diff --git a/basedtyping/__init__.py b/basedtyping/__init__.py
index 1dd578d..b871c15 100644
--- a/basedtyping/__init__.py
+++ b/basedtyping/__init__.py
@@ -4,6 +4,8 @@
 
 from __future__ import annotations
 
+import ast
+import typing
 import sys
 from types import FunctionType
 from typing import (  # type: ignore[attr-defined]
@@ -594,3 +596,49 @@ def foo(): ...
     if not isinstance(fn, FunctionType):  # type: ignore[redundant-expr]
         raise TypeError(f"{fn} is not a FunctionType")
     return fn  # type: ignore[unreachable]
+
+
+class ForwardRef(typing.ForwardRef, _root=True):  # type: ignore[call-arg,misc]
+    """
+    Like `typing.ForwardRef`, but lets older Python versions use newer typing features.
+    Specifically, when evaluated, this transforms `X | Y` into `typing.Union[X, Y]`
+    and `list[X]` into `typing.List[X]` etc. (for all the types made generic in PEP 585)
+    if the original syntax is not supported in the current Python version.
+    """
+
+    def __init__(self, arg, *, is_argument=True, module=None, is_class=False):
+        if not isinstance(arg, str):
+            raise TypeError(f"Forward reference must be a string -- got {arg!r}")
+
+        # If we do `def f(*args: *Ts)`, then we'll have `arg = '*Ts'`.
+        # Unfortunately, this isn't a valid expression on its own, so we
+        # do the unpacking manually.
+        if arg.startswith("*"):
+            arg_to_compile = f"({arg},)[0]"  # E.g. (*Ts,)[0] or (*tuple[int, int],)[0]
+        else:
+            arg_to_compile = arg
+        try:
+            code = compile(arg_to_compile, "<string>", "eval")
+        except SyntaxError:
+            code = compile(
+                ast.parse(arg.removeprefix("def").lstrip(), mode="func_type"),
+                "<string>",
+                "func_type",
+                ast.PyCF_ONLY_AST,
+            )
+
+        self.__forward_arg__ = arg
+        self.__forward_code__ = code
+        self.__forward_evaluated__ = False
+        self.__forward_value__ = None
+        self.__forward_is_argument__ = is_argument
+        self.__forward_is_class__ = is_class
+        self.__forward_module__ = module
+
+    def _evaluate(
+        self,
+        globalns: dict[str, Any] | None,
+        localns: dict[str, Any] | None,
+        recursive_guard: frozenset[str] | None = None,
+    ) -> Any:
+        return typing.t_eval_direct(self, globalns, localns)
diff --git a/basedtyping/transformer.py b/basedtyping/transformer.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..da867a9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/basedtyping/transformer.py
@@ -0,0 +1,196 @@
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import ast
+import types
+import typing
+import uuid
+from contextlib import contextmanager
+from enum import Enum
+from typing import Any
+import basedtyping
+
+
+class CringeTransformer(ast.NodeTransformer):
+    """
+    Transforms `1 | 2` into `Literal[1] | Literal[2]` etc
+    TODO: list[(int, str)] -> list[tuple[int, str]], is this even possible with ast? check src
+    """
+
+    def __init__(
+        self,
+        globalns: dict[str, Any] | None,
+        localns: dict[str, Any] | None,
+        *,
+        string_literals: bool,
+    ):
+        self.string_literals = string_literals
+
+        # This logic for handling Nones is copied from typing.ForwardRef._evaluate
+        if globalns is None and localns is None:
+            globalns = localns = {}
+        elif globalns is None:
+            # apparently pyright doesn't infer this automatically
+            assert localns is not None
+            globalns = localns
+        elif localns is None:
+            # apparently pyright doesn't infer this automatically
+            assert globalns is not None
+            localns = globalns
+
+        self.typing_name = f"typing_extensions_{uuid.uuid4().hex}"
