diff --git a/src/Autodoc.zig b/src/Autodoc.zig
index 47dd4a28f7..3cf3fff4c0 100644
--- a/src/Autodoc.zig
+++ b/src/Autodoc.zig
@@ -860,17 +860,9 @@ fn walkInstruction(
             const str_tok = data[inst_index].str_tok;
             var path = str_tok.get(file.zir);
 
-            const maybe_other_package: ?*Package = blk: {
-                if (self.module.main_pkg_is_std and std.mem.eql(u8, path, "std")) {
-                    path = "std";
-                    break :blk self.module.main_pkg;
-                } else {
-                    break :blk file.pkg.table.get(path);
-                }
-            };
             // importFile cannot error out since all files
             // are already loaded at this point
-            if (maybe_other_package) |other_package| {
+            if (file.pkg.table.get(path)) |other_package| {
                 const result = try self.packages.getOrPut(self.arena, other_package);
 
                 // Immediately add this package to the import table of our
diff --git a/src/Compilation.zig b/src/Compilation.zig
index ebc0e9b563..9b054fbe62 100644
--- a/src/Compilation.zig
+++ b/src/Compilation.zig
@@ -1596,36 +1596,53 @@ pub fn create(gpa: Allocator, options: InitOptions) !*Compilation {
 
             const builtin_pkg = try Package.createWithDir(
                 gpa,
-                "builtin",
                 zig_cache_artifact_directory,
                 null,
                 "builtin.zig",
             );
             errdefer builtin_pkg.destroy(gpa);
 
-            const std_pkg = try Package.createWithDir(
-                gpa,
-                "std",
-                options.zig_lib_directory,
-                "std",
-                "std.zig",
-            );
-            errdefer std_pkg.destroy(gpa);
+            // When you're testing std, the main module is std. In that case, we'll just set the std
+            // module to the main one, since avoiding the errors caused by duplicating it is more
+            // effort than it's worth.
+            const main_pkg_is_std = m: {
+                const std_path = try std.fs.path.resolve(arena, &[_][]const u8{
+                    options.zig_lib_directory.path orelse ".",
+                    "std",
+                    "std.zig",
+                });
+                defer arena.free(std_path);
+                const main_path = try std.fs.path.resolve(arena, &[_][]const u8{
+                    main_pkg.root_src_directory.path orelse ".",
+                    main_pkg.root_src_path,
+                });
+                defer arena.free(main_path);
+                break :m mem.eql(u8, main_path, std_path);
+            };
+
+            const std_pkg = if (main_pkg_is_std)
+                main_pkg
+            else
+                try Package.createWithDir(
+                    gpa,
+                    options.zig_lib_directory,
+                    "std",
+                    "std.zig",
+                );
+
+            errdefer if (!main_pkg_is_std) std_pkg.destroy(gpa);
 
             const root_pkg = if (options.is_test) root_pkg: {
-                // TODO: we currently have two packages named 'root' here, which is weird. This
-                // should be changed as part of the resolution of #12201
                 const test_pkg = if (options.test_runner_path) |test_runner| test_pkg: {
                     const test_dir = std.fs.path.dirname(test_runner);
                     const basename = std.fs.path.basename(test_runner);
-                    const pkg = try Package.create(gpa, "root", test_dir, basename);
+                    const pkg = try Package.create(gpa, test_dir, basename);
 
                     // copy package table from main_pkg to root_pkg
                     pkg.table = try main_pkg.table.clone(gpa);
                     break :test_pkg pkg;
                 } else try Package.createWithDir(
                     gpa,
-                    "root",
                     options.zig_lib_directory,
                     null,
                     "test_runner.zig",
@@ -1639,7 +1656,6 @@ pub fn create(gpa: Allocator, options: InitOptions) !*Compilation {
             const compiler_rt_pkg = if (include_compiler_rt and options.output_mode == .Obj) compiler_rt_pkg: {
                 break :compiler_rt_pkg try Package.createWithDir(
                     gpa,
-                    "compiler_rt",
                     options.zig_lib_directory,
                     null,
                     "compiler_rt.zig",
@@ -1647,28 +1663,14 @@ pub fn create(gpa: Allocator, options: InitOptions) !*Compilation {
             } else null;
             errdefer if (compiler_rt_pkg) |p| p.destroy(gpa);
 
-            try main_pkg.addAndAdopt(gpa, builtin_pkg);
-            try main_pkg.add(gpa, root_pkg);
-            try main_pkg.addAndAdopt(gpa, std_pkg);
+            try main_pkg.add(gpa, "builtin", builtin_pkg);
+            try main_pkg.add(gpa, "root", root_pkg);
+            try main_pkg.add(gpa, "std", std_pkg);
 
             if (compiler_rt_pkg) |p| {
-                try main_pkg.addAndAdopt(gpa, p);
+                try main_pkg.add(gpa, "compiler_rt", p);
             }
 
