diff --git a/cmd/headscale/cli/serve.go b/cmd/headscale/cli/serve.go
index 8f05f851..f815f9f9 100644
--- a/cmd/headscale/cli/serve.go
+++ b/cmd/headscale/cli/serve.go
@@ -23,8 +23,7 @@ var serveCmd = &cobra.Command{
 	Run: func(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) {
 		app, err := newHeadscaleServerWithConfig()
 		if err != nil {
-			var squibbleErr squibble.ValidationError
-			if errors.As(err, &squibbleErr) {
+			if squibbleErr, ok := errors.AsType[squibble.ValidationError](err); ok {
 				fmt.Printf("SQLite schema failed to validate:\n")
 				fmt.Println(squibbleErr.Diff)
 			}
diff --git a/hscontrol/auth.go b/hscontrol/auth.go
index ac5968e3..aa7088d7 100644
--- a/hscontrol/auth.go
+++ b/hscontrol/auth.go
@@ -16,7 +16,6 @@ import (
 	"gorm.io/gorm"
 	"tailscale.com/tailcfg"
 	"tailscale.com/types/key"
-	"tailscale.com/types/ptr"
 )
 
 type AuthProvider interface {
@@ -113,8 +112,7 @@ func (h *Headscale) handleRegister(
 		resp, err := h.handleRegisterWithAuthKey(req, machineKey)
 		if err != nil {
 			// Preserve HTTPError types so they can be handled properly by the HTTP layer
-			var httpErr HTTPError
-			if errors.As(err, &httpErr) {
+			if httpErr, ok := errors.AsType[HTTPError](err); ok {
 				return nil, httpErr
 			}
 
@@ -316,7 +314,7 @@ func (h *Headscale) reqToNewRegisterResponse(
 			MachineKey: machineKey,
 			NodeKey:    req.NodeKey,
 			Hostinfo:   hostinfo,
-			LastSeen:   ptr.To(time.Now()),
+			LastSeen:   new(time.Now()),
 		},
 	)
 
@@ -344,8 +342,7 @@ func (h *Headscale) handleRegisterWithAuthKey(
 		if errors.Is(err, gorm.ErrRecordNotFound) {
 			return nil, NewHTTPError(http.StatusUnauthorized, "invalid pre auth key", nil)
 		}
-		var perr types.PAKError
-		if errors.As(err, &perr) {
+		if perr, ok := errors.AsType[types.PAKError](err); ok {
 			return nil, NewHTTPError(http.StatusUnauthorized, perr.Error(), nil)
 		}
 
@@ -443,7 +440,7 @@ func (h *Headscale) handleRegisterInteractive(
 			MachineKey: machineKey,
 			NodeKey:    req.NodeKey,
 			Hostinfo:   hostinfo,
-			LastSeen:   ptr.To(time.Now()),
+			LastSeen:   new(time.Now()),
 		},
 	)
 
diff --git a/hscontrol/handlers.go b/hscontrol/handlers.go
index dc693dae..2aee3cb2 100644
--- a/hscontrol/handlers.go
+++ b/hscontrol/handlers.go
@@ -36,8 +36,7 @@ const (
 
 // httpError logs an error and sends an HTTP error response with the given.
 func httpError(w http.ResponseWriter, err error) {
-	var herr HTTPError
-	if errors.As(err, &herr) {
+	if herr, ok := errors.AsType[HTTPError](err); ok {
 		http.Error(w, herr.Msg, herr.Code)
 		log.Error().Err(herr.Err).Int("code", herr.Code).Msgf("user msg: %s", herr.Msg)
 	} else {
diff --git a/hscontrol/noise.go b/hscontrol/noise.go
index a667cd1f..f0e2fefa 100644
--- a/hscontrol/noise.go
+++ b/hscontrol/noise.go
@@ -256,8 +256,7 @@ func (ns *noiseServer) NoiseRegistrationHandler(
 
