diff --git a/packages/proto-signing/src/decorator.spec.ts b/packages/proto-signing/src/decorator.spec.ts
index 40f072bd..6c68aaba 100644
--- a/packages/proto-signing/src/decorator.spec.ts
+++ b/packages/proto-signing/src/decorator.spec.ts
@@ -3,8 +3,12 @@ import { assert } from "@cosmjs/utils";
 import { Message } from "protobufjs";
 
 import { cosmosField, cosmosMessage } from "./decorator";
+import { cosmos_sdk as cosmosSdk, google } from "./generated/codecimpl";
 import { Registry } from "./registry";
 
+const { TxBody } = cosmosSdk.tx.v1;
+const { Any } = google.protobuf;
+
 describe("decorator demo", () => {
   it("works with a custom msg", () => {
     const nestedTypeUrl = "/demo.MsgNestedDemo";
@@ -44,8 +48,6 @@ describe("decorator demo", () => {
 
     const MsgNestedDemoT = myRegistry.lookupType(nestedTypeUrl)!;
     const MsgDemoT = myRegistry.lookupType(typeUrl)!;
-    const TxBody = myRegistry.lookupType("/cosmos.tx.TxBody")!;
-    const Any = myRegistry.lookupType("/google.protobuf.Any")!;
 
     const msgNestedDemoFields = {
       foo: "bar",
diff --git a/packages/proto-signing/src/magic.spec.ts b/packages/proto-signing/src/magic.spec.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..17398a1f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/proto-signing/src/magic.spec.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,89 @@
+/* eslint-disable @typescript-eslint/camelcase */
+import { Message } from "protobufjs";
+
+import { cosmosField, cosmosMessage } from "./decorator";
+import { Registry } from "./registry";
+
+describe("registry magic demo", () => {
+  it("works with a custom msg", () => {
+    const nestedTypeUrl = "/demo.MsgNestedMagic";
+    const typeUrl = "/demo.MsgMagic";
+    const myRegistry = new Registry();
+
+    @cosmosMessage(myRegistry, nestedTypeUrl)
+    class MsgNestedMagic extends Message<{}> {
+      @cosmosField.string(1)
+      public readonly foo?: string;
+    }
+
+    @cosmosMessage(myRegistry, typeUrl)
+    class MsgMagic extends Message<{}> {
+      @cosmosField.boolean(1)
+      public readonly booleanDemo?: boolean;
+
+      @cosmosField.string(2)
+      public readonly stringDemo?: string;
+
+      @cosmosField.bytes(3)
+      public readonly bytesDemo?: Uint8Array;
+
+      @cosmosField.int64(4)
+      public readonly int64Demo?: number;
+
+      @cosmosField.uint64(5)
+      public readonly uint64Demo?: number;
+
+      @cosmosField.repeatedString(6)
+      public readonly listDemo?: readonly string[];
+
+      @cosmosField.message(7, MsgNestedMagic)
+      public readonly nestedDemo?: MsgNestedMagic;
+    }
+
+    const msgNestedDemoFields = {
+      foo: "bar",
+    };
+    const msgDemoFields = {
+      booleanDemo: true,
+      stringDemo: "example text",
+      bytesDemo: Uint8Array.from([1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8]),
+      int64Demo: -123,
+      uint64Demo: 123,
+      listDemo: ["this", "is", "a", "list"],
+      nestedDemo: msgNestedDemoFields,
+    };
+    const txBodyFields = {
+      messages: [{ typeUrl: typeUrl, value: msgDemoFields }],
+      memo: "Some memo",
+      timeoutHeight: 9999,
+      extensionOptions: [],
+    };
+    const txBodyBytes = myRegistry.encode({
+      typeUrl: "/cosmos.tx.TxBody",
+      value: txBodyFields,
+    });
+
+    const txBodyDecoded = myRegistry.decode({
+      typeUrl: "/cosmos.tx.TxBody",
+      value: txBodyBytes,
+    });
+    expect(txBodyDecoded.memo).toEqual(txBodyFields.memo);
+    // int64Demo and uint64Demo decode to Long in Node
+    expect(Number(txBodyDecoded.timeoutHeight)).toEqual(txBodyFields.timeoutHeight);
+    expect(txBodyDecoded.extensionOptions).toEqual(txBodyFields.extensionOptions);
+
+    const msgDemoDecoded = txBodyDecoded.messages[0] as MsgMagic;
+    expect(msgDemoDecoded).toBeInstanceOf(MsgMagic);
+    expect(msgDemoDecoded.booleanDemo).toEqual(msgDemoFields.booleanDemo);
+    expect(msgDemoDecoded.stringDemo).toEqual(msgDemoFields.stringDemo);
+    // bytesDemo decodes to a Buffer in Node
+    expect(Uint8Array.from(msgDemoDecoded.bytesDemo!)).toEqual(msgDemoFields.bytesDemo);
+    // int64Demo and uint64Demo decode to Long in Node
+    expect(Number(msgDemoDecoded.int64Demo)).toEqual(msgDemoFields.int64Demo);
+    expect(Number(msgDemoDecoded.uint64Demo)).toEqual(msgDemoFields.uint64Demo);
+    expect(msgDemoDecoded.listDemo).toEqual(msgDemoFields.listDemo);
+
+    expect(msgDemoDecoded.nestedDemo).toBeInstanceOf(MsgNestedMagic);
+    expect(msgDemoDecoded.nestedDemo!.foo).toEqual(msgDemoFields.nestedDemo.foo);
+  });
+});
diff --git a/packages/proto-signing/src/registry.spec.ts b/packages/proto-signing/src/registry.spec.ts
index c45ecb98..df31df02 100644
--- a/packages/proto-signing/src/registry.spec.ts
+++ b/packages/proto-signing/src/registry.spec.ts
@@ -2,20 +2,17 @@
 import { assert } from "@cosmjs/utils";
 