-            const main_pkg_is_std = m: {
-                const std_path = try std.fs.path.resolve(arena, &[_][]const u8{
-                    std_pkg.root_src_directory.path orelse ".",
-                    std_pkg.root_src_path,
-                });
-                defer arena.free(std_path);
-                const main_path = try std.fs.path.resolve(arena, &[_][]const u8{
-                    main_pkg.root_src_directory.path orelse ".",
-                    main_pkg.root_src_path,
-                });
-                defer arena.free(main_path);
-                break :m mem.eql(u8, main_path, std_path);
-            };
-
             // Pre-open the directory handles for cached ZIR code so that it does not need
             // to redundantly happen for each AstGen operation.
             const zir_sub_dir = "z";
@@ -1705,7 +1707,6 @@ pub fn create(gpa: Allocator, options: InitOptions) !*Compilation {
                 .gpa = gpa,
                 .comp = comp,
                 .main_pkg = main_pkg,
-                .main_pkg_is_std = main_pkg_is_std,
                 .root_pkg = root_pkg,
                 .zig_cache_artifact_directory = zig_cache_artifact_directory,
                 .global_zir_cache = global_zir_cache,
@@ -3107,18 +3108,26 @@ pub fn performAllTheWork(
                 for (notes, 0..) |*note, i| {
                     errdefer for (notes[0..i]) |*n| n.deinit(mod.gpa);
                     note.* = switch (file.references.items[i]) {
-                        .import => |loc| try Module.ErrorMsg.init(
-                            mod.gpa,
-                            loc,
-                            "imported from package {s}",
-                            .{loc.file_scope.pkg.name},
-                        ),
-                        .root => |pkg| try Module.ErrorMsg.init(
-                            mod.gpa,
-                            .{ .file_scope = file, .parent_decl_node = 0, .lazy = .entire_file },
-                            "root of package {s}",
-                            .{pkg.name},
-                        ),
+                        .import => |loc| blk: {
+                            const name = try loc.file_scope.pkg.getName(mod.gpa, mod.*);
+                            defer mod.gpa.free(name);
+                            break :blk try Module.ErrorMsg.init(
+                                mod.gpa,
+                                loc,
+                                "imported from package {s}",
+                                .{name},
+                            );
+                        },
+                        .root => |pkg| blk: {
+                            const name = try pkg.getName(mod.gpa, mod.*);
+                            defer mod.gpa.free(name);
+                            break :blk try Module.ErrorMsg.init(
+                                mod.gpa,
+                                .{ .file_scope = file, .parent_decl_node = 0, .lazy = .entire_file },
+                                "root of package {s}",
+                                .{name},
+                            );
+                        },
                     };
                 }
                 errdefer for (notes) |*n| n.deinit(mod.gpa);
@@ -5408,7 +5417,6 @@ fn buildOutputFromZig(
     var main_pkg: Package = .{
         .root_src_directory = comp.zig_lib_directory,
         .root_src_path = src_basename,
-        .name = "root",
     };
     defer main_pkg.deinitTable(comp.gpa);
     const root_name = src_basename[0 .. src_basename.len - std.fs.path.extension(src_basename).len];
diff --git a/src/Module.zig b/src/Module.zig
index 76777532ab..2afe3f5df1 100644
--- a/src/Module.zig
+++ b/src/Module.zig
@@ -144,10 +144,6 @@ stage1_flags: packed struct {
 } = .{},
 
 job_queued_update_builtin_zig: bool = true,
-/// This makes it so that we can run `zig test` on the standard library.
-/// Otherwise, the logic for scanning test decls skips all of them because
-/// `main_pkg != std_pkg`.
-main_pkg_is_std: bool,
 
 compile_log_text: ArrayListUnmanaged(u8) = .{},
 
@@ -2113,7 +2109,27 @@ pub const File = struct {
 
     /// Add a reference to this file during AstGen.
     pub fn addReference(file: *File, mod: Module, ref: Reference) !void {
-        try file.references.append(mod.gpa, ref);
+        // Don't add the same module root twice. Note that since we always add module roots at the
+        // front of the references array (see below), this loop is actually O(1) on valid code.
+        if (ref == .root) {
+            for (file.references.items) |other| {
+                switch (other) {
+                    .root => |r| if (ref.root == r) return,
+                    else => break, // reached the end of the "is-root" references
+                }
+            }
+        }
+
+        switch (ref) {
+            // We put root references at the front of the list both to make the above loop fast and
+            // to make multi-module errors more helpful (since "root-of" notes are generally more
+            // informative than "imported-from" notes). This path is hit very rarely, so the speed
+            // of the insert operation doesn't matter too much.
+            .root => try file.references.insert(mod.gpa, 0, ref),
+
+            // Other references we'll just put at the end.
+            else => try file.references.append(mod.gpa, ref),
+        }
 
