diff --git a/src/components/MediaPreview.tsx b/src/components/MediaPreview.tsx
index f292ea4422..9d9c755456 100644
--- a/src/components/MediaPreview.tsx
+++ b/src/components/MediaPreview.tsx
@@ -1,20 +1,15 @@
 import React from 'react'
 import {StyleProp, StyleSheet, View, ViewStyle} from 'react-native'
 import {Image} from 'expo-image'
-import {
-  AppBskyEmbedExternal,
-  AppBskyEmbedImages,
-  AppBskyEmbedRecordWithMedia,
-  AppBskyEmbedVideo,
-} from '@atproto/api'
-import {$Typed} from '@atproto/api/dist/client/util'
+import {AppBskyFeedDefs} from '@atproto/api'
 import {Trans} from '@lingui/macro'
 
-import {isTenorGifUri} from '#/lib/strings/embed-player'
+import {parseTenorGif} from '#/lib/strings/embed-player'
 import {atoms as a, useTheme} from '#/alf'
 import {MediaInsetBorder} from '#/components/MediaInsetBorder'
 import {Text} from '#/components/Typography'
 import {PlayButtonIcon} from '#/components/video/PlayButtonIcon'
+import {parseEmbed} from '#/types/atproto/post'
 
 /**
  * Streamlined MediaPreview component which just handles images, gifs, and videos
@@ -23,22 +18,17 @@ export function Embed({
   embed,
   style,
 }: {
-  embed?:
-    | $Typed<AppBskyEmbedRecordWithMedia.View>
-    | $Typed<AppBskyEmbedImages.View>
-    | $Typed<AppBskyEmbedVideo.View>
-    | $Typed<AppBskyEmbedExternal.View>
-    | {$type: string}
+  embed: AppBskyFeedDefs.PostView['embed']
   style?: StyleProp<ViewStyle>
 }) {
-  if (!embed) {
-    return null
-  } else if (AppBskyEmbedRecordWithMedia.isView(embed)) {
-    return <Embed embed={embed.media} style={style} />
-  } else if (AppBskyEmbedImages.isView(embed)) {
+  const e = parseEmbed(embed)
+
+  if (!e) return null
+
+  if (e.type === 'images') {
     return (
       <Outer style={style}>
-        {embed.images.map(image => (
+        {e.view.images.map(image => (
           <ImageItem
             key={image.thumb}
             thumbnail={image.thumb}
@@ -47,24 +37,32 @@ export function Embed({
         ))}
       </Outer>
     )
-  } else if (AppBskyEmbedExternal.isView(embed)) {
-    if (!embed.external.thumb) return null
-    if (!isTenorGifUri(embed.external.uri)) return null
-
+  } else if (e.type === 'link' && e.view.external.thumb) {
+    let url: URL | undefined
+    try {
+      url = new URL(e.view.external.uri)
+    } catch {}
+    if (url) {
+      const {success} = parseTenorGif(url)
+      if (success) {
+        return (
+          <Outer style={style}>
+            <GifItem
+              thumbnail={e.view.external.thumb}
+              alt={e.view.external.title}
+            />
+          </Outer>
+        )
+      }
+    }
+  } else if (e.type === 'video') {
     return (
       <Outer style={style}>
-        <GifItem thumbnail={embed.external.thumb} alt={embed.external.title} />
-      </Outer>
-    )
-  } else if (AppBskyEmbedVideo.isView(embed)) {
-    return (
-      <Outer style={style}>
-        <VideoItem thumbnail={embed.thumbnail} alt={embed.alt} />
+        <VideoItem thumbnail={e.view.thumbnail} alt={e.view.alt} />
       </Outer>
     )
   }
 
