diff --git a/ucl/objs.go b/ucl/objs.go
index 804ff71..b82bb42 100644
--- a/ucl/objs.go
+++ b/ucl/objs.go
@@ -110,6 +110,8 @@ func (b boolObject) Truthy() bool {
 
 func toGoValue(obj object) (interface{}, bool) {
 	switch v := obj.(type) {
+	case OpaqueObject:
+		return v.v, true
 	case nil:
 		return nil, true
 	case strObject:
@@ -149,6 +151,8 @@ func toGoValue(obj object) (interface{}, bool) {
 
 func fromGoValue(v any) (object, error) {
 	switch t := v.(type) {
+	case OpaqueObject:
+		return t, nil
 	case nil:
 		return nil, nil
 	case string:
@@ -476,6 +480,22 @@ func (s structProxyObject) Each(fn func(k string, v object) error) error {
 	return nil
 }
 
+type OpaqueObject struct {
+	v any
+}
+
+func Opaque(v any) OpaqueObject {
+	return OpaqueObject{v: v}
+}
+
+func (p OpaqueObject) String() string {
+	return fmt.Sprintf("opaque{%T}", p.v)
+}
+
+func (p OpaqueObject) Truthy() bool {
+	return p.v != nil
+}
+
 type errBreak struct {
 	isCont bool
 	ret    object
diff --git a/ucl/userbuiltin.go b/ucl/userbuiltin.go
index 625bea8..b7480dc 100644
--- a/ucl/userbuiltin.go
+++ b/ucl/userbuiltin.go
@@ -121,6 +121,23 @@ func (ca CallArgs) bindArg(v interface{}, arg object) error {
 	}
 
 	switch t := arg.(type) {
+	case OpaqueObject:
+		if v == nil {
+			return errors.New("opaque object not bindable to nil")
+		}
+
+		vr := reflect.ValueOf(v)
+		tr := reflect.ValueOf(t.v)
+		if vr.Kind() != reflect.Pointer {
+			return errors.New("expected pointer for an opaque object bind")
+		}
+
+		if !tr.Type().AssignableTo(vr.Elem().Type()) {
+			return errors.New("opaque object not assignable to passed in value")
+		}
+
+		vr.Elem().Set(tr)
+		return nil
 	case proxyObject:
 		return bindProxyObject(v, reflect.ValueOf(t.p))
 	case listableProxyObject:
@@ -142,6 +159,18 @@ func canBindArg(v interface{}, arg object) bool {
 	}
 
 	switch t := arg.(type) {
+	case OpaqueObject:
+		vr := reflect.ValueOf(v)
+		tr := reflect.ValueOf(t.v)
+		if vr.Kind() != reflect.Pointer {
+			return false
+		}
+
+		if !tr.Type().AssignableTo(vr.Elem().Type()) {
+			return false
+		}
+
+		return true
 	case proxyObject:
 		return canBindProxyObject(v, reflect.ValueOf(t.p))
 	case listableProxyObject:
diff --git a/ucl/userbuiltin_test.go b/ucl/userbuiltin_test.go
index a4bd231..eea982b 100644
--- a/ucl/userbuiltin_test.go
+++ b/ucl/userbuiltin_test.go
@@ -183,6 +183,105 @@ func TestInst_SetBuiltin(t *testing.T) {
 			})
 		}
 	})
+
+	t.Run("opaques returned as is", func(t *testing.T) {
+		type opaqueThingType struct {
+			x string
+			y string
+			z string
+		}
+		opaqueThing := &opaqueThingType{x: "do", y: "not", z: "touch"}
+
+		tests := []struct {
+			descr   string
+			expr    string
+			wantErr bool
+		}{
+			{descr: "return as is", expr: `getOpaque`, wantErr: false},
+			{descr: "carry around ok", expr: `set x (getOpaque) ; $x`, wantErr: false},
+			{descr: "iterate over", expr: `foreach (countTo3) { |x| echo $x }`, wantErr: true},
+		}
+
+		for _, tt := range tests {
+			t.Run(tt.descr, func(t *testing.T) {
+
+				outW := bytes.NewBuffer(nil)
+				inst := ucl.New(ucl.WithOut(outW))
+
+				inst.SetBuiltin("getOpaque", func(ctx context.Context, args ucl.CallArgs) (any, error) {
+					return ucl.Opaque(opaqueThing), nil
+				})
+
+				res, err := inst.Eval(context.Background(), tt.expr)
+				if tt.wantErr {
+					assert.Error(t, err)
+				} else {
+					assert.NoError(t, err)
+					assert.Same(t, opaqueThing, res)
+				}
+			})
+		}
+	})
+
+	t.Run("operate on opaques", func(t *testing.T) {
+		type opaqueThingType struct {
+			x string
+			y string
+			z string
+		}
+		opaqueThing := &opaqueThingType{x: "do", y: "not", z: "touch"}
+
+		tests := []struct {
+			descr string
+			expr  string
+			want  opaqueThingType
+		}{
+			{descr: "return as is", expr: `getOpaque`, want: *opaqueThing},
+			{descr: "update pointer 1", expr: `set x (getOpaque) ; setProp $x -x "do" -y "touch" -z "this"`, want: opaqueThingType{x: "do", y: "touch", z: "this"}},
+			{descr: "update pointer 2", expr: `set x (getOpaque) ; setProp $x -x "yes" ; setProp $x -y "this" -z "too"`, want: opaqueThingType{x: "yes", y: "this", z: "too"}},
+		}
+
+		for _, tt := range tests {
+			t.Run(tt.descr, func(t *testing.T) {
+
+				outW := bytes.NewBuffer(nil)
+				inst := ucl.New(ucl.WithOut(outW))
+
+				inst.SetBuiltin("getOpaque", func(ctx context.Context, args ucl.CallArgs) (any, error) {
+					return ucl.Opaque(opaqueThing), nil
+				})
+				inst.SetBuiltin("setProp", func(ctx context.Context, args ucl.CallArgs) (any, error) {
+					var o *opaqueThingType
+
+					if err := args.Bind(&o); err != nil {
+						return nil, err
+					}
+
+					if args.HasSwitch("x") {
+						var s string
+						_ = args.BindSwitch("x", &s)
+						o.x = s
+					}
+					if args.HasSwitch("y") {
+						var s string
+						_ = args.BindSwitch("y", &s)
+						o.y = s
+					}
+					if args.HasSwitch("z") {
+						var s string
+						_ = args.BindSwitch("z", &s)
+						o.z = s
+					}
+
+					return nil, nil
+				})
+
+				_, err := inst.Eval(context.Background(), tt.expr)
+				assert.NoError(t, err)
+				assert.Equal(t, tt.want, *opaqueThing)
+			})
+		}
+	})
 }
 
 func TestCallArgs_Bind(t *testing.T) {