         const pkg = switch (ref) {
             .import => |loc| loc.file_scope.pkg,
@@ -3323,10 +3339,19 @@ pub fn deinit(mod: *Module) void {
     // The callsite of `Compilation.create` owns the `main_pkg`, however
     // Module owns the builtin and std packages that it adds.
     if (mod.main_pkg.table.fetchRemove("builtin")) |kv| {
+        gpa.free(kv.key);
         kv.value.destroy(gpa);
     }
     if (mod.main_pkg.table.fetchRemove("std")) |kv| {
-        kv.value.destroy(gpa);
+        gpa.free(kv.key);
+        // It's possible for main_pkg to be std when running 'zig test'! In this case, we must not
+        // destroy it, since it would lead to a double-free.
+        if (kv.value != mod.main_pkg) {
+            kv.value.destroy(gpa);
+        }
+    }
+    if (mod.main_pkg.table.fetchRemove("root")) |kv| {
+        gpa.free(kv.key);
     }
     if (mod.root_pkg != mod.main_pkg) {
         mod.root_pkg.destroy(gpa);
@@ -4808,11 +4833,14 @@ pub fn importPkg(mod: *Module, pkg: *Package) !ImportFileResult {
 
     const gop = try mod.import_table.getOrPut(gpa, resolved_path);
     errdefer _ = mod.import_table.pop();
-    if (gop.found_existing) return ImportFileResult{
-        .file = gop.value_ptr.*,
-        .is_new = false,
-        .is_pkg = true,
-    };
+    if (gop.found_existing) {
+        try gop.value_ptr.*.addReference(mod.*, .{ .root = pkg });
+        return ImportFileResult{
+            .file = gop.value_ptr.*,
+            .is_new = false,
+            .is_pkg = true,
+        };
+    }
 
     const sub_file_path = try gpa.dupe(u8, pkg.root_src_path);
     errdefer gpa.free(sub_file_path);
@@ -5208,22 +5236,14 @@ fn scanDecl(iter: *ScanDeclIter, decl_sub_index: usize, flags: u4) Allocator.Err
                 // test decl with no name. Skip the part where we check against
                 // the test name filter.
                 if (!comp.bin_file.options.is_test) break :blk false;
-                if (decl_pkg != mod.main_pkg) {
-                    if (!mod.main_pkg_is_std) break :blk false;
-                    const std_pkg = mod.main_pkg.table.get("std").?;
-                    if (std_pkg != decl_pkg) break :blk false;
-                }
+                if (decl_pkg != mod.main_pkg) break :blk false;
                 try mod.test_functions.put(gpa, new_decl_index, {});
                 break :blk true;
             },
             else => blk: {
                 if (!is_named_test) break :blk false;
                 if (!comp.bin_file.options.is_test) break :blk false;
-                if (decl_pkg != mod.main_pkg) {
-                    if (!mod.main_pkg_is_std) break :blk false;
-                    const std_pkg = mod.main_pkg.table.get("std").?;
-                    if (std_pkg != decl_pkg) break :blk false;
-                }
+                if (decl_pkg != mod.main_pkg) break :blk false;
                 if (comp.test_filter) |test_filter| {
                     if (mem.indexOf(u8, decl_name, test_filter) == null) {
                         break :blk false;
diff --git a/src/Package.zig b/src/Package.zig
index 5878e7bad6..68d67a6d62 100644
--- a/src/Package.zig
+++ b/src/Package.zig
@@ -22,17 +22,16 @@ pub const Table = std.StringHashMapUnmanaged(*Package);
 root_src_directory: Compilation.Directory,
 /// Relative to `root_src_directory`. May contain path separators.
 root_src_path: []const u8,
+/// The dependency table of this module. Shared dependencies such as 'std', 'builtin', and 'root'
+/// are not specified in every dependency table, but instead only in the table of `main_pkg`.
+/// `Module.importFile` is responsible for detecting these names and using the correct package.
 table: Table = .{},
-parent: ?*Package = null,
 /// Whether to free `root_src_directory` on `destroy`.
 root_src_directory_owned: bool = false,
-/// This information can be recovered from 'table', but it's more convenient to store on the package.
-name: []const u8,
 
 /// Allocate a Package. No references to the slices passed are kept.
 pub fn create(
     gpa: Allocator,
-    name: []const u8,
     /// Null indicates the current working directory
     root_src_dir_path: ?[]const u8,
     /// Relative to root_src_dir_path
@@ -47,9 +46,6 @@ pub fn create(
     const owned_src_path = try gpa.dupe(u8, root_src_path);
     errdefer gpa.free(owned_src_path);
 
-    const owned_name = try gpa.dupe(u8, name);
-    errdefer gpa.free(owned_name);
-
     ptr.* = .{
         .root_src_directory = .{
             .path = owned_dir_path,
@@ -57,7 +53,6 @@ pub fn create(
         },
         .root_src_path = owned_src_path,
         .root_src_directory_owned = true,
-        .name = owned_name,
     };
 
     return ptr;
@@ -65,7 +60,6 @@ pub fn create(
 
 pub fn createWithDir(
     gpa: Allocator,
-    name: []const u8,
     directory: Compilation.Directory,
     /// Relative to `directory`. If null, means `directory` is the root src dir
     /// and is owned externally.
@@ -79,9 +73,6 @@ pub fn createWithDir(
     const owned_src_path = try gpa.dupe(u8, root_src_path);
     errdefer gpa.free(owned_src_path);
 
