diff --git a/libraries/AP_Scripting/AP_Scripting_SerialAccess.cpp b/libraries/AP_Scripting/AP_Scripting_SerialAccess.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..1fd0623c6a1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/libraries/AP_Scripting/AP_Scripting_SerialAccess.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,49 @@
+/*
+  generic object to allow a script to use a serial stream
+ */
+
+#include "AP_Scripting_config.h"
+#include "AP_Scripting_SerialAccess.h"
+
+#if AP_SCRIPTING_ENABLED
+
+void AP_Scripting_SerialAccess::begin(uint32_t baud)
+{
+    stream->begin(baud);
+}
+
+size_t AP_Scripting_SerialAccess::write(uint8_t c)
+{
+    return write(&c, 1);
+}
+
+size_t AP_Scripting_SerialAccess::write(const uint8_t *buffer, size_t size)
+{
+    return stream->write(buffer, size);
+}
+
+int16_t AP_Scripting_SerialAccess::read(void)
+{
+    uint8_t c;
+    if (read(&c, 1) != 1) {
+        return -1;
+    }
+    return c;
+}
+
+ssize_t AP_Scripting_SerialAccess::read(uint8_t* buffer, uint16_t count)
+{
+    return stream->read(buffer, count);
+}
+
+uint32_t AP_Scripting_SerialAccess::available(void)
+{
+    return stream->available();
+}
+
+void AP_Scripting_SerialAccess::set_flow_control(enum AP_HAL::UARTDriver::flow_control fcs)
+{
+    stream->set_flow_control(fcs);
+}
+
+#endif // AP_SCRIPTING_ENABLED
diff --git a/libraries/AP_Scripting/AP_Scripting_SerialAccess.h b/libraries/AP_Scripting/AP_Scripting_SerialAccess.h
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..4f364bcfb13
--- /dev/null
+++ b/libraries/AP_Scripting/AP_Scripting_SerialAccess.h
@@ -0,0 +1,25 @@
+#pragma once
+
+#include <AP_HAL/UARTDriver.h>
+
+class AP_Scripting_SerialAccess {
+public:
+    /* Do not allow copies */
+    CLASS_NO_COPY(AP_Scripting_SerialAccess);
+
+    AP_Scripting_SerialAccess() {}
+
+    void begin(uint32_t baud);
+
+    size_t write(uint8_t c);
+    size_t write(const uint8_t *buffer, size_t size);
+
+    int16_t read(void);
+    ssize_t read(uint8_t *buffer, uint16_t count);
+
+    uint32_t available(void);
+
+    void set_flow_control(enum AP_HAL::UARTDriver::flow_control fcs);
+
+    AP_HAL::UARTDriver *stream;
+};
diff --git a/libraries/AP_Scripting/docs/docs.lua b/libraries/AP_Scripting/docs/docs.lua
index 619aeb524ff..f7091da542e 100644
--- a/libraries/AP_Scripting/docs/docs.lua
+++ b/libraries/AP_Scripting/docs/docs.lua
@@ -1229,41 +1229,39 @@ function AP_HAL__I2CDevice_ud:write_register(register_num, value) end
 function AP_HAL__I2CDevice_ud:set_retries(retries) end
 
 
--- Serial driver object
----@class (exact) AP_HAL__UARTDriver_ud
-local AP_HAL__UARTDriver_ud = {}
+-- Serial port access object
+---@class (exact) AP_Scripting_SerialAccess_ud
+local AP_Scripting_SerialAccess_ud = {}
+
+-- Start serial port with the given baud rate
+---@param baud_rate uint32_t_ud|integer|number
+function AP_Scripting_SerialAccess_ud:begin(baud_rate) end
+
+-- Writes a single byte
+---@param value integer -- byte to write
+---@return uint32_t_ud -- 1 if success else 0
+function AP_Scripting_SerialAccess_ud:write(value) end
+
+-- Reads a single byte from the serial port
+---@return integer -- byte, -1 if error or none available
+function AP_Scripting_SerialAccess_ud:read() end
+
+-- Reads up to `count` bytes and returns the bytes read as a string. No bytes
+-- may be read, in which case a 0-length string is returned.
+---@param count integer -- maximum number of bytes to read
+---@return string|nil -- bytes actually read, which may be 0-length, or nil on error
+function AP_Scripting_SerialAccess_ud:readstring(count) end
+
+-- Returns number of available bytes to read.
+---@return uint32_t_ud
+function AP_Scripting_SerialAccess_ud:available() end
 
