diff --git a/tlv/primitive.go b/tlv/primitive.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..46ccfde9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tlv/primitive.go
@@ -0,0 +1,273 @@
+package tlv
+
+import (
+	"encoding/binary"
+	"fmt"
+	"io"
+
+	"github.com/btcsuite/btcd/btcec"
+)
+
+// ErrTypeForEncoding signals that an incorrect type was passed to an Encoder.
+type ErrTypeForEncoding struct {
+	val     interface{}
+	expType string
+}
+
+// NewTypeForEncodingErr creates a new ErrTypeForEncoding given the incorrect
+// val and the expected type.
+func NewTypeForEncodingErr(val interface{}, expType string) ErrTypeForEncoding {
+	return ErrTypeForEncoding{
+		val:     val,
+		expType: expType,
+	}
+}
+
+// Error returns a human-readable description of the type mismatch.
+func (e ErrTypeForEncoding) Error() string {
+	return fmt.Sprintf("ErrTypeForEncoding want (type: *%s), "+
+		"got (type: %T)", e.expType, e.val)
+}
+
+// ErrTypeForDecoding signals that an incorrect type was passed to a Decoder or
+// that the expected length of the encoding is different from that required by
+// the expected type.
+type ErrTypeForDecoding struct {
+	val       interface{}
+	expType   string
+	valLength uint64
+	expLength uint64
+}
+
+// NewTypeForDecodingErr creates a new ErrTypeForDecoding given the incorrect
+// val and expected type, or the mismatch in their expected lengths.
+func NewTypeForDecodingErr(val interface{}, expType string,
+	valLength, expLength uint64) ErrTypeForDecoding {
+
+	return ErrTypeForDecoding{
+		val:       val,
+		expType:   expType,
+		valLength: valLength,
+		expLength: expLength,
+	}
+}
+
+// Error returns a human-readable description of the type mismatch.
+func (e ErrTypeForDecoding) Error() string {
+	return fmt.Sprintf("ErrTypeForDecoding want (type: *%s, length: %v), "+
+		"got (type: %T, length: %v)", e.expType, e.expLength, e.val,
+		e.valLength)
+}
+
+var (
+	byteOrder = binary.BigEndian
+)
+
+// EUint8 is an Encoder for uint8 values. An error is returned if val is not a
+// *uint8.
+func EUint8(w io.Writer, val interface{}, buf *[8]byte) error {
+	if i, ok := val.(*uint8); ok {
+		buf[0] = *i
+		_, err := w.Write(buf[:1])
+		return err
+	}
+	return ErrTypeForEncoding{val, "uint8"}
+}
+
+// EUint16 is an Encoder for uint16 values. An error is returned if val is not a
+// *uint16.
+func EUint16(w io.Writer, val interface{}, buf *[8]byte) error {
+	if i, ok := val.(*uint16); ok {
+		byteOrder.PutUint16(buf[:2], *i)
+		_, err := w.Write(buf[:2])
+		return err
+	}
+	return ErrTypeForEncoding{val, "uint16"}
+}
+
+// EUint32 is an Encoder for uint32 values. An error is returned if val is not a
+// *uint32.
+func EUint32(w io.Writer, val interface{}, buf *[8]byte) error {
+	if i, ok := val.(*uint32); ok {
+		byteOrder.PutUint32(buf[:4], *i)
+		_, err := w.Write(buf[:4])
+		return err
+	}
+	return ErrTypeForEncoding{val, "uint32"}
+}
+
+// EUint64 is an Encoder for uint64 values. An error is returned if val is not a
+// *uint64.
+func EUint64(w io.Writer, val interface{}, buf *[8]byte) error {
+	if i, ok := val.(*uint64); ok {
+		byteOrder.PutUint64(buf[:], *i)
+		_, err := w.Write(buf[:])
+		return err
+	}
+	return ErrTypeForEncoding{val, "uint64"}
+}
+
+// DUint8 is a Decoder for uint8 values. An error is returned if val is not a
+// *uint8.
+func DUint8(r io.Reader, val interface{}, buf *[8]byte, l uint64) error {
+	if i, ok := val.(*uint8); ok && l == 1 {
+		if _, err := io.ReadFull(r, buf[:1]); err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+		*i = buf[0]
+		return nil
+	}
+	return ErrTypeForDecoding{val, "uint8", l, 1}
+}
+
+// DUint16 is a Decoder for uint16 values. An error is returned if val is not a
+// *uint16.
+func DUint16(r io.Reader, val interface{}, buf *[8]byte, l uint64) error {
+	if i, ok := val.(*uint16); ok && l == 2 {
+		if _, err := io.ReadFull(r, buf[:2]); err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+		*i = byteOrder.Uint16(buf[:2])
+		return nil
+	}
+	return ErrTypeForDecoding{val, "uint16", l, 2}
+}
+
+// DUint32 is a Decoder for uint32 values. An error is returned if val is not a
+// *uint32.
