diff --git a/src/lib.rs b/src/lib.rs
index bf1a0a5..224a8e1 100644
--- a/src/lib.rs
+++ b/src/lib.rs
@@ -17,7 +17,13 @@
 
 #![doc = include_str!("../README.md")]
 
+// Uses unstable features for `docs.rs`.
+// This is okay, `docs.rs` uses a nightly compiler, and doesn't need to re-build documentation later.
+// To avoid broken `docs.rs` pages with new uploads, before publishing a new version to `crates.io`,
+// always check if `cargo docs-rs` (https://crates.io/crates/cargo-docs-rs) still works,
+// (with `rustup override set nightly` set locally to a current nightly).
 #![cfg_attr(docsrs, feature(doc_cfg))]
+#![cfg_attr(docsrs, feature(clone_to_uninit))]
 
 #![no_std]
 
@@ -38,16 +44,25 @@ pub mod features {
     //! Enables usage of the `alloc` crate, and a public dependency on
     //! [`stable_deref_trait`] at version `1.*`
     //!
-    #![cfg_attr(not(feature = "alloc"), doc = "Enables the `MutCursorVec` and `MutCursorRootedVec` APIs.")]
-    #![cfg_attr(feature = "alloc", doc = "Enables the [`MutCursorVec`] and [`MutCursorRootedVec`] APIs.")]
+    #![cfg_attr(not(feature = "alloc"), doc = "Enables the `MutCursorVec` and `MutCursorRootedVec` APIs,")]
+    #![cfg_attr(not(feature = "alloc"), doc = "as well as the `unique` module.")]
+    #![cfg_attr(feature = "alloc", doc = "Enables the [`MutCursorVec`] and [`MutCursorRootedVec`] APIs,")]
+    #![cfg_attr(feature = "alloc", doc = "as well as the [`unique`](crate::unique) module.")]
     //! ## `std`
     //! Enables `std` support for [`StableDeref`], so you use std-only stable pointers
     //! without needing to depend on [`stable_deref_trait`] yourself.
     //!
+    //! Also extends our re-implementation of [`CloneToUninit`] (used for [`make_unique`] in the
+    //! `unique` module) to support `std`-only types (`OsStr`, `Path`).
+    //!
     #![cfg_attr(feature = "alloc", doc = "[`stable_deref_trait`]: stable_deref_trait")]
     #![cfg_attr(feature = "alloc", doc = "[`StableDeref`]: stable_deref_trait::StableDeref")]
+    #![cfg_attr(feature = "alloc", doc = "[`make_unique`]: crate::unique::UniqueExt::make_unique")]
+    #![cfg_attr(docsrs, doc = "[`CloneToUninit`]: std::clone::CloneToUninit")]
     //! [`stable_deref_trait`]: https://docs.rs/stable_deref_trait/1/stable_deref_trait/
     //! [`StableDeref`]: https://docs.rs/stable_deref_trait/1/stable_deref_trait/trait.StableDeref.html
+    //! [`make_unique`]: #alloc
+    //! [`CloneToUninit`]: https://doc.rust-lang.org/nightly/std/clone/trait.CloneToUninit.html
     use super::*;
 }
 
@@ -61,6 +76,11 @@ mod mut_cursor_vec;
 #[cfg_attr(docsrs, doc(cfg(feature = "alloc")))]
 pub use mut_cursor_vec::*;
 
