diff --git a/akka-typed-tests/src/test/scala/akka/typed/cluster/internal/MiscMessageSerializerSpec.scala b/akka-typed-tests/src/test/scala/akka/typed/cluster/internal/MiscMessageSerializerSpec.scala
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..66e18d02ad
--- /dev/null
+++ b/akka-typed-tests/src/test/scala/akka/typed/cluster/internal/MiscMessageSerializerSpec.scala
@@ -0,0 +1,51 @@
+/**
+ * Copyright (C) 2009-2017 Lightbend Inc. <http://www.lightbend.com>
+ */
+package akka.typed.cluster.internal
+
+import akka.serialization.{ SerializationExtension, SerializerWithStringManifest }
+import akka.typed.{ ActorRef, TypedSpec }
+import akka.typed.TypedSpec.Create
+import akka.typed.internal.adapter.ActorSystemAdapter
+import akka.typed.scaladsl.Actor
+import akka.typed.scaladsl.AskPattern._
+import com.typesafe.config.ConfigFactory
+
+object MiscMessageSerializerSpec {
+  def config = ConfigFactory.parseString(
+    """
+      akka.actor {
+        provider = cluster
+        serialize-messages = off
+        allow-java-serialization = true
+      }
+      akka.remote.netty.tcp.port = 0
+      akka.remote.artery.canonical.port = 0
+    """)
+}
+
+class MiscMessageSerializerSpec extends TypedSpec(MiscMessageSerializerSpec.config) {
+
+  object `The typed MiscMessageSerializer` {
+
+    def `must serialize and deserialize typed actor refs `(): Unit = {
+
+      val ref = (adaptedSystem ? Create(Actor.empty[Unit], "some-actor")).futureValue
+
+      val serialization = SerializationExtension(ActorSystemAdapter.toUntyped(adaptedSystem))
+
+      val serializer = serialization.findSerializerFor(ref) match {
+        case s: SerializerWithStringManifest ⇒ s
+      }
+
+      val manifest = serializer.manifest(ref)
+      val serialized = serializer.toBinary(ref)
+
+      val result = serializer.fromBinary(serialized, manifest)
+
+      result should ===(ref)
+
+    }
+  }
+
+}
diff --git a/akka-typed-tests/src/test/scala/akka/typed/cluster/receptionist/ClusterReceptionistSpec.scala b/akka-typed-tests/src/test/scala/akka/typed/cluster/receptionist/ClusterReceptionistSpec.scala
index a0518a1e11..4994ec5640 100644
--- a/akka-typed-tests/src/test/scala/akka/typed/cluster/receptionist/ClusterReceptionistSpec.scala
+++ b/akka-typed-tests/src/test/scala/akka/typed/cluster/receptionist/ClusterReceptionistSpec.scala
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ object ClusterReceptionistSpec {
       akka.actor {
         provider = cluster
         serialize-messages = off
-        allow-java-serialization = off
+        allow-java-serialization = true
         serializers {
           test = "akka.typed.cluster.receptionist.ClusterReceptionistSpec$PingSerializer"
         }
@@ -41,8 +41,8 @@ object ClusterReceptionistSpec {
           "akka.typed.cluster.receptionist.ClusterReceptionistSpec$Ping" = test
           "akka.typed.cluster.receptionist.ClusterReceptionistSpec$Pong$" = test
           "akka.typed.cluster.receptionist.ClusterReceptionistSpec$Perish$" = test
-          "akka.typed.internal.receptionist.ReceptionistImpl$DefaultServiceKey" = test
-          "akka.typed.internal.adapter.ActorRefAdapter" = test
+          # for now, using Java serializers is good enough (tm), see #23687
+          # "akka.typed.internal.receptionist.ReceptionistImpl$DefaultServiceKey" = test
         }
       }
       akka.remote.artery.enabled = true
@@ -72,27 +72,21 @@ object ClusterReceptionistSpec {
   class PingSerializer(system: ExtendedActorSystem) extends SerializerWithStringManifest {
     def identifier: Int = 47
     def manifest(o: AnyRef): String = o match {
-      case _: Ping                                ⇒ "a"
-      case Pong                                   ⇒ "b"
-      case Perish                                 ⇒ "c"
-      case ReceptionistImpl.DefaultServiceKey(id) ⇒ "d"
-      case a: ActorRefAdapter[_]                  ⇒ "e"
+      case _: Ping ⇒ "a"
+      case Pong    ⇒ "b"
+      case Perish  ⇒ "c"
     }
 