-    const owned_name = try gpa.dupe(u8, name);
-    errdefer gpa.free(owned_name);
-
     if (root_src_dir_path) |p| {
         const owned_dir_path = try directory.join(gpa, &[1][]const u8{p});
         errdefer gpa.free(owned_dir_path);
@@ -93,14 +84,12 @@ pub fn createWithDir(
             },
             .root_src_directory_owned = true,
             .root_src_path = owned_src_path,
-            .name = owned_name,
         };
     } else {
         ptr.* = .{
             .root_src_directory = directory,
             .root_src_directory_owned = false,
             .root_src_path = owned_src_path,
-            .name = owned_name,
         };
     }
     return ptr;
@@ -110,7 +99,6 @@ pub fn createWithDir(
 /// inside its table; the caller is responsible for calling destroy() on them.
 pub fn destroy(pkg: *Package, gpa: Allocator) void {
     gpa.free(pkg.root_src_path);
-    gpa.free(pkg.name);
 
     if (pkg.root_src_directory_owned) {
         // If root_src_directory.path is null then the handle is the cwd()
@@ -130,15 +118,97 @@ pub fn deinitTable(pkg: *Package, gpa: Allocator) void {
     pkg.table.deinit(gpa);
 }
 
-pub fn add(pkg: *Package, gpa: Allocator, package: *Package) !void {
+pub fn add(pkg: *Package, gpa: Allocator, name: []const u8, package: *Package) !void {
     try pkg.table.ensureUnusedCapacity(gpa, 1);
-    pkg.table.putAssumeCapacityNoClobber(package.name, package);
+    const name_dupe = try gpa.dupe(u8, name);
+    pkg.table.putAssumeCapacityNoClobber(name_dupe, package);
 }
 
-pub fn addAndAdopt(parent: *Package, gpa: Allocator, child: *Package) !void {
-    assert(child.parent == null); // make up your mind, who is the parent??
-    child.parent = parent;
-    return parent.add(gpa, child);
+/// Compute a readable name for the package. The returned name should be freed from gpa. This
+/// function is very slow, as it traverses the whole package hierarchy to find a path to this
+/// package. It should only be used for error output.
+pub fn getName(target: *const Package, gpa: Allocator, mod: Module) ![]const u8 {
+    // we'll do a breadth-first search from the root module to try and find a short name for this
+    // module, using a TailQueue of module/parent pairs. note that the "parent" there is just the
+    // first-found shortest path - a module may be children of arbitrarily many other modules.
+    // also, this path may vary between executions due to hashmap iteration order, but that doesn't
+    // matter too much.
+    var node_arena = std.heap.ArenaAllocator.init(gpa);
+    defer node_arena.deinit();
+    const Parented = struct {
+        parent: ?*const @This(),
+        mod: *const Package,
+    };
+    const Queue = std.TailQueue(Parented);
+    var to_check: Queue = .{};
+
+    {
+        const new = try node_arena.allocator().create(Queue.Node);
+        new.* = .{ .data = .{ .parent = null, .mod = mod.root_pkg } };
+        to_check.prepend(new);
+    }
+
+    if (mod.main_pkg != mod.root_pkg) {
+        const new = try node_arena.allocator().create(Queue.Node);
+        // TODO: once #12201 is resolved, we may want a way of indicating a different name for this
+        new.* = .{ .data = .{ .parent = null, .mod = mod.main_pkg } };
+        to_check.prepend(new);
+    }
+
+    // set of modules we've already checked to prevent loops
+    var checked = std.AutoHashMap(*const Package, void).init(gpa);
+    defer checked.deinit();
+
+    const linked = while (to_check.pop()) |node| {
+        const check = &node.data;
+
+        if (checked.contains(check.mod)) continue;
+        try checked.put(check.mod, {});
+
+        if (check.mod == target) break check;
+
+        var it = check.mod.table.iterator();
+        while (it.next()) |kv| {
+            var new = try node_arena.allocator().create(Queue.Node);
+            new.* = .{ .data = .{
+                .parent = check,
+                .mod = kv.value_ptr.*,
+            } };
+            to_check.prepend(new);
+        }
+    } else {
+        // this can happen for e.g. @cImport packages
+        return gpa.dupe(u8, "<unnamed>");
+    };
+
+    // we found a path to the module! unfortunately, we can only traverse *up* it, so we have to put
+    // all the names into a buffer so we can then print them in order.
+    var names = std.ArrayList([]const u8).init(gpa);
+    defer names.deinit();
+
+    var cur: *const Parented = linked;
+    while (cur.parent) |parent| : (cur = parent) {
+        // find cur's name in parent
+        var it = parent.mod.table.iterator();
+        const name = while (it.next()) |kv| {
+            if (kv.value_ptr.* == cur.mod) {
+                break kv.key_ptr.*;
+            }
+        } else unreachable;
+        try names.append(name);
+    }
+
+    // finally, print the names into a buffer!
+    var buf = std.ArrayList(u8).init(gpa);
+    defer buf.deinit();
+    try buf.writer().writeAll("root");
+    var i: usize = names.items.len;
+    while (i > 0) {
+        i -= 1;
+        try buf.writer().print(".{s}", .{names.items[i]});
+    }
+
+    return buf.toOwnedSlice();
 }
 
