diff --git a/lib/std/Build.zig b/lib/std/Build.zig
index 9d8c7455a3..12b6baae73 100644
--- a/lib/std/Build.zig
+++ b/lib/std/Build.zig
@@ -719,7 +719,7 @@ pub const ExecutableOptions = struct {
 pub fn addExecutable(b: *Build, options: ExecutableOptions) *Step.Compile {
     return Step.Compile.create(b, .{
         .name = options.name,
-        .root_module = .{
+        .root_module = b.createModule(.{
             .root_source_file = options.root_source_file,
             .target = options.target,
             .optimize = options.optimize,
@@ -732,7 +732,7 @@ pub fn addExecutable(b: *Build, options: ExecutableOptions) *Step.Compile {
             .sanitize_thread = options.sanitize_thread,
             .error_tracing = options.error_tracing,
             .code_model = options.code_model,
-        },
+        }),
         .version = options.version,
         .kind = .exe,
         .linkage = options.linkage,
@@ -769,7 +769,7 @@ pub const ObjectOptions = struct {
 pub fn addObject(b: *Build, options: ObjectOptions) *Step.Compile {
     return Step.Compile.create(b, .{
         .name = options.name,
-        .root_module = .{
+        .root_module = b.createModule(.{
             .root_source_file = options.root_source_file,
             .target = options.target,
             .optimize = options.optimize,
@@ -782,7 +782,7 @@ pub fn addObject(b: *Build, options: ObjectOptions) *Step.Compile {
             .sanitize_thread = options.sanitize_thread,
             .error_tracing = options.error_tracing,
             .code_model = options.code_model,
-        },
+        }),
         .kind = .obj,
         .max_rss = options.max_rss,
         .use_llvm = options.use_llvm,
@@ -823,7 +823,7 @@ pub const SharedLibraryOptions = struct {
 pub fn addSharedLibrary(b: *Build, options: SharedLibraryOptions) *Step.Compile {
     return Step.Compile.create(b, .{
         .name = options.name,
-        .root_module = .{
+        .root_module = b.createModule(.{
             .target = options.target,
             .optimize = options.optimize,
             .root_source_file = options.root_source_file,
@@ -836,7 +836,7 @@ pub fn addSharedLibrary(b: *Build, options: SharedLibraryOptions) *Step.Compile
             .sanitize_thread = options.sanitize_thread,
             .error_tracing = options.error_tracing,
             .code_model = options.code_model,
-        },
+        }),
         .kind = .lib,
         .linkage = .dynamic,
         .version = options.version,
@@ -874,7 +874,7 @@ pub const StaticLibraryOptions = struct {
 pub fn addStaticLibrary(b: *Build, options: StaticLibraryOptions) *Step.Compile {
     return Step.Compile.create(b, .{
         .name = options.name,
-        .root_module = .{
+        .root_module = b.createModule(.{
             .target = options.target,
             .optimize = options.optimize,
             .root_source_file = options.root_source_file,
@@ -887,7 +887,7 @@ pub fn addStaticLibrary(b: *Build, options: StaticLibraryOptions) *Step.Compile
             .sanitize_thread = options.sanitize_thread,
             .error_tracing = options.error_tracing,
             .code_model = options.code_model,
-        },
+        }),
         .kind = .lib,
         .linkage = .static,
         .version = options.version,
@@ -935,7 +935,7 @@ pub fn addTest(b: *Build, options: TestOptions) *Step.Compile {
     return Step.Compile.create(b, .{
         .name = options.name,
         .kind = .@"test",
-        .root_module = .{
+        .root_module = b.createModule(.{
             .root_source_file = options.root_source_file,
             .target = options.target orelse b.graph.host,
             .optimize = options.optimize,
@@ -948,7 +948,7 @@ pub fn addTest(b: *Build, options: TestOptions) *Step.Compile {
             .omit_frame_pointer = options.omit_frame_pointer,
             .sanitize_thread = options.sanitize_thread,
             .error_tracing = options.error_tracing,
-        },
+        }),
         .max_rss = options.max_rss,
         .filters = if (options.filter != null and options.filters.len > 0) filters: {
             const filters = b.allocator.alloc([]const u8, 1 + options.filters.len) catch @panic("OOM");
@@ -978,10 +978,10 @@ pub fn addAssembly(b: *Build, options: AssemblyOptions) *Step.Compile {
     const obj_step = Step.Compile.create(b, .{
         .name = options.name,
         .kind = .obj,
-        .root_module = .{
+        .root_module = b.createModule(.{
             .target = options.target,
             .optimize = options.optimize,
-        },
+        }),
         .max_rss = options.max_rss,
         .zig_lib_dir = options.zig_lib_dir,
     });
diff --git a/lib/std/Build/Module.zig b/lib/std/Build/Module.zig
index cc7c5a65c0..629d90dd0f 100644
--- a/lib/std/Build/Module.zig
+++ b/lib/std/Build/Module.zig
@@ -242,45 +242,57 @@ pub const Import = struct {
     module: *Module,
 };
 
-pub fn init(m: *Module, owner: *std.Build, options: CreateOptions, compile: ?*Step.Compile) void {
+pub fn init(
+    m: *Module,
+    owner: *std.Build,
+    value: union(enum) { options: CreateOptions, existing: *const Module },
+    compile: ?*Step.Compile,
+) void {
     const allocator = owner.allocator;
 
