diff --git a/Cargo.lock b/Cargo.lock
index c78dab1..26aa90b 100644
--- a/Cargo.lock
+++ b/Cargo.lock
@@ -1568,11 +1568,9 @@ dependencies = [
 name = "wac-loader"
 version = "0.1.0"
 dependencies = [
- "anyhow",
  "indexmap",
  "wac-graph",
  "wac-parser",
- "wasmparser 0.261.0",
  "wat",
  "wit-bindgen",
 ]
diff --git a/Cargo.toml b/Cargo.toml
index dd4f573..6e3da71 100644
--- a/Cargo.toml
+++ b/Cargo.toml
@@ -22,6 +22,14 @@ wit-bindgen = "0.62.0"
 wit-component = "0.261.0"
 wit-parser = "0.261.0"
 
+# release builds are only published as components, smaller beats faster. "s" over "z" keeps the
+# parsers in wac-loader and wit-tools fast.
+[profile.release]
+opt-level = "s"
+lto = true
+codegen-units = 1
+strip = "debuginfo"
+
 # wasmtime compiles components in the native tests, an unoptimized cranelift is very slow. These
 # crates are only built for the host, the components are unaffected.
 [profile.dev.package.cranelift-codegen]
diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index e3e6890..96847fc 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -24,13 +24,21 @@ relpath = $(if $(filter $(CURDIR),$(abspath $(1))),.,$(patsubst $(CURDIR)/%,%,$(
 all: tools wit components test
 
 .PHONY: clean
-clean: clean-wit
+clean: clean-components clean-wit 
+	@:
+
+.PHONY: clean-all
+clean-all: clean-components clean-tools clean-wit
 	cargo clean
 
 .PHONY: clean-components
 clean-components: clean-wit
 	rm -rf ${COMPONENTS_DIR}
 
+.PHONY: clean-tools
+clean-tools:
+	rm -rf ${TOOLS_DIR}
+
 .PHONY: clean-wit ## Remove the fetched wit dependencies, fetched again by `make wit`
 clean-wit:
 	rm -rf $(WIT_DEPS)
diff --git a/components/wac-loader/Cargo.toml b/components/wac-loader/Cargo.toml
index 6e18402..7879738 100644
--- a/components/wac-loader/Cargo.toml
+++ b/components/wac-loader/Cargo.toml
@@ -8,11 +8,9 @@ license = "Apache-2.0"
 crate-type = ["cdylib"]
 
 [dependencies]
-anyhow = { workspace = true }
 indexmap = { workspace = true }
 wac-graph = { workspace = true }
 wac-parser = { workspace = true }
-wasmparser = { workspace = true }
 wit-bindgen = { workspace = true }
 
 [dev-dependencies]
diff --git a/components/wac-loader/src/lib.rs b/components/wac-loader/src/lib.rs
index b1e3735..c750b5e 100644
--- a/components/wac-loader/src/lib.rs
+++ b/components/wac-loader/src/lib.rs
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 use indexmap::IndexMap;
 use wac_graph::{
     CompositionGraph, EncodeOptions,
-    types::{BorrowedPackageKey, Package},
+    types::{BorrowedPackageKey, Package, Types},
 };
 use wac_parser::Document;
 
@@ -17,19 +17,13 @@ impl Guest for WacLoader {
     async fn plug(socket: Wasm, plugs: Vec<Wasm>) -> Result<Wasm, ErrorCode> {
         let mut graph = CompositionGraph::new();
 
-        let socket = Package::from_bytes(
-            "socket",
-            None,
-            component("socket", socket)?,
-            graph.types_mut(),
-        )?;
+        let socket = package("socket", socket, graph.types_mut())?;
         let socket = graph.register_package(socket)?;
 
         let mut graph_plugs = Vec::new();
         for (i, plug) in plugs.into_iter().enumerate() {
             let name = format!("plug:{i}");
-            let plug = component(&name, plug)?;
-            let plug = Package::from_bytes(&name, None, plug, graph.types_mut())?;
+            let plug = package(&name, plug, graph.types_mut())?;
             let plug = graph.register_package(plug)?;
             graph_plugs.push(plug);
         }
@@ -46,11 +40,15 @@ impl Guest for WacLoader {
             Plan::Wac(script) => {
                 let document = Document::parse(&script)?;
 
+                // the resolution only parses the packages the script uses, each dependency is
+                // parsed up front so a malformed one is reported even when it is unused
+                let mut types = Types::default();
                 let (names, components): (Vec<String>, Vec<Wasm>) = deps.into_iter().unzip();
                 let mut dependencies = IndexMap::new();
                 for (pkg, wasm) in names.iter().zip(components) {
                     let key = BorrowedPackageKey::from_name_and_version(pkg, None);
-                    dependencies.insert(key, component(pkg, wasm)?);
+                    let package = package(pkg, wasm, &mut types)?;
+                    dependencies.insert(key, package.bytes().to_vec());
                 }
                 let resolution = document.resolve(dependencies)?;
                 let component = resolution.encode(EncodeOptions::default())?;
@@ -61,27 +59,22 @@ impl Guest for WacLoader {
     }
 }
 
-/// The wasm when it is a valid component, otherwise a `not-component` or `malformed` error naming
-/// it.
-fn component(name: &str, wasm: Wasm) -> Result<Wasm, ErrorCode> {
-    if !wasmparser::Parser::is_component(&wasm) {
-        return Err(ErrorCode::NotComponent(Some(name.to_string())));
-    }
-    wasmparser::Validator::new_with_features(wasmparser::WasmFeatures::all())
-        .validate_all(&wasm)
-        .map_err(|error| {
-            ErrorCode::Malformed(Malformed {
-                name: Some(name.to_string()),
-                message: error.to_string(),
-            })
-        })?;
-    Ok(wasm)
-}
+/// The header of a binary-encoded component, the wasm magic number followed by the component
+/// version and layer.
+const COMPONENT_HEADER: [u8; 8] = *b"\0asm\x0d\x00\x01\x00";
 
-impl From<anyhow::Error> for ErrorCode {
-    fn from(err: anyhow::Error) -> Self {
-        Self::Other(Some(err.to_string()))
+/// Parses and validates the wasm as a package, otherwise a `not-component` or `malformed` error
+/// naming it.
+fn package(name: &str, wasm: Wasm, types: &mut Types) -> Result<Package, ErrorCode> {
+    if !wasm.starts_with(&COMPONENT_HEADER) {
+        return Err(ErrorCode::NotComponent(Some(name.to_string())));
     }
+    Package::from_bytes(name, None, wasm, types).map_err(|error| {
+        ErrorCode::Malformed(Malformed {
+            name: Some(name.to_string()),
+            message: format!("{error:#}"),
+        })
+    })
 }
 
 impl From<wac_graph::EncodeError> for ErrorCode {
diff --git a/components/wac-loader/src/tests.rs b/components/wac-loader/src/tests.rs
index f04311d..5d223e5 100644
--- a/components/wac-loader/src/tests.rs
+++ b/components/wac-loader/src/tests.rs
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ use std::{
 };
 
 use crate::{
-    WacLoader,
+    COMPONENT_HEADER, WacLoader,
     componentized::component::types::{ErrorCode, Malformed},
     exports::componentized::component::wac_loader::{Guest, Plan},
 };
@@ -73,7 +73,7 @@ fn compose_components() {
     ))
     .expect("composes");
 
-    assert!(wasmparser::Parser::is_component(&composed));
+    assert!(composed.starts_with(&COMPONENT_HEADER));
 }
 
 /// A component header followed by an invalid section.