diff --git a/qubesadmin/events/__init__.py b/qubesadmin/events/__init__.py
index 2f0487f..a10f16f 100644
--- a/qubesadmin/events/__init__.py
+++ b/qubesadmin/events/__init__.py
@@ -202,6 +202,15 @@ class EventsDispatcher(object):
             if event in ['domain-add', 'domain-delete']:
                 self.app.domains.clear_cache()
             subject = None
+        # deserialize known attributes
+        if event.startswith('device-') and 'device' in kwargs:
+            try:
+                devclass = event.split(':', 1)[1]
+                backend_domain, ident = kwargs['device'].split(':', 1)
+                kwargs['device'] = self.app.domains.get_blind(backend_domain)\
+                    .devices[devclass][ident]
+            except (KeyError, ValueError):
+                pass
         handlers = [h_func for h_name, h_func_set in self.handlers.items()
             for h_func in h_func_set
             if fnmatch.fnmatch(event, h_name)]
diff --git a/qubesadmin/tests/events.py b/qubesadmin/tests/events.py
index e2f43e7..54984bb 100644
--- a/qubesadmin/tests/events.py
+++ b/qubesadmin/tests/events.py
@@ -253,3 +253,13 @@ class TC_00_Events(qubesadmin.tests.QubesTestCase):
             unittest.mock.call().kill.assert_called_once_with()
 
         loop.close()
+
+    def test_030_events_device(self):
+        handler = unittest.mock.Mock()
+        self.dispatcher.add_handler('device-attach:test', handler)
+        self.dispatcher.handle('test-vm', 'device-attach:test',
+            device='test-vm2:dev', options='{}')
+        vm = self.app.domains.get_blind('test-vm')
+        dev = self.app.domains.get_blind('test-vm2').devices['test']['dev']
+        handler.assert_called_once_with(vm, 'device-attach:test', device=dev,
+            options='{}')