Precursors for most Piwi‐interacting RNA s (pi RNA s) are indistinguishable from other RNA polymerase II ‐transcribed long non‐coding RNA s. So, it is currently unclear how they are recognized as substrates by the pi RNA processing machinery that resides in cytoplasmic granules called nuage. In this issue, Castaneda et al (2014) reveal a role for the nuage component and nucleo‐cytoplasmic shuttling protein Maelstrom in mouse pi RNA biogenesis.