diff --git a/artiq/dashboard/waveform.py b/artiq/dashboard/waveform.py
index e27ea0f10..ded240f8f 100644
--- a/artiq/dashboard/waveform.py
+++ b/artiq/dashboard/waveform.py
@@ -678,7 +678,7 @@ class WaveformDock(QtWidgets.QDockWidget):
         self._current_dir = os.getcwd()
 
         self.proxy_client = WaveformProxyClient(self._state, loop)
-        devices_sub = Subscriber("devices", self.init_ddb)
+        devices_sub = Subscriber("devices", self.init_ddb, self.update_ddb)
 
         proxy_receiver = comm_analyzer.AnalyzerProxyReceiver(
             self.on_dump_receive)
@@ -838,19 +838,25 @@ class WaveformDock(QtWidgets.QDockWidget):
         except Exception as e:
             logger.error("Failed to open analyzer trace: %s", e)
 
-    # DeviceDB subscriber callbacks
-    def init_ddb(self, ddb):
-        self._ddb = ddb
+    def _process_ddb(self):
         addr = None
-        channel_list = comm_analyzer.get_channel_list(ddb)
-        for k, v in channel_list.items():
-            self._channels_mgr[k] = v
-        for name, desc in ddb.items():
-            if isinstance(desc, dict):
-                if desc["type"] == "controller" and name == "core_analyzer":
-                    addr = desc["host"]
-                    port = desc.get("port_proxy", 1385)
-                    port_control = desc.get("port_proxy_control", 1386)
+        #for k, v in comm_analyzer.get_channel_list(self._ddb).items():
+        #    self._channel_model[k] = v
+        for name, desc in self._ddb.items():
+            if name == "core_analyzer":
+                logger.info("coreanalyzer exists")
+                addr = desc["host"]
+                port = desc.get("port_proxy", 1385)
+                port_control = desc.get("port_proxy_control", 1386)
         if addr is not None:
             self.proxy_client.update_address(addr, port, port_control)
+
+    def init_ddb(self, ddb):
+        logger.info("init ddb")
+        self._ddb = ddb
+        self._process_ddb()
         return ddb
+
+    def update_ddb(self, mod):
+        logger.info("update ddb")
+        self._process_ddb()