diff --git a/lib/api.js b/lib/api.js
index 60296d9b5..d633db59a 100644
--- a/lib/api.js
+++ b/lib/api.js
@@ -4,7 +4,6 @@ const WebSocketServer = require('ws').Server;
 const NetfluxSrv = require('chainpad-server/NetfluxWebsocketSrv');
 
 module.exports.create = function (config) {
-    var historyKeeper;
     var rpc;
     const log = config.log;
     const wsConfig = {
@@ -50,11 +49,9 @@ module.exports.create = function (config) {
             log: log,
         };
         // XXX historyKeeper exports a `setConfig` method
-        historyKeeper = HK.create(hkConfig);
-    }).nThen(function () {
+
         var wsSrv = new WebSocketServer(wsConfig);
-        // XXX NetfluxSrv shares some internal functions with historyKeeper
-        // by passing them to setConfig
+        var historyKeeper = HK.create(hkConfig);
         NetfluxSrv.run(wsSrv, config, historyKeeper);
     });
 };
diff --git a/lib/historyKeeper.js b/lib/historyKeeper.js
index 55d6b1780..f8d3c8a15 100644
--- a/lib/historyKeeper.js
+++ b/lib/historyKeeper.js
@@ -10,6 +10,8 @@ const WriteQueue = require("./write-queue");
 const BatchRead = require("./batch-read");
 
 const Extras = require("./hk-util.js");
+const STANDARD_CHANNEL_LENGTH = Extras.STANDARD_CHANNEL_LENGTH;
+const EPHEMERAL_CHANNEL_LENGTH = Extras.EPHEMERAL_CHANNEL_LENGTH;
 
 let Log;
 const now = function () { return (new Date()).getTime(); };
@@ -77,14 +79,6 @@ module.exports.create = function (cfg) {
 
     Log.verbose('HK_ID', 'History keeper ID: ' + HISTORY_KEEPER_ID);
 
-    let sendMsg = function () {};
-    let STANDARD_CHANNEL_LENGTH, EPHEMERAL_CHANNEL_LENGTH;
-    const setConfig = function (config) {
-        STANDARD_CHANNEL_LENGTH = config.STANDARD_CHANNEL_LENGTH;
-        EPHEMERAL_CHANNEL_LENGTH = config.EPHEMERAL_CHANNEL_LENGTH;
-        sendMsg = config.sendMsg;
-    };
-
     /*  computeIndex
         can call back with an error or a computed index which includes:
             * cpIndex:
@@ -326,7 +320,7 @@ module.exports.create = function (cfg) {
     const historyKeeperBroadcast = function (ctx, channel, msg) {
         let chan = ctx.channels[channel] || (([] /*:any*/) /*:Chan_t*/);
         chan.forEach(function (user) {
-            sendMsg(ctx, user, [0, HISTORY_KEEPER_ID, 'MSG', user.id, JSON.stringify(msg)]);
+            ctx.sendMsg(ctx, user, [0, HISTORY_KEEPER_ID, 'MSG', user.id, JSON.stringify(msg)]);
         });
     };
 
@@ -707,7 +701,7 @@ module.exports.create = function (cfg) {
         // parsed[1] is the channel id
         // parsed[2] is a validation key or an object containing metadata (optionnal)
         // parsed[3] is the last known hash (optionnal)
-        sendMsg(ctx, user, [seq, 'ACK']);
+        ctx.sendMsg(ctx, user, [seq, 'ACK']);
         var channelName = parsed[1];
         var config = parsed[2];
         var metadata = {};
@@ -758,7 +752,7 @@ module.exports.create = function (cfg) {
                 // FIXME this is hard to read because 'checkExpired' has side effects
                 if (checkExpired(ctx, channelName)) { return void waitFor.abort(); }
                 // always send metadata with GET_HISTORY requests
-                sendMsg(ctx, user, [0, HISTORY_KEEPER_ID, 'MSG', user.id, JSON.stringify(index.metadata)], w);
+                ctx.sendMsg(ctx, user, [0, HISTORY_KEEPER_ID, 'MSG', user.id, JSON.stringify(index.metadata)], w);
             }));
         }).nThen(() => {
             let msgCount = 0;
@@ -769,12 +763,12 @@ module.exports.create = function (cfg) {
                 msgCount++;
                 // avoid sending the metadata message a second time
                 if (isMetadataMessage(msg) && metadata_cache[channelName]) { return readMore(); }
-                sendMsg(ctx, user, [0, HISTORY_KEEPER_ID, 'MSG', user.id, JSON.stringify(msg)], readMore);
+                ctx.sendMsg(ctx, user, [0, HISTORY_KEEPER_ID, 'MSG', user.id, JSON.stringify(msg)], readMore);
             }, (err) => {
                 if (err && err.code !== 'ENOENT') {
                     if (err.message !== 'EINVAL') { Log.error("HK_GET_HISTORY", err); }
                     const parsedMsg = {error:err.message, channel: channelName};
-                    sendMsg(ctx, user, [0, HISTORY_KEEPER_ID, 'MSG', user.id, JSON.stringify(parsedMsg)]);
+                    ctx.sendMsg(ctx, user, [0, HISTORY_KEEPER_ID, 'MSG', user.id, JSON.stringify(parsedMsg)]);
                     return;
                 }
 
