diff --git a/packages/orchestration/src/exos/orchestrator.js b/packages/orchestration/src/exos/orchestrator.js
index e18505b8e9a..d6982f8bd39 100644
--- a/packages/orchestration/src/exos/orchestrator.js
+++ b/packages/orchestration/src/exos/orchestrator.js
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 /** @file ChainAccount exo */
 import { AmountShape } from '@agoric/ertp';
 import { makeTracer } from '@agoric/internal';
-import { V } from '@agoric/vow/vat.js';
+import { E } from '@endo/far';
 import { M } from '@endo/patterns';
 import {
   ChainInfoShape,
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ import {
   BrandInfoShape,
   DenomAmountShape,
 } from '../typeGuards.js';
+import { getChainsAndConnection } from './chain-hub.js';
 
 /**
  * @import {Zone} from '@agoric/base-zone';
@@ -20,6 +21,7 @@ import {
  * @import {LocalChain} from '@agoric/vats/src/localchain.js';
  * @import {RecorderKit, MakeRecorderKit} from '@agoric/zoe/src/contractSupport/recorder.js'.
  * @import {Remote} from '@agoric/internal';
+ * @import {PickFacet} from '@agoric/swingset-liveslots';
  * @import {OrchestrationService} from '../service.js';
  * @import {MakeLocalOrchestrationAccountKit} from './local-orchestration-account.js';
  * @import {MakeLocalChainFacade} from './local-chain-facade.js';
@@ -54,47 +56,85 @@ export const OrchestratorI = M.interface('Orchestrator', {
  *   zcf: ZCF;
  * }} powers
  */
-export const prepareOrchestrator = (
+export const prepareOrchestratorKit = (
   zone,
   {
     chainHub,
     localchain,
     makeLocalChainFacade,
     makeRemoteChainFacade,
-    vowTools: _vowTools,
+    vowTools: { watch, when },
   },
 ) =>
-  zone.exoClass(
+  zone.exoClassKit(
     'Orchestrator',
-    OrchestratorI,
+    {
+      orchestrator: OrchestratorI,
+      makeLocalChainFacadeWatcher: M.interface('makeLocalChainFacadeWatcher', {
+        onFulfilled: M.call(M.record())
+          .optional(M.arrayOf(M.undefined()))
+          .returns(M.any()), // FIXME narrow
+      }),
+      makeRemoteChainFacadeWatcher: M.interface(
+        'makeRemoteChainFacadeWatcher',
+        {
+          onFulfilled: M.call(M.arrayOf(M.record()))
+            .optional(M.arrayOf(M.undefined()))
+            .returns(M.any()), // FIXME narrow
+        },
+      ),
+    },
     () => {
       trace('making an Orchestrator');
       return {};
     },
     {
-      /** @type {Orchestrator['getChain']} */
-      getChain: async name => {
-        const agoricChainInfo = await chainHub.getChainInfo('agoric');
-
-        if (name === 'agoric') {
-          // @ts-expect-error XXX chainInfo generic
+      /** Waits for `chainInfo` and returns a LocalChainFacade */
+      makeLocalChainFacadeWatcher: {
+        /** @param {ChainInfo} agoricChainInfo */
+        onFulfilled(agoricChainInfo) {
           return makeLocalChainFacade(agoricChainInfo);
-        }
-
-        const remoteChainInfo = await chainHub.getChainInfo(name);
-        const connectionInfo = await chainHub.getConnectionInfo(
-          agoricChainInfo.chainId,
-          remoteChainInfo.chainId,
-        );
-
-        // @ts-expect-error XXX chainInfo generic
-        return makeRemoteChainFacade(remoteChainInfo, connectionInfo);
+        },
+      },
+      /**
+       * Waits for `chainInfo` for `agoric` and a remote chain and returns a
+       * RemoteChainFacade
+       */
+      makeRemoteChainFacadeWatcher: {
+        /**
+         * Waits for `chainInfo` for `agoric` and a remote chain and returns a
+         * RemoteChainFacade
+         *
+         * @param {[ChainInfo, ChainInfo, IBCConnectionInfo]} chainsAndConnection
+         */
+        onFulfilled([_agoricChainInfo, remoteChainInfo, connectionInfo]) {
+          return makeRemoteChainFacade(remoteChainInfo, connectionInfo);
+        },
       },
-      makeLocalAccount() {
-        return V(localchain).makeAccount();
+      orchestrator: {
+        /** @type {Orchestrator['getChain']} */
+        getChain(name) {
+          if (name === 'agoric') {
+            return when(
+              watch(
+                chainHub.getChainInfo('agoric'),
+                this.facets.makeLocalChainFacadeWatcher,
+              ),
+            );
+          }
+          return when(
+            watch(
+              getChainsAndConnection(chainHub, 'agoric', name),
+              this.facets.makeRemoteChainFacadeWatcher,
+            ),
+          );
+        },
+        makeLocalAccount() {
+          return when(watch(E(localchain).makeAccount()));
+        },
+        getBrandInfo: () => Fail`not yet implemented`,
+        asAmount: () => Fail`not yet implemented`,
       },
-      getBrandInfo: () => Fail`not yet implemented`,
-      asAmount: () => Fail`not yet implemented`,
     },
   );
-harden(prepareOrchestrator);
+harden(prepareOrchestratorKit);
diff --git a/packages/orchestration/src/facade.js b/packages/orchestration/src/facade.js
index e52d87c85a4..35de5e2b4bb 100644
--- a/packages/orchestration/src/facade.js
+++ b/packages/orchestration/src/facade.js
@@ -1,8 +1,8 @@
 /** @file Orchestration service */
 
 import { Fail } from '@agoric/assert';
-
-import { prepareOrchestrator } from './exos/orchestrator.js';
+import { pickFacet } from '@agoric/vat-data';
+import { prepareOrchestratorKit } from './exos/orchestrator.js';
 
 /**
  * @import {AsyncFlowTools} from '@agoric/async-flow';
@@ -67,7 +67,7 @@ export const makeOrchestrationFacade = ({
     asyncFlowTools) ||
     Fail`params missing`;
 
-  const makeOrchestrator = prepareOrchestrator(zone, {
+  const makeOrchestratorKit = prepareOrchestratorKit(zone, {
     asyncFlowTools,
     chainHub,
     localchain,
@@ -80,6 +80,7 @@ export const makeOrchestrationFacade = ({
     vowTools,
     zcf,
   });
+  const makeOrchestrator = pickFacet(makeOrchestratorKit, 'orchestrator');
 
   return {
     /**
diff --git a/packages/orchestration/src/utils/time.js b/packages/orchestration/src/utils/time.js
index a7e63504a12..8e8dc062f6e 100644
--- a/packages/orchestration/src/utils/time.js
+++ b/packages/orchestration/src/utils/time.js
@@ -9,7 +9,11 @@ import { TimeMath } from '@agoric/time';
 export const SECONDS_PER_MINUTE = 60n;
 export const NANOSECONDS_PER_SECOND = 1_000_000_000n;
 
-/** @param {Remote<TimerService>} timer */
+/**
+ * XXX should this be durable? resumable?
+ *
+ * @param {Remote<TimerService>} timer
+ */
 export function makeTimestampHelper(timer) {
   /** @type {TimerBrand | undefined} */
   let brandCache;