-    m.* = .{
-        .owner = owner,
-        .depending_steps = .{},
-        .root_source_file = if (options.root_source_file) |lp| lp.dupe(owner) else null,
-        .import_table = .{},
-        .resolved_target = options.target,
-        .optimize = options.optimize,
-        .link_libc = options.link_libc,
-        .link_libcpp = options.link_libcpp,
-        .dwarf_format = options.dwarf_format,
-        .c_macros = .{},
-        .include_dirs = .{},
-        .lib_paths = .{},
-        .rpaths = .{},
-        .frameworks = .{},
-        .link_objects = .{},
-        .strip = options.strip,
-        .unwind_tables = options.unwind_tables,
-        .single_threaded = options.single_threaded,
-        .stack_protector = options.stack_protector,
-        .stack_check = options.stack_check,
-        .sanitize_c = options.sanitize_c,
-        .sanitize_thread = options.sanitize_thread,
-        .fuzz = options.fuzz,
-        .code_model = options.code_model,
-        .valgrind = options.valgrind,
-        .pic = options.pic,
-        .red_zone = options.red_zone,
-        .omit_frame_pointer = options.omit_frame_pointer,
-        .error_tracing = options.error_tracing,
-        .export_symbol_names = &.{},
-    };
+    switch (value) {
+        .options => |options| {
+            m.* = .{
+                .owner = owner,
+                .depending_steps = .{},
+                .root_source_file = if (options.root_source_file) |lp| lp.dupe(owner) else null,
+                .import_table = .{},
+                .resolved_target = options.target,
+                .optimize = options.optimize,
+                .link_libc = options.link_libc,
+                .link_libcpp = options.link_libcpp,
+                .dwarf_format = options.dwarf_format,
+                .c_macros = .{},
+                .include_dirs = .{},
+                .lib_paths = .{},
+                .rpaths = .{},
+                .frameworks = .{},
+                .link_objects = .{},
+                .strip = options.strip,
+                .unwind_tables = options.unwind_tables,
+                .single_threaded = options.single_threaded,
+                .stack_protector = options.stack_protector,
+                .stack_check = options.stack_check,
+                .sanitize_c = options.sanitize_c,
+                .sanitize_thread = options.sanitize_thread,
+                .fuzz = options.fuzz,
+                .code_model = options.code_model,
+                .valgrind = options.valgrind,
+                .pic = options.pic,
+                .red_zone = options.red_zone,
+                .omit_frame_pointer = options.omit_frame_pointer,
+                .error_tracing = options.error_tracing,
+                .export_symbol_names = &.{},
+            };
 
-    m.import_table.ensureUnusedCapacity(allocator, options.imports.len) catch @panic("OOM");
-    for (options.imports) |dep| {
-        m.import_table.putAssumeCapacity(dep.name, dep.module);
+            m.import_table.ensureUnusedCapacity(allocator, options.imports.len) catch @panic("OOM");
+            for (options.imports) |dep| {
+                m.import_table.putAssumeCapacity(dep.name, dep.module);
+            }
+        },
+        .existing => |existing| {
+            m.* = existing.*;
+        },
     }
 
     if (compile) |c| {
@@ -294,7 +306,7 @@ pub fn init(m: *Module, owner: *std.Build, options: CreateOptions, compile: ?*St
 
 pub fn create(owner: *std.Build, options: CreateOptions) *Module {
     const m = owner.allocator.create(Module) catch @panic("OOM");
-    m.init(owner, options, null);
+    m.init(owner, .{ .options = options }, null);
     return m;
 }
 
diff --git a/lib/std/Build/Step/Compile.zig b/lib/std/Build/Step/Compile.zig
index cdb0ddeb0c..f34ce7785b 100644
--- a/lib/std/Build/Step/Compile.zig
+++ b/lib/std/Build/Step/Compile.zig
@@ -262,7 +262,7 @@ pub const Entry = union(enum) {
 
 pub const Options = struct {
     name: []const u8,
-    root_module: Module.CreateOptions,
+    root_module: *Module,
     kind: Kind,
     linkage: ?std.builtin.LinkMode = null,
     version: ?std.SemanticVersion = null,
@@ -359,7 +359,8 @@ pub fn create(owner: *std.Build, options: Options) *Compile {
     else
         owner.fmt("{s} ", .{name});
 
-    const resolved_target = options.root_module.target.?;
+    const resolved_target = options.root_module.resolved_target orelse
+        @panic("the root Module of a Compile step must be created with a known 'target' field");
     const target = resolved_target.result;
 
     const step_name = owner.fmt("{s} {s}{s} {s}", .{
@@ -431,10 +432,8 @@ pub fn create(owner: *std.Build, options: Options) *Compile {
 
         .zig_process = null,
     };
-
-    const root_module = owner.allocator.create(Module) catch @panic("OOM");
-    root_module.init(owner, options.root_module, compile);
-    compile.root_module = root_module;
+    options.root_module.init(owner, .{ .existing = options.root_module }, compile);
+    compile.root_module = options.root_module;
 
     if (options.zig_lib_dir) |lp| {
         compile.zig_lib_dir = lp.dupe(compile.step.owner);
diff --git a/test/link/link.zig b/test/link/link.zig
index 4537846353..6885aa9321 100644
--- a/test/link/link.zig
+++ b/test/link/link.zig
@@ -70,7 +70,7 @@ fn addCompileStep(
 ) *Compile {
     const compile_step = Compile.create(b, .{
         .name = overlay.name,
-        .root_module = .{
+        .root_module = b.createModule(.{
             .target = base.target,
             .optimize = base.optimize,
             .root_source_file = rsf: {
@@ -80,7 +80,7 @@ fn addCompileStep(
             },
             .pic = overlay.pic,
             .strip = if (base.strip) |s| s else overlay.strip,
-        },
+        }),
         .use_llvm = base.use_llvm,
         .use_lld = base.use_lld,
         .kind = switch (kind) {