diff --git a/src/vt/rdma/collection/rdma_collection.cc b/src/vt/rdma/collection/rdma_collection.cc
index 57a7cf78fb..a4770f8408 100644
--- a/src/vt/rdma/collection/rdma_collection.cc
+++ b/src/vt/rdma/collection/rdma_collection.cc
@@ -197,7 +197,8 @@ namespace vt { namespace rdma {
 
     auto send_payload = [&](Active::SendFnType send){
       auto ret = send(put_ret, put_node, no_tag);
-      msg->mpi_tag_to_recv = std::get<1>(ret);
+      msg->mpi_tag_to_recv = ret.getTag();
+      msg->nchunks = ret.getNumChunks();
     };
 
     if (tag != no_tag) {
diff --git a/src/vt/rdma/rdma.cc b/src/vt/rdma/rdma.cc
index 5227d764e1..5df85f3e29 100644
--- a/src/vt/rdma/rdma.cc
+++ b/src/vt/rdma/rdma.cc
@@ -87,7 +87,8 @@ RDMAManager::RDMAManager()
 
       auto send_payload = [&](Active::SendFnType send){
         auto ret = send(data, recv_node, no_tag);
-        new_msg->mpi_tag_to_recv = std::get<1>(ret);
+        new_msg->mpi_tag_to_recv = ret.getTag();
+        new_msg->nchunks = ret.getNumChunks();
         vt_debug_print(
           rdma, node,
           "data is sending: tag={}, node={}\n",
@@ -126,7 +127,7 @@ RDMAManager::RDMAManager()
 
   if (get_ptr == nullptr) {
     theMsg()->recvDataMsg(
-      msg->mpi_tag_to_recv, msg->send_back,
+      msg->nchunks, msg->mpi_tag_to_recv, msg->send_back,
       [=](RDMA_GetType ptr, ActionType deleter){
         theRDMA()->triggerGetRecvData(
           op_id, msg_tag, std::get<0>(ptr), std::get<1>(ptr), deleter
@@ -135,7 +136,8 @@ RDMAManager::RDMAManager()
     );
   } else {
     theMsg()->recvDataMsgBuffer(
-      get_ptr, msg->mpi_tag_to_recv, msg->send_back, true, [get_ptr_action]{
+      msg->nchunks, get_ptr, msg->mpi_tag_to_recv, msg->send_back, true,
+      [get_ptr_action]{
         vt_debug_print(
           rdma, node,
           "recv_data_msg_buffer finished\n"
@@ -209,6 +211,7 @@ RDMAManager::RDMAManager()
 
     if (put_ptr == nullptr) {
       theMsg()->recvDataMsg(
+        msg->nchunks,
         recv_tag, recv_node, [=](RDMA_GetType ptr, ActionType deleter){
           vt_debug_print(
             rdma, node,
@@ -238,7 +241,7 @@ RDMAManager::RDMAManager()
         msg->offset != no_byte ? static_cast<char*>(put_ptr) + msg->offset : put_ptr;
       // do a direct recv into the user buffer
       theMsg()->recvDataMsgBuffer(
-        put_ptr_offset, recv_tag, recv_node, true, []{},
+        msg->nchunks, put_ptr_offset, recv_tag, recv_node, true, []{},
         [=](RDMA_GetType ptr, ActionType deleter){
           vt_debug_print(
             rdma, node,
@@ -686,7 +689,8 @@ void RDMAManager::putData(
 
           auto send_payload = [&](Active::SendFnType send){
             auto ret = send(RDMA_GetType{ptr, num_bytes}, put_node, no_tag);
-            msg->mpi_tag_to_recv = std::get<1>(ret);
+            msg->mpi_tag_to_recv = ret.getTag();
+            msg->nchunks = ret.getNumChunks();
           };
 
