diff --git a/lang/ast/node.c b/lang/ast/node.c
index f9b1696..6da4391 100644
--- a/lang/ast/node.c
+++ b/lang/ast/node.c
@@ -65,7 +65,7 @@ static const struct ast_node_type *node_ops[] = {
 	[IVY_AST_LAMBDA] = &lambda_node_ops,
 	[IVY_AST_PKG] = &pkg_node_ops,
 	[IVY_AST_PKG_STATIC] = &pkg_static_node_ops,
-	[IVY_AST_PKG_STATIC_ITEM] = &pkg_static_item_node_ops,
+	[IVY_AST_PKG_ITEM] = &pkg_static_item_node_ops,
 	[IVY_AST_PKG_DYNAMIC] = &pkg_dynamic_node_ops,
 	[IVY_AST_DISCARD] = &discard_node_ops,
 };
@@ -277,7 +277,7 @@ const char *ivy_ast_node_type_to_string(enum ivy_ast_node_type v)
 		ENUM_STR(IVY_AST_BLOCK);
 		ENUM_STR(IVY_AST_PKG);
 		ENUM_STR(IVY_AST_PKG_STATIC);
-		ENUM_STR(IVY_AST_PKG_STATIC_ITEM);
+		ENUM_STR(IVY_AST_PKG_ITEM);
 		ENUM_STR(IVY_AST_PKG_DYNAMIC);
 		ENUM_STR(IVY_AST_RETURN);
 		ENUM_STR(IVY_AST_TYPE_COUNT);
diff --git a/lang/ast/package.c b/lang/ast/package.c
index fc24354..52be940 100644
--- a/lang/ast/package.c
+++ b/lang/ast/package.c
@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@ struct package_parser_state {
 
 static enum ivy_status add_package_item(struct package_parser_state *state, struct ivy_ast_node *index, struct ivy_ast_node *value)
 {
-	struct ivy_ast_pkg_static_item_node *item = (struct ivy_ast_pkg_static_item_node *)ast_node_create(IVY_AST_PKG_STATIC_ITEM);
+	struct ivy_ast_pkg_static_item_node *item = (struct ivy_ast_pkg_static_item_node *)ast_node_create(IVY_AST_PKG_ITEM);
 	if (!item) {
 		return IVY_ERR_NO_MEMORY;
 	}
diff --git a/lang/include/ivy/lang/ast.h b/lang/include/ivy/lang/ast.h
index 33e4f3f..d0ba743 100644
--- a/lang/include/ivy/lang/ast.h
+++ b/lang/include/ivy/lang/ast.h
@@ -25,7 +25,6 @@ enum ivy_ast_node_type {
 	IVY_AST_LAMBDA,
 	IVY_AST_UNIT_PACKAGE,
 	IVY_AST_UNIT_IMPORT,
-	IVY_AST_EXPR,
 	IVY_AST_DISCARD,
 	IVY_AST_INT,
 	IVY_AST_DOUBLE,
@@ -40,10 +39,16 @@ enum ivy_ast_node_type {
 	IVY_AST_COND_GROUP,
 	IVY_AST_COND,
 	IVY_AST_TUPLE,
-	IVY_AST_PKG,
 	IVY_AST_PKG_STATIC,
-	IVY_AST_PKG_STATIC_ITEM,
+	IVY_AST_PKG_ITEM,
 	IVY_AST_PKG_DYNAMIC,
+
+	/* these are pseudo-types. a finished AST will never have these nodes in it,
+	 * but they are necessary to identifier AST parsers that will produce nodes
+	 * of other, related types. */
+	IVY_AST_PKG,
+	IVY_AST_EXPR,
+
 	IVY_AST_TYPE_COUNT,
 };