+
+#[cfg(feature = "alloc")]
+#[cfg_attr(docsrs, doc(cfg(feature = "alloc")))]
+pub mod unique;
+
 #[cfg(feature = "alloc")]
 mod rooted_vec;
 #[cfg(feature = "alloc")]
diff --git a/src/unique.rs b/src/unique.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..393ee04
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/unique.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,192 @@
+//! Tools for using [`Rc`] and [`Arc`] to prove a stably-dereferencing level
+//! of indirection in [`MutCursorRootedVec`](super::MutCursorRootedVec)'s API.
+//!
+//! While `Rc` and `Arc` are generally only offering *shared, immutable* access
+//! to their interior, while [`MutCursorRootedVec`](super::MutCursorRootedVec) works
+//! with *mutable* access, the standard library *does* offer a limited mutable-access
+//! API in the form of the <code>{[Arc](Arc::get_mut), [Rc](Rc::get_mut)}::get_mut</code>
+//! and <code>{[Arc](Arc::make_mut), [Rc](Rc::make_mut)}::make_mut</code> methods.
+//!
+//! These methods succeed when the reference-counted pointer is *unique*; in this
+//! module, we provide an API to encode this uniqueness property into a separate type
+//! which can fit the <code>[DerefMut] + [StableDeref]</code>
+//! interface.
+
+mod polyfill {
+    use core::ffi::CStr;
+
+    #[cfg(feature = "std")]
+    use std::{ffi::OsStr, path::Path};
+
+    use alloc::{rc::Rc, sync::Arc};
+    /// Polyfill for unstable `CloneToUninit` in `std`.
+    ///
+    /// # SAFETY
+    /// the `_make_mut` implementation must ensure uniqueness;
+    /// after the method call without panicking, mutable access through`::as_ptr()` 
+    /// must be sound, as long as the Rc/Arc is not cloned or otherwise shared.
+    pub unsafe trait CloneToUninit {
+        fn rc_make_mut(rc: &mut Rc<Self>);
+        fn arc_make_mut(rc: &mut Arc<Self>);
+    }
+
+    macro_rules! impl_ {
+        ($($({$($t:tt)*})? $Self:ty)*) => {$(
+            unsafe impl$(<$($t)*>)? CloneToUninit for $Self {
+                fn rc_make_mut(rc: &mut Rc<Self>) {
+                    Rc::make_mut(rc);
+                }
+                fn arc_make_mut(rc: &mut Arc<Self>) {
+                    Arc::make_mut(rc);
+                }
+            }
+        )*};
+    }
+    impl_! {
+        str CStr
+        {T: Clone} [T]
+        {T: Clone} T
+    }
+    #[cfg(feature = "std")]
+    impl_! {
+        OsStr Path
+    }
+}
+#[cfg(docsrs)]
+use core::clone::CloneToUninit;
+// Use the *real* `CloneToUninit` for `docs.rs`, to make the `T: CloneToUninit` bounds below
+// easier to understand for users (because this way the link becomes clickable).
+#[cfg(not(docsrs))]
+use polyfill::CloneToUninit;
+
+use alloc::{rc::Rc, sync::Arc};
+use stable_deref_trait::StableDeref;
+use core::{
+    ops::{Deref, DerefMut},
+    panic::{RefUnwindSafe, UnwindSafe},
+};
+
+/// Extension trait for creating [`UniqueRc`]/[`UniqueArc`]
+///
+/// Take a look at the implementations below, to see the concrete type signatures
+/// of these methods [for `Rc`](#impl-UniqueExt-for-Rc<T>) and [for `Arc`](#impl-UniqueExt-for-Arc<T>), respectively.
+pub trait UniqueExt: Deref {
+    type Unique;
+    /// This function behaves like [`Rc::get_mut`]/[`Arc::get_mut`], but returns
+    /// a reference that keeps the double-indirection necessary
+    /// for use with [`MutCursorRootedVec`](super::MutCursorRootedVec).
+    fn get_unique(this: &mut Self) -> Option<&mut Self::Unique>;
+    /// This function behaves like [`Rc::make_mut`]/[`Arc::make_mut`], but returns
+    /// a reference that keeps the double-indirection necessary
+    /// for use with [`MutCursorRootedVec`](super::MutCursorRootedVec).