           if (tag != no_tag) {
diff --git a/src/vt/rdma/rdma_msg.h b/src/vt/rdma/rdma_msg.h
index 8e46310d18..2a985abe6d 100644
--- a/src/vt/rdma/rdma_msg.h
+++ b/src/vt/rdma/rdma_msg.h
@@ -82,12 +82,13 @@ struct SendDataMessage : ActiveMessage<EnvelopeT> {
     NodeType const& back = uninitialized_destination,
     NodeType const& in_recv_node = uninitialized_destination,
     bool const in_packed_direct = false
-  ) : ActiveMessage<EnvelopeT>(),
-    rdma_handle(in_han), send_back(back), recv_node(in_recv_node),
-    mpi_tag_to_recv(in_mpi_tag), op_id(in_op), num_bytes(in_num_bytes),
-    offset(in_offset), packed_direct(in_packed_direct)
+  ) : rdma_handle(in_han), send_back(back),
+      recv_node(in_recv_node), mpi_tag_to_recv(in_mpi_tag), op_id(in_op),
+      num_bytes(in_num_bytes), offset(in_offset),
+      packed_direct(in_packed_direct)
   { }
 
+  int nchunks = 0;
   RDMA_HandleType rdma_handle = no_rdma_handle;
   NodeType send_back = uninitialized_destination;
   NodeType recv_node = uninitialized_destination;
diff --git a/src/vt/serialization/messaging/serialized_data_msg.h b/src/vt/serialization/messaging/serialized_data_msg.h
index c3dd8800eb..54abc563ef 100644
--- a/src/vt/serialization/messaging/serialized_data_msg.h
+++ b/src/vt/serialization/messaging/serialized_data_msg.h
@@ -64,6 +64,7 @@ struct SerializedDataMsgAny : MessageT {
   HandlerType handler = uninitialized_handler;
   TagType data_recv_tag = no_tag;
   NodeType from_node = uninitialized_destination;
+  int nchunks = 0;
 };
 
 template <typename T>
diff --git a/src/vt/serialization/messaging/serialized_messenger.impl.h b/src/vt/serialization/messaging/serialized_messenger.impl.h
index c2868ce2e3..b3d52ba9fb 100644
--- a/src/vt/serialization/messaging/serialized_messenger.impl.h
+++ b/src/vt/serialization/messaging/serialized_messenger.impl.h
@@ -100,6 +100,8 @@ template <typename UserMsgT>
 ) {
   auto const handler = sys_msg->handler;
   auto const& recv_tag = sys_msg->data_recv_tag;
+  auto const& nchunks = sys_msg->nchunks;
+  auto const& len = sys_msg->ptr_size;
   auto const epoch = envelopeGetEpoch(sys_msg->env);
 
   vt_debug_print(
@@ -116,8 +118,8 @@ template <typename UserMsgT>
   }
 
   auto node = sys_msg->from_node;
-  theMsg()->recvDataMsg(
-    recv_tag, sys_msg->from_node,
+  theMsg()->recvDataDirect(
+    nchunks, recv_tag, sys_msg->from_node, len,
     [handler,recv_tag,node,epoch,is_valid_epoch]
     (RDMA_GetType ptr, ActionType action){
       // be careful here not to use "sys_msg", it is no longer valid
@@ -360,9 +362,11 @@ template <typename MsgT, typename BaseT>
         auto sys_msg = makeMessage<SerialWrapperMsgType<MsgT>>();
         auto send_serialized = [=](Active::SendFnType send){
           auto ret = send(RDMA_GetType{ptr, ptr_size}, dest, no_tag);
-          EventType event = std::get<0>(ret);
+          EventType event = ret.getEvent();
           theEvent()->attachAction(event, [=]{ std::free(ptr); });
-          sys_msg->data_recv_tag = std::get<1>(ret);
+          sys_msg->data_recv_tag = ret.getTag();
+          sys_msg->nchunks = ret.getNumChunks();
+          sys_msg->ptr_size = ptr_size;
         };
 
         // wrap metadata