diff --git a/include/gp/enveloppe/cbor.hpp b/include/gp/enveloppe/cbor.hpp
index 1a530f8..61e9f34 100644
--- a/include/gp/enveloppe/cbor.hpp
+++ b/include/gp/enveloppe/cbor.hpp
@@ -80,13 +80,68 @@ namespace gp {
 		uint16_t sign : 1;
 		uint16_t exponent : 5;
 		uint16_t mantissa : 10;
+
+		// TODO: support for denormalized values and NaNs
+		operator float() {
+			auto a = (uint32_t)((sign<<16) | ((exponent+0x1C000)<<13) | (mantissa<<13));
+			return *(float*)&a;
+		}
+
+		operator double() {
+			return (float)*this;
+		}
 	};
 
-	using cbor_floating_point = gp::fixed_variant<
-		ieee754_hf,
-		float,
-		double
-	>; 
+	struct cbor_floating_point final {
+		using backing = gp::fixed_variant<
+			ieee754_hf,
+			float,
+			double
+		>;
+		backing contents;
+		
+		cbor_floating_point(backing& p)
+		: contents{p}{}
+		
+		cbor_floating_point(ieee754_hf p)
+		: contents{p}{}
+		
+		cbor_floating_point(float p)
+		: contents{p}{}
+		
+		cbor_floating_point(double p)
+		: contents{p}{}
+
+		operator ieee754_hf() {
+			return contents.value<ieee754_hf>();
+		}
+
+		operator float() {
+			switch(contents.type()) {
+				case backing::alt<ieee754_hf>():
+					return contents.value<ieee754_hf>();
+				case backing::alt<float>():
+					return contents.value<float>();
+				default:
+					gp_config::assertion(false,"this code should never be reached");
+					return std::numeric_limits<float>::quiet_NaN();
+			}
+		}
+
+		operator double() {
+			switch(contents.type()) {
+				case backing::alt<ieee754_hf>():
+					return contents.value<ieee754_hf>();
+				case backing::alt<float>():
+					return contents.value<float>();
+				case backing::alt<double>():
+					return contents.value<double>();
+				default:
+					gp_config::assertion(false,"this code should never be reached");
+					return std::numeric_limits<double>::quiet_NaN();
+			}
+		}
+	};
 
 	struct undefined_t final {};
 
@@ -109,7 +164,7 @@ namespace gp {
 	public:
 
 		cbor_value(allocator& alloc_v)
-		: contents(cbor_composite<cbor_value>(undefined_t{}))
+		: contents()
 		, alloc(alloc_v)
 		{}
 