+        self.basedtyping_name = f"basedtyping_{uuid.uuid4().hex}"
+        self.globalns = globalns
+        import typing_extensions
+
+        self.localns = {
+            **localns,
+            self.typing_name: typing_extensions,
+            self.basedtyping_name: basedtyping,
+        }
+
+    def eval_type(
+        self, node: ast.Expression | ast.expr, *, original_ref: typing.ForwardRef | None = None
+    ) -> object:
+        if not isinstance(node, ast.Expression):
+            node = ast.copy_location(ast.Expression(node), node)
+        ref = typing.ForwardRef(ast.dump(node))
+        if original_ref:
+            for attr in ("is_argument", " is_class", "module"):
+                attr = f"__forward_{attr}__"
+                if hasattr(original_ref, attr):
+                    setattr(ref, attr, getattr(original_ref, attr))
+        ref.__forward_code__ = compile(node, "<node>", "eval")
+        try:
+            return typing._eval_type(ref, self.globalns, self.localns)
+        except TypeError:
+            return None
+
+    def _typing(self, attr: str):
+        result = ast.Attribute(
+            value=ast.Name(id=self.typing_name, ctx=ast.Load()), attr=attr, ctx=ast.Load()
+        )
+        return ast.fix_missing_locations(result)
+
+    def _basedtyping(self, attr: str):
+        result = ast.Attribute(
+            value=ast.Name(id=self.basedtyping_name, ctx=ast.Load()), attr=attr, ctx=ast.Load()
+        )
+        return ast.fix_missing_locations(result)
+
+    def _literal(self, value: ast.Constant | ast.Name | ast.Attribute):
+        return self.subscript(self._typing("Literal"), value)
+
+    def subscript(self, value, slice):
+        result = ast.Subscript(value=value, slice=slice, ctx=ast.Load())
+        return ast.fix_missing_locations(result)
+
+    _implicit_tuple = False
+
+    @contextmanager
+    def implicit_tuple(self):
+        implicit_tuple = self._implicit_tuple
+        self._implicit_tuple = True
+        try:
+            yield
+        finally:
+            self._implicit_tuple = implicit_tuple
+
+    def visit_Subscript(self, node: ast.Subscript) -> ast.AST:
+        with self.implicit_tuple():
+            node = self.generic_visit(node)
+        # TODO: FunctionType -> Callable
+        node_type = self.eval_type(node.value)
+        if node_type is types.FunctionType:
+            node = self.subscript(self._typing("Callable"), node.slice)
+        return node
+
+    def visit_Attribute(self, node) -> ast.Name:
+        node = self.generic_visit(node)
+        node_type = self.eval_type(node)
+        if isinstance(node_type, Enum):
+            node = self._literal(node)
+        return node
+
+    def visit_Name(self, node) -> ast.Name:
+        node = self.generic_visit(node)
+        name_type = self.eval_type(node)
+        if isinstance(name_type, Enum):
+            node = self._literal(node)
+        return node
+
+    def visit_Constant(self, node: ast.Constant) -> ast.AST:
+        node = self.generic_visit(node)
+        if isinstance(node.value, int | bool) or (
+            self.string_literals and isinstance(node.value, str)
+        ):
+            node = self._literal(node)
+        return node
+
+    def visit_Tuple(self, node: ast.Tuple) -> ast.AST:
+        node = self.generic_visit(node)
+        if not self._implicit_tuple:
+            return self.subscript(self._typing("Tuple"), node)
+        return node
+
+    def visit_Compare(self, node: ast.Compare) -> ast.AST:
+        if len(node.ops) == 1 and isinstance(node.ops[0], ast.Is):
+            node = self.subscript(self._typing("TypeIs"), self.generic_visit(node.comparators[0]))
+        return self.generic_visit(node)
+
+    def visit_IfExp(self, node: ast.IfExp) -> ast.AST:
+        if (
+            isinstance(node.body, ast.Compare)
+            and len(node.body.comparators) == 1
+            and isinstance(node.body.ops[0], ast.Is)
