diff --git a/src/common/variant.h b/src/common/variant.h
index a7e2637e5..5b9a1753d 100644
--- a/src/common/variant.h
+++ b/src/common/variant.h
@@ -37,6 +37,7 @@
 #include <boost/mpl/begin_end.hpp>
 #include <boost/mpl/distance.hpp>
 #include <boost/mpl/find.hpp>
+#include <boost/mpl/for_each.hpp>
 #include <boost/mpl/vector.hpp>
 #include <boost/none_t.hpp>
 #include <boost/variant/apply_visitor.hpp>
@@ -54,6 +55,18 @@
 
 namespace tools
 {
+namespace detail
+{
+template <class Variant>
+struct value_initialize_on_which
+{
+    template <typename T>
+    void operator()(T) { if (Variant::template type_index_of<T>() == target_which) v = T(); }
+
+    Variant &v;
+    const int target_which;
+};
+} // namespace detail
 
 [[noreturn]] inline void variant_static_visitor_blank_err()
 { throw std::runtime_error("variant: tried to visit an empty variant."); }
@@ -148,16 +161,26 @@ public:
 
     /// apply a visitor to the variant
     template <typename VisitorT>
-    typename VisitorT::result_type visit(VisitorT &&visitor)
+    decltype(auto) visit(VisitorT &&visitor) // decltype(auto) since it forwards the return ref type correctly
     {
         return boost::apply_visitor(std::forward<VisitorT>(visitor), m_value);
     }
     template <typename VisitorT>
-    typename VisitorT::result_type visit(VisitorT &&visitor) const
+    decltype(auto) visit(VisitorT &&visitor) const // decltype(auto) since it forwards the return ref type correctly
     {
         return boost::apply_visitor(std::forward<VisitorT>(visitor), m_value);
     }
 
+    /// value initialize the variant based on a type index
+    void value_initialize_to_type_index(const int which)
+    {
+        if (which < 0 || which >= boost::mpl::size<typename VType::types>::type::value)
+            throw std::runtime_error("value_initialize_to_type_index: type index of out range");
+
+        detail::value_initialize_on_which<variant> viow{*this, which};
+        boost::mpl::for_each<typename VType::types>(viow);
+    }
+
 private:
 //member variables
     /// variant of all value types
diff --git a/tests/unit_tests/variant.cpp b/tests/unit_tests/variant.cpp
index 21e1f2309..3b0c96c4f 100644
--- a/tests/unit_tests/variant.cpp
+++ b/tests/unit_tests/variant.cpp
@@ -372,6 +372,113 @@ TEST(variant, visit)
     EXPECT_NE(test_stringify_visitor::stringify((uint16_t) 2001), v.visit(test_stringify_visitor()));
 }
 //-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+TEST(variant, visit_lambda)
+{
+    const auto stringify_lambda = [](auto x) -> std::string
+    {
+        if constexpr (std::is_same_v<decltype(x), std::string>)
+            return x;
+        else if constexpr (std::is_same_v<decltype(x), boost::blank>)
+            throw std::runtime_error("boost blank cannot be stringified");
+        else
+            return std::to_string(x);
+    };
+
+    variant<int8_t, uint8_t, int16_t, uint16_t, std::string> v;
+    EXPECT_THROW(v.visit(stringify_lambda), std::runtime_error);
+
+    v = "Rev";
+    EXPECT_EQ("Rev", v.visit(stringify_lambda));
+
+    v = (int16_t) 2001;
+    EXPECT_EQ("2001", v.visit(stringify_lambda));
+}
+//-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+TEST(variant, visit_ref_passthru)
+{
+    struct A
+    {
+        int x;
+    };
+
+    struct B
+    {
+        int x;
+    };
+
+    struct x_ref_visitor: tools::variant_static_visitor<const int&>
+    {
+        using tools::variant_static_visitor<const int&>::operator();
+
+        const int& operator()(const A &a) const { return a.x; }
+        const int& operator()(const B &b) const { return b.x; }
+    };
+
+    tools::variant<A, B> v;
+    EXPECT_THROW(v.visit(x_ref_visitor{}), std::runtime_error);
+
+    // A very hairy looking test, but we're just testing that the reference returned from our static
+    // visitor is actually pointing to something in the same stack space as our variant operand.
+    // This will let us catch mistakes where we take a reference to a locally created variable if
+    // the visit() method is changed subtlely.
+    v = A { 2024 };
+    const char * const px = reinterpret_cast<const char*>(std::addressof(v.visit(x_ref_visitor{})));
+    const char * const pv = reinterpret_cast<const char*>(&v);
+    EXPECT_LT(px - pv, sizeof(v));
+}
+//-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+TEST(variant, value_initialize_to_type_index)
+{
+    variant<int8_t, uint8_t, int16_t, uint16_t, std::string> v;
+    for (int i = 0; i < 6; ++i)
+    {
+        v.value_initialize_to_type_index(i);
+        EXPECT_EQ(i, v.index());
+    }
+
+    v = (int8_t) 69;
+    EXPECT_EQ(1, v.index());
+    EXPECT_EQ(69, v.unwrap<int8_t>());
+    v.value_initialize_to_type_index(1);
+    EXPECT_EQ(1, v.index());
+    EXPECT_EQ(0, v.unwrap<int8_t>());
+
+    v = (uint8_t) 69;
+    EXPECT_EQ(2, v.index());
+    EXPECT_EQ(69, v.unwrap<uint8_t>());
+    v.value_initialize_to_type_index(2);
+    EXPECT_EQ(2, v.index());
+    EXPECT_EQ(0, v.unwrap<uint8_t>());
+
+    v = (int16_t) 69;
+    EXPECT_EQ(3, v.index());
+    EXPECT_EQ(69, v.unwrap<int16_t>());
+    v.value_initialize_to_type_index(3);
+    EXPECT_EQ(3, v.index());
+    EXPECT_EQ(0, v.unwrap<int16_t>());
+
+    v = (uint16_t) 69;
+    EXPECT_EQ(4, v.index());
+    EXPECT_EQ(69, v.unwrap<uint16_t>());
+    v.value_initialize_to_type_index(4);
+    EXPECT_EQ(4, v.index());
+    EXPECT_EQ(0, v.unwrap<uint16_t>());
+
+    v = std::string("69");
+    EXPECT_EQ(5, v.index());
+    EXPECT_EQ("69", v.unwrap<std::string>());
+    v.value_initialize_to_type_index(5);
+    EXPECT_EQ(5, v.index());
+    EXPECT_EQ("", v.unwrap<std::string>());
+
+    v = (int16_t) 69;
+    v.value_initialize_to_type_index(5);
+    EXPECT_EQ("", v.unwrap<std::string>());
+
+    EXPECT_THROW(v.value_initialize_to_type_index(-1), std::runtime_error);
+    EXPECT_THROW(v.value_initialize_to_type_index(6), std::runtime_error);
+}
+//-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 TEST(variant, ad_hoc_recursion)
 {
     struct left_t;