 import { MsgDemo as MsgDemoType } from "./demo";
-import { cosmos_sdk as cosmosSdk } from "./generated/codecimpl";
+import { cosmos_sdk as cosmosSdk, google } from "./generated/codecimpl";
 import { Registry } from "./registry";
 
-type MsgDemo = {
-  readonly example: string;
-};
+const { TxBody } = cosmosSdk.tx.v1;
+const { Any } = google.protobuf;
 
 describe("registry demo", () => {
   it("works with a default msg", () => {
     const registry = new Registry();
     const Coin = registry.lookupType("/cosmos.Coin")!;
     const MsgSend = registry.lookupType("/cosmos.bank.MsgSend")!;
-    const TxBody = registry.lookupType("/cosmos.tx.TxBody")!;
-    const Any = registry.lookupType("/google.protobuf.Any")!;
 
     const coin = Coin.create({
       denom: "ucosm",
@@ -57,8 +54,6 @@ describe("registry demo", () => {
     const typeUrl = "/demo.MsgDemo";
     const registry = new Registry([[typeUrl, MsgDemoType]]);
     const MsgDemo = registry.lookupType(typeUrl)!;
-    const TxBody = registry.lookupType("/cosmos.tx.TxBody")!;
-    const Any = registry.lookupType("/google.protobuf.Any")!;
 
     const msgDemo = MsgDemo.create({
       example: "Some example text",
diff --git a/packages/proto-signing/src/registry.ts b/packages/proto-signing/src/registry.ts
index b826bf70..a53cce2b 100644
--- a/packages/proto-signing/src/registry.ts
+++ b/packages/proto-signing/src/registry.ts
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+/* eslint-disable @typescript-eslint/camelcase */
 import protobuf from "protobufjs";
 
 import { cosmos_sdk as cosmosSdk, google } from "./generated/codecimpl";
@@ -8,24 +9,109 @@ export interface GeneratedType {
   readonly decode: (reader: protobuf.Reader | Uint8Array, length?: number) => any;
 }
 
+export interface EncodeObject {
+  readonly typeUrl: string;
+  readonly value: any;
+}
+
+export interface DecodeObject {
+  readonly typeUrl: string;
+  readonly value: Uint8Array;
+}
+
+export interface TxBodyValue {
+  readonly messages: readonly EncodeObject[];
+  readonly memo?: string;
+  readonly timeoutHeight?: number;
+  readonly extensionOptions?: google.protobuf.IAny[];
+  readonly nonCriticalExtensionOptions?: google.protobuf.IAny[];
+}
+
+const defaultTypeUrls = {
+  cosmosCoin: "/cosmos.Coin",
+  cosmosMsgSend: "/cosmos.bank.MsgSend",
+  cosmosTxBody: "/cosmos.tx.TxBody",
+  googleAny: "/google.protobuf.Any",
+};
+
 export class Registry {
   private readonly types: Map<string, GeneratedType>;
 
   constructor(customTypes: Iterable<[string, GeneratedType]> = []) {
+    const { cosmosCoin, cosmosMsgSend } = defaultTypeUrls;
     this.types = new Map<string, GeneratedType>([
-      ["/cosmos.Coin", cosmosSdk.v1.Coin],
-      ["/cosmos.bank.MsgSend", cosmosSdk.x.bank.v1.MsgSend],
-      ["/cosmos.tx.TxBody", cosmosSdk.tx.v1.TxBody],
-      ["/google.protobuf.Any", google.protobuf.Any],
+      [cosmosCoin, cosmosSdk.v1.Coin],
+      [cosmosMsgSend, cosmosSdk.x.bank.v1.MsgSend],
       ...customTypes,
     ]);
   }
 