 		resp, err = ns.headscale.handleRegister(req.Context(), regReq, ns.conn.Peer())
 		if err != nil {
-			var httpErr HTTPError
-			if errors.As(err, &httpErr) {
+			if httpErr, ok := errors.AsType[HTTPError](err); ok {
 				resp = &tailcfg.RegisterResponse{
 					Error: httpErr.Msg,
 				}
diff --git a/hscontrol/policy/v2/types.go b/hscontrol/policy/v2/types.go
index 75b16bc1..fbce8a2b 100644
--- a/hscontrol/policy/v2/types.go
+++ b/hscontrol/policy/v2/types.go
@@ -16,7 +16,6 @@ import (
 	"go4.org/netipx"
 	"tailscale.com/net/tsaddr"
 	"tailscale.com/tailcfg"
-	"tailscale.com/types/ptr"
 	"tailscale.com/types/views"
 	"tailscale.com/util/multierr"
 	"tailscale.com/util/slicesx"
@@ -656,17 +655,17 @@ func parseAlias(vs string) (Alias, error) {
 	case isWildcard(vs):
 		return Wildcard, nil
 	case isUser(vs):
-		return ptr.To(Username(vs)), nil
+		return new(Username(vs)), nil
 	case isGroup(vs):
-		return ptr.To(Group(vs)), nil
+		return new(Group(vs)), nil
 	case isTag(vs):
-		return ptr.To(Tag(vs)), nil
+		return new(Tag(vs)), nil
 	case isAutoGroup(vs):
-		return ptr.To(AutoGroup(vs)), nil
+		return new(AutoGroup(vs)), nil
 	}
 
 	if isHost(vs) {
-		return ptr.To(Host(vs)), nil
+		return new(Host(vs)), nil
 	}
 
 	return nil, fmt.Errorf(`Invalid alias %q. An alias must be one of the following types:
@@ -829,11 +828,11 @@ func (aa AutoApprovers) MarshalJSON() ([]byte, error) {
 func parseAutoApprover(s string) (AutoApprover, error) {
 	switch {
 	case isUser(s):
-		return ptr.To(Username(s)), nil
+		return new(Username(s)), nil
 	case isGroup(s):
-		return ptr.To(Group(s)), nil
+		return new(Group(s)), nil
 	case isTag(s):
-		return ptr.To(Tag(s)), nil
+		return new(Tag(s)), nil
 	}
 
 	return nil, fmt.Errorf(`Invalid AutoApprover %q. An alias must be one of the following types:
@@ -925,11 +924,11 @@ func (o Owners) MarshalJSON() ([]byte, error) {
 func parseOwner(s string) (Owner, error) {
 	switch {
 	case isUser(s):
-		return ptr.To(Username(s)), nil
+		return new(Username(s)), nil
 	case isGroup(s):
-		return ptr.To(Group(s)), nil
+		return new(Group(s)), nil
 	case isTag(s):
-		return ptr.To(Tag(s)), nil
+		return new(Tag(s)), nil
 	}
 
 	return nil, fmt.Errorf(`Invalid Owner %q. An alias must be one of the following types:
@@ -2023,8 +2022,7 @@ func unmarshalPolicy(b []byte) (*Policy, error) {
 
 	ast.Standardize()
 	if err = json.Unmarshal(ast.Pack(), &policy, policyJSONOpts...); err != nil {
-		var serr *json.SemanticError
-		if errors.As(err, &serr) && serr.Err == json.ErrUnknownName {
+		if serr, ok := errors.AsType[*json.SemanticError](err); ok && serr.Err == json.ErrUnknownName {
 			ptr := serr.JSONPointer
 			name := ptr.LastToken()
 			return nil, fmt.Errorf("unknown field %q", name)
diff --git a/hscontrol/types/preauth_key_test.go b/hscontrol/types/preauth_key_test.go
index 4ab1c717..1b280149 100644
--- a/hscontrol/types/preauth_key_test.go
+++ b/hscontrol/types/preauth_key_test.go
@@ -110,8 +110,7 @@ func TestCanUsePreAuthKey(t *testing.T) {
 				if err == nil {
 					t.Errorf("expected error but got none")
 				} else {
-					var httpErr PAKError
-					ok := errors.As(err, &httpErr)
+					httpErr, ok := errors.AsType[PAKError](err)
 					if !ok {
 						t.Errorf("expected HTTPError but got %T", err)
 					} else {