-  // media is {$type: string}
   return null
 }
 
diff --git a/src/components/interstitials/Trending.tsx b/src/components/interstitials/Trending.tsx
index a217a7da2d..1da361ef79 100644
--- a/src/components/interstitials/Trending.tsx
+++ b/src/components/interstitials/Trending.tsx
@@ -59,24 +59,26 @@ export function Inner() {
           ) : !trending?.topics ? null : (
             <>
               {trending.topics.map(topic => (
-                <TrendingTopicLink
-                  key={topic.link}
-                  topic={topic}
-                  onPress={() => {
-                    logEvent('trendingTopic:click', {context: 'interstitial'})
-                  }}>
-                  <View style={[a.py_lg]}>
-                    <Text
-                      style={[
-                        t.atoms.text,
-                        a.text_sm,
-                        a.font_bold,
-                        {opacity: 0.7}, // NOTE: we use opacity 0.7 instead of a color to match the color of the home pager tab bar
-                      ]}>
-                      {topic.topic}
-                    </Text>
-                  </View>
-                </TrendingTopicLink>
+                <>
+                  <TrendingTopicLink
+                    key={topic.link}
+                    topic={topic}
+                    onPress={() => {
+                      logEvent('trendingTopic:click', {context: 'interstitial'})
+                    }}>
+                    <View style={[a.py_lg]}>
+                      <Text
+                        style={[
+                          t.atoms.text,
+                          a.text_sm,
+                          a.font_bold,
+                          {opacity: 0.7}, // NOTE: we use opacity 0.7 instead of a color to match the color of the home pager tab bar
+                        ]}>
+                        {topic.topic}
+                      </Text>
+                    </View>
+                  </TrendingTopicLink>
+                </>
               ))}
               <Button
                 label={_(msg`Hide trending topics`)}
diff --git a/src/screens/StarterPack/Wizard/State.tsx b/src/screens/StarterPack/Wizard/State.tsx
index 7ecb2294dd..b6da56065b 100644
--- a/src/screens/StarterPack/Wizard/State.tsx
+++ b/src/screens/StarterPack/Wizard/State.tsx
@@ -32,9 +32,7 @@ interface State {
   currentStep: Step
   name?: string
   description?: string
-  profiles: Array<
-    AppBskyActorDefs.ProfileViewBasic | AppBskyActorDefs.ProfileView
-  >
+  profiles: AppBskyActorDefs.ProfileViewBasic[]
   feeds: GeneratorView[]
   processing: boolean
   error?: string
diff --git a/src/state/queries/notifications/util.ts b/src/state/queries/notifications/util.ts
index 284465a363..0ffa7302dc 100644
--- a/src/state/queries/notifications/util.ts
+++ b/src/state/queries/notifications/util.ts
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ import {QueryClient} from '@tanstack/react-query'
 import chunk from 'lodash.chunk'
 
 import {labelIsHideableOffense} from '#/lib/moderation'
+import * as atp from '#/types/atproto'
 import {precacheProfile} from '../profile'
 import {FeedNotification, FeedPage, NotificationType} from './types'
 
@@ -255,17 +256,18 @@ function getSubjectUri(
     return notif.uri
   } else if (type === 'post-like' || type === 'repost') {
     if (
-      AppBskyFeedRepost.isRecord(notif.record) ||
-      AppBskyFeedLike.isRecord(notif.record)
+      atp.fastIsType<AppBskyFeedRepost.Record>(
+        notif.record,
+        AppBskyFeedRepost.isRecord,
+      ) ||
+      atp.fastIsType<AppBskyFeedLike.Record>(
+        notif.record,
+        AppBskyFeedLike.isRecord,
+      )
     ) {
-      // Type casting here is actually safe because here we check for the
-      // actual type bellow
-      const record = notif.record as
-        | AppBskyFeedRepost.Record
-        | AppBskyFeedLike.Record
-
-      const uri = record.subject?.uri
-      return typeof uri === 'string' ? uri : undefined
+      return typeof notif.record.subject?.uri === 'string'
+        ? notif.record.subject?.uri
+        : undefined
     }
   } else if (type === 'feedgen-like') {
     return notif.reasonSubject
diff --git a/src/state/queries/util.ts b/src/state/queries/util.ts
index 4dabf09d36..081cb82ecc 100644
--- a/src/state/queries/util.ts
+++ b/src/state/queries/util.ts
@@ -6,9 +6,10 @@ import {
   AppBskyFeedPost,
   AtUri,
 } from '@atproto/api'
-import {$Typed} from '@atproto/api/dist/client/util'
 import {InfiniteData, QueryClient, QueryKey} from '@tanstack/react-query'
 
+import * as atp from '#/types/atproto'
+
 export async function truncateAndInvalidate<T = any>(
   queryClient: QueryClient,
   queryKey: QueryKey,
@@ -43,20 +44,22 @@ export function didOrHandleUriMatches(
 }
 
