diff --git a/hugr-core/Cargo.toml b/hugr-core/Cargo.toml
index e7284ebca..1596cc39c 100644
--- a/hugr-core/Cargo.toml
+++ b/hugr-core/Cargo.toml
@@ -54,9 +54,6 @@ strum = { workspace = true }
 strum_macros = { workspace = true }
 semver = { version = "1.0.23", features = ["serde"] }
 hugr-model = { version = "0.16.0", path = "../hugr-model", optional = true }
-indexmap.workspace = true
-fxhash.workspace = true
-bumpalo = { workspace = true, features = ["collections"] }
 
 [dev-dependencies]
 rstest = { workspace = true }
diff --git a/hugr-core/src/export.rs b/hugr-core/src/export.rs
index 645a7a0e6..86979ce5c 100644
--- a/hugr-core/src/export.rs
+++ b/hugr-core/src/export.rs
@@ -11,9 +11,7 @@ use crate::{
     },
     Direction, Hugr, HugrView, IncomingPort, Node, Port,
 };
-use bumpalo::{collections::String as BumpString, collections::Vec as BumpVec, Bump};
-use fxhash::FxHashMap;
-use hugr_model::v0::{self as model};
+use hugr_model::v0::{self as model, fxhash::FxHashMap, bumpalo::{Bump, collections::{Vec as BumpVec, String as BumpString}}};
 use std::fmt::Write;
 
 pub(crate) const OP_FUNC_CALL_INDIRECT: &str = "func.call-indirect";
@@ -1148,7 +1146,7 @@ mod test {
     #[rstest]
     #[case(test_simple_circuit())]
     fn test_export(#[case] hugr: Hugr) {
-        use bumpalo::Bump;
+        use hugr_model::v0::bumpalo::Bump;
         let bump = Bump::new();
         let _model = super::export_hugr(&hugr, &bump);
     }
diff --git a/hugr-core/src/import.rs b/hugr-core/src/import.rs
index f542ac695..ea39871f2 100644
--- a/hugr-core/src/import.rs
+++ b/hugr-core/src/import.rs
@@ -22,8 +22,7 @@ use crate::{
     },
     Direction, Hugr, HugrView, Node, Port,
 };
-use fxhash::FxHashMap;
-use hugr_model::v0::{self as model};
+use hugr_model::v0::{self as model, fxhash::FxHashMap};
 use itertools::Either;
 use smol_str::{SmolStr, ToSmolStr};
 use thiserror::Error;
diff --git a/hugr-core/tests/model.rs b/hugr-core/tests/model.rs
index ea5b69b22..ae3a41312 100644
--- a/hugr-core/tests/model.rs
+++ b/hugr-core/tests/model.rs
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ use hugr_core::{export::export_hugr, import::import_hugr};
 use hugr_model::v0 as model;
 
 fn roundtrip(source: &str) -> String {
-    let bump = bumpalo::Bump::new();
+    let bump = model::bumpalo::Bump::new();
     let parsed_model = model::text::parse(source, &bump).unwrap();
     let imported_hugr = import_hugr(&parsed_model.module, &std_reg()).unwrap();
     let exported_model = export_hugr(&imported_hugr, &bump);
diff --git a/hugr-model/Cargo.toml b/hugr-model/Cargo.toml
index d1e3636b9..d8ff51f84 100644
--- a/hugr-model/Cargo.toml
+++ b/hugr-model/Cargo.toml
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ bench = false
 base64 = { workspace = true }
 bumpalo = { workspace = true, features = ["collections"] }
 capnp = "0.20.1"
-derive_more = { version = "1.0.0", features = ["display"] }
+derive_more = { version = "1.0.0", features = ["display", "from", "error"] }
 fxhash.workspace = true
 indexmap.workspace = true
 pest = "2.7.12"
diff --git a/hugr-model/src/v0/binary/mod.rs b/hugr-model/src/v0/binary/mod.rs
index 816c64fb2..eb74c59c2 100644
--- a/hugr-model/src/v0/binary/mod.rs
+++ b/hugr-model/src/v0/binary/mod.rs
@@ -2,5 +2,5 @@
 mod read;
 mod write;
 
-pub use read::read_from_slice;
-pub use write::write_to_vec;
+pub use read::{read_from_reader, read_from_slice, ReadError};
+pub use write::{write_to_vec, write_to_writer, WriteError};
diff --git a/hugr-model/src/v0/binary/read.rs b/hugr-model/src/v0/binary/read.rs
index 8f0c9a50d..85f177f25 100644
--- a/hugr-model/src/v0/binary/read.rs
+++ b/hugr-model/src/v0/binary/read.rs
@@ -1,14 +1,30 @@
+use std::io::BufRead;
+
 use crate::hugr_v0_capnp as hugr_capnp;
 use crate::v0 as model;
 use bumpalo::collections::Vec as BumpVec;
 use bumpalo::Bump;
 
