diff --git a/pkg/wuffs/build.zig b/pkg/wuffs/build.zig
index b90c7e9fb..edda0aac6 100644
--- a/pkg/wuffs/build.zig
+++ b/pkg/wuffs/build.zig
@@ -41,7 +41,6 @@ pub fn build(b: *std.Build) !void {
         .root_source_file = b.path("src/main.zig"),
         .target = target,
         .optimize = optimize,
-        .link_libc = true,
     });
 
     const unit_tests = b.addTest(.{
@@ -49,6 +48,9 @@ pub fn build(b: *std.Build) !void {
         .root_module = module,
     });
 
+    // Windows always has a libc available.
+    const windows = target.result.os.tag == .windows;
+
     translate: {
         const translate_c = b.lazyImport(@This(), "translate_c") orelse break :translate;
         const translate_c_dep = b.lazyDependency("translate_c", .{}) orelse break :translate;
@@ -56,13 +58,16 @@ pub fn build(b: *std.Build) !void {
             .c_source_file = b.addWriteFiles().add("wuffs_c.h", &wuffs_c_source),
             .target = target,
             .optimize = optimize,
-            .libc_file = if (target.result.os.tag.isDarwin()) libc_file: {
-                switch (try @import("apple_sdk").pathsForTarget(b, target.result)) {
-                    inline else => |paths| break :libc_file paths.libc,
-                }
-            } else null,
+            .link_libc = windows,
         });
 
+        // Wuffs only needs stdlib.h and string.h from libc, and only for
+        // a handful of declarations. We provide minimal versions of these
+        // headers so that wuffs can be translated and compiled without
+        // libc, notably for freestanding targets (wasm32) but this also
+        // avoids requiring an Apple SDK for translate-c on macOS.
+        if (!windows) wuffs_c.addIncludePath(b.path("include"));
+
         var flags: std.ArrayList([]const u8) = .empty;
         defer flags.deinit(b.allocator);
         try flags.append(b.allocator, "-DWUFFS_IMPLEMENTATION");
diff --git a/pkg/wuffs/build.zig.zon b/pkg/wuffs/build.zig.zon
index f66d5c6c7..e2f4bd8fe 100644
--- a/pkg/wuffs/build.zig.zon
+++ b/pkg/wuffs/build.zig.zon
@@ -22,12 +22,11 @@
             .hash = "N-V-__8AADYiAAB_80AWnH1AxXC0tql9thT-R-DYO1gBqTLc",
             .lazy = true,
         },
-
-        .apple_sdk = .{ .path = "../apple-sdk" },
     },
     .paths = .{
         "build.zig",
         "build.zig.zon",
+        "include",
         "src",
     },
 }
diff --git a/pkg/wuffs/include/stdlib.h b/pkg/wuffs/include/stdlib.h
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..5c0507438
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/wuffs/include/stdlib.h
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+// Minimal stdlib.h so that wuffs can be translated and compiled without
+// requiring libc headers. See string.h in this directory for details.
+#ifndef GHOSTTY_WUFFS_STDLIB_H
+#define GHOSTTY_WUFFS_STDLIB_H
+
+#include <stddef.h>
+
+void *malloc(size_t size);
+void *calloc(size_t count, size_t size);
+void *realloc(void *ptr, size_t size);
+void free(void *ptr);
+
+#endif
diff --git a/pkg/wuffs/include/string.h b/pkg/wuffs/include/string.h
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..39d405d3b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/wuffs/include/string.h
@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+// Minimal string.h so that wuffs can be translated and compiled without
+// requiring libc headers (e.g. for wasm32-freestanding targets, or to
+// avoid needing an Apple SDK for translate-c on macOS).
+//
+// Wuffs only calls the mem* family, whose symbols are provided by Zig's
+// compiler-rt on targets without libc and by libc everywhere else. The
+// declarations here match the standard C ABI, so this header is safe to
+// use on every target, including ones that do link libc.
+#ifndef GHOSTTY_WUFFS_STRING_H
+#define GHOSTTY_WUFFS_STRING_H
+
+#include <stddef.h>
+
+void *memcpy(void *dst, const void *src, size_t n);
+void *memmove(void *dst, const void *src, size_t n);
+void *memset(void *b, int c, size_t n);
+int memcmp(const void *s1, const void *s2, size_t n);
+size_t strlen(const char *s);
+int strcmp(const char *s1, const char *s2);
+int strncmp(const char *s1, const char *s2, size_t n);
+
+#endif
diff --git a/pkg/wuffs/src/main.zig b/pkg/wuffs/src/main.zig
index b4519a983..ec9f8daca 100644
--- a/pkg/wuffs/src/main.zig
+++ b/pkg/wuffs/src/main.zig
@@ -16,6 +16,38 @@ pub const ImageData = struct {
     data: []u8,
 };
 
+// Wuffs' generated `wuffs_foo__bar__alloc()` convenience functions are the
+// only code that references libc's calloc/free. We never call them
+// and linker garbage collection strips them, but that isn't guaranteed.
+// When libc isn't linked there would be nothing to provide calloc/free if
+// they survive, so export stubs to satisfy the link. Weak so that any real
+// definition wins. Hidden keeps them out of the export table where the
+// format honors it (e.g. wasm).
+comptime {
+    if (!builtin.link_libc) {
+        @export(&callocStub, .{
+            .name = "calloc",
+            .linkage = .weak,
+            .visibility = .hidden,
+        });
+        @export(&freeStub, .{
+            .name = "free",
+            .linkage = .weak,
+            .visibility = .hidden,
+        });
+    }
+}
+
+fn callocStub(count: usize, size: usize) callconv(.c) ?*anyopaque {
+    _ = count;
+    _ = size;
+    return null;
+}
+
+fn freeStub(ptr: ?*anyopaque) callconv(.c) void {
+    _ = ptr;
+}
+
 test {
     refAllDeclsRecursive(@This());
 }