diff --git a/crates/ryo3/src/anystr.rs b/crates/ryo3/src/anystr.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..cbe94e5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/crates/ryo3/src/anystr.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,51 @@
+/// Rust version of python's typing.AnyStr
+/// TBD if this is a good idea or not :/
+use std::fmt::Debug;
+
+use pyo3::prelude::*;
+use pyo3::types::PyBytes;
+use pyo3::PyNativeType;
+use pyo3::PyTypeInfo;
+
+#[derive(Debug, FromPyObject)]
+pub enum AnyStr<'a> {
+    Str(String),
+    Bytes(&'a PyBytes),
+}
+
+impl IntoPy<PyObject> for AnyStr<'_> {
+    fn into_py(self, py: Python) -> PyObject {
+        match self {
+            AnyStr::Str(s) => s.into_py(py),
+
+            AnyStr::Bytes(b) => {
+                // b.into()
+                b.into_py(py)
+                // PyBytes::new(py, &b).into()
+            }
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+#[pyfunction]
+pub fn anystr_noop(s: AnyStr) -> PyResult<AnyStr> {
+    Ok(s)
+}
+
+#[pyfunction]
+pub fn string_noop(s: String) -> PyResult<String> {
+    Ok(s)
+}
+
+#[pyfunction]
+pub fn bytes_noop<'a>(py: Python<'a>, b: &'a PyBytes) -> PyResult<&'a PyBytes> {
+    Ok(b)
+}
+
+pub fn madd(_py: Python, m: &PyModule) -> PyResult<()> {
+    m.add_function(wrap_pyfunction!(anystr_noop, m)?)?;
+    m.add_function(wrap_pyfunction!(string_noop, m)?)?;
+    m.add_function(wrap_pyfunction!(bytes_noop, m)?)?;
+    // m.add_class::<AnyStr>()?;
+    Ok(())
+}
diff --git a/crates/ryo3/src/lib.rs b/crates/ryo3/src/lib.rs
index 900e978..40139b4 100644
--- a/crates/ryo3/src/lib.rs
+++ b/crates/ryo3/src/lib.rs
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 use pyo3::prelude::PyModule;
 use pyo3::{PyResult, Python};
 
+pub mod anystr;
 pub mod fmts;
 pub mod fs;
 pub mod sh;
@@ -17,5 +18,6 @@ pub fn madd(py: Python, m: &PyModule) -> PyResult<()> {
     sh::madd(m)?;
     fs::pymod(m)?;
     sp::madd(py, m)?;
+    anystr::madd(py, m)?;
     Ok(())
 }