 pub const build_zig_basename = "build.zig";
@@ -236,7 +306,7 @@ pub fn fetchAndAddDependencies(
             color,
         );
 
-        try addAndAdopt(pkg, gpa, sub_pkg);
+        try add(pkg, gpa, fqn, sub_pkg);
 
         try dependencies_source.writer().print("    pub const {s} = @import(\"{}\");\n", .{
             std.zig.fmtId(fqn), std.zig.fmtEscapes(fqn),
@@ -248,7 +318,6 @@ pub fn fetchAndAddDependencies(
 
 pub fn createFilePkg(
     gpa: Allocator,
-    name: []const u8,
     cache_directory: Compilation.Directory,
     basename: []const u8,
     contents: []const u8,
@@ -269,7 +338,7 @@ pub fn createFilePkg(
     const o_dir_sub_path = "o" ++ fs.path.sep_str ++ hex_digest;
     try renameTmpIntoCache(cache_directory.handle, tmp_dir_sub_path, o_dir_sub_path);
 
-    return createWithDir(gpa, name, cache_directory, o_dir_sub_path, basename);
+    return createWithDir(gpa, cache_directory, o_dir_sub_path, basename);
 }
 
 const Report = struct {
@@ -363,9 +432,6 @@ fn fetchAndUnpack(
         const owned_src_path = try gpa.dupe(u8, build_zig_basename);
         errdefer gpa.free(owned_src_path);
 
-        const owned_name = try gpa.dupe(u8, fqn);
-        errdefer gpa.free(owned_name);
-
         const build_root = try global_cache_directory.join(gpa, &.{pkg_dir_sub_path});
         errdefer gpa.free(build_root);
 
@@ -380,7 +446,6 @@ fn fetchAndUnpack(
             },
             .root_src_directory_owned = true,
             .root_src_path = owned_src_path,
-            .name = owned_name,
         };
 
         return ptr;
@@ -455,7 +520,7 @@ fn fetchAndUnpack(
         std.zig.fmtId(fqn), std.zig.fmtEscapes(build_root),
     });
 
-    return createWithDir(gpa, fqn, global_cache_directory, pkg_dir_sub_path, build_zig_basename);
+    return createWithDir(gpa, global_cache_directory, pkg_dir_sub_path, build_zig_basename);
 }
 
 fn unpackTarball(
diff --git a/src/Sema.zig b/src/Sema.zig
index 41e5fdc20e..65f3587b3f 100644
--- a/src/Sema.zig
+++ b/src/Sema.zig
@@ -5311,7 +5311,6 @@ fn zirCImport(sema: *Sema, parent_block: *Block, inst: Zir.Inst.Index) CompileEr
     }
     const c_import_pkg = Package.create(
         sema.gpa,
-        "c_import", // TODO: should we make this unique?
         null,
         c_import_res.out_zig_path,
     ) catch |err| switch (err) {
@@ -11793,8 +11792,9 @@ fn zirImport(sema: *Sema, block: *Block, inst: Zir.Inst.Index) CompileError!Air.
             return sema.fail(block, operand_src, "import of file outside package path: '{s}'", .{operand});
         },
         error.PackageNotFound => {
-            const cur_pkg = block.getFileScope().pkg;
-            return sema.fail(block, operand_src, "no package named '{s}' available within package '{s}'", .{ operand, cur_pkg.name });
+            const name = try block.getFileScope().pkg.getName(sema.gpa, mod.*);
+            defer sema.gpa.free(name);
+            return sema.fail(block, operand_src, "no package named '{s}' available within package '{s}'", .{ operand, name });
         },
         else => {
             // TODO: these errors are file system errors; make sure an update() will
diff --git a/src/main.zig b/src/main.zig
index e42974944b..d544940779 100644
--- a/src/main.zig
+++ b/src/main.zig
@@ -403,8 +403,11 @@ const usage_build_generic =
     \\    ReleaseFast             Optimizations on, safety off
     \\    ReleaseSafe             Optimizations on, safety on
     \\    ReleaseSmall            Optimize for small binary, safety off
-    \\  --pkg-begin [name] [path] Make pkg available to import and push current pkg
-    \\  --pkg-end                 Pop current pkg
+    \\  --mod [name]:[deps]:[src] Make a module available for dependency under the given name
+    \\      deps: [dep],[dep],...
+    \\      dep:  [[import=]name]
+    \\  --deps [dep],[dep],...    Set dependency names for the root package
+    \\      dep:  [[import=]name]
     \\  --main-pkg-path           Set the directory of the root package
     \\  -fPIC                     Force-enable Position Independent Code
     \\  -fno-PIC                  Force-disable Position Independent Code
@@ -858,15 +861,21 @@ fn buildOutputType(
     var linker_export_symbol_names = std.ArrayList([]const u8).init(gpa);
     defer linker_export_symbol_names.deinit();
 
