diff --git a/p2p/host/autonat/autonat.go b/p2p/host/autonat/autonat.go
index 7368cccfe4..eee5481aea 100644
--- a/p2p/host/autonat/autonat.go
+++ b/p2p/host/autonat/autonat.go
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ type AmbientAutoNAT struct {
 	inboundConn  chan network.Conn
 	observations chan autoNATResult
 	// status is an autoNATResult reflecting current status.
-	status atomic.Value
+	status atomic.Pointer[autoNATResult]
 	// Reflects the confidence on of the NATStatus being private, as a single
 	// dialback may fail for reasons unrelated to NAT.
 	// If it is <3, then multiple autoNAT peers may be contacted for dialback
@@ -117,7 +117,7 @@ func New(h host.Host, options ...Option) (AutoNAT, error) {
 		service:                 service,
 		recentProbes:            make(map[peer.ID]time.Time),
 	}
-	as.status.Store(autoNATResult{network.ReachabilityUnknown, nil})
+	as.status.Store(&autoNATResult{network.ReachabilityUnknown, nil})
 
 	subscriber, err := as.host.EventBus().Subscribe(
 		[]any{new(event.EvtLocalAddressesUpdated), new(event.EvtPeerIdentificationCompleted)},
@@ -136,18 +136,18 @@ func New(h host.Host, options ...Option) (AutoNAT, error) {
 
 // Status returns the AutoNAT observed reachability status.
 func (as *AmbientAutoNAT) Status() network.Reachability {
-	s := as.status.Load().(autoNATResult)
+	s := as.status.Load()
 	return s.Reachability
 }
 
 func (as *AmbientAutoNAT) emitStatus() {
-	status := as.status.Load().(autoNATResult)
+	status := as.status.Load()
 	as.emitReachabilityChanged.Emit(event.EvtLocalReachabilityChanged{Reachability: status.Reachability})
 }
 
 // PublicAddr returns the publicly connectable Multiaddr of this node if one is known.
 func (as *AmbientAutoNAT) PublicAddr() (ma.Multiaddr, error) {
-	s := as.status.Load().(autoNATResult)
+	s := as.status.Load()
 	if s.Reachability != network.ReachabilityPublic {
 		return nil, errors.New("NAT status is not public")
 	}
@@ -184,7 +184,7 @@ func (as *AmbientAutoNAT) background() {
 		// new inbound connection.
 		case conn := <-as.inboundConn:
 			localAddrs := as.host.Addrs()
-			ca := as.status.Load().(autoNATResult)
+			ca := as.status.Load()
 			if ca.address != nil {
 				localAddrs = append(localAddrs, ca.address)
 			}
@@ -204,7 +204,7 @@ func (as *AmbientAutoNAT) background() {
 				}
 			case event.EvtPeerIdentificationCompleted:
 				if s, err := as.host.Peerstore().SupportsProtocols(e.Peer, AutoNATProto); err == nil && len(s) > 0 {
-					currentStatus := as.status.Load().(autoNATResult)
+					currentStatus := as.status.Load()
 					if currentStatus.Reachability == network.ReachabilityUnknown {
 						as.tryProbe(e.Peer)
 					}
@@ -253,7 +253,7 @@ func (as *AmbientAutoNAT) scheduleProbe() time.Duration {
 	// * recent inbound connections (implying continued connectivity) should decrease the retry when public
 	// * recent inbound connections when not public mean we should try more actively to see if we're public.
 	fixedNow := time.Now()
-	currentStatus := as.status.Load().(autoNATResult)
+	currentStatus := as.status.Load()
 
 	nextProbe := fixedNow
 	// Don't look for peers in the peer store more than once per second.
@@ -285,7 +285,7 @@ func (as *AmbientAutoNAT) scheduleProbe() time.Duration {
 
 // Update the current status based on an observed result.
 func (as *AmbientAutoNAT) recordObservation(observation autoNATResult) {
-	currentStatus := as.status.Load().(autoNATResult)
+	currentStatus := as.status.Load()
 	if observation.Reachability == network.ReachabilityPublic {
 		log.Debugf("NAT status is public")
 		changed := false
@@ -306,7 +306,7 @@ func (as *AmbientAutoNAT) recordObservation(observation autoNATResult) {
 			if currentStatus.address == nil || !observation.address.Equal(currentStatus.address) {
 				changed = true
 			}
-			as.status.Store(observation)
+			as.status.Store(&observation)
 		}
 		if observation.address != nil && changed {
 			as.emitStatus()
@@ -319,7 +319,7 @@ func (as *AmbientAutoNAT) recordObservation(observation autoNATResult) {
 			} else {
 				// we are flipping our NATStatus, so confidence drops to 0
 				as.confidence = 0
-				as.status.Store(observation)
+				as.status.Store(&observation)
 				if as.service != nil {
 					as.service.Disable()
 				}
@@ -327,7 +327,7 @@ func (as *AmbientAutoNAT) recordObservation(observation autoNATResult) {
 			}
 		} else if as.confidence < 3 {
 			as.confidence++
-			as.status.Store(observation)
+			as.status.Store(&observation)
 			if currentStatus.Reachability != network.ReachabilityPrivate {
 				as.emitStatus()
 			}
@@ -337,7 +337,7 @@ func (as *AmbientAutoNAT) recordObservation(observation autoNATResult) {
 		as.confidence--
 	} else {
 		log.Debugf("NAT status is unknown")
-		as.status.Store(autoNATResult{network.ReachabilityUnknown, nil})
+		as.status.Store(&autoNATResult{network.ReachabilityUnknown, nil})
 		if currentStatus.Reachability != network.ReachabilityUnknown {
 			if as.service != nil {
 				as.service.Enable()
diff --git a/p2p/net/connmgr/decay.go b/p2p/net/connmgr/decay.go
index c10214cb8a..98cb5faa14 100644
--- a/p2p/net/connmgr/decay.go
+++ b/p2p/net/connmgr/decay.go
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ type decayer struct {
 	knownTags map[string]*decayingTag
 
