diff --git a/hpy/debug/src/_debugmod.c b/hpy/debug/src/_debugmod.c
index 0b9b0a4db..cf933fab2 100644
--- a/hpy/debug/src/_debugmod.c
+++ b/hpy/debug/src/_debugmod.c
@@ -230,7 +230,7 @@ HPyDef_SLOT(DebugHandle_cmp, DebugHandle_cmp_impl, HPy_tp_richcompare)
 static UHPy DebugHandle_cmp_impl(HPyContext *uctx, UHPy self, UHPy o, HPy_RichCmpOp op)
 {
     UHPy T = HPy_Type(uctx, self);
-    if (!HPy_TypeCheck(uctx, o, T))
+    if (!HPy_TypeCheck(uctx, o, T, 0))
         return HPy_Dup(uctx, uctx->h_NotImplemented);
     DebugHandleObject *dh_self = DebugHandleObject_AsStruct(uctx, self);
     DebugHandleObject *dh_o = DebugHandleObject_AsStruct(uctx, o);
diff --git a/hpy/debug/src/autogen_debug_ctx_init.h b/hpy/debug/src/autogen_debug_ctx_init.h
index 63ebae53d..cea80fdb7 100644
--- a/hpy/debug/src/autogen_debug_ctx_init.h
+++ b/hpy/debug/src/autogen_debug_ctx_init.h
@@ -100,7 +100,7 @@ int debug_ctx_SetItem(HPyContext *dctx, DHPy obj, DHPy key, DHPy value);
 int debug_ctx_SetItem_i(HPyContext *dctx, DHPy obj, HPy_ssize_t idx, DHPy value);
 int debug_ctx_SetItem_s(HPyContext *dctx, DHPy obj, const char *key, DHPy value);
 DHPy debug_ctx_Type(HPyContext *dctx, DHPy obj);
-int debug_ctx_TypeCheck(HPyContext *dctx, DHPy obj, DHPy type);
+int debug_ctx_TypeCheck(HPyContext *dctx, DHPy obj, DHPy type, int exact);
 int debug_ctx_Is(HPyContext *dctx, DHPy obj, DHPy other);
 void *debug_ctx_AsStruct(HPyContext *dctx, DHPy h);
 void *debug_ctx_AsStructLegacy(HPyContext *dctx, DHPy h);
diff --git a/hpy/debug/src/autogen_debug_wrappers.c b/hpy/debug/src/autogen_debug_wrappers.c
index f18b1bb8f..44bab8c23 100644
--- a/hpy/debug/src/autogen_debug_wrappers.c
+++ b/hpy/debug/src/autogen_debug_wrappers.c
@@ -447,9 +447,9 @@ DHPy debug_ctx_Type(HPyContext *dctx, DHPy obj)
     return DHPy_open(dctx, HPy_Type(get_info(dctx)->uctx, DHPy_unwrap(dctx, obj)));
 }
 
-int debug_ctx_TypeCheck(HPyContext *dctx, DHPy obj, DHPy type)
+int debug_ctx_TypeCheck(HPyContext *dctx, DHPy obj, DHPy type, int exact)
 {
-    return HPy_TypeCheck(get_info(dctx)->uctx, DHPy_unwrap(dctx, obj), DHPy_unwrap(dctx, type));
+    return HPy_TypeCheck(get_info(dctx)->uctx, DHPy_unwrap(dctx, obj), DHPy_unwrap(dctx, type), exact);
 }
 
 int debug_ctx_Is(HPyContext *dctx, DHPy obj, DHPy other)
diff --git a/hpy/devel/include/hpy.h b/hpy/devel/include/hpy.h
index 4f063e374..2c509f800 100644
--- a/hpy/devel/include/hpy.h
+++ b/hpy/devel/include/hpy.h
@@ -104,7 +104,8 @@ extern "C" {
 
        - PyPy: ._i is an index into a list
 
-       - GraalPython: ???
+       - GraalPython: _i is an index into a list (may be optimized to a direct
+         reference depending on the runtime options and control flow)
 