-    // This package only exists to clean up the code parsing --pkg-begin and
-    // --pkg-end flags. Use dummy values that are safe for the destroy call.
-    var pkg_tree_root: Package = .{
-        .root_src_directory = .{ .path = null, .handle = fs.cwd() },
-        .root_src_path = &[0]u8{},
-        .name = &[0]u8{},
-    };
-    defer freePkgTree(gpa, &pkg_tree_root, false);
-    var cur_pkg: *Package = &pkg_tree_root;
+    // Contains every module specified via --mod. The dependencies are added
+    // after argument parsing is completed. We use a StringArrayHashMap to make
+    // error output consistent.
+    var modules = std.StringArrayHashMap(struct {
+        mod: *Package,
+        deps_str: []const u8, // still in CLI arg format
+    }).init(gpa);
+    defer {
+        var it = modules.iterator();
+        while (it.next()) |kv| kv.value_ptr.mod.destroy(gpa);
+        modules.deinit();
+    }
+
+    // The dependency string for the root package
+    var root_deps_str: ?[]const u8 = null;
 
     // before arg parsing, check for the NO_COLOR environment variable
     // if it exists, default the color setting to .off
@@ -943,34 +952,44 @@ fn buildOutputType(
                         } else {
                             fatal("unexpected end-of-parameter mark: --", .{});
                         }
-                    } else if (mem.eql(u8, arg, "--pkg-begin")) {
-                        const opt_pkg_name = args_iter.next();
-                        const opt_pkg_path = args_iter.next();
-                        if (opt_pkg_name == null or opt_pkg_path == null)
-                            fatal("Expected 2 arguments after {s}", .{arg});
+                    } else if (mem.eql(u8, arg, "--mod")) {
+                        const info = args_iter.nextOrFatal();
+                        var info_it = mem.split(u8, info, ":");
+                        const mod_name = info_it.next() orelse fatal("expected non-empty argument after {s}", .{arg});
+                        const deps_str = info_it.next() orelse fatal("expected 'name:deps:path' after {s}", .{arg});
+                        const root_src_orig = info_it.rest();
+                        if (root_src_orig.len == 0) fatal("expected 'name:deps:path' after {s}", .{arg});
+                        if (mod_name.len == 0) fatal("empty name for module at '{s}'", .{root_src_orig});
 
-                        const pkg_name = opt_pkg_name.?;
-                        const pkg_path = try introspect.resolvePath(arena, opt_pkg_path.?);
+                        const root_src = try introspect.resolvePath(arena, root_src_orig);
 
-                        const new_cur_pkg = Package.create(
-                            gpa,
-                            pkg_name,
-                            fs.path.dirname(pkg_path),
-                            fs.path.basename(pkg_path),
-                        ) catch |err| {
-                            fatal("Failed to add package at path {s}: {s}", .{ pkg_path, @errorName(err) });
-                        };
-
-                        if (mem.eql(u8, pkg_name, "std") or mem.eql(u8, pkg_name, "root") or mem.eql(u8, pkg_name, "builtin")) {
-                            fatal("unable to add package '{s}' -> '{s}': conflicts with builtin package", .{ pkg_name, pkg_path });
-                        } else if (cur_pkg.table.get(pkg_name)) |prev| {
-                            fatal("unable to add package '{s}' -> '{s}': already exists as '{s}", .{ pkg_name, pkg_path, prev.root_src_path });
+                        for ([_][]const u8{ "std", "root", "builtin" }) |name| {
+                            if (mem.eql(u8, mod_name, name)) {
+                                fatal("unable to add module '{s}' -> '{s}': conflicts with builtin module", .{ mod_name, root_src });
+                            }
                         }
-                        try cur_pkg.addAndAdopt(gpa, new_cur_pkg);
-                        cur_pkg = new_cur_pkg;
-                    } else if (mem.eql(u8, arg, "--pkg-end")) {
-                        cur_pkg = cur_pkg.parent orelse
-                            fatal("encountered --pkg-end with no matching --pkg-begin", .{});
+
+                        var mod_it = modules.iterator();
+                        while (mod_it.next()) |kv| {
+                            if (std.mem.eql(u8, mod_name, kv.key_ptr.*)) {
+                                fatal("unable to add module '{s}' -> '{s}': already exists as '{s}'", .{ mod_name, root_src, kv.value_ptr.mod.root_src_path });
+                            }
+                        }
+
+                        try modules.ensureUnusedCapacity(1);
+                        modules.put(mod_name, .{
+                            .mod = try Package.create(
+                                gpa,
+                                fs.path.dirname(root_src),
+                                fs.path.basename(root_src),
+                            ),
+                            .deps_str = deps_str,
+                        }) catch unreachable;
+                    } else if (mem.eql(u8, arg, "--deps")) {
+                        if (root_deps_str != null) {
+                            fatal("only one --deps argument is allowed", .{});
+                        }
+                        root_deps_str = args_iter.nextOrFatal();
                     } else if (mem.eql(u8, arg, "--main-pkg-path")) {
                         main_pkg_path = args_iter.nextOrFatal();
                     } else if (mem.eql(u8, arg, "-cflags")) {
@@ -2307,6 +2326,31 @@ fn buildOutputType(
         },
     }
 
