In the cell, microtubule organizing centers (MTOCs) dynamically nucleate microtubules and arrange them in functional patterns, but microtubule anchoring to MTOCs is not well understood. A novel fission-yeast protein that anchors the γ-tubulin-containing nucleating complex (γ-TuC) at the spindle pole during mitosis has now been described. The work highlights the complex regulation of microtubule anchoring.