diff --git a/context.go b/context.go
index 7ff2f9d..195d54c 100644
--- a/context.go
+++ b/context.go
@@ -5,7 +5,6 @@ import (
 	"encoding/json"
 	"fmt"
 	"log"
-	"reflect"
 	"sync"
 
 	"github.com/go-via/via/h"
@@ -138,18 +137,15 @@ func (c *Context) Signal(v any) *signal {
 	sigID := genRandID()
 	if v == nil {
 		c.app.logErr(c, "failed to bind signal: nil signal value")
-		dummy := "Error"
 		return &signal{
 			id:  sigID,
-			v:   reflect.ValueOf(dummy),
-			t:   reflect.TypeOf(dummy),
+			val: "error",
 			err: fmt.Errorf("context '%s' failed to bind signal '%s': nil signal value", c.id, sigID),
 		}
 	}
 	sig := &signal{
 		id:      sigID,
-		v:       reflect.ValueOf(v),
-		t:       reflect.TypeOf(v),
+		val:     v,
 		changed: true,
 	}
 
@@ -175,15 +171,14 @@ func (c *Context) injectSignals(sigs map[string]any) {
 	for sigID, val := range sigs {
 		if _, ok := c.signals.Load(sigID); !ok {
 			c.signals.Store(sigID, &signal{
-				id: sigID,
-				t:  reflect.TypeOf(val),
-				v:  reflect.ValueOf(val),
+				id:  sigID,
+				val: val,
 			})
 			continue
 		}
 		item, _ := c.signals.Load(sigID)
 		if sig, ok := item.(*signal); ok {
-			sig.v = reflect.ValueOf(val)
+			sig.val = val
 			sig.changed = false
 		}
 	}
@@ -209,7 +204,7 @@ func (c *Context) prepareSignalsForPatch() map[string]any {
 				return true
 			}
 			if sig.changed {
-				updatedSigs[sigID.(string)] = fmt.Sprintf("%v", sig.v)
+				updatedSigs[sigID.(string)] = fmt.Sprintf("%v", sig.val)
 			}
 		}
 		return true
@@ -288,7 +283,7 @@ func (c *Context) SyncSignals() {
 			c.app.logWarn(c, "signal out of sync'%s': %v", sig.id, sig.err)
 		}
 		if sig.changed && sig.err == nil {
-			updatedSigs[id] = fmt.Sprintf("%v", sig.v)
+			updatedSigs[id] = fmt.Sprintf("%v", sig.val)
 			sig.changed = false
 		}
 		return true // continue iteration
diff --git a/go.mod b/go.mod
index c77a16f..8e5b175 100644
--- a/go.mod
+++ b/go.mod
@@ -5,7 +5,6 @@ go 1.25.4
 require maragu.dev/gomponents v1.2.0
 
 require (
-	github.com/andybalholm/brotli v1.2.0
 	github.com/fsnotify/fsnotify v1.9.0
 	github.com/go-via/via-plugin-picocss v0.1.0
 	github.com/starfederation/datastar-go v1.0.3
@@ -14,6 +13,7 @@ require (
 
 require (
 	github.com/CAFxX/httpcompression v0.0.9 // indirect
+	github.com/andybalholm/brotli v1.2.0 // indirect
 	github.com/davecgh/go-spew v1.1.1 // indirect
 	github.com/klauspost/compress v1.18.0 // indirect
 	github.com/kr/pretty v0.1.0 // indirect
diff --git a/internal/examples/chatroom/main.go b/internal/examples/chatroom/main.go
index 23e09df..e5a53ed 100644
--- a/internal/examples/chatroom/main.go
+++ b/internal/examples/chatroom/main.go
@@ -153,9 +153,7 @@ func main() {
 				chat := currentRoom.GetData(func(c *Chat) Chat {
 					n := len(c.Entries)
 					start := n - 50
-					if start < 0 {
-						start = 0
-					}
+					start = max(start, 0)
 					trimmed := make([]ChatEntry, n-start)
 					copy(trimmed, c.Entries[start:])
 					out := *c
diff --git a/signal.go b/signal.go
index 710e938..d814958 100644
--- a/signal.go
+++ b/signal.go
@@ -2,7 +2,6 @@ package via
 
 import (
 	"fmt"
-	"reflect"
 	"strconv"
 	"strings"
 