+        ):
+            node.body = self.subscript(
+                self._typing("TypeGuard"), self.generic_visit(node.body.comparators[0])
+            )
+        return self.generic_visit(node)
+
+    def visit_FunctionType(self, node: ast.FunctionType) -> ast.AST:
+        node = self.generic_visit(node)
+        return self.subscript(
+            self._typing("Callable"),
+            ast.Tuple([ast.List(node.argtypes, ctx=ast.Load()), node.returns], ctx=ast.Load()),
+        )
+
+    def visit_BinOp(self, node: ast.BinOp) -> ast.AST:
+        node = self.generic_visit(node)
+        if isinstance(node.op, ast.BitAnd):
+            node = self.subscript(
+                self._basedtyping("Intersection"),
+                ast.Tuple([node.left, node.right], ctx=ast.Load()),
+            )
+        return node
+
+
+def _eval_direct(
+    value: typing.ForwardRef,
+    globalns: dict[str, Any] | None = None,
+    localns: dict[str, Any] | None = None,
+):
+    return eval_type_based(value, globalns, localns, string_literals=False)
+
+
+def eval_type_based(
+    value: object,
+    globalns: typing.Mapping[str, object] | None = None,
+    localns: typing.Mapping[str, object] | None = None,
+    *,
+    string_literals: bool,
+) -> object:
+    """
+    Like `typing._eval_type`, but lets older Python versions use newer typing features.
+    Specifically, this transforms `X | Y` into `typing.Union[X, Y]`
+    and `list[X]` into `typing.List[X]` etc. (for all the types made generic in PEP 585)
+    if the original syntax is not supported in the current Python version.
+    """
+    try:
+        tree = ast.parse(value.__forward_arg__, mode="eval")
+    except SyntaxError:
+        tree = ast.parse(value.__forward_arg__.removeprefix("def").lstrip(), mode="func_type")
+
+    transformer = CringeTransformer(globalns, localns, string_literals=string_literals)
+    tree = transformer.visit(tree)
+    return transformer.eval_type(tree, original_ref=value)
diff --git a/tests/test_transformer.py b/tests/test_transformer.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a3c6117
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test_transformer.py
@@ -0,0 +1,73 @@
+from enum import Enum
+from typing import Tuple
+
+from transformer import eval_type_based
+from typing_extensions import Callable, Literal, TypeIs, Union, TypeGuard
+from types import FunctionType
+from basedtyping import ForwardRef, Intersection
+
+# ruff: noqa: PYI030, PYI030
+
+
+def validate(value, expected, *, string_literals=False):
+    assert (
+        eval_type_based(ForwardRef(value), globalns=globals(), string_literals=string_literals)
+        == expected
+    )
+
+
+def test_literal():
+    validate("1 | 2", Union[Literal[1], Literal[2]])
+
+
+def test_literal_literal():
+    validate("Literal[1]", Literal[1])
+
+
+def test_literal_str():
+    validate("'int'", int)
+    validate("Literal['int']", Literal["int"])
+    validate("'int'", Literal["int"], string_literals=True)
+    validate("Literal['int']", Literal["int"], string_literals=True)
+
+
+class E(Enum):
+    a = 1
+    b = 2
+
+
+def test_literal_enum():
+    validate("E.a | E.b", Union[Literal[E.a], Literal[E.b]])
+
+
+def test_tuple():
+    validate("(int, str)", Tuple[int, str])
+
+
+def test_typeguard():
+    validate("x is 1", TypeIs[Literal[1]])
+
+
+def test_typeguard_asymmetric():
+    validate("x is 1 if True else False", TypeGuard[Literal[1]])
+
+
+def test_callable():
+    validate("(str) -> int", Callable[[str], int])
+
+
+def test_function():
+    validate("def (str) -> int", Callable[[str], int])
+    validate("FunctionType[[str], int]", Callable[[str], int])
+
+
+def test_functiontype():
+    validate("FunctionType[[str], int]", Callable[[str], int])
+
+
+def test_intersection():
+    validate("int & str", Intersection[int, str])
+
+
+def test_nested():
+    validate("(1, 2)", Tuple[Literal[1], Literal[2]])