diff --git a/cmake/sources/ZigSources.txt b/cmake/sources/ZigSources.txt
index 4544453ac6..4bc15e4ec9 100644
--- a/cmake/sources/ZigSources.txt
+++ b/cmake/sources/ZigSources.txt
@@ -1,6 +1,8 @@
 src/allocators.zig
 src/allocators/AllocationScope.zig
 src/allocators/basic.zig
+src/allocators/fallback.zig
+src/allocators/fallback/z.zig
 src/allocators/LinuxMemFdAllocator.zig
 src/allocators/MaxHeapAllocator.zig
 src/allocators/MemoryReportingAllocator.zig
diff --git a/src/allocators.zig b/src/allocators.zig
index 6e21740d50..7a11ac9000 100644
--- a/src/allocators.zig
+++ b/src/allocators.zig
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
-pub const c_allocator = @import("./allocators/basic.zig").c_allocator;
-pub const z_allocator = @import("./allocators/basic.zig").z_allocator;
+pub const c_allocator = basic.c_allocator;
+pub const z_allocator = basic.z_allocator;
+pub const freeWithoutSize = basic.freeWithoutSize;
 pub const mimalloc = @import("./allocators/mimalloc.zig");
 pub const MimallocArena = @import("./allocators/MimallocArena.zig");
 pub const AllocationScope = @import("./allocators/AllocationScope.zig");
@@ -772,6 +773,11 @@ pub fn BSSMap(comptime ValueType: type, comptime count: anytype, comptime store_
     };
 }
 
+const basic = if (bun.use_mimalloc)
+    @import("./allocators/basic.zig")
+else
+    @import("./allocators/fallback.zig");
+
 const Environment = @import("./env.zig");
 const std = @import("std");
 
diff --git a/src/allocators/basic.zig b/src/allocators/basic.zig
index f8c3c6b8b5..c8fe13a9e9 100644
--- a/src/allocators/basic.zig
+++ b/src/allocators/basic.zig
@@ -142,6 +142,11 @@ const z_allocator_vtable = Allocator.VTable{
     .free = &ZAllocator.free_with_z_allocator,
 };
 
+/// mimalloc can free allocations without being given their size.
+pub fn freeWithoutSize(ptr: ?*anyopaque) void {
+    mimalloc.mi_free(ptr);
+}
+
 const Environment = @import("../env.zig");
 const std = @import("std");
 
diff --git a/src/allocators/fallback.zig b/src/allocators/fallback.zig
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..caf389a42f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/allocators/fallback.zig
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+pub const c_allocator = std.heap.c_allocator;
+pub const z_allocator = @import("./fallback/z.zig").allocator;
+
+/// libc can free allocations without being given their size.
+pub fn freeWithoutSize(ptr: ?*anyopaque) void {
+    std.c.free(ptr);
+}
+
+const std = @import("std");
diff --git a/src/allocators/fallback/z.zig b/src/allocators/fallback/z.zig
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..c44c0debc8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/allocators/fallback/z.zig
@@ -0,0 +1,43 @@
+/// A fallback zero-initializing allocator.
+pub const allocator = Allocator{
+    .ptr = undefined,
+    .vtable = &vtable,
+};
+
+const vtable = Allocator.VTable{
+    .alloc = alloc,
+    .resize = resize,
+    .remap = Allocator.noRemap, // the mimalloc z_allocator doesn't support remap
+    .free = free,
+};
+
+fn alloc(_: *anyopaque, len: usize, alignment: Alignment, return_address: usize) ?[*]u8 {
+    const result = c_allocator.rawAlloc(len, alignment, return_address) orelse
+        return null;
+    @memset(result[0..len], 0);
+    return result;
+}
+
+fn resize(
+    _: *anyopaque,
+    buf: []u8,
+    alignment: Alignment,
+    new_len: usize,
+    return_address: usize,
+) bool {
+    if (!c_allocator.rawResize(buf, alignment, new_len, return_address)) {
+        return false;
+    }
+    @memset(buf.ptr[buf.len..new_len], 0);
+    return true;
+}
+
+fn free(_: *anyopaque, buf: []u8, alignment: Alignment, return_address: usize) void {
+    c_allocator.rawFree(buf, alignment, return_address);
+}
+
+const std = @import("std");
+const c_allocator = std.heap.c_allocator;
+
+const Alignment = std.mem.Alignment;
+const Allocator = std.mem.Allocator;
diff --git a/src/bun.js/api/BunObject.zig b/src/bun.js/api/BunObject.zig
index 8fee145369..f35d56c0c1 100644
--- a/src/bun.js/api/BunObject.zig
+++ b/src/bun.js/api/BunObject.zig
@@ -1473,8 +1473,7 @@ pub const JSZlib = struct {
         reader.deinit();
     }
     export fn global_deallocator(_: ?*anyopaque, ctx: ?*anyopaque) void {
-        comptime assert(bun.use_mimalloc);
-        bun.mimalloc.mi_free(ctx);
+        bun.allocators.freeWithoutSize(ctx);
     }
     export fn compressor_deallocator(_: ?*anyopaque, ctx: ?*anyopaque) void {
         var compressor: *zlib.ZlibCompressorArrayList = bun.cast(*zlib.ZlibCompressorArrayList, ctx.?);
@@ -1758,8 +1757,7 @@ pub const JSZlib = struct {
 
 pub const JSZstd = struct {
     export fn deallocator(_: ?*anyopaque, ctx: ?*anyopaque) void {
-        comptime assert(bun.use_mimalloc);
-        bun.mimalloc.mi_free(ctx);
+        bun.allocators.freeWithoutSize(ctx);
     }
 
     inline fn getOptions(globalThis: *JSGlobalObject, callframe: *jsc.CallFrame) bun.JSError!struct { jsc.Node.StringOrBuffer, ?JSValue } {
diff --git a/src/bun.zig b/src/bun.zig
index 7576246022..bcf90190eb 100644
--- a/src/bun.zig
+++ b/src/bun.zig
@@ -9,17 +9,9 @@ const bun = @This();
 pub const Environment = @import("./env.zig");
 
 pub const use_mimalloc = true;
-
-pub const default_allocator: std.mem.Allocator = if (use_mimalloc)
-    allocators.c_allocator
-else
-    std.heap.c_allocator;
-
+pub const default_allocator: std.mem.Allocator = allocators.c_allocator;
 /// Zeroing memory allocator
-pub const z_allocator: std.mem.Allocator = if (use_mimalloc)
-    allocators.z_allocator
-else
-    std.heap.c_allocator;
+pub const z_allocator: std.mem.Allocator = allocators.z_allocator;
 
 pub const callmod_inline: std.builtin.CallModifier = if (builtin.mode == .Debug) .auto else .always_inline;
 pub const callconv_inline: std.builtin.CallingConvention = if (builtin.mode == .Debug) .Unspecified else .Inline;