@@ -16,8 +15,7 @@ import (
 // reactively on an html element.
 type signal struct {
 	id      string
-	v       reflect.Value
-	t       reflect.Type
+	val     any
 	changed bool
 	err     error
 }
@@ -45,7 +43,7 @@ func (s *signal) Bind() h.H {
 	return h.Data("bind", s.id)
 }
 
-// Text binds the signal value to an html element as text.
+// Text binds the signal value to an html span element as text.
 //
 // Example:
 //
@@ -57,130 +55,52 @@ func (s *signal) Text() h.H {
 // SetValue updates the signal’s value and marks it for synchronization with the browser.
 // The change will be propagated to the browser using *Context.Sync() or *Context.SyncSignals().
 func (s *signal) SetValue(v any) {
-	val := reflect.ValueOf(v)
-	typ := reflect.TypeOf(v)
-	if typ != s.t {
-		s.err = fmt.Errorf("expected type '%s', got '%s'", s.t.String(), typ.String())
-		return
-	}
-	s.v = val
+	s.val = v
 	s.changed = true
 	s.err = nil
 }
 
 // String return the signal value as a string.
 func (s *signal) String() string {
-	return fmt.Sprintf("%v", s.v)
+	return fmt.Sprintf("%v", s.val)
 }
 
 // Bool tries to read the signal value as a bool.
 // Returns the value or false on failure.
 func (s *signal) Bool() bool {
-	switch s.v.Kind() {
-	case reflect.Bool:
-		return s.v.Bool()
-	case reflect.String:
-		val := strings.ToLower(s.v.String())
-		return val == "true" || val == "1" || val == "yes" || val == "on"
-	case reflect.Int, reflect.Int8, reflect.Int16, reflect.Int32, reflect.Int64:
-		return s.v.Int() != 0
-	case reflect.Float32, reflect.Float64:
-		return s.v.Float() != 0
-	default:
-		return false
-	}
+	val := strings.ToLower(s.String())
+	return val == "true" || val == "1" || val == "yes" || val == "on"
 }
 
 // Int tries to read the signal value as an int.
 // Returns the value or 0 on failure.
 func (s *signal) Int() int {
-	if n, err := strconv.Atoi(s.v.String()); err == nil {
+	if n, err := strconv.Atoi(s.String()); err == nil {
 		return n
 	}
-	if s.v.CanInt() {
-		return int(s.v.Int())
-	}
-	if s.v.CanFloat() {
-		return int(s.v.Float())
-	}
 	return 0
 }
 
 // Int64 tries to read the signal value as an int64.
 // Returns the value or 0 on failure.
 func (s *signal) Int64() int64 {
-	if n, err := strconv.ParseInt(s.v.String(), 10, 64); err == nil {
+	if n, err := strconv.ParseInt(s.String(), 10, 64); err == nil {
 		return n
 	}
-	if s.v.CanInt() {
-		return s.v.Int()
-	}
-	if s.v.CanFloat() {
-		return int64(s.v.Float())
-	}
-	return 0
-}
-
-// Uint64 tries to read the signal value as an uint64.
-// Returns the value or 0 on failure.
-func (s *signal) Uint64() uint64 {
-	if n, err := strconv.ParseUint(s.v.String(), 10, 64); err == nil {
-		return n
-	}
-	if s.v.CanUint() {
-		return s.v.Uint()
-	}
-	if s.v.CanFloat() {
-		return uint64(s.v.Float())
-	}
 	return 0
 }
 
 // Float64 tries to read the signal value as a float64.
 // Returns the value or 0.0 on failure.
-func (s *signal) Float64() float64 {
-	if n, err := strconv.ParseFloat(s.v.String(), 64); err == nil {
+func (s *signal) Float() float64 {
+	if n, err := strconv.ParseFloat(s.String(), 64); err == nil {
 		return n
 	}
-	if s.v.CanFloat() {
-		return s.v.Float()
-	}
-	if s.v.CanInt() {
-		return float64(s.v.Int())
-	}
 	return 0.0
 }
 
