diff --git a/packages/orchestration/src/exos/chainAccountKit.js b/packages/orchestration/src/exos/chainAccountKit.js
index 01f3d92afe57..61e687276a31 100644
--- a/packages/orchestration/src/exos/chainAccountKit.js
+++ b/packages/orchestration/src/exos/chainAccountKit.js
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 import { NonNullish } from '@agoric/assert';
 import { PurseShape } from '@agoric/ertp';
 import { makeTracer } from '@agoric/internal';
-import { V as E } from '@agoric/vow/vat.js';
+import { E } from '@endo/far';
 import { M } from '@endo/patterns';
 import {
   ChainAddressShape,
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ import { makeTxPacket, parseTxPacket } from '../utils/packet.js';
 /**
  * @import {Zone} from '@agoric/base-zone';
  * @import {Connection, Port} from '@agoric/network';
- * @import {Remote} from '@agoric/vow';
+ * @import {Remote, VowTools} from '@agoric/vow';
  * @import {AnyJson} from '@agoric/cosmic-proto';
  * @import {TxBody} from '@agoric/cosmic-proto/cosmos/tx/v1beta1/tx.js';
  * @import {LocalIbcAddress, RemoteIbcAddress} from '@agoric/vats/tools/ibc-utils.js';
@@ -54,11 +54,22 @@ export const ChainAccountI = M.interface('ChainAccount', {
  * }} State
  */
 
-/** @param {Zone} zone */
-export const prepareChainAccountKit = zone =>
+/**
+ * @param {Zone} zone
+ * @param {VowTools} vowTools
+ */
+export const prepareChainAccountKit = (zone, { watch, when }) =>
   zone.exoClassKit(
     'ChainAccountKit',
-    { account: ChainAccountI, connectionHandler: ConnectionHandlerI },
+    {
+      account: ChainAccountI,
+      connectionHandler: ConnectionHandlerI,
+      handleExecuteEncodedTxWatcher: M.interface('HandleQueryWatcher', {
+        onFulfilled: M.call(M.string())
+          .optional(M.arrayOf(M.undefined())) // does not need watcherContext
+          .returns(M.string()),
+      }),
+    },
     /**
      * @param {Port} port
      * @param {string} requestedRemoteAddress
@@ -73,6 +84,12 @@ export const prepareChainAccountKit = zone =>
         localAddress: undefined,
       }),
     {
+      handleExecuteEncodedTxWatcher: {
+        /** @param {string} ack */
+        onFulfilled(ack) {
+          return parseTxPacket(ack);
+        },
+      },
       account: {
         /** @returns {ChainAddress} */
         getAddress() {
@@ -120,20 +137,21 @@ export const prepareChainAccountKit = zone =>
         executeEncodedTx(msgs, opts) {
           const { connection } = this.state;
           if (!connection) throw Fail`connection not available`;
-          return E.when(
-            E(connection).send(makeTxPacket(msgs, opts)),
-            // if parseTxPacket cannot find a `result` key, it throws
-            ack => parseTxPacket(ack),
+          return when(
+            watch(
+              E(connection).send(makeTxPacket(msgs, opts)),
+              this.facets.handleExecuteEncodedTxWatcher,
+            ),
           );
         },
         /** Close the remote account */
-        async close() {
-          /// XXX what should the behavior be here? and `onClose`?
+        close() {
+          /// TODO #9192 what should the behavior be here? and `onClose`?
           // - retrieve assets?
           // - revoke the port?
           const { connection } = this.state;
           if (!connection) throw Fail`connection not available`;
-          await E(connection).close();
+          return when(watch(E(connection).close()));
         },
         /**
          * get Purse for a brand to .withdraw() a Payment from the account
diff --git a/packages/orchestration/src/service.js b/packages/orchestration/src/service.js
index 5194ceeb95df..690760dab449 100644
--- a/packages/orchestration/src/service.js
+++ b/packages/orchestration/src/service.js
@@ -237,7 +237,7 @@ const prepareOrchestrationKit = (
  * @param {VowTools} vowTools
  */
 export const prepareOrchestrationTools = (zone, vowTools) => {
-  const makeChainAccountKit = prepareChainAccountKit(zone);
+  const makeChainAccountKit = prepareChainAccountKit(zone, vowTools);
   const makeICQConnectionKit = prepareICQConnectionKit(zone, vowTools);
   const makeOrchestrationKit = prepareOrchestrationKit(
     zone,
diff --git a/packages/orchestration/test/service.test.ts b/packages/orchestration/test/service.test.ts
index 0a324843eeb7..5bbf024ef885 100644
--- a/packages/orchestration/test/service.test.ts
+++ b/packages/orchestration/test/service.test.ts
@@ -4,7 +4,9 @@ import { toRequestQueryJson } from '@agoric/cosmic-proto';
 import { QueryBalanceRequest } from '@agoric/cosmic-proto/cosmos/bank/v1beta1/query.js';
 import { MsgDelegate } from '@agoric/cosmic-proto/cosmos/staking/v1beta1/tx.js';
 import { Any } from '@agoric/cosmic-proto/google/protobuf/any.js';
+import { matches } from '@endo/patterns';
 import { commonSetup } from './supports.js';
+import { ChainAddressShape } from '../src/typeGuards.js';
 
 test('makeICQConnection returns an ICQConnection', async t => {
   const {
@@ -89,17 +91,32 @@ test('makeAccount returns a ChainAccount', async t => {
     'remote address contains version and encoding in version string',
   );
 
+  t.true(matches(chainAddr, ChainAddressShape));
+  t.regex(
+    chainAddr.address,
+    /UNPARSABLE_CHAIN_ADDRESS/,
+    'TODO use mocked ibc connection instead of echo connection',
+  );
+
+  const delegateMsg = Any.toJSON(
+    MsgDelegate.toProtoMsg({
+      delegatorAddress: 'cosmos1test',
+      validatorAddress: 'cosmosvaloper1test',
+      amount: { denom: 'uatom', amount: '10' },
+    }),
+  );
   await t.throwsAsync(
-    E(account).executeEncodedTx([
-      Any.toJSON(
-        MsgDelegate.toProtoMsg({
-          delegatorAddress: 'cosmos1test',
-          validatorAddress: 'cosmosvaloper1test',
-          amount: { denom: 'uatom', amount: '10' },
-        }),
-      ),
-    ]),
+    E(account).executeEncodedTx([delegateMsg]),
     { message: /"type":1(.*)"data":"(.*)"memo":""/ },
     'TODO do not use echo connection',
   );
+
+  await E(account).close();
+  await t.throwsAsync(
+    E(account).executeEncodedTx([delegateMsg]),
+    {
+      message: 'Connection closed',
+    },
+    'cannot execute transaction if connection is closed',
+  );
 });