+    fn make_unique(this: &mut Self) -> &mut Self::Unique
+    where
+        Self::Target: CloneToUninit;
+}
+
+impl<T: ?Sized> UniqueExt for Rc<T> {
+    type Unique = UniqueRc<T>;
+
+    /// This function behaves like [`Rc::get_mut`], but returns
+    /// a reference that keeps the double-indirection necessary
+    /// for use with [`MutCursorRootedVec`](super::MutCursorRootedVec).
+    fn get_unique(this: &mut Self) -> Option<&mut UniqueRc<T>> {
+        Rc::get_mut(this)
+            .is_some()
+            .then(|| unsafe { &mut *(this as *mut Rc<T> as *mut UniqueRc<T>) })
+    }
+
+    /// This function behaves like [`Rc::make_mut`], but returns
+    /// a reference that keeps the double-indirection necessary
+    /// for use with [`MutCursorRootedVec`](super::MutCursorRootedVec).
+    fn make_unique(this: &mut Self) -> &mut UniqueRc<T>
+    where
+        T: CloneToUninit,
+    {
+        #[cfg(not(docsrs))]
+        T::rc_make_mut(this);
+        #[cfg(docsrs)]
+        Rc::make_mut(this);
+        unsafe { &mut *(this as *mut Rc<T> as *mut UniqueRc<T>) }
+    }
+}
+
+impl<T: ?Sized> UniqueExt for Arc<T> {
+    type Unique = UniqueArc<T>;
+
+    /// This function behaves like [`Arc::get_mut`], but returns
+    /// a reference that keeps the double-indirection necessary
+    /// for use with [`MutCursorRootedVec`](super::MutCursorRootedVec).
+    fn get_unique(this: &mut Self) -> Option<&mut UniqueArc<T>> {
+        Arc::get_mut(this)
+            .is_some()
+            .then(|| unsafe { &mut *(this as *mut Arc<T> as *mut UniqueArc<T>) })
+    }
+
+    /// This function behaves like [`Arc::make_mut`], but returns
+    /// a reference that keeps the double-indirection necessary
+    /// for use with [`MutCursorRootedVec`](super::MutCursorRootedVec).
+    fn make_unique(this: &mut Self) -> &mut UniqueArc<T>
+    where
+        T: CloneToUninit,
+    {
+        #[cfg(not(docsrs))]
+        T::arc_make_mut(this);
+        #[cfg(docsrs)]
+        Arc::make_mut(this);
+        unsafe { &mut *(this as *mut Arc<T> as *mut UniqueArc<T>) }
+    }
+}
+
+#[repr(transparent)]
+pub struct UniqueRc<T: ?Sized>(Rc<T>);
+
+#[repr(transparent)]
+pub struct UniqueArc<T: ?Sized>(Arc<T>);
+
+// adjust trait impls to match uniquely owned reference (compare e.g. `Box<T>`)
+
+impl<T: ?Sized> UnwindSafe for UniqueRc<T> where T: UnwindSafe {}
+impl<T: ?Sized> RefUnwindSafe for UniqueRc<T> where T: RefUnwindSafe {}
+
+impl<T: ?Sized> UnwindSafe for UniqueArc<T> where T: UnwindSafe {}
+impl<T: ?Sized> RefUnwindSafe for UniqueArc<T> where T: RefUnwindSafe {}
+
+// yes, uniquely-owned Rc is completely thread-safe, too
+unsafe impl<T: ?Sized> Send for UniqueRc<T> where T: Send {}
+unsafe impl<T: ?Sized> Sync for UniqueRc<T> where T: Sync {}
+
+unsafe impl<T: ?Sized> Send for UniqueArc<T> where T: Send {}
+unsafe impl<T: ?Sized> Sync for UniqueArc<T> where T: Sync {}
+
+impl<T: ?Sized> Deref for UniqueRc<T> {
+    type Target = T;
+
+    fn deref(&self) -> &T {
+        unsafe { &*Rc::as_ptr(&self.0) }
+    }
+}
+
+impl<T: ?Sized> DerefMut for UniqueRc<T> {
+    fn deref_mut(&mut self) -> &mut T {
+        unsafe { &mut *(Rc::as_ptr(&self.0) as *mut T) }
+    }
+}
+
+unsafe impl<T: ?Sized> StableDeref for UniqueRc<T> {}
+
+impl<T: ?Sized> Deref for UniqueArc<T> {
+    type Target = T;
+
+    fn deref(&self) -> &T {
+        unsafe { &*Arc::as_ptr(&self.0) }
+    }
+}
+
+impl<T: ?Sized> DerefMut for UniqueArc<T> {
+    fn deref_mut(&mut self) -> &mut T {
+        unsafe { &mut *(Arc::as_ptr(&self.0) as *mut T) }
+    }
+}
+
+unsafe impl<T: ?Sized> StableDeref for UniqueArc<T> {}