Nuclear receptors are transcription factors that bind to circulating molecules such as hormones, linking physiology to gene expression. Because of the range of action of their ligands, they are also well-placed to mediate inter-organ communication. Although nuclear receptors are known to play a conserved role in various aspects of oogenesis, the extent to which they act intrinsically versus extrinsically to control the ovary is still incompletely understood. Now, Lesley Weaver and Daniela Drummond-Barbosa identify a multi-cell, multi-tissue requirement for the orphan nuclear receptor Hormone receptor 4 (Hr4; the homologue of human GCNF) in Drosophila oogenesis. Hr4 knockdown in somatic tissues reduces egg laying in adult females. This is associated with increased germline stem cell (GSC) loss, decreased GSC proliferation, increased germline cyst death, and decreased follicle growth and survival. Extrinsic to the ovary, Hr4 transcripts are predominant in muscle-enriched tissues, and Hr4 knockdown specifically in the muscles increases GSC loss and reduces follicle growth (without affecting GSC proliferation, germline cyst survival and follicle survival). In contrast, limiting Hr4 knockdown to the GSC niche specifically decreases GSC proliferation, and Hr4 loss in the germline specifically increases GSC loss. Thus, a nuclear receptor regulates oogenesis from multiple stations: within the germline, within the somatic tissues of the ovary, and beyond it in skeletal muscle.