@@ -817,12 +811,12 @@ module.exports.create = function (cfg) {
                             }
                         });
                     }
-                    sendMsg(ctx, user, [0, HISTORY_KEEPER_ID, 'MSG', user.id, JSON.stringify(metadata)]);
+                    ctx.sendMsg(ctx, user, [0, HISTORY_KEEPER_ID, 'MSG', user.id, JSON.stringify(metadata)]);
                 }
 
                 // End of history message:
                 let parsedMsg = {state: 1, channel: channelName};
-                sendMsg(ctx, user, [0, HISTORY_KEEPER_ID, 'MSG', user.id, JSON.stringify(parsedMsg)]);
+                ctx.sendMsg(ctx, user, [0, HISTORY_KEEPER_ID, 'MSG', user.id, JSON.stringify(parsedMsg)]);
             });
         });
     };
@@ -831,7 +825,7 @@ module.exports.create = function (cfg) {
         var channelName = parsed[1];
         var map = parsed[2];
         if (!(map && typeof(map) === 'object')) {
-            return void sendMsg(ctx, user, [seq, 'ERROR', 'INVALID_ARGS', HISTORY_KEEPER_ID]);
+            return void ctx.sendMsg(ctx, user, [seq, 'ERROR', 'INVALID_ARGS', HISTORY_KEEPER_ID]);
         }
 
         var oldestKnownHash = map.from;
@@ -839,14 +833,14 @@ module.exports.create = function (cfg) {
         var desiredCheckpoint = map.cpCount;
         var txid = map.txid;
         if (typeof(desiredMessages) !== 'number' && typeof(desiredCheckpoint) !== 'number') {
-            return void sendMsg(ctx, user, [seq, 'ERROR', 'UNSPECIFIED_COUNT', HISTORY_KEEPER_ID]);
+            return void ctx.sendMsg(ctx, user, [seq, 'ERROR', 'UNSPECIFIED_COUNT', HISTORY_KEEPER_ID]);
         }
 
         if (!txid) {
-            return void sendMsg(ctx, user, [seq, 'ERROR', 'NO_TXID', HISTORY_KEEPER_ID]);
+            return void ctx.sendMsg(ctx, user, [seq, 'ERROR', 'NO_TXID', HISTORY_KEEPER_ID]);
         }
 
-        sendMsg(ctx, user, [seq, 'ACK']);
+        ctx.sendMsg(ctx, user, [seq, 'ACK']);
         return void getOlderHistory(channelName, oldestKnownHash, function (messages) {
             var toSend = [];
             if (typeof (desiredMessages) === "number") {
@@ -862,11 +856,11 @@ module.exports.create = function (cfg) {
                 }
             }
             toSend.forEach(function (msg) {
-                sendMsg(ctx, user, [0, HISTORY_KEEPER_ID, 'MSG', user.id,
+                ctx.sendMsg(ctx, user, [0, HISTORY_KEEPER_ID, 'MSG', user.id,
                     JSON.stringify(['HISTORY_RANGE', txid, msg])]);
             });
 
-            sendMsg(ctx, user, [0, HISTORY_KEEPER_ID, 'MSG', user.id,
+            ctx.sendMsg(ctx, user, [0, HISTORY_KEEPER_ID, 'MSG', user.id,
                 JSON.stringify(['HISTORY_RANGE_END', txid, channelName])
             ]);
         });
@@ -876,20 +870,20 @@ module.exports.create = function (cfg) {
         // parsed[1] is the channel id
         // parsed[2] is a validation key (optionnal)
         // parsed[3] is the last known hash (optionnal)
-        sendMsg(ctx, user, [seq, 'ACK']);
+        ctx.sendMsg(ctx, user, [seq, 'ACK']);
 
