diff --git a/phpunit/code/universal-method-stream-cast-no-arg.php b/phpunit/code/universal-method-stream-cast-no-arg.php
index e0a87dfa..77688714 100644
--- a/phpunit/code/universal-method-stream-cast-no-arg.php
+++ b/phpunit/code/universal-method-stream-cast-no-arg.php
@@ -3,5 +3,5 @@ function main()
 {
     $tmpfile = tempnam(sys_get_temp_dir(), 'aot');
     $fp = fopen($tmpfile, 'w');
-    stream_cast()->write('data');
+    $fp->toStream()->write('data');
 }
diff --git a/phpunit/code/universal-method-stream-unknown-method.php b/phpunit/code/universal-method-stream-unknown-method.php
index 22987551..e5f29280 100644
--- a/phpunit/code/universal-method-stream-unknown-method.php
+++ b/phpunit/code/universal-method-stream-unknown-method.php
@@ -2,5 +2,5 @@
 function main()
 {
     $tmpfile = tempnam(sys_get_temp_dir(), 'aot');
-    stream_cast(fopen($tmpfile, 'w'))->unknownMethod();
+    fopen($tmpfile, 'w')->toStream()->unknownMethod();
 }
diff --git a/src/Php/CompilerBase.php b/src/Php/CompilerBase.php
index 358b4a51..8822bb52 100644
--- a/src/Php/CompilerBase.php
+++ b/src/Php/CompilerBase.php
@@ -2506,7 +2506,7 @@ class CompilerBase extends \PhpAot\Core\Translator
                             return self::TYPE_BIGFLOAT;
                         }
                     }
-                    if (in_array($name, self::STREAM_FUNCTIONS) || $name === 'stream_cast') {
+                    if (in_array($name, self::STREAM_FUNCTIONS)) {
                         return self::TYPE_STREAM;
                     }
                     if (count($expr->args) === 1 and $this->isPlaceholderExpr($expr->args[0])) {
@@ -3466,9 +3466,6 @@ class CompilerBase extends \PhpAot\Core\Translator
             if (in_array($name, Constants::UNSUPPORTED_FUNCTIONS)) {
                 $this->fatalError($expr, 'Unsupported function: `' . $name . '`');
             }
-            if ($name === 'stream_cast') {
-                return $this->parseExpr($expr->args[0]->value);
-            }
             $nativeFn = $this->findNativeFunction($name);
             if ($nativeFn) {
                 $expr->setAttribute('nativeCall', $nativeFn);
@@ -6366,8 +6363,8 @@ class CompilerBase extends \PhpAot\Core\Translator
             $code .= $this->getIndent();
             if ($type === self::TYPE_STD_ARRAY) {
                 $info = $this->context->stdArrays[$name];
-                if (isset($info['unsafePtr'])) {
-                    $code .= 'auto &' . $name . '_ref = php_unsafe_cast<' . $info['decl'] . '>(' . $info['unsafePtr'] . ', ' . $info['typeId'] . ');';
+                if (isset($info['boxExpr'])) {
+                    $code .= 'auto &' . $name . '_ref = php::toStdContainer<' . $info['decl'] . '>(' . $info['boxExpr'] . ', ' . $info['typeId'] . ');';
                 } else {
                     $containerType = 'php::StdContainerBox<' . $info['decl'] . '>';
                     $code .= 'php::Var ' . $name . ' = php::Var(new ' . $containerType . '(' . $info['typeId'] . '));' . PHP_EOL;
@@ -6375,8 +6372,8 @@ class CompilerBase extends \PhpAot\Core\Translator
                 }
             } elseif ($type === self::TYPE_STD_VECTOR) {
                 $info = $this->context->stdContainers[$name];
-                if (isset($info['unsafePtr'])) {
-                    $code .= 'auto &' . $name . '_ref = php_unsafe_cast<' . $info['decl'] . '>(' . $info['unsafePtr'] . ', ' . $info['typeId'] . ');';
+                if (isset($info['boxExpr'])) {
+                    $code .= 'auto &' . $name . '_ref = php::toStdContainer<' . $info['decl'] . '>(' . $info['boxExpr'] . ', ' . $info['typeId'] . ');';
                 } else {
                     $containerType = 'php::StdContainerBox<' . $info['decl'] . '>';
                     if ($info['size'] !== null) {
@@ -6389,8 +6386,8 @@ class CompilerBase extends \PhpAot\Core\Translator
                 }
             } elseif ($type === self::TYPE_STD_MAP || $type === self::TYPE_STD_UNORDERED_MAP) {
                 $info = $this->context->stdContainers[$name];
-                if (isset($info['unsafePtr'])) {
-                    $code .= 'auto &' . $name . '_ref = php_unsafe_cast<' . $info['decl'] . '>(' . $info['unsafePtr'] . ', ' . $info['typeId'] . ');';
+                if (isset($info['boxExpr'])) {
+                    $code .= 'auto &' . $name . '_ref = php::toStdContainer<' . $info['decl'] . '>(' . $info['boxExpr'] . ', ' . $info['typeId'] . ');';
                 } else {
                     $containerType = 'php::StdContainerBox<' . $info['decl'] . '>';
                     $code .= 'php::Var ' . $name . ' = php::Var(new ' . $containerType . '(' . $info['typeId'] . '));' . PHP_EOL;
diff --git a/src/Php/Parser/StdContainerParser.php b/src/Php/Parser/StdContainerParser.php
index 52ba7318..7bf14028 100644
--- a/src/Php/Parser/StdContainerParser.php
+++ b/src/Php/Parser/StdContainerParser.php
@@ -617,8 +617,8 @@ trait StdContainerParser
         if ($containerType === 'array') {
             $this->addLocalVar($var, self::TYPE_STD_ARRAY);
             $this->parseStdArray($var, $fakeCall);
-            $this->context->stdArrays[$var]['unsafePtr'] = $sourceVar;
-            return '// php_unsafe_cast<' . $this->context->stdArrays[$var]['decl'] . '>(' . $sourceVar . ')';
+            $this->context->stdArrays[$var]['boxExpr'] = $sourceVar;
+            return '// StdContainer<' . $this->context->stdArrays[$var]['decl'] . '>(' . $sourceVar . ')';
         }
 