 export function getEmbeddedPost(
-  v:
-    | undefined
-    | $Typed<AppBskyEmbedRecord.View>
-    | $Typed<AppBskyEmbedRecordWithMedia.View>
-    | {$type: string},
+  v: unknown,
 ): AppBskyEmbedRecord.ViewRecord | undefined {
-  if (AppBskyEmbedRecord.isView(v)) {
+  if (atp.fastIsType<AppBskyEmbedRecord.View>(v, AppBskyEmbedRecord.isView)) {
     if (
       AppBskyEmbedRecord.isViewRecord(v.record) &&
       AppBskyFeedPost.isRecord(v.record.value)
     ) {
       return v.record
     }
-  } else if (AppBskyEmbedRecordWithMedia.isView(v)) {
+  }
+  if (
+    atp.fastIsType<AppBskyEmbedRecordWithMedia.View>(
+      v,
+      AppBskyEmbedRecordWithMedia.isView,
+    )
+  ) {
     if (
       AppBskyEmbedRecord.isViewRecord(v.record.record) &&
       AppBskyFeedPost.isRecord(v.record.record.value)
diff --git a/src/types/atproto/post.ts b/src/types/atproto/post.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..ffd6eb47d2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/types/atproto/post.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,136 @@
+import {
+  AppBskyEmbedExternal,
+  AppBskyEmbedImages,
+  AppBskyEmbedRecord,
+  AppBskyEmbedRecordWithMedia,
+  AppBskyEmbedVideo,
+  AppBskyFeedDefs,
+  AppBskyGraphDefs,
+  AppBskyLabelerDefs,
+} from '@atproto/api'
+
+export type View =
+  | {
+      type: 'post'
+      view: AppBskyEmbedRecord.ViewRecord
+    }
+  | {
+      type: 'post_not_found'
+      view: AppBskyEmbedRecord.ViewNotFound
+    }
+  | {
+      type: 'post_blocked'
+      view: AppBskyEmbedRecord.ViewBlocked
+    }
+  | {
+      type: 'post_detached'
+      view: AppBskyEmbedRecord.ViewDetached
+    }
+  | {
+      type: 'feed'
+      view: AppBskyFeedDefs.GeneratorView
+    }
+  | {
+      type: 'list'
+      view: AppBskyGraphDefs.ListView
+    }
+  | {
+      type: 'labeler'
+      view: AppBskyLabelerDefs.LabelerView
+    }
+  | {
+      type: 'starter_pack'
+      view: AppBskyGraphDefs.StarterPackViewBasic
+    }
+  | {
+      type: 'images'
+      view: AppBskyEmbedImages.View
+    }
+  | {
+      type: 'link'
+      view: AppBskyEmbedExternal.View
+    }
+  | {
+      type: 'video'
+      view: AppBskyEmbedVideo.View
+    }
+  | {
+      type: 'post_with_media'
+      view: View | undefined
+      media: View | undefined
+    }
+
+export function parseEmbedView(
+  view: AppBskyEmbedRecord.View,
+): View | undefined {
+  if (AppBskyEmbedRecord.isViewRecord(view.record)) {
+    return {
+      type: 'post',
+      view: view.record,
+    }
+  } else if (AppBskyEmbedRecord.isViewNotFound(view.record)) {
+    return {
+      type: 'post_not_found',
+      view: view.record,
+    }
+  } else if (AppBskyEmbedRecord.isViewBlocked(view.record)) {
+    return {
+      type: 'post_blocked',
+      view: view.record,
+    }
+  } else if (AppBskyEmbedRecord.isViewDetached(view.record)) {
+    return {
+      type: 'post_detached',
+      view: view.record,
+    }
+  } else if (AppBskyFeedDefs.isGeneratorView(view.record)) {
+    return {
+      type: 'feed',
+      view: view.record,
+    }
+  } else if (AppBskyGraphDefs.isListView(view.record)) {
+    return {
+      type: 'list',
+      view: view.record,
+    }
+  } else if (AppBskyLabelerDefs.isLabelerView(view.record)) {
+    return {
+      type: 'labeler',
+      view: view.record,
+    }
+  } else if (AppBskyGraphDefs.isStarterPackViewBasic(view.record)) {
+    return {
+      type: 'starter_pack',
+      view: view.record,
+    }
+  }
+}
+
+export function parseEmbed(
+  embed: AppBskyFeedDefs.PostView['embed'],
+): View | undefined {
+  if (AppBskyEmbedImages.isView(embed)) {
+    return {
+      type: 'images',
+      view: embed,
+    }
+  } else if (AppBskyEmbedExternal.isView(embed)) {
+    return {
+      type: 'link',
+      view: embed,
+    }
+  } else if (AppBskyEmbedVideo.isView(embed)) {
+    return {
+      type: 'video',
+      view: embed,
+    }
+  } else if (AppBskyEmbedRecord.isView(embed)) {
+    return parseEmbedView(embed)
+  } else if (AppBskyEmbedRecordWithMedia.isView(embed)) {
+    return {
+      type: 'post_with_media',
+      view: parseEmbedView(embed.record),
+      media: parseEmbed(embed.media),
+    }
+  }
+}