@@ -213,8 +268,91 @@ namespace gp {
 			#undef ERROR
 		}
 
+		template<typename U>
+		U& value() {
+			
+		}
+
+		template<typename U>
+		bool is_a() {
+			if constexpr (
+				std::is_same_v<U, uint8_t>
+				|| std::is_same_v<U, uint16_t>
+				|| std::is_same_v<U, uint32_t>
+				|| std::is_same_v<U, uint64_t>
+				|| std::is_same_v<U, int8_t>
+				|| std::is_same_v<U, int16_t>
+				|| std::is_same_v<U, int32_t>
+				|| std::is_same_v<U, int64_t>
+			) {
+				if(contents.is_a<cbor_number>())
+				{
+					auto& v = contents.value<cbor_number>();
+					if(!std::is_signed_v<U> && v.is_negative()) return false;
+					if(
+						std::numeric_limits<int64_t>::max()<v.value
+						&& (
+							!std::is_same_v<U, uint64_t>
+							|| v.is_negative()
+						)
+					) return false;
+					int64_t signed_v = (v.is_negative() ? -1 : 1 ) * v.value;
+					if(
+						std::numeric_limits<U>::min() <= signed_v
+						&& std::numeric_limits<U>::max() >= signed_v
+					) return true;
+					return false;
+				} else return false;
+			} else if constexpr (
+				std::is_same_v<U, ieee754_hf>
+				|| std::is_same_v<U, float>
+				|| std::is_same_v<U, double>
+			) {
+				auto& v = contents.value<cbor_floating_point>();
+				switch(v.contents.type()) {
+					case cbor_floating_point::backing::alt<ieee754_hf>():
+						return std::is_same_v<U, ieee754_hf>;
+					case cbor_floating_point::backing::alt<float>():
+						return std::is_same_v<U, float> || std::is_same_v<U, ieee754_hf>;
+					case cbor_floating_point::backing::alt<double>():
+						return std::is_same_v<U, double> || std::is_same_v<U, float> || std::is_same_v<U, ieee754_hf>;
+					default:
+						return false;
+				}
+			} else {
+				return contents.is_a<U>();
+			}
+		}
+
+		template<typename U>
+		U get_value() {
+			gp_config::assertion(is_a<U>(), "can't convert value legally");
+			if constexpr (
+				std::is_same_v<U, uint8_t>
+				|| std::is_same_v<U, uint16_t>
+				|| std::is_same_v<U, uint32_t>
+				|| std::is_same_v<U, uint64_t>
+				|| std::is_same_v<U, int8_t>
+				|| std::is_same_v<U, int16_t>
+				|| std::is_same_v<U, int32_t>
+				|| std::is_same_v<U, int64_t>
+			) {
+				auto& v = contents.value<cbor_number>();
+				return (v.is_negative() ? -1 : 1 ) * v.value;
+			} else if constexpr (
+				std::is_same_v<U, ieee754_hf>
+				|| std::is_same_v<U, float>
+				|| std::is_same_v<U, double>
+			) {
+				auto& v = contents.value<cbor_floating_point>();
+				return v;
+			} else {
+				return contents.value<U>();
+			}
+		}
+
 		static gp::pair<cbor_value, gp::buffer<std::byte>::associated_iterator> decode(allocator& alloc, gp::buffer<std::byte> src) {
-			#define ERROR return {cbor_value{undefined_t{}, alloc}, src.begin()}
+			#define ERROR return {cbor_value{alloc}, src.begin()}
 			if(src.size()==0) ERROR;
 			auto discriminant = (cbor_type)(((uint8_t)*src.begin()) >> 5);
 			auto local = uint8_t(((uint8_t)*src.begin()) & 0b00011111);
@@ -375,23 +513,23 @@ namespace gp {
 		}
 
 		static auto encode_float(buffer<std::byte> dest, cbor_floating_point& value) {
-			switch(value.type()) {
-				case cbor_floating_point::alt<ieee754_hf>():{
+			switch(value.contents.type()) {
+				case cbor_floating_point::backing::alt<ieee754_hf>():{
 					if(dest.size() < 3) return dest.begin();
 					dest[0] = std::byte(((uint8_t)cbor_type::oths << 5u) + (uint8_t)cbor_oths::word);
-					(dest.slice_start(3).slice_end(2).cast<gp::endian_wrapper<ieee754_hf, gp::endian::big>>())[0] = value.value<ieee754_hf>();
+					(dest.slice_start(3).slice_end(2).cast<gp::endian_wrapper<ieee754_hf, gp::endian::big>>())[0] = value.contents.value<ieee754_hf>();
 					return dest.begin()+3;
 				}
-				case cbor_floating_point::alt<float>():{
+				case cbor_floating_point::backing::alt<float>():{
 					if(dest.size() < 5) return dest.begin();
 					dest[0] = std::byte(((uint8_t)cbor_type::oths << 5u) + (uint8_t)cbor_oths::dword);
-					(dest.slice_start(5).slice_end(4).cast<gp::endian_wrapper<float, gp::endian::big>>())[0] = value.value<float>();
+					(dest.slice_start(5).slice_end(4).cast<gp::endian_wrapper<float, gp::endian::big>>())[0] = value.contents.value<float>();
 					return dest.begin()+5;
 				}
-				case cbor_floating_point::alt<double>():{
+				case cbor_floating_point::backing::alt<double>():{
 					if(dest.size() < 9) return dest.begin();
 					dest[0] = std::byte(((uint8_t)cbor_type::oths << 5u) + (uint8_t)cbor_oths::qword);
-					(dest.slice_start(9).slice_end(8).cast<gp::endian_wrapper<double, gp::endian::big>>())[0] = value.value<double>();
+					(dest.slice_start(9).slice_end(8).cast<gp::endian_wrapper<double, gp::endian::big>>())[0] = value.contents.value<double>();
 					return dest.begin()+9;
 				}
 				default: return dest.begin();
diff --git a/tests/cbor_test.cpp b/tests/cbor_test.cpp
index c7c1961..b82ea84 100644
--- a/tests/cbor_test.cpp
+++ b/tests/cbor_test.cpp
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 
+#include <gp/algorithm/foreach.hpp>
 #include <gp/allocator/arena.hpp>
 #include <gp/array.hpp>
 #include <gp/enveloppe/cbor.hpp>
@@ -10,8 +11,8 @@ struct cbor_test : public test_scaffold {
 	}
 