-// Complex128 tries to read the signal value as a complex128.
-// Returns the value or 0 on failure.
-func (s *signal) Complex128() complex128 {
-	if s.v.Kind() == reflect.Complex128 {
-		return s.v.Complex()
-	}
-	if s.v.Kind() == reflect.String {
-		if n, err := strconv.ParseComplex(s.v.String(), 128); err == nil {
-			return n
-		}
-	}
-	if s.v.CanFloat() {
-		return complex(s.v.Float(), 0)
-	}
-	if s.v.CanInt() {
-		return complex(float64(s.v.Int()), 0)
-	}
-	return complex(0, 0)
-}
-
 // Bytes tries to read the signal value as a []byte
 // Returns the value or an empty []byte on failure.
 func (s *signal) Bytes() []byte {
-	switch s.v.Kind() {
-	case reflect.Slice:
-		if s.v.Type().Elem().Kind() == reflect.Uint8 {
-			return s.v.Bytes()
-		}
-	case reflect.String:
-		return []byte(s.v.String())
-	}
-	return make([]byte, 0)
+	return []byte(s.String())
 }
diff --git a/via.go b/via.go
index 7b12636..1d1deed 100644
--- a/via.go
+++ b/via.go
@@ -145,24 +145,21 @@ func (v *V) Page(route string, initContextFn func(c *Context)) {
 		if v.cfg.DevMode {
 			v.devModePersist(c)
 		}
-		headElements := v.documentHeadIncludes
-		headElements = append(headElements, h.Meta(h.Data("signals", fmt.Sprintf("{'via-ctx':'%s'}", id))))
-		unloadJS := fmt.Sprintf(`
-window.addEventListener('beforeunload', (evt) => {
-  navigator.sendBeacon('/_session/close', '%s');
-});`, c.id)
-		headElements = append(headElements, h.Meta(h.Data("init", unloadJS)))
-		headElements = append(headElements, h.Meta(h.Data("init", "@get('/_sse')")))
-		bottomBodyElements := []h.H{c.view()}
-		bottomBodyElements = append(bottomBodyElements, v.documentFootIncludes...)
+		v.AppendToHead(h.Meta(h.Data("signals", fmt.Sprintf("{'via-ctx':'%s'}", id))))
+		v.AppendToHead(h.Meta(h.Data("init", "@get('/_sse')")))
+		v.AppendToHead(h.Meta(h.Data("init", fmt.Sprintf(`window.addEventListener('beforeunload', (evt) => {
+			navigator.sendBeacon('/_session/close', '%s');});`, c.id))))
+		bodyElements := []h.H{c.view()}
+		bodyElements = append(bodyElements, v.documentFootIncludes...)
 		if v.cfg.DevMode {
-			bottomBodyElements = append(bottomBodyElements, h.Script(h.Type("module"), h.Src("https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/gh/dataSPA/dataSPA-inspector@latest/dataspa-inspector.bundled.js")))
-			bottomBodyElements = append(bottomBodyElements, h.Raw("<dataspa-inspector/>"))
+			bodyElements = append(bodyElements, h.Script(h.Type("module"),
+				h.Src("https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/gh/dataSPA/dataSPA-inspector@latest/dataspa-inspector.bundled.js")))
+			bodyElements = append(bodyElements, h.Raw("<dataspa-inspector/>"))
 		}
 		view := h.HTML5(h.HTML5Props{
 			Title:     v.cfg.DocumentTitle,
-			Head:      headElements,
-			Body:      bottomBodyElements,
+			Head:      v.documentHeadIncludes,
+			Body:      bodyElements,
 			HTMLAttrs: []h.H{},
 		})
 		_ = view.Render(w)
diff --git a/via_test.go b/via_test.go
index 668f1da..ed816ed 100644
--- a/via_test.go
+++ b/via_test.go
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@ func TestSignal(t *testing.T) {
 	w := httptest.NewRecorder()
 	v.mux.ServeHTTP(w, req)
 
-	assert.Equal(t, "test", sig.v.Interface())
+	assert.Equal(t, "test", sig.String())
 }
 
 func TestAction(t *testing.T) {