-  public register(name: string, type: GeneratedType): void {
-    this.types.set(name, type);
+  public register(typeUrl: string, type: GeneratedType): void {
+    this.types.set(typeUrl, type);
   }
 
-  public lookupType(name: string): GeneratedType | undefined {
-    return this.types.get(name);
+  public lookupType(typeUrl: string): GeneratedType | undefined {
+    return this.types.get(typeUrl);
+  }
+
+  private lookupTypeWithError(typeUrl: string): GeneratedType {
+    const type = this.lookupType(typeUrl);
+    if (!type) {
+      throw new Error(`Unregistered type url: ${typeUrl}`);
+    }
+    return type;
+  }
+
+  public encode({ typeUrl, value }: EncodeObject): Uint8Array {
+    if (typeUrl === defaultTypeUrls.cosmosTxBody) {
+      return this.encodeTxBody(value);
+    }
+    const type = this.lookupTypeWithError(typeUrl);
+    const created = type.create(value);
+    return type.encode(created).finish();
+  }
+
+  public encodeTxBody(txBodyFields: TxBodyValue): Uint8Array {
+    const { TxBody } = cosmosSdk.tx.v1;
+    const { Any } = google.protobuf;
+
+    const wrappedMessages = txBodyFields.messages.map((message) => {
+      const messageBytes = this.encode(message);
+      return Any.create({
+        type_url: message.typeUrl,
+        value: messageBytes,
+      });
+    });
+    const txBody = TxBody.create({
+      ...txBodyFields,
+      messages: wrappedMessages,
+    });
+    return TxBody.encode(txBody).finish();
+  }
+
+  public decode({ typeUrl, value }: DecodeObject): any {
+    if (typeUrl === defaultTypeUrls.cosmosTxBody) {
+      return this.decodeTxBody(value);
+    }
+    const type = this.lookupTypeWithError(typeUrl);
+    return type.decode(value);
+  }
+
+  public decodeTxBody(txBody: Uint8Array): cosmosSdk.tx.v1.TxBody {
+    const { TxBody } = cosmosSdk.tx.v1;
+    const decodedTxBody = TxBody.decode(txBody);
+
+    return {
+      ...decodedTxBody,
+      messages: decodedTxBody.messages.map(({ type_url: typeUrl, value }: google.protobuf.IAny) => {
+        if (!typeUrl) {
+          throw new Error("Missing type_url in Any");
+        }
+        if (!value) {
+          throw new Error("Missing value in Any");
+        }
+        return this.decode({ typeUrl, value });
+      }),
+    };
   }
 }
diff --git a/packages/proto-signing/types/registry.d.ts b/packages/proto-signing/types/registry.d.ts
index 09ca8bba..777661b8 100644
--- a/packages/proto-signing/types/registry.d.ts
+++ b/packages/proto-signing/types/registry.d.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import protobuf from "protobufjs";
+import { cosmos_sdk as cosmosSdk, google } from "./generated/codecimpl";
 export interface GeneratedType {
   readonly create: (properties?: { [k: string]: any }) => any;
   readonly encode: (
@@ -11,9 +12,29 @@ export interface GeneratedType {
   ) => protobuf.Writer;
   readonly decode: (reader: protobuf.Reader | Uint8Array, length?: number) => any;
 }
+export interface EncodeObject {
+  readonly typeUrl: string;
+  readonly value: any;
+}
+export interface DecodeObject {
+  readonly typeUrl: string;
+  readonly value: Uint8Array;
+}
+export interface TxBodyValue {
+  readonly messages: readonly EncodeObject[];
+  readonly memo?: string;
+  readonly timeoutHeight?: number;
+  readonly extensionOptions?: google.protobuf.IAny[];
+  readonly nonCriticalExtensionOptions?: google.protobuf.IAny[];
+}
 export declare class Registry {
   private readonly types;
   constructor(customTypes?: Iterable<[string, GeneratedType]>);
-  register(name: string, type: GeneratedType): void;
-  lookupType(name: string): GeneratedType | undefined;
+  register(typeUrl: string, type: GeneratedType): void;
+  lookupType(typeUrl: string): GeneratedType | undefined;
+  private lookupTypeWithError;
+  encode({ typeUrl, value }: EncodeObject): Uint8Array;
+  encodeTxBody(txBodyFields: TxBodyValue): Uint8Array;
+  decode({ typeUrl, value }: DecodeObject): any;
+  decodeTxBody(txBody: Uint8Array): cosmosSdk.tx.v1.TxBody;
 }