+func DUint32(r io.Reader, val interface{}, buf *[8]byte, l uint64) error {
+	if i, ok := val.(*uint32); ok && l == 4 {
+		if _, err := io.ReadFull(r, buf[:4]); err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+		*i = byteOrder.Uint32(buf[:4])
+		return nil
+	}
+	return ErrTypeForDecoding{val, "uint32", l, 4}
+}
+
+// DUint64 is a Decoder for uint64 values. An error is returned if val is not a
+// *uint64.
+func DUint64(r io.Reader, val interface{}, buf *[8]byte, l uint64) error {
+	if i, ok := val.(*uint64); ok && l == 8 {
+		if _, err := io.ReadFull(r, buf[:]); err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+		*i = byteOrder.Uint64(buf[:])
+		return nil
+	}
+	return ErrTypeForDecoding{val, "uint64", l, 8}
+}
+
+// EBytes32 is an Encoder for 32-byte arrays. An error is returned if val is not
+// a *[32]byte.
+func EBytes32(w io.Writer, val interface{}, _ *[8]byte) error {
+	if b, ok := val.(*[32]byte); ok {
+		_, err := w.Write(b[:])
+		return err
+	}
+	return ErrTypeForEncoding{val, "[32]byte"}
+}
+
+// DBytes32 is a Decoder for 32-byte arrays. An error is returned if val is not
+// a *[32]byte.
+func DBytes32(r io.Reader, val interface{}, _ *[8]byte, l uint64) error {
+	if b, ok := val.(*[32]byte); ok && l == 32 {
+		_, err := io.ReadFull(r, b[:])
+		return err
+	}
+	return ErrTypeForDecoding{val, "[32]byte", l, 32}
+}
+
+// EBytes33 is an Encoder for 33-byte arrays. An error is returned if val is not
+// a *[33]byte.
+func EBytes33(w io.Writer, val interface{}, _ *[8]byte) error {
+	if b, ok := val.(*[33]byte); ok {
+		_, err := w.Write(b[:])
+		return err
+	}
+	return ErrTypeForEncoding{val, "[33]byte"}
+}
+
+// DBytes33 is a Decoder for 33-byte arrays. An error is returned if val is not
+// a *[33]byte.
+func DBytes33(r io.Reader, val interface{}, _ *[8]byte, l uint64) error {
+	if b, ok := val.(*[33]byte); ok {
+		_, err := io.ReadFull(r, b[:])
+		return err
+	}
+	return ErrTypeForDecoding{val, "[33]byte", l, 33}
+}
+
+// EBytes64 is an Encoder for 64-byte arrays. An error is returned if val is not
+// a *[64]byte.
+func EBytes64(w io.Writer, val interface{}, _ *[8]byte) error {
+	if b, ok := val.(*[64]byte); ok {
+		_, err := w.Write(b[:])
+		return err
+	}
+	return ErrTypeForEncoding{val, "[64]byte"}
+}
+
+// DBytes64 is an Decoder for 64-byte arrays. An error is returned if val is not
+// a *[64]byte.
+func DBytes64(r io.Reader, val interface{}, _ *[8]byte, l uint64) error {
+	if b, ok := val.(*[64]byte); ok && l == 64 {
+		_, err := io.ReadFull(r, b[:])
+		return err
+	}
+	return ErrTypeForDecoding{val, "[64]byte", l, 64}
+}
+
+// EPubKey is an Encoder for *btcec.PublicKey values. An error is returned if
+// val is not a **btcec.PublicKey.
+func EPubKey(w io.Writer, val interface{}, _ *[8]byte) error {
+	if pk, ok := val.(**btcec.PublicKey); ok {
+		_, err := w.Write((*pk).SerializeCompressed())
+		return err
+	}
+	return ErrTypeForEncoding{val, "*btcec.PublicKey"}
+}
+
+// DPubKey is a Decoder for *btcec.PublicKey values. An error is returned if val
+// is not a **btcec.PublicKey.
+func DPubKey(r io.Reader, val interface{}, _ *[8]byte, l uint64) error {
+	if pk, ok := val.(**btcec.PublicKey); ok && l == 33 {
+		var b [33]byte
+		_, err := io.ReadFull(r, b[:])
+		if err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+
+		p, err := btcec.ParsePubKey(b[:], btcec.S256())
+		if err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+
+		*pk = p
+
+		return nil
+	}
+	return ErrTypeForDecoding{val, "*btcec.PublicKey", l, 33}
+}
+
+// EVarBytes is an Encoder for variable byte slices. An error is returned if val
+// is not *[]byte.
+func EVarBytes(w io.Writer, val interface{}, _ *[8]byte) error {
+	if b, ok := val.(*[]byte); ok {
+		_, err := w.Write(*b)
+		return err
+	}
+	return ErrTypeForEncoding{val, "[]byte"}
+}
+
+// DVarBytes is a Decoder for variable byte slices. An error is returned if val
+// is not *[]byte.
+func DVarBytes(r io.Reader, val interface{}, _ *[8]byte, l uint64) error {
+	if b, ok := val.(*[]byte); ok {
+		*b = make([]byte, l)
+		_, err := io.ReadFull(r, *b)
+		return err
+	}
+	return ErrTypeForDecoding{val, "[]byte", l, l}
+}