         // FIXME should we send metadata here too?
         // none of the clientside code which uses this API needs metadata, but it won't hurt to send it (2019-08-22)
         return void getHistoryAsync(ctx, parsed[1], -1, false, (msg, readMore) => {
             if (!msg) { return; }
-            sendMsg(ctx, user, [0, HISTORY_KEEPER_ID, 'MSG', user.id, JSON.stringify(['FULL_HISTORY', msg])], readMore);
+            ctx.sendMsg(ctx, user, [0, HISTORY_KEEPER_ID, 'MSG', user.id, JSON.stringify(['FULL_HISTORY', msg])], readMore);
         }, (err) => {
             let parsedMsg = ['FULL_HISTORY_END', parsed[1]];
             if (err) {
                 Log.error('HK_GET_FULL_HISTORY', err.stack);
                 parsedMsg = ['ERROR', parsed[1], err.message];
             }
-            sendMsg(ctx, user, [0, HISTORY_KEEPER_ID, 'MSG', user.id, JSON.stringify(parsedMsg)]);
+            ctx.sendMsg(ctx, user, [0, HISTORY_KEEPER_ID, 'MSG', user.id, JSON.stringify(parsedMsg)]);
         });
     };
 
@@ -899,12 +893,12 @@ module.exports.create = function (cfg) {
         /* RPC Calls...  */
         var rpc_call = parsed.slice(1);
 
-        sendMsg(ctx, user, [seq, 'ACK']);
+        ctx.sendMsg(ctx, user, [seq, 'ACK']);
         try {
             // slice off the sequence number and pass in the rest of the message
             rpc(ctx, rpc_call, function (err, output) {
                 if (err) {
-                    sendMsg(ctx, user, [0, HISTORY_KEEPER_ID, 'MSG', user.id, JSON.stringify([parsed[0], 'ERROR', err])]);
+                    ctx.sendMsg(ctx, user, [0, HISTORY_KEEPER_ID, 'MSG', user.id, JSON.stringify([parsed[0], 'ERROR', err])]);
                     return;
                 }
                 var msg = rpc_call[0].slice();
@@ -930,7 +924,7 @@ module.exports.create = function (cfg) {
                     let chan = ctx.channels[output.channel];
                     if (chan && chan.length) {
                         chan.forEach(function (user) {
-                            sendMsg(ctx, user, output.message);
+                            ctx.sendMsg(ctx, user, output.message);
                             //[0, null, 'MSG', user.id, JSON.stringify(output.message)]);
                         });
                     }
@@ -940,10 +934,10 @@ module.exports.create = function (cfg) {
                 }
 
                 // finally, send a response to the client that sent the RPC
-                sendMsg(ctx, user, [0, HISTORY_KEEPER_ID, 'MSG', user.id, JSON.stringify([parsed[0]].concat(output))]);
+                ctx.sendMsg(ctx, user, [0, HISTORY_KEEPER_ID, 'MSG', user.id, JSON.stringify([parsed[0]].concat(output))]);
             });
         } catch (e) {
-            sendMsg(ctx, user, [0, HISTORY_KEEPER_ID, 'MSG', user.id, JSON.stringify([parsed[0], 'ERROR', 'SERVER_ERROR'])]);
+            ctx.sendMsg(ctx, user, [0, HISTORY_KEEPER_ID, 'MSG', user.id, JSON.stringify([parsed[0], 'ERROR', 'SERVER_ERROR'])]);
         }
     };
 
@@ -982,12 +976,25 @@ module.exports.create = function (cfg) {
         command(ctx, seq, user, parsed);
     };
 
+    // XXX every one of these values is exported because
+    // netfluxWebsocketServer needs them to do some magic historyKeeper things
+    // we could have netflux emit events and let historyKeeper handle them instead
     return {
         id: HISTORY_KEEPER_ID,
-        setConfig: setConfig,
-        onChannelMessage: onChannelMessage,
+
+        // XXX dropChannel allows netflux to clear historyKeeper's cache
+        // maybe it should emit a 'channel_dropped' event instead
+        // and let historyKeeper decide what to do
         dropChannel: dropChannel,
+
+        // XXX we don't need to export checkExpired if netflux allows it to be HK's responsibility
         checkExpired: checkExpired,
+
+        // XXX again, if netflux emitted events then historyKeeper could handle them itself
+        // and netflux wouldn't need to have historyKeeper-specific code
         onDirectMessage: onDirectMessage,
+
+        // XXX same
+        onChannelMessage: onChannelMessage,
     };
 };
diff --git a/lib/hk-util.js b/lib/hk-util.js
index cea39c4e1..aaa861054 100644
--- a/lib/hk-util.js
+++ b/lib/hk-util.js
@@ -22,3 +22,12 @@ HK.getHash = function (msg, Log) {
     return msg.slice(0,64);
 };
 
+// historyKeeper should explicitly store any channel
+// with a 32 character id
+HK.STANDARD_CHANNEL_LENGTH = 32;
+
+// historyKeeper should not store messages sent to any channel
+// with a 34 character id
+HK.EPHEMERAL_CHANNEL_LENGTH = 34;
+
+