 -- Set flow control option for serial port
 ---@param flow_control_setting integer
 ---| '0' # disabled
 ---| '1' # enabled
 ---| '2' # auto
-function AP_HAL__UARTDriver_ud:set_flow_control(flow_control_setting) end
-
--- Returns number of available bytes to read.
----@return uint32_t_ud
-function AP_HAL__UARTDriver_ud:available() end
-
--- Writes a single byte
----@param value integer -- byte to write
----@return uint32_t_ud -- 1 if success else 0
-function AP_HAL__UARTDriver_ud:write(value) end
-
--- Read a single byte from the serial port
----@return integer -- byte, -1 if not available
-function AP_HAL__UARTDriver_ud:read() end
-
--- Start serial port with given baud rate
----@param baud_rate uint32_t_ud|integer|number
-function AP_HAL__UARTDriver_ud:begin(baud_rate) end
-
---[[
-  read count bytes from a uart and return as a lua string. Note
-  that the returned string can be shorter than the requested length
---]]
----@param count integer
----@return string|nil
-function AP_HAL__UARTDriver_ud:readstring(count) end
+function AP_Scripting_SerialAccess_ud:set_flow_control(flow_control_setting) end
 
 
 -- desc
@@ -2106,11 +2104,12 @@ function baro:healthy(instance) end
 -- Serial ports
 serial = {}
 
--- Returns the UART instance that allows connections from scripts (those with SERIALx_PROTOCOL = 28).
--- For instance = 0, returns first such UART, second for instance = 1, and so on.
--- If such an instance is not found, returns nil.
----@param instance integer -- the 0-based index of the UART instance to return.
----@return AP_HAL__UARTDriver_ud|nil -- the requested UART instance available for scripting, or nil if none.
+-- Returns a serial access object that allows a script to interface with a
+-- device over a port set to protocol 28 (Scripting) (e.g. SERIALx_PROTOCOL).
+-- Instance 0 is the first such port, instance 1 the second, and so on. If the
+-- requested instance is not found, returns nil.
+---@param instance integer -- 0-based index of the Scripting port to access
+---@return AP_Scripting_SerialAccess_ud|nil -- access object for that instance, or nil if not found
 function serial:find_serial(instance) end
 
 
diff --git a/libraries/AP_Scripting/generator/description/bindings.desc b/libraries/AP_Scripting/generator/description/bindings.desc
index a0c8bb7fadd..94512c411be 100644
--- a/libraries/AP_Scripting/generator/description/bindings.desc
+++ b/libraries/AP_Scripting/generator/description/bindings.desc
@@ -392,18 +392,19 @@ singleton RC_Channels method lua_rc_channel RC_Channel uint8_t 1 NUM_RC_CHANNELS
 singleton RC_Channels method lua_rc_channel rename get_channel
 singleton RC_Channels method get_aux_cached boolean RC_Channel::AUX_FUNC'enum 0 UINT16_MAX uint8_t'Null
 
-include AP_SerialManager/AP_SerialManager.h
+include AP_Scripting/AP_Scripting_SerialAccess.h
+-- don't let user create access objects
+userdata AP_Scripting_SerialAccess creation null -1
+userdata AP_Scripting_SerialAccess method begin void uint32_t 1U UINT32_MAX
+userdata AP_Scripting_SerialAccess method write uint32_t uint8_t'skip_check
+userdata AP_Scripting_SerialAccess method read int16_t
+userdata AP_Scripting_SerialAccess manual readstring AP_Scripting_SerialAccess_readstring 1 1
+userdata AP_Scripting_SerialAccess method available uint32_t
+userdata AP_Scripting_SerialAccess method set_flow_control void AP_HAL::UARTDriver::flow_control'enum AP_HAL::UARTDriver::FLOW_CONTROL_DISABLE AP_HAL::UARTDriver::FLOW_CONTROL_RTS_DE
 
