diff --git a/artiq/compiler/transforms/artiq_ir_generator.py b/artiq/compiler/transforms/artiq_ir_generator.py
index df274b794..341c83ef3 100644
--- a/artiq/compiler/transforms/artiq_ir_generator.py
+++ b/artiq/compiler/transforms/artiq_ir_generator.py
@@ -1634,7 +1634,7 @@ class ARTIQIRGenerator(algorithm.Visitor):
             else:
                 assert False
         elif (types.is_builtin(typ, "list") or types.is_builtin(typ, "array") or
-              types.is_builtin(typ, "bytearray")):
+              types.is_builtin(typ, "bytearray") or types.is_builtin(typ, "bytes")):
             if len(node.args) == 0 and len(node.keywords) == 0:
                 length = ir.Constant(0, builtins.TInt32())
                 return self.append(ir.Alloc([length], node.type))
@@ -1645,6 +1645,7 @@ class ARTIQIRGenerator(algorithm.Visitor):
 
                 def body_gen(index):
                     elt = self.iterable_get(arg, index)
+                    elt = self.append(ir.Coerce(elt, builtins.get_iterable_elt(node.type)))
                     self.append(ir.SetElem(result, index, elt))
                     return self.append(ir.Arith(ast.Add(loc=None), index,
                                                 ir.Constant(1, length.type)))
diff --git a/artiq/test/coredevice/test_embedding.py b/artiq/test/coredevice/test_embedding.py
index b0bcbbed3..8d0e64aba 100644
--- a/artiq/test/coredevice/test_embedding.py
+++ b/artiq/test/coredevice/test_embedding.py
@@ -140,6 +140,8 @@ class _RPCTypes(EnvExperiment):
         self.accept("foo")
         self.accept(b"foo")
         self.accept(bytearray(b"foo"))
+        self.accept(bytes([1, 2]))
+        self.accept(bytearray([1, 2]))
         self.accept((2, 3))
         self.accept([1, 2])
         self.accept(range(10))