diff --git a/src/java/com/threerings/io/Streamer.java b/src/java/com/threerings/io/Streamer.java
index d94ee08a3..de8dc8b2a 100644
--- a/src/java/com/threerings/io/Streamer.java
+++ b/src/java/com/threerings/io/Streamer.java
@@ -90,7 +90,7 @@ public class Streamer
      * does not implement {@link Streamable} and is not one of the basic
      * object types (@see {@link ObjectOutputStream}).
      */
-    public synchronized static Streamer getStreamer (final Class target)
+    public synchronized static Streamer getStreamer (Class target)
         throws IOException
     {
         // if we have not yet initialized ourselves, do so now
@@ -98,6 +98,12 @@ public class Streamer
             createStreamers();
         }
 
+        // if the target class is an enum, convert it from its potentially
+        // enum-value specific class to the main class for that enum
+        if (target.isEnum()) {
+            target = target.getDeclaringClass();
+        }
+
         Streamer stream = _streamers.get(target);
         if (stream == null) {
             // make sure this is a streamable class
@@ -114,10 +120,11 @@ public class Streamer
             // create our streamer in a privileged block so that it can
             // introspect on the to be streamed class
             try {
+                final Class ftarget = target;
                 stream = AccessController.doPrivileged(
                     new PrivilegedExceptionAction<Streamer>() {
                         public Streamer run () throws IOException {
-                            return new Streamer(target);
+                            return new Streamer(ftarget);
                         }
                     });
             } catch (PrivilegedActionException pae) {