 	virtual int run() {
-		gp::array<char, 4096> store;
-		gp::arena alloc{&*store.begin(), store.size()};
+		auto store = std::make_unique<gp::array<char, 4096*4>>();
+		gp::arena alloc{&*store->begin(), store->size()};
 
 		using some_int = gp::fixed_variant<int, unsigned int, long long>;
 		{
@@ -73,6 +74,14 @@ struct cbor_test : public test_scaffold {
 
 			gp_config::assertion(serialized.begin() != ret_it, "could not encode");
 			gp_config::assertion(serialized == serialized_manual, "data did not serialize correctly");
+
+			gp::fill(serialized,(std::byte)0);
+
+			auto decoded = gp::cbor_value::decode(alloc, serialized_manual.as_buffer());
+			ret_it = decoded.first.encode(serialized.as_buffer());
+
+			gp_config::assertion(serialized.begin() != ret_it, "could not encode");
+			gp_config::assertion(serialized == serialized_manual, "data did not serialize correctly");
 		}
 		{
 			gp::cbor_value data{alloc};
@@ -87,6 +96,14 @@ struct cbor_test : public test_scaffold {
 
 			gp_config::assertion(serialized.begin() != ret_it, "could not encode");
 			gp_config::assertion(serialized == serialized_manual, "data did not serialize correctly");
+
+			gp::fill(serialized,(std::byte)0);
+
+			auto decoded = gp::cbor_value::decode(alloc, serialized_manual.as_buffer());
+			ret_it = decoded.first.encode(serialized.as_buffer());
+
+			gp_config::assertion(serialized.begin() != ret_it, "could not encode");
+			gp_config::assertion(serialized == serialized_manual, "data did not serialize correctly");
 		}
 		{
 			gp::cbor_value data{alloc};
@@ -105,6 +122,14 @@ struct cbor_test : public test_scaffold {
 
 			gp_config::assertion(serialized.begin() != ret_it, "could not encode");
 			gp_config::assertion(serialized == serialized_manual, "data did not serialize correctly");
+
+			gp::fill(serialized,(std::byte)0);
+
+			auto decoded = gp::cbor_value::decode(alloc, serialized_manual.as_buffer());
+			ret_it = decoded.first.encode(serialized.as_buffer());
+
+			gp_config::assertion(serialized.begin() != ret_it, "could not encode");
+			gp_config::assertion(serialized == serialized_manual, "data did not serialize correctly");
 		}
 		{
 			gp::vector<std::byte> str{alloc};
@@ -128,6 +153,14 @@ struct cbor_test : public test_scaffold {
 
 			gp_config::assertion(serialized.begin() != ret_it, "could not encode");
 			gp_config::assertion(serialized == serialized_manual, "data did not serialize correctly");
+
+			gp::fill(serialized,(std::byte)0);
+
+			auto decoded = gp::cbor_value::decode(alloc, serialized_manual.as_buffer());
+			ret_it = decoded.first.encode(serialized.as_buffer());
+
+			gp_config::assertion(serialized.begin() != ret_it, "could not encode");
+			gp_config::assertion(serialized == serialized_manual, "data did not serialize correctly");
 		}
 
 		return 0;