diff --git a/@nact/core/actor.test.ts b/@nact/core/actor.test.ts
index b5463b2..28af23c 100644
--- a/@nact/core/actor.test.ts
+++ b/@nact/core/actor.test.ts
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
 import chai from 'chai';
 import chaiAsPromised from 'chai-as-promised';
 import { SupervisionContext } from './actor';
-import { start, spawn, spawnStateless, dispatch, stop, query, milliseconds, ActorContext, applyOrThrowIfStopped } from './index';
+import { ActorContext, applyOrThrowIfStopped, dispatch, milliseconds, query, spawn, spawnStateless, start, stop } from './index';
 import { LocalActorRef, LocalActorSystemRef, nobody } from './references';
 
 chai.use(chaiAsPromised);
@@ -59,6 +59,17 @@ describe('LocalActorRef', function () {
     child.path.system!.should.equal(system.path.system);
     grandchild.path.parts.slice(0, child.path.parts.length - 2).should.deep.equal(child.path.parts);
   });
+
+  it('should be contravariant to message type', function () {
+    let actor: LocalActorRef<string | number> = spawnStateless(system, (_msg: string | number) => {});
+
+    let smallerActor: LocalActorRef<string> = actor;
+    dispatch(smallerActor, "a");
+
+    // @ts-expect-error
+    let biggerActor: LocalActorRef<string | number | symbol> = actor;
+    dispatch(biggerActor, "a");
+  });
 });
 
 describe('Actor', function () {
diff --git a/@nact/core/actor.ts b/@nact/core/actor.ts
index 8340827..a50d0d6 100644
--- a/@nact/core/actor.ts
+++ b/@nact/core/actor.ts
@@ -1,13 +1,13 @@
-import { ActorSystemRef, localActorRef, LocalActorRef, LocalActorSystemRef, localTemporaryRef } from "./references";
+import { Milliseconds } from ".";
+import assert from './assert';
 import { Deferral } from './deferral';
+import { ICanAssertNotStopped, ICanDispatch, ICanHandleFault, ICanManageTempReferences, ICanQuery, ICanReset, ICanStop, IHaveChildren, IHaveName, InferResponseFromMsgFactory, QueryMsgFactory } from "./interfaces";
+import { addMacrotask, clearMacrotask } from './macrotask';
+import { ActorPath } from "./paths";
+import { ActorSystemRef, localActorRef, LocalActorRef, LocalActorSystemRef, localTemporaryRef } from "./references";
+import { defaultSupervisionPolicy, SupervisionActions } from './supervision';
 import { applyOrThrowIfStopped, find } from './system-map';
 import Queue from './vendored/denque';
-import assert from './assert';
-import { defaultSupervisionPolicy, SupervisionActions } from './supervision';
-import { ActorPath } from "./paths";
-import { Milliseconds } from ".";
-import { addMacrotask, clearMacrotask } from './macrotask'
-import { ICanAssertNotStopped, ICanDispatch, ICanHandleFault, ICanManageTempReferences, ICanQuery, ICanReset, ICanStop, IHaveChildren, IHaveName, InferResponseFromMsgFactory, QueryMsgFactory } from "./interfaces";
 
 function unit(): void { };
 
@@ -360,17 +360,17 @@ export type ActorProps<State, Msg, ParentRef extends ActorSystemRef | LocalActor
   afterStop?: (state: State, ctx: ActorContext<Msg, ParentRef>) => void | Promise<void>
 };
 