         if ($containerType === 'vector') {
@@ -631,8 +631,8 @@ trait StdContainerParser
             $this->addLocalVar($var, self::TYPE_STD_UNORDERED_MAP);
             $this->parseStdUnorderedMap($var, $fakeCall);
         }
-        $this->context->stdContainers[$var]['unsafePtr'] = $sourceVar;
-        return '// php_unsafe_cast<' . $this->context->stdContainers[$var]['decl'] . '>(' . $sourceVar . ')';
+        $this->context->stdContainers[$var]['boxExpr'] = $sourceVar;
+        return '// StdContainer<' . $this->context->stdArrays[$var]['decl'] . '>(' . $sourceVar . ')';
     }
 
     protected function parseStdMapKeyType(NodeAbstract $expr, string $owner): string
diff --git a/src/polyfills.php b/src/polyfills.php
index aa515931..fb16acdf 100644
--- a/src/polyfills.php
+++ b/src/polyfills.php
@@ -89,7 +89,3 @@ function any(mixed $var): mixed
     return $var;
 }
 
-function stream_cast($stream)
-{
-    return $stream;
-}
diff --git a/tests/aot/stream_method/stream_cast.phpt b/tests/aot/stream_method/stream_cast.phpt
index 6d2718d2..d2246325 100644
--- a/tests/aot/stream_method/stream_cast.phpt
+++ b/tests/aot/stream_method/stream_cast.phpt
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 --TEST--
-stream_cast() pseudo-function for stream type casting
+toStream() keyword method for stream type casting
 --FILE--
 <?php
 
@@ -7,36 +7,36 @@ function main()
 {
     require __DIR__ . '/../../../src/Assert.php';
 
-    // Test 1: stream_cast identity — on an already-inferred stream variable
+    // Test 1: toStream() on an already-inferred stream variable
     $tmpfile = tempnam(sys_get_temp_dir(), 'aot');
     $fp = fopen($tmpfile, 'w+');
     $fp->write("hello world");
     $fp->seek(0);
-    $data = stream_cast($fp)->read(5);
+    $data = $fp->toStream()->read(5);
     var_dump($data);
     $fp->close();
 
-    // Test 2: stream_cast on array elements where type isn't known
+    // Test 2: toStream() on array elements where type isn't known
     $pipes = [];
     $pipes[0] = fopen($tmpfile, 'w');
-    $w = stream_cast($pipes[0]);
+    $w = $pipes[0]->toStream();
     $w->write("test data from pipe");
     $w->close();
 
     $pipes[1] = fopen($tmpfile, 'r');
-    $r = stream_cast($pipes[1]);
+    $r = $pipes[1]->toStream();
     $data2 = $r->read(1024);
     var_dump($data2);
     $r->close();
 
-    // Test 3: stream_cast in expression context (method chaining)
+    // Test 3: toStream() in expression context (method chaining)
     $fp2 = fopen($tmpfile, 'w');
-    stream_cast($fp2)->write("chain test");
-    stream_cast($fp2)->close();
+    $fp2->toStream()->write("chain test");
+    $fp2->toStream()->close();
 
     $fp3 = fopen($tmpfile, 'r');
-    var_dump(stream_cast($fp3)->read(10));
-    stream_cast($fp3)->close();
+    var_dump($fp3->toStream()->read(10));
+    $fp3->toStream()->close();
 
     unlink($tmpfile);
     echo "OK\n";