+    {
+        // Resolve module dependencies
+        var it = modules.iterator();
+        while (it.next()) |kv| {
+            const deps_str = kv.value_ptr.deps_str;
+            var deps_it = ModuleDepIterator.init(deps_str);
+            while (deps_it.next()) |dep| {
+                if (dep.expose.len == 0) {
+                    fatal("module '{s}' depends on '{s}' with a blank name", .{ kv.key_ptr.*, dep.name });
+                }
+
+                for ([_][]const u8{ "std", "root", "builtin" }) |name| {
+                    if (mem.eql(u8, dep.expose, name)) {
+                        fatal("unable to add module '{s}' under name '{s}': conflicts with builtin module", .{ dep.name, dep.expose });
+                    }
+                }
+
+                const dep_mod = modules.get(dep.name) orelse
+                    fatal("module '{s}' depends on module '{s}' which does not exist", .{ kv.key_ptr.*, dep.name });
+
+                try kv.value_ptr.mod.add(gpa, dep.expose, dep_mod.mod);
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
     if (arg_mode == .build and optimize_mode == .ReleaseSmall and strip == null)
         strip = true;
 
@@ -2886,14 +2930,14 @@ fn buildOutputType(
         if (main_pkg_path) |unresolved_main_pkg_path| {
             const p = try introspect.resolvePath(arena, unresolved_main_pkg_path);
             if (p.len == 0) {
-                break :blk try Package.create(gpa, "root", null, src_path);
+                break :blk try Package.create(gpa, null, src_path);
             } else {
                 const rel_src_path = try fs.path.relative(arena, p, src_path);
-                break :blk try Package.create(gpa, "root", p, rel_src_path);
+                break :blk try Package.create(gpa, p, rel_src_path);
             }
         } else {
             const root_src_dir_path = fs.path.dirname(src_path);
-            break :blk Package.create(gpa, "root", root_src_dir_path, fs.path.basename(src_path)) catch |err| {
+            break :blk Package.create(gpa, root_src_dir_path, fs.path.basename(src_path)) catch |err| {
                 if (root_src_dir_path) |p| {
                     fatal("unable to open '{s}': {s}", .{ p, @errorName(err) });
                 } else {
@@ -2904,23 +2948,24 @@ fn buildOutputType(
     } else null;
     defer if (main_pkg) |p| p.destroy(gpa);
 
-    // Transfer packages added with --pkg-begin/--pkg-end to the root package
-    if (main_pkg) |pkg| {
-        var it = pkg_tree_root.table.valueIterator();
-        while (it.next()) |p| {
-            if (p.*.parent == &pkg_tree_root) {
-                p.*.parent = pkg;
+    // Transfer packages added with --deps to the root package
+    if (main_pkg) |mod| {
+        var it = ModuleDepIterator.init(root_deps_str orelse "");
+        while (it.next()) |dep| {
+            if (dep.expose.len == 0) {
+                fatal("root module depends on '{s}' with a blank name", .{dep.name});
             }
-        }
-        pkg.table = pkg_tree_root.table;
-        pkg_tree_root.table = .{};
-    } else {
-        // Remove any dangling pointers just in case.
-        var it = pkg_tree_root.table.valueIterator();
-        while (it.next()) |p| {
-            if (p.*.parent == &pkg_tree_root) {
-                p.*.parent = null;
+
+            for ([_][]const u8{ "std", "root", "builtin" }) |name| {
+                if (mem.eql(u8, dep.expose, name)) {
+                    fatal("unable to add module '{s}' under name '{s}': conflicts with builtin module", .{ dep.name, dep.expose });
+                }
             }
+
+            const dep_mod = modules.get(dep.name) orelse
+                fatal("root module depends on module '{s}' which does not exist", .{dep.name});
+
+            try mod.add(gpa, dep.expose, dep_mod.mod);
         }
     }
 