 	// lastTick stores the last time the decayer ticked. Guarded by atomic.
-	lastTick atomic.Value
+	lastTick atomic.Pointer[time.Time]
 
 	// bumpTagCh queues bump commands to be processed by the loop.
 	bumpTagCh   chan bumpCmd
@@ -89,7 +89,8 @@ func NewDecayer(cfg *DecayerCfg, mgr *BasicConnMgr) (*decayer, error) {
 		doneCh:      make(chan struct{}),
 	}
 
-	d.lastTick.Store(d.clock.Now())
+	now := d.clock.Now()
+	d.lastTick.Store(&now)
 
 	// kick things off.
 	go d.process()
@@ -116,7 +117,7 @@ func (d *decayer) RegisterDecayingTag(name string, interval time.Duration, decay
 			"some precision may be lost", name, interval, d.cfg.Resolution)
 	}
 
-	lastTick := d.lastTick.Load().(time.Time)
+	lastTick := d.lastTick.Load()
 	tag := &decayingTag{
 		trkr:     d,
 		name:     name,
@@ -163,7 +164,8 @@ func (d *decayer) process() {
 	for {
 		select {
 		case now = <-ticker.C:
-			d.lastTick.Store(now)
+			nn := now
+			d.lastTick.Store(&nn)
 
 			d.tagsMu.Lock()
 			for _, tag := range d.knownTags {
diff --git a/p2p/net/mock/mock_stream.go b/p2p/net/mock/mock_stream.go
index a78329d306..f6cb842e75 100644
--- a/p2p/net/mock/mock_stream.go
+++ b/p2p/net/mock/mock_stream.go
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ type stream struct {
 
 	writeErr error
 
-	protocol atomic.Value
+	protocol atomic.Pointer[protocol.ID]
 	stat     network.Stats
 }
 
@@ -92,9 +92,11 @@ func (s *stream) ID() string {
 }
 
 func (s *stream) Protocol() protocol.ID {
-	// Ignore type error. It means that the protocol is unset.
-	p, _ := s.protocol.Load().(protocol.ID)
-	return p
+	p := s.protocol.Load()
+	if p == nil {
+		return ""
+	}
+	return *p
 }
 
 func (s *stream) Stat() network.Stats {
@@ -102,7 +104,7 @@ func (s *stream) Stat() network.Stats {
 }
 
 func (s *stream) SetProtocol(proto protocol.ID) error {
-	s.protocol.Store(proto)
+	s.protocol.Store(&proto)
 	return nil
 }
 
diff --git a/p2p/net/swarm/swarm.go b/p2p/net/swarm/swarm.go
index 18d5183f52..327f5d6e10 100644
--- a/p2p/net/swarm/swarm.go
+++ b/p2p/net/swarm/swarm.go
@@ -146,7 +146,7 @@ type Swarm struct {
 	maResolver *madns.Resolver
 
 	// stream handlers
-	streamh atomic.Value
+	streamh atomic.Pointer[network.StreamHandler]
 
 	// dialing helpers
 	dsync   *dialSync
@@ -347,13 +347,16 @@ func (s *Swarm) Peerstore() peerstore.Peerstore {
 
 // SetStreamHandler assigns the handler for new streams.
 func (s *Swarm) SetStreamHandler(handler network.StreamHandler) {
-	s.streamh.Store(handler)
+	s.streamh.Store(&handler)
 }
 
 // StreamHandler gets the handler for new streams.
 func (s *Swarm) StreamHandler() network.StreamHandler {
-	handler, _ := s.streamh.Load().(network.StreamHandler)
-	return handler
+	handler := s.streamh.Load()
+	if handler == nil {
+		return nil
+	}
+	return *handler
 }
 
 // NewStream creates a new stream on any available connection to peer, dialing
diff --git a/p2p/net/swarm/swarm_stream.go b/p2p/net/swarm/swarm_stream.go
index 7a5bb27503..d372bcd8e4 100644
--- a/p2p/net/swarm/swarm_stream.go
+++ b/p2p/net/swarm/swarm_stream.go
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ type Stream struct {
 
 	closeOnce sync.Once
 
-	protocol atomic.Value
+	protocol atomic.Pointer[protocol.ID]
 
 	stat network.Stats
 }
@@ -108,9 +108,11 @@ func (s *Stream) remove() {
 
 // Protocol returns the protocol negotiated on this stream (if set).
 func (s *Stream) Protocol() protocol.ID {
-	// Ignore type error. It means that the protocol is unset.
-	p, _ := s.protocol.Load().(protocol.ID)
-	return p
+	p := s.protocol.Load()
+	if p == nil {
+		return ""
+	}
+	return *p
 }
 
 // SetProtocol sets the protocol for this stream.
@@ -123,7 +125,7 @@ func (s *Stream) SetProtocol(p protocol.ID) error {
 		return err
 	}
 
-	s.protocol.Store(p)
+	s.protocol.Store(&p)
 	return nil
 }