     def toBinary(o: AnyRef): Array[Byte] = o match {
-      case p: Ping                                ⇒ ActorRefResolver(system.toTyped).toSerializationFormat(p.respondTo).getBytes(StandardCharsets.UTF_8)
-      case Pong                                   ⇒ Array.emptyByteArray
-      case Perish                                 ⇒ Array.emptyByteArray
-      case ReceptionistImpl.DefaultServiceKey(id) ⇒ id.getBytes(StandardCharsets.UTF_8)
-      case a: ActorRefAdapter[_]                  ⇒ ActorRefResolver(system.toTyped).toSerializationFormat(a).getBytes(StandardCharsets.UTF_8)
+      case p: Ping ⇒ ActorRefResolver(system.toTyped).toSerializationFormat(p.respondTo).getBytes(StandardCharsets.UTF_8)
+      case Pong    ⇒ Array.emptyByteArray
+      case Perish  ⇒ Array.emptyByteArray
     }
 
     def fromBinary(bytes: Array[Byte], manifest: String): AnyRef = manifest match {
       case "a" ⇒ Ping(ActorRefResolver(system.toTyped).resolveActorRef(new String(bytes, StandardCharsets.UTF_8)))
       case "b" ⇒ Pong
       case "c" ⇒ Perish
-      case "d" ⇒ ReceptionistImpl.DefaultServiceKey[Any](new String(bytes, StandardCharsets.UTF_8))
-      case "e" ⇒ ActorRefResolver(system.toTyped).resolveActorRef(new String(bytes, StandardCharsets.UTF_8))
     }
   }
 
diff --git a/akka-typed/src/main/resources/reference.conf b/akka-typed/src/main/resources/reference.conf
index 1d6a4dd975..444ad35389 100644
--- a/akka-typed/src/main/resources/reference.conf
+++ b/akka-typed/src/main/resources/reference.conf
@@ -28,3 +28,17 @@ akka.typed {
   #
   library-extensions = ${?akka.library-extensions} []
 }
+
+# TODO: move these out somewhere else when doing #23632
+akka.actor {
+  serializers {
+    typed-misc = "akka.typed.cluster.internal.MiscMessageSerializer"
+  }
+  serialization-identifiers {
+    "akka.typed.cluster.internal.MiscMessageSerializer" = 24
+  }
+  serialization-bindings {
+    "akka.typed.ActorRef" = typed-misc
+    "akka.typed.internal.adapter.ActorRefAdapter" = typed-misc
+  }
+}
diff --git a/akka-typed/src/main/scala/akka/typed/cluster/ActorRefResolver.scala b/akka-typed/src/main/scala/akka/typed/cluster/ActorRefResolver.scala
index a5460ec1d0..96db8b1284 100644
--- a/akka-typed/src/main/scala/akka/typed/cluster/ActorRefResolver.scala
+++ b/akka-typed/src/main/scala/akka/typed/cluster/ActorRefResolver.scala
@@ -3,11 +3,16 @@
  */
 package akka.typed.cluster
 
+import java.nio.charset.StandardCharsets
+
 import akka.typed.ActorSystem
 import akka.typed.Extension
 import akka.typed.ExtensionId
 import akka.typed.ActorRef
+import akka.typed.scaladsl.adapter._
 import akka.actor.ExtendedActorSystem
+import akka.annotation.InternalApi
+import akka.serialization.{ BaseSerializer, SerializerWithStringManifest }
 
 object ActorRefResolver extends ExtensionId[ActorRefResolver] {
   def get(system: ActorSystem[_]): ActorRefResolver = apply(system)
diff --git a/akka-typed/src/main/scala/akka/typed/cluster/internal/MiscMessageSerializer.scala b/akka-typed/src/main/scala/akka/typed/cluster/internal/MiscMessageSerializer.scala
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..703f3c3af5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/akka-typed/src/main/scala/akka/typed/cluster/internal/MiscMessageSerializer.scala
@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+/**
+ * Copyright (C) 2009-2017 Lightbend Inc. <http://www.lightbend.com>
+ */
+package akka.typed.cluster.internal
+
+import java.nio.charset.StandardCharsets
+
+import akka.annotation.InternalApi
+import akka.serialization.{ BaseSerializer, SerializerWithStringManifest }
+import akka.typed.ActorRef
+import akka.typed.cluster.ActorRefResolver
+import akka.typed.internal.adapter.ActorRefAdapter
+import akka.typed.scaladsl.adapter._
+
+@InternalApi
+class MiscMessageSerializer(val system: akka.actor.ExtendedActorSystem) extends SerializerWithStringManifest with BaseSerializer {
+
+  private val resolver = ActorRefResolver(system.toTyped)
+
+  def manifest(o: AnyRef) = o match {
+    case ref: ActorRef[_] ⇒ "a"
+  }
+
+  def toBinary(o: AnyRef) = o match {
+    case ref: ActorRef[_] ⇒ resolver.toSerializationFormat(ref).getBytes(StandardCharsets.UTF_8)
+  }
+
+  def fromBinary(bytes: Array[Byte], manifest: String) = manifest match {
+    case "a" ⇒ resolver.resolveActorRef(new String(bytes, StandardCharsets.UTF_8))
+  }
+
+}
\ No newline at end of file