        - Debug mode: _i is a pointer to a DebugHandle, which contains a
          another HPy among other stuff
diff --git a/hpy/devel/include/hpy/cpython/misc.h b/hpy/devel/include/hpy/cpython/misc.h
index d2befe9c6..a7660d386 100644
--- a/hpy/devel/include/hpy/cpython/misc.h
+++ b/hpy/devel/include/hpy/cpython/misc.h
@@ -324,9 +324,9 @@ HPyAPI_FUNC void _HPy_Dump(HPyContext *ctx, HPy h)
     ctx_Dump(ctx, h);
 }
 
-HPyAPI_FUNC int HPy_TypeCheck(HPyContext *ctx, HPy h_obj, HPy h_type)
+HPyAPI_FUNC int HPy_TypeCheck(HPyContext *ctx, HPy h_obj, HPy h_type, int exact)
 {
-    return ctx_TypeCheck(ctx, h_obj, h_type);
+    return ctx_TypeCheck(ctx, h_obj, h_type, exact);
 }
 
 HPyAPI_FUNC int HPy_Is(HPyContext *ctx, HPy h_obj, HPy h_other)
diff --git a/hpy/devel/include/hpy/runtime/ctx_funcs.h b/hpy/devel/include/hpy/runtime/ctx_funcs.h
index dee5f214f..c523a8cb1 100644
--- a/hpy/devel/include/hpy/runtime/ctx_funcs.h
+++ b/hpy/devel/include/hpy/runtime/ctx_funcs.h
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ _HPy_HIDDEN HPy ctx_Module_Create(HPyContext *ctx, HPyModuleDef *hpydef);
 
 // ctx_object.c
 _HPy_HIDDEN void ctx_Dump(HPyContext *ctx, HPy h);
-_HPy_HIDDEN int ctx_TypeCheck(HPyContext *ctx, HPy h_obj, HPy h_type);
+_HPy_HIDDEN int ctx_TypeCheck(HPyContext *ctx, HPy h_obj, HPy h_type, int exact);
 _HPy_HIDDEN int ctx_Is(HPyContext *ctx, HPy h_obj, HPy h_other);
 _HPy_HIDDEN HPy ctx_GetItem_i(HPyContext *ctx, HPy obj, HPy_ssize_t idx);
 _HPy_HIDDEN HPy ctx_GetItem_s(HPyContext *ctx, HPy obj, const char *key);
diff --git a/hpy/devel/include/hpy/universal/autogen_ctx.h b/hpy/devel/include/hpy/universal/autogen_ctx.h
index 08b66ecf9..36d4fa12f 100644
--- a/hpy/devel/include/hpy/universal/autogen_ctx.h
+++ b/hpy/devel/include/hpy/universal/autogen_ctx.h
@@ -181,7 +181,7 @@ struct _HPyContext_s {
     int (*ctx_SetItem_i)(HPyContext *ctx, HPy obj, HPy_ssize_t idx, HPy value);
     int (*ctx_SetItem_s)(HPyContext *ctx, HPy obj, const char *key, HPy value);
     HPy (*ctx_Type)(HPyContext *ctx, HPy obj);
-    int (*ctx_TypeCheck)(HPyContext *ctx, HPy obj, HPy type);
+    int (*ctx_TypeCheck)(HPyContext *ctx, HPy obj, HPy type, int exact);
     int (*ctx_Is)(HPyContext *ctx, HPy obj, HPy other);
     void *(*ctx_AsStruct)(HPyContext *ctx, HPy h);
     void *(*ctx_AsStructLegacy)(HPyContext *ctx, HPy h);
diff --git a/hpy/devel/include/hpy/universal/autogen_trampolines.h b/hpy/devel/include/hpy/universal/autogen_trampolines.h
index 6a4e4c435..33c9c62e9 100644
--- a/hpy/devel/include/hpy/universal/autogen_trampolines.h
+++ b/hpy/devel/include/hpy/universal/autogen_trampolines.h
@@ -366,8 +366,8 @@ HPyAPI_FUNC HPy HPy_Type(HPyContext *ctx, HPy obj) {
      return ctx->ctx_Type ( ctx, obj ); 
 }
 
