diff --git a/backends/backends.go b/backends/backends.go
index c93ffcae18..5357fc161b 100644
--- a/backends/backends.go
+++ b/backends/backends.go
@@ -25,5 +25,5 @@ func New() *libswarm.Client {
 	backends.Bind("shipyard", Shipyard())
 	backends.Bind("ec2", Ec2())
 	backends.Bind("tutum", Tutum())
-	return libswarm.Obj(backends)
+	return libswarm.AsClient(backends)
 }
diff --git a/backends/dockerclient_test.go b/backends/dockerclient_test.go
index 7c88310c07..ac9394b754 100644
--- a/backends/dockerclient_test.go
+++ b/backends/dockerclient_test.go
@@ -247,7 +247,7 @@ func instance(t *testing.T, server *stubServer) *libswarm.Client {
 	}
 
 	backend := DockerClient()
-	instance, err := libswarm.Obj(backend).Spawn(url)
+	instance, err := libswarm.AsClient(backend).Spawn(url)
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatal(err)
 	}
diff --git a/backends/dockerserver.go b/backends/dockerserver.go
index 4005f0b3e8..3b9ae39912 100644
--- a/backends/dockerserver.go
+++ b/backends/dockerserver.go
@@ -109,13 +109,13 @@ type containerJson struct {
 }
 
 func getContainerJson(out libswarm.Sender, containerID string) (containerJson, error) {
-	o := libswarm.Obj(out)
+	o := libswarm.AsClient(out)
 
 	_, containerOut, err := o.Attach(containerID)
 	if err != nil {
 		return containerJson{}, err
 	}
-	container := libswarm.Obj(containerOut)
+	container := libswarm.AsClient(containerOut)
 	responseJson, err := container.Get()
 	if err != nil {
 		return containerJson{}, err
@@ -142,7 +142,7 @@ func getContainersJSON(out libswarm.Sender, version version.Version, w http.Resp
 		return err
 	}
 
-	o := libswarm.Obj(out)
+	o := libswarm.AsClient(out)
 	names, err := o.Ls()
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
@@ -225,7 +225,7 @@ func postContainersCreate(out libswarm.Sender, version version.Version, w http.R
 		return err
 	}
 
-	container, err := libswarm.Obj(out).Spawn(string(body))
+	container, err := libswarm.AsClient(out).Spawn(string(body))
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
@@ -250,8 +250,8 @@ func postContainersStart(out libswarm.Sender, version version.Version, w http.Re
 	// TODO: r.Body
 
 	name := vars["name"]
-	_, containerOut, err := libswarm.Obj(out).Attach(name)
-	container := libswarm.Obj(containerOut)
+	_, containerOut, err := libswarm.AsClient(out).Attach(name)
+	container := libswarm.AsClient(containerOut)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
@@ -269,8 +269,8 @@ func postContainersStop(out libswarm.Sender, version version.Version, w http.Res
 	}
 
 	name := vars["name"]
-	_, containerOut, err := libswarm.Obj(out).Attach(name)
-	container := libswarm.Obj(containerOut)
+	_, containerOut, err := libswarm.AsClient(out).Attach(name)
+	container := libswarm.AsClient(containerOut)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
@@ -325,11 +325,11 @@ func postContainersAttach(out libswarm.Sender, version version.Version, w http.R
 	errStream := dockerutils.NewStdWriter(outStream, dockerutils.Stderr)
 	outStream = dockerutils.NewStdWriter(outStream, dockerutils.Stdout)
 
-	_, containerOut, err := libswarm.Obj(out).Attach(vars["name"])
+	_, containerOut, err := libswarm.AsClient(out).Attach(vars["name"])
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
-	container := libswarm.Obj(containerOut)
+	container := libswarm.AsClient(containerOut)
 
 	containerR, _, err := container.Attach("")
 	var tasks sync.WaitGroup
diff --git a/backends/ec2.go b/backends/ec2.go
index 5f24c2aa98..af9ece3535 100644
--- a/backends/ec2.go
+++ b/backends/ec2.go
@@ -281,7 +281,7 @@ func (c *ec2Client) initDockerClientInstance(instance *ec2.Instance) error {
 		URLHost: "localhost",
 	})
 