-ap_object AP_HAL::UARTDriver method begin void uint32_t 1U UINT32_MAX
-ap_object AP_HAL::UARTDriver method read int16_t
-ap_object AP_HAL::UARTDriver manual readstring AP_HAL__UARTDriver_readstring 1 1
-ap_object AP_HAL::UARTDriver method write uint32_t uint8_t'skip_check
-ap_object AP_HAL::UARTDriver method available uint32_t
-ap_object AP_HAL::UARTDriver method set_flow_control void AP_HAL::UARTDriver::flow_control'enum AP_HAL::UARTDriver::FLOW_CONTROL_DISABLE AP_HAL::UARTDriver::FLOW_CONTROL_RTS_DE
-
-singleton AP_SerialManager rename serial
-singleton AP_SerialManager depends HAL_GCS_ENABLED
-singleton AP_SerialManager method find_serial AP_HAL::UARTDriver AP_SerialManager::SerialProtocol_Scripting'literal uint8_t'skip_check
+-- serial is not a real C++ type here, but its name never gets used in C++ as we only have manual methods
+singleton serial depends HAL_GCS_ENABLED
+singleton serial manual find_serial lua_serial_find_serial 1 1
 
 include AP_Baro/AP_Baro.h
 singleton AP_Baro depends (!defined(HAL_BUILD_AP_PERIPH) || defined(HAL_PERIPH_ENABLE_BARO))
diff --git a/libraries/AP_Scripting/lua_bindings.cpp b/libraries/AP_Scripting/lua_bindings.cpp
index bc0907ef12d..5cde2d0ba4f 100644
--- a/libraries/AP_Scripting/lua_bindings.cpp
+++ b/libraries/AP_Scripting/lua_bindings.cpp
@@ -655,10 +655,10 @@ int AP_HAL__I2CDevice_read_registers(lua_State *L) {
     return success;
 }
 
-int AP_HAL__UARTDriver_readstring(lua_State *L) {
+int AP_Scripting_SerialAccess_readstring(lua_State *L) {
     binding_argcheck(L, 2);
 
-    AP_HAL::UARTDriver * ud = *check_AP_HAL__UARTDriver(L, 1);
+    AP_Scripting_SerialAccess * p = check_AP_Scripting_SerialAccess(L, 1);
 
     const uint16_t count = get_uint16_t(L, 2);
     uint8_t *data = (uint8_t*)malloc(count);
@@ -666,7 +666,7 @@ int AP_HAL__UARTDriver_readstring(lua_State *L) {
         return 0;
     }
 
-    const auto ret = ud->read(data, count);
+    const auto ret = p->read(data, count);
     if (ret < 0) {
         free(data);
         return 0;
@@ -743,6 +743,30 @@ int lua_get_CAN_device2(lua_State *L) {
 }
 #endif // AP_SCRIPTING_CAN_SENSOR_ENABLED
 
+#if HAL_GCS_ENABLED
+int lua_serial_find_serial(lua_State *L) {
+    // Allow : and . access
+    const int arg_offset = (luaL_testudata(L, 1, "serial") != NULL) ? 1 : 0;
+
+    binding_argcheck(L, 1 + arg_offset);
+
+    uint8_t instance = get_uint8_t(L, 1 + arg_offset);
+
+    AP_SerialManager *mgr = &AP::serialmanager();
+    AP_HAL::UARTDriver *driver_stream = mgr->find_serial(
+        AP_SerialManager::SerialProtocol_Scripting, instance);
+
+    if (driver_stream == nullptr) { // not found
+        return 0;
+    }
+
+    new_AP_Scripting_SerialAccess(L);
+    check_AP_Scripting_SerialAccess(L, -1)->stream = driver_stream;
+
+    return 1;
+}
+#endif // HAL_GCS_ENABLED
+
 /*
   directory listing, return table of files in a directory
  */
diff --git a/libraries/AP_Scripting/lua_bindings.h b/libraries/AP_Scripting/lua_bindings.h
index add40faa0a7..1f3d269ed4f 100644
--- a/libraries/AP_Scripting/lua_bindings.h
+++ b/libraries/AP_Scripting/lua_bindings.h
@@ -8,9 +8,10 @@ int lua_mission_receive(lua_State *L);
 int AP_Logger_Write(lua_State *L);
 int lua_get_i2c_device(lua_State *L);
 int AP_HAL__I2CDevice_read_registers(lua_State *L);
-int AP_HAL__UARTDriver_readstring(lua_State *L);
+int AP_Scripting_SerialAccess_readstring(lua_State *L);
 int lua_get_CAN_device(lua_State *L);
 int lua_get_CAN_device2(lua_State *L);
+int lua_serial_find_serial(lua_State *L);
 int lua_dirlist(lua_State *L);
 int lua_removefile(lua_State *L);
 int SRV_Channels_get_safety_state(lua_State *L);