(main)
 
 
+def test_datad_spawn(
+    open_test_pikerd: AsyncContextManager,
+    loglevel: str,
+
+) -> None:
+    '''
+    Verify the new (data-feed-only) `datad.<broker>` daemon
+    can be spawned/registered as a `pikerd` sub-service via
+    the `maybe_spawn_datad()` factory.
+
+    '''
+    from piker.service import maybe_spawn_datad
+
+    backend: str = 'kraken'
+    datad_name: str = f'datad.{backend}'
+
+    async def main():
+        async with (
+            open_test_pikerd() as (_, _, _, services),
+
+            maybe_spawn_datad(
+                backend,
+                loglevel=loglevel,
+            ) as portal,
+        ):
+            assert portal
+
+            async with ensure_service(datad_name):
+                assert (
+                    datad_name in services.service_tasks
+                )
+
+    trio.run(main)
+
+
 def test_ensure_datafeed_actors(
     open_test_pikerd: AsyncContextManager,
     loglevel: str,