-export type StatelessActorProps<ParentRef extends ActorSystemRef | LocalActorRef<any>> = {
+export type StatelessActorProps<Msg, ParentRef extends ActorSystemRef | LocalActorRef<any>> = {
   name?: string,
   shutdownAfter?: Milliseconds,
-  onCrash?: SupervisionActorFunc<InferMsgFromStatelessFunc<any>, ParentRef>,
+  onCrash?: SupervisionActorFunc<Msg, ParentRef>,
 };
 
 
 export function spawn<ParentRef extends LocalActorSystemRef | LocalActorRef<any>, Func extends ActorFunc<any, any, ParentRef>>(
   parent: ParentRef,
   f: Func,
-  properties?: ActorProps<InferStateFromFunc<Func>, InferMsgFromFunc<Func>, ParentRef> | StatelessActorProps<ParentRef>
+  properties?: ActorProps<InferStateFromFunc<Func>, InferMsgFromFunc<Func>, ParentRef> | StatelessActorProps<InferMsgFromFunc<Func>, ParentRef>
 ): LocalActorRef<InferMsgFromFunc<Func>> {
   return applyOrThrowIfStopped(
     parent,
@@ -390,7 +390,7 @@ const statelessSupervisionPolicy = (_: unknown, __: unknown, ctx: SupervisionCon
 export function spawnStateless<ParentRef extends LocalActorSystemRef | LocalActorRef<any>, Func extends StatelessActorFunc<any, ParentRef>>(
   parent: ParentRef,
   f: Func,
-  propertiesOrName?: StatelessActorProps<ParentRef>
+  propertiesOrName?: StatelessActorProps<InferMsgFromStatelessFunc<Func>, ParentRef>
 ): LocalActorRef<InferMsgFromStatelessFunc<Func>> {
   return spawn(
     parent,
diff --git a/@nact/core/functions.test.ts b/@nact/core/functions.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2f90c9a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/@nact/core/functions.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,100 @@
+import { spawnStateless } from ".";
+import { dispatch, query } from "./functions";
+import { start, stop } from "./index";
+import { Dispatchable, LocalActorRef, LocalActorSystemRef } from "./references";
+
+describe("query", function () {
+  let system: LocalActorSystemRef;
+  beforeEach(() => {
+    system = start();
+  });
+  afterEach(() => stop(system));
+
+  it("should accept only supported messages", function () {
+    let actor = spawnStateless(
+      system,
+      (msg: {
+        readonly sender: Dispatchable<string | number>;
+        readonly valueToDouble: string | number;
+      }) => {
+        const doubledValued =
+          typeof msg.valueToDouble === "string"
+            ? msg.valueToDouble + msg.valueToDouble
+            : msg.valueToDouble + msg.valueToDouble;
+        dispatch(msg.sender, doubledValued);
+      }
+    );
+
+    query(actor, (x) => ({ sender: x, valueToDouble: 10 }), 30);
+    query(actor, (x) => ({ sender: x, valueToDouble: "ten" }), 30);
+    // @ts-expect-error
+    query(actor, (x) => ({ sender: x, valueToDouble: null }), 30);
+  });
+
+  it("should accept only known supported messages even with no upper bound on supported message types", function () {
+    let scopeThatUsesSmallerActor = <
+      TActor extends LocalActorRef<{
+        sender: Dispatchable<string | number>;
+        valueToDouble: string | number;
+      }>
+    >(
+      actor: TActor
+    ) => {
+      query(actor, (x) => ({ sender: x, valueToDouble: 10 }), 30);
+      query(actor, (x) => ({ sender: x, valueToDouble: "ten" }), 30);
+      // @ts-expect-error
+      query(actor, (x) => ({ sender: x, valueToDouble: null }), 30);
+    };
+
+    let actor = spawnStateless(
+      system,
+      (msg: {
+        readonly sender: Dispatchable<string | number>;
+        readonly valueToDouble: string | number;
+      }) => {
+        const doubledValued =
+          typeof msg.valueToDouble === "string"
+            ? msg.valueToDouble + msg.valueToDouble
+            : msg.valueToDouble + msg.valueToDouble;
+        dispatch(msg.sender, doubledValued);
+      }
+    );
+    scopeThatUsesSmallerActor(actor);
+  });
+});
+
+describe("dispatch", function () {
+  let system: LocalActorSystemRef;
+  beforeEach(() => {
+    system = start();
+  });
+  afterEach(() => stop(system));
+
+  it("should accept only supported messages", function () {
+    let actor = spawnStateless(system, (_msg: string | number) => {});
+
+    dispatch(actor, "text");
+    dispatch(actor, 1000);
+    // @ts-expect-error
+    dispatch(actor, null);
+  });
+
+  it("should accept only known supported messages even with no upper bound on supported message types", function () {
+    let scopeThatUsesSmallerActor = <
+      TActor extends LocalActorRef<string | number>
+    >(
+      actor: TActor
+    ) => {
+      dispatch(actor, "text");
+      dispatch(actor, 1000);
+      // @ts-expect-error
+      dispatch(actor, null);
+    };
+
+    let biggerActor: LocalActorRef<string | number | symbol> = spawnStateless(
+      system,
+      (_msg: string | number | symbol) => {}
+    );
+    scopeThatUsesSmallerActor(biggerActor);
+  });
+});
diff --git a/@nact/core/functions.ts b/@nact/core/functions.ts
index f10e42d..9e2570e 100644
--- a/@nact/core/functions.ts
+++ b/@nact/core/functions.ts
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
+import { ICanDispatch, ICanQuery, ICanStop } from "./interfaces";
 import { Dispatchable, Stoppable } from "./references";
-import { Milliseconds } from "./time";
 import { find } from './system-map';
-import { ICanDispatch, ICanQuery, ICanStop } from "./interfaces";
+import { Milliseconds } from "./time";
 
