diff --git a/tractor/_runtime.py b/tractor/_runtime.py
index 2ece8340b..f1fb03419 100644
--- a/tractor/_runtime.py
+++ b/tractor/_runtime.py
@@ -197,8 +197,8 @@ async def _invoke(
             except trio.MultiError:
                 # if a context error was set then likely
                 # thei multierror was raised due to that
-                if ctx._error is not None:
-                    raise ctx._error from None
+                if ctx._remote_ctx_error is not None:
+                    raise ctx._remote_ctx_error from None
 
                 raise
 
diff --git a/tractor/_streaming.py b/tractor/_streaming.py
index e0879a3a9..1bccb89d9 100644
--- a/tractor/_streaming.py
+++ b/tractor/_streaming.py
@@ -330,8 +330,8 @@ async def send(
         Send a message over this stream to the far end.
 
         '''
-        if self._ctx._error:
-            raise self._ctx._error  # from None
+        if self._ctx._remote_ctx_error:
+            raise self._ctx._remote_ctx_error  # from None
 
         if self._closed:
             raise trio.ClosedResourceError('This stream was already closed')
@@ -373,7 +373,7 @@ class Context:
     _portal: Optional[Portal] = None    # type: ignore # noqa
     _stream: Optional[MsgStream] = None
     _result: Optional[Any] = False
-    _error: Optional[BaseException] = None
+    _remote_ctx_error: Optional[BaseException] = None
 
     # status flags
     _cancel_called: bool = False
@@ -450,7 +450,7 @@ async def _maybe_raise_from_remote_msg(
                     f'{msg["error"]["tb_str"]}'
                 )
 
-            self._error = error
+            self._remote_ctx_error = error
 
             # TODO: tempted to **not** do this by-reraising in a
             # nursery and instead cancel a surrounding scope, detect
@@ -458,7 +458,7 @@ async def _maybe_raise_from_remote_msg(
             if self._scope_nursery:
 
                 async def raiser():
-                    raise self._error from None
+                    raise self._remote_ctx_error from None
 
                 # from trio.testing import wait_all_tasks_blocked
                 # await wait_all_tasks_blocked()