-	dockerBackend := libswarm.Obj(dockerClient)
+	dockerBackend := libswarm.AsClient(dockerClient)
 	url := fmt.Sprintf("tcp://localhost:%s", c.config.sshLocalPort)
 	dockerInstance, err := dockerBackend.Spawn(url)
 	c.dockerInstance = dockerInstance
diff --git a/backends/exec.go b/backends/exec.go
index f81d9e4f4a..1335406219 100644
--- a/backends/exec.go
+++ b/backends/exec.go
@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@ func Exec() libswarm.Sender {
 			if _, err := msg.Ret.Send(&libswarm.Message{Verb: libswarm.Ack, Ret: inW}); err != nil {
 				return err
 			}
-			out := libswarm.Obj(msg.Ret)
+			out := libswarm.AsClient(msg.Ret)
 			go func() {
 				defer stdin.Close()
 				for {
@@ -84,7 +84,7 @@ func Exec() libswarm.Sender {
 			go func() {
 				defer cmd.tasks.Done()
 				if err := cmd.Cmd.Wait(); err != nil {
-					libswarm.Obj(msg.Ret).Log("%s exited status=%v", cmd.Cmd.Path, err)
+					libswarm.AsClient(msg.Ret).Log("%s exited status=%v", cmd.Cmd.Path, err)
 				}
 			}()
 			msg.Ret.Send(&libswarm.Message{Verb: libswarm.Ack})
diff --git a/backends/fakeclient.go b/backends/fakeclient.go
index 56a9ed2a8a..0f357ab62e 100644
--- a/backends/fakeclient.go
+++ b/backends/fakeclient.go
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ func FakeClient() libswarm.Sender {
 		instance := utils.Task(func(in libswarm.Receiver, out libswarm.Sender) {
 			fmt.Printf("fake client!\n")
 			defer fmt.Printf("end of fake client!\n")
-			o := libswarm.Obj(out)
+			o := libswarm.AsClient(out)
 			o.Log("fake client starting")
 			defer o.Log("fake client terminating")
 			for {
diff --git a/backends/orchard.go b/backends/orchard.go
index 3e3d45c26c..cb15af29b5 100644
--- a/backends/orchard.go
+++ b/backends/orchard.go
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ func Orchard() libswarm.Sender {
 			URLHost:         host.IPAddress,
 			TLSClientConfig: tlsConfig,
 		})
-		forwardBackend := libswarm.Obj(backend)
+		forwardBackend := libswarm.AsClient(backend)
 		forwardInstance, err := forwardBackend.Spawn(url)
 		if err != nil {
 			return nil, err
diff --git a/backends/simulator.go b/backends/simulator.go
index 0a59388783..d992ae40b4 100644
--- a/backends/simulator.go
+++ b/backends/simulator.go
@@ -10,11 +10,11 @@ func Simulator() libswarm.Sender {
 	s.OnVerb(libswarm.Spawn, libswarm.Handler(func(ctx *libswarm.Message) error {
 		containers := ctx.Args
 		instance := utils.Task(func(in libswarm.Receiver, out libswarm.Sender) {
-			libswarm.Obj(out).Log("[simulator] starting\n")
+			libswarm.AsClient(out).Log("[simulator] starting\n")
 			s := libswarm.NewServer()
 			s.OnVerb(libswarm.Ls, libswarm.Handler(func(msg *libswarm.Message) error {
-				libswarm.Obj(out).Log("[simulator] generating fake list of objects...\n")
-				libswarm.Obj(msg.Ret).Set(containers...)
+				libswarm.AsClient(out).Log("[simulator] generating fake list of objects...\n")
+				libswarm.AsClient(msg.Ret).Set(containers...)
 				return nil
 			}))
 			libswarm.Copy(s, in)
diff --git a/client.go b/client.go
index 375a43e0a7..518c42dccf 100644
--- a/client.go
+++ b/client.go
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ type Client struct {
 	Sender
 }
 
-func Obj(dst Sender) *Client {
+func AsClient(dst Sender) *Client {
 	return &Client{dst}
 }
 
diff --git a/utils/tree.go b/utils/tree.go
index a9a1d3de17..169d1de846 100644
--- a/utils/tree.go
+++ b/utils/tree.go
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ func NewTree() *Tree {
 			msg.Ret.Send(&libswarm.Message{Verb: libswarm.Ack, Ret: child})
 			return nil
 		}
-		libswarm.Obj(msg.Ret).Error("not found")
+		libswarm.AsClient(msg.Ret).Error("not found")
 		return nil
 	}))
 	t.OnVerb(libswarm.Ls, libswarm.Handler(func(msg *libswarm.Message) error {
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ func NewTree() *Tree {
 			names = append(names, name)
 		}
 		sort.Strings(names)
-		libswarm.Obj(msg.Ret).Set(names...)
+		libswarm.AsClient(msg.Ret).Set(names...)
 		return nil
 	}))
 	return t