diff --git a/mod/dagmodifier.go b/mod/dagmodifier.go
index 090cdb593..9e86d7b60 100644
--- a/mod/dagmodifier.go
+++ b/mod/dagmodifier.go
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import (
 	"bytes"
 	"context"
 	"errors"
+	"fmt"
 	"io"
 
 	chunk "github.com/ipfs/go-ipfs/importer/chunk"
@@ -29,7 +30,7 @@ var writebufferSize = 1 << 21
 // Dear god, please rename this to something more pleasant
 type DagModifier struct {
 	dagserv mdag.DAGService
-	curNode *mdag.ProtoNode
+	curNode node.Node
 
 	splitter   chunk.SplitterGen
 	ctx        context.Context
@@ -42,14 +43,18 @@ type DagModifier struct {
 	read uio.DagReader
 }
 
+var ErrNotUnixfs = fmt.Errorf("dagmodifier only supports unixfs nodes (proto or raw)")
+
 func NewDagModifier(ctx context.Context, from node.Node, serv mdag.DAGService, spl chunk.SplitterGen) (*DagModifier, error) {
-	pbn, ok := from.(*mdag.ProtoNode)
-	if !ok {
-		return nil, mdag.ErrNotProtobuf
+	switch from.(type) {
+	case *mdag.ProtoNode, *mdag.RawNode:
+		// ok
+	default:
+		return nil, ErrNotUnixfs
 	}
 
 	return &DagModifier{
-		curNode:  pbn.Copy().(*mdag.ProtoNode),
+		curNode:  from.Copy(),
 		dagserv:  serv,
 		splitter: spl,
 		ctx:      ctx,
@@ -144,8 +149,15 @@ func (dm *DagModifier) Write(b []byte) (int, error) {
 	return n, nil
 }
 
+var ErrNoRawYet = fmt.Errorf("currently only fully support protonodes in the dagmodifier")
+
 func (dm *DagModifier) Size() (int64, error) {
-	pbn, err := ft.FromBytes(dm.curNode.Data())
+	pbnd, ok := dm.curNode.(*mdag.ProtoNode)
+	if !ok {
+		return 0, ErrNoRawYet
+	}
+
+	pbn, err := ft.FromBytes(pbnd.Data())
 	if err != nil {
 		return 0, err
 	}
@@ -222,7 +234,12 @@ func (dm *DagModifier) Sync() error {
 // modifyDag writes the data in 'data' over the data in 'node' starting at 'offset'
 // returns the new key of the passed in node and whether or not all the data in the reader
 // has been consumed.
-func (dm *DagModifier) modifyDag(node *mdag.ProtoNode, offset uint64, data io.Reader) (*cid.Cid, bool, error) {
+func (dm *DagModifier) modifyDag(n node.Node, offset uint64, data io.Reader) (*cid.Cid, bool, error) {
+	node, ok := n.(*mdag.ProtoNode)
+	if !ok {
+		return nil, false, ErrNoRawYet
+	}
+
 	f, err := ft.FromBytes(node.Data())
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, false, err
@@ -301,13 +318,26 @@ func (dm *DagModifier) modifyDag(node *mdag.ProtoNode, offset uint64, data io.Re
 }
 
 // appendData appends the blocks from the given chan to the end of this dag
-func (dm *DagModifier) appendData(node *mdag.ProtoNode, spl chunk.Splitter) (node.Node, error) {
+func (dm *DagModifier) appendData(nd node.Node, spl chunk.Splitter) (node.Node, error) {
+
+	var root *mdag.ProtoNode
+	switch nd := nd.(type) {
+	case *mdag.ProtoNode:
+		root = nd
+	case *mdag.RawNode:
+		// TODO: be able to append to rawnodes. Probably requires making this
+		// node a child of a unxifs intermediate node and passing it down
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("appending to raw node types not yet supported")
+	default:
+		return nil, ErrNotUnixfs
+	}
+
 	dbp := &help.DagBuilderParams{
 		Dagserv:  dm.dagserv,
 		Maxlinks: help.DefaultLinksPerBlock,
 	}
 
-	return trickle.TrickleAppend(dm.ctx, node, dbp.New(spl))
+	return trickle.TrickleAppend(dm.ctx, root, dbp.New(spl))
 }
 
 // Read data from this dag starting at the current offset
@@ -452,7 +482,12 @@ func (dm *DagModifier) Truncate(size int64) error {
 }
 
 // dagTruncate truncates the given node to 'size' and returns the modified Node
-func dagTruncate(ctx context.Context, nd *mdag.ProtoNode, size uint64, ds mdag.DAGService) (*mdag.ProtoNode, error) {
+func dagTruncate(ctx context.Context, n node.Node, size uint64, ds mdag.DAGService) (*mdag.ProtoNode, error) {
+	nd, ok := n.(*mdag.ProtoNode)
+	if !ok {
+		return nil, ErrNoRawYet
+	}
+
 	if len(nd.Links()) == 0 {
 		// TODO: this can likely be done without marshaling and remarshaling
 		pbn, err := ft.FromBytes(nd.Data())