 export function stop(actor: Stoppable) {
   let concreteActor = find<ICanStop>(actor);
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ export type QueryMsgFactory<Req, Res> = (tempRef: Dispatchable<Res>) => Req;
 export type InferResponseFromMsgFactory<T extends QueryMsgFactory<any, any>> = T extends QueryMsgFactory<infer _Req, infer Res> ? Res : never;
 type Maybe<T> = Partial<T>;
 
-export function query<ActorRef extends Dispatchable<any>, MsgFactory extends QueryMsgFactory<ActorRef extends Dispatchable<infer Msg> ? Msg : never, any>>(actor: ActorRef, queryFactory: MsgFactory, timeout: Milliseconds):
+export function query<Msg, MsgFactory extends QueryMsgFactory<Msg, any>>(actor: Dispatchable<Msg>, queryFactory: MsgFactory, timeout: Milliseconds):
   Promise<InferResponseFromMsgFactory<MsgFactory>> {
   if (!timeout) {
     throw new Error('A timeout is required to be specified');
@@ -28,9 +28,7 @@ export function query<ActorRef extends Dispatchable<any>, MsgFactory extends Que
     : Promise.reject(new Error('Actor stopped or never existed. Query can never resolve'));
 };
 
-export function dispatch<ActorRef extends Dispatchable<any>>(actor: ActorRef, msg: ActorRef extends Dispatchable<infer Msg> ? Msg : never): void {
-  let concreteActor = find<ICanDispatch<ActorRef>>(actor);
-  concreteActor &&
-    concreteActor.dispatch &&
-    concreteActor.dispatch(msg);
-};
+export function dispatch<Msg>(actor: Dispatchable<Msg>, msg: Msg): void {
+  let concreteActor = find<ICanDispatch<Msg>>(actor);
+  concreteActor && concreteActor.dispatch && concreteActor.dispatch(msg);
+}
diff --git a/@nact/core/references.ts b/@nact/core/references.ts
index 3754098..65dd970 100644
--- a/@nact/core/references.ts
+++ b/@nact/core/references.ts
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ enum DispatchableMarker {
 }
 
 export type Dispatchable<Msg> =
-  { __dispatch__: DispatchableMarker, protocol: Msg } & Ref;
+  { __dispatch__: DispatchableMarker, protocol: (msg: Msg) => void } & Ref;
 
 enum StoppableMarker {
   _ = ""