@@ -3400,6 +3445,32 @@ fn buildOutputType(
     return cleanExit();
 }
 
+const ModuleDepIterator = struct {
+    split: mem.SplitIterator(u8),
+
+    fn init(deps_str: []const u8) ModuleDepIterator {
+        return .{ .split = mem.split(u8, deps_str, ",") };
+    }
+
+    const Dependency = struct {
+        expose: []const u8,
+        name: []const u8,
+    };
+
+    fn next(it: *ModuleDepIterator) ?Dependency {
+        if (it.split.buffer.len == 0) return null; // don't return "" for the first iteration on ""
+        const str = it.split.next() orelse return null;
+        if (mem.indexOfScalar(u8, str, '=')) |i| {
+            return .{
+                .expose = str[0..i],
+                .name = str[i + 1 ..],
+            };
+        } else {
+            return .{ .expose = str, .name = str };
+        }
+    }
+};
+
 fn parseCrossTargetOrReportFatalError(
     allocator: Allocator,
     opts: std.zig.CrossTarget.ParseOptions,
@@ -3626,18 +3697,6 @@ fn updateModule(gpa: Allocator, comp: *Compilation, hook: AfterUpdateHook) !void
     }
 }
 
-fn freePkgTree(gpa: Allocator, pkg: *Package, free_parent: bool) void {
-    {
-        var it = pkg.table.valueIterator();
-        while (it.next()) |value| {
-            freePkgTree(gpa, value.*, true);
-        }
-    }
-    if (free_parent) {
-        pkg.destroy(gpa);
-    }
-}
-
 fn cmdTranslateC(comp: *Compilation, arena: Allocator, enable_cache: bool) !void {
     if (!build_options.have_llvm)
         fatal("cannot translate-c: compiler built without LLVM extensions", .{});
@@ -4141,7 +4200,6 @@ pub fn cmdBuild(gpa: Allocator, arena: Allocator, args: []const []const u8) !voi
         var main_pkg: Package = .{
             .root_src_directory = zig_lib_directory,
             .root_src_path = "build_runner.zig",
-            .name = "root",
         };
 
         if (!build_options.omit_pkg_fetching_code) {
@@ -4184,22 +4242,20 @@ pub fn cmdBuild(gpa: Allocator, arena: Allocator, args: []const []const u8) !voi
 
             const deps_pkg = try Package.createFilePkg(
                 gpa,
-                "@dependencies",
                 local_cache_directory,
                 "dependencies.zig",
                 dependencies_source.items,
             );
 
             mem.swap(Package.Table, &main_pkg.table, &deps_pkg.table);
-            try main_pkg.addAndAdopt(gpa, deps_pkg);
+            try main_pkg.add(gpa, "@dependencies", deps_pkg);
         }
 
         var build_pkg: Package = .{
             .root_src_directory = build_directory,
             .root_src_path = build_zig_basename,
-            .name = "@build",
         };
-        try main_pkg.addAndAdopt(gpa, &build_pkg);
+        try main_pkg.add(gpa, "@build", &build_pkg);
 
         const comp = Compilation.create(gpa, .{
             .zig_lib_directory = zig_lib_directory,
@@ -4434,7 +4490,7 @@ pub fn cmdFmt(gpa: Allocator, arena: Allocator, args: []const []const u8) !void
                 .root_decl = .none,
             };
 
-            file.pkg = try Package.create(gpa, "root", null, file.sub_file_path);
+            file.pkg = try Package.create(gpa, null, file.sub_file_path);
             defer file.pkg.destroy(gpa);
 
             file.zir = try AstGen.generate(gpa, file.tree);
@@ -4645,7 +4701,7 @@ fn fmtPathFile(
             .root_decl = .none,
         };
 
-        file.pkg = try Package.create(fmt.gpa, "root", null, file.sub_file_path);
+        file.pkg = try Package.create(fmt.gpa, null, file.sub_file_path);
         defer file.pkg.destroy(fmt.gpa);
 
         if (stat.size > max_src_size)
@@ -5357,7 +5413,7 @@ pub fn cmdAstCheck(
         file.stat.size = source.len;
     }
 
-    file.pkg = try Package.create(gpa, "root", null, file.sub_file_path);
+    file.pkg = try Package.create(gpa, null, file.sub_file_path);
     defer file.pkg.destroy(gpa);
 
     file.tree = try Ast.parse(gpa, file.source, .zig);
@@ -5476,7 +5532,7 @@ pub fn cmdChangelist(
         .root_decl = .none,
     };
 
-    file.pkg = try Package.create(gpa, "root", null, file.sub_file_path);
+    file.pkg = try Package.create(gpa, null, file.sub_file_path);
     defer file.pkg.destroy(gpa);
 
     const source = try arena.allocSentinel(u8, @intCast(usize, stat.size), 0);
diff --git a/src/test.zig b/src/test.zig
index acc1bcdc1f..bf1b0e912a 100644
--- a/src/test.zig
+++ b/src/test.zig
@@ -1497,7 +1497,6 @@ pub const TestContext = struct {
         var main_pkg: Package = .{
             .root_src_directory = .{ .path = tmp_dir_path, .handle = tmp.dir },
             .root_src_path = tmp_src_path,
-            .name = "root",
         };
         defer main_pkg.table.deinit(allocator);