-HPyAPI_FUNC int HPy_TypeCheck(HPyContext *ctx, HPy obj, HPy type) {
-     return ctx->ctx_TypeCheck ( ctx, obj, type ); 
+HPyAPI_FUNC int HPy_TypeCheck(HPyContext *ctx, HPy obj, HPy type, int exact) {
+     return ctx->ctx_TypeCheck ( ctx, obj, type, exact ); 
 }
 
 HPyAPI_FUNC int HPy_Is(HPyContext *ctx, HPy obj, HPy other) {
diff --git a/hpy/devel/src/runtime/ctx_object.c b/hpy/devel/src/runtime/ctx_object.c
index 706d486ec..99b03c1a2 100644
--- a/hpy/devel/src/runtime/ctx_object.c
+++ b/hpy/devel/src/runtime/ctx_object.c
@@ -29,13 +29,16 @@ ctx_Dump(HPyContext *ctx, HPy h)
    do the check only in debug mode.
 */
 _HPy_HIDDEN int
-ctx_TypeCheck(HPyContext *ctx, HPy h_obj, HPy h_type)
+ctx_TypeCheck(HPyContext *ctx, HPy h_obj, HPy h_type, int exact)
 {
     PyObject *type= _h2py(h_type);
     assert(type != NULL);
     if (!PyType_Check(type)) {
         Py_FatalError("HPy_TypeCheck arg 2 must be a type");
     }
+    if (exact) {
+        return Py_TYPE(_h2py(h_obj)) == (PyTypeObject*)type;
+    }
     return PyObject_TypeCheck(_h2py(h_obj), (PyTypeObject*)type);
 }
 
diff --git a/hpy/tools/autogen/public_api.h b/hpy/tools/autogen/public_api.h
index 969ab5488..d829d606c 100644
--- a/hpy/tools/autogen/public_api.h
+++ b/hpy/tools/autogen/public_api.h
@@ -226,7 +226,7 @@ int HPy_SetItem_s(HPyContext *ctx, HPy obj, const char *key, HPy value);
 
 HPy HPy_Type(HPyContext *ctx, HPy obj);
 // WARNING: HPy_TypeCheck could be tweaked/removed in the future, see issue #160
-int HPy_TypeCheck(HPyContext *ctx, HPy obj, HPy type);
+int HPy_TypeCheck(HPyContext *ctx, HPy obj, HPy type, int exact);
 
 int HPy_Is(HPyContext *ctx, HPy obj, HPy other);
 
diff --git a/test/test_object.py b/test/test_object.py
index 739aec5a9..c807a30f9 100644
--- a/test/test_object.py
+++ b/test/test_object.py
@@ -546,9 +546,10 @@ def test_typecheck(self):
             static HPy f_impl(HPyContext *ctx, HPy self, HPy *args, HPy_ssize_t nargs)
             {
                 HPy a, b;
-                if (!HPyArg_Parse(ctx, NULL, args, nargs, "OO", &a, &b))
+                int exact;
+                if (!HPyArg_Parse(ctx, NULL, args, nargs, "OOi", &a, &b, &exact))
                     return HPy_NULL;
-                int res = HPy_TypeCheck(ctx, a, b);
+                int res = HPy_TypeCheck(ctx, a, b, exact);
                 return HPyBool_FromLong(ctx, res);
             }
             @EXPORT(f)
@@ -556,9 +557,13 @@ def test_typecheck(self):
         """)
         class MyStr(str):
             pass
-        assert mod.f('hello', str)
-        assert not mod.f('hello', int)
-        assert mod.f(MyStr('hello'), str)
+        assert mod.f('hello', str, False)
+        assert not mod.f('hello', int, False)
+        assert mod.f(MyStr('hello'), str, False)
+
+        assert mod.f('hello', str, True)
+        assert not mod.f('hello', int, True)
+        assert not mod.f(MyStr('hello'), str, True)
 
     def test_is(self):
         mod = self.make_module("""