diff --git a/amitools/vamos/libtypes/__init__.py b/amitools/vamos/libtypes/__init__.py
index ef8424c7..8746bf6b 100644
--- a/amitools/vamos/libtypes/__init__.py
+++ b/amitools/vamos/libtypes/__init__.py
@@ -10,3 +10,6 @@
 # dos
 from .lock import FileLock, FileHandle
 from .process import CLI, Process, PathList
+
+# type promotion
+from .promote import promote_type
diff --git a/amitools/vamos/libtypes/promote.py b/amitools/vamos/libtypes/promote.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..2c3faff9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/amitools/vamos/libtypes/promote.py
@@ -0,0 +1,33 @@
+from amitools.vamos.libstructs import NodeType, LibraryStruct
+from .node import Node
+from .task import Task
+from .process import Process
+
+node_map = {
+    NodeType.NT_TASK: Task,
+    NodeType.NT_PROCESS: Process,
+    NodeType.NT_DEVICE: LibraryStruct,
+    NodeType.NT_LIBRARY: LibraryStruct,
+}
+
+
+def promote_type(obj):
+    """convert objects according to Amiga rules
+
+    * if its a node then use the node type to derive the actual class
+    * if its a task but of type process
+    """
+    if type(obj) is Node:
+        node_type = obj.type.get()
+        if node_type in node_map:
+            node_cls = node_map[node_type]
+            return obj.clone(node_cls)
+
+    # promote a task to a process
+    elif type(obj) is Task:
+        node_type = obj.node.type.get()
+        if node_type == NodeType.NT_PROCESS:
+            return obj.clone(Process)
+
+    # no promotion applied
+    return obj
diff --git a/test/unit/libtypes_promote.py b/test/unit/libtypes_promote.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..6cdf0b6a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/unit/libtypes_promote.py
@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+from amitools.vamos.machine.mock import MockMemory
+from amitools.vamos.libstructs import NodeType
+from amitools.vamos.libtypes import promote_type, Node, Task, Process
+from amitools.vamos.libtypes.promote import node_map
+
+
+def libtypes_promote_node_test():
+    mem = MockMemory()
+    for node_type, node_cls in node_map.items():
+        node = Node(mem, 0x40)
+        node.type.set(node_type)
+        new_node = promote_type(node)
+        assert type(new_node) is node_cls
+
+
+def libtypes_promote_task_test():
+    mem = MockMemory()
+    task = Task(mem, 0x40)
+    task.node.type.set(NodeType.NT_PROCESS)
+    proc = promote_type(task)
+    assert type(proc) is Process