-type ReadResult<T> = Result<T, capnp::Error>;
+/// TODO docs
+#[derive(Debug, derive_more::From, derive_more::Display, derive_more::Error)]
+#[non_exhaustive]
+pub enum ReadError {
+    #[from(forward)]
+    /// TODO docs
+    EncodingError(capnp::Error),
+}
+
+type ReadResult<T> = Result<T, ReadError>;
 
 /// Read a hugr module from a byte slice.
 pub fn read_from_slice<'a>(slice: &[u8], bump: &'a Bump) -> ReadResult<model::Module<'a>> {
+    read_from_reader(slice, bump)
+}
+
+/// Read a hugr module from an impl of [BufRead].
+pub fn read_from_reader(reader: impl BufRead, bump: &Bump) -> ReadResult<model::Module<'_>> {
     let reader =
-        capnp::serialize_packed::read_message(slice, capnp::message::ReaderOptions::new())?;
+        capnp::serialize_packed::read_message(reader, capnp::message::ReaderOptions::new())?;
     let root = reader.get_root::<hugr_capnp::module::Reader>()?;
     read_module(bump, root)
 }
diff --git a/hugr-model/src/v0/binary/write.rs b/hugr-model/src/v0/binary/write.rs
index 74dc763ab..296313214 100644
--- a/hugr-model/src/v0/binary/write.rs
+++ b/hugr-model/src/v0/binary/write.rs
@@ -1,6 +1,16 @@
+use std::io::Write;
+
 use crate::hugr_v0_capnp as hugr_capnp;
 use crate::v0 as model;
 
+/// TODO docs
+#[derive(Debug, derive_more::From, derive_more::Display, derive_more::Error)]
+#[non_exhaustive]
+pub enum WriteError {
+    /// TODO docs
+    EncodingError(capnp::Error),
+}
+
 /// Write a list of items into a list builder.
 macro_rules! write_list {
     ($builder:expr, $init:ident, $write:expr, $list:expr) => {
@@ -11,6 +21,15 @@ macro_rules! write_list {
     };
 }
 
+/// Writes a module to an impl of [Write].
+pub fn write_to_writer(module: &model::Module, writer: impl Write) -> Result<(), WriteError> {
+    let mut message = capnp::message::Builder::new_default();
+    let builder = message.init_root();
+    write_module(builder, module);
+
+    Ok(capnp::serialize_packed::write_message(writer, &message)?)
+}
+
 /// Writes a module to a byte vector.
 pub fn write_to_vec(module: &model::Module) -> Vec<u8> {
     let mut message = capnp::message::Builder::new_default();
diff --git a/hugr-model/src/v0/mod.rs b/hugr-model/src/v0/mod.rs
index 32d79f7dc..aca89db8c 100644
--- a/hugr-model/src/v0/mod.rs
+++ b/hugr-model/src/v0/mod.rs
@@ -123,6 +123,10 @@ pub mod binary;
 pub mod scope;
 pub mod text;
 
+pub use bumpalo;
+pub use fxhash;
+pub use indexmap;
+
 macro_rules! define_index {
     ($(#[$meta:meta])* $vis:vis struct $name:ident(pub u32);) => {
         #[repr(transparent)]
diff --git a/hugr-model/src/v0/text/parse.rs b/hugr-model/src/v0/text/parse.rs
index 40692b67e..d7f8c6df6 100644
--- a/hugr-model/src/v0/text/parse.rs
+++ b/hugr-model/src/v0/text/parse.rs
@@ -1,6 +1,4 @@
 use base64::{prelude::BASE64_STANDARD, Engine};
-use bumpalo::{collections::String as BumpString, collections::Vec as BumpVec, Bump};
-use fxhash::FxHashMap;
 use pest::{
     iterators::{Pair, Pairs},
     Parser, RuleType,
@@ -8,10 +6,12 @@ use pest::{
 use thiserror::Error;
 
 use crate::v0::{
+    fxhash::FxHashMap,
+    bumpalo::{Bump, collections::{Vec as BumpVec, String as BumpString}},
     scope::{LinkTable, SymbolTable, UnknownSymbolError, VarTable},
-    AliasDecl, ConstructorDecl, ExtSetPart, FuncDecl, LinkIndex, ListPart, Module, Node, NodeId,
-    Operation, OperationDecl, Param, ParamSort, Region, RegionId, RegionKind, RegionScope,
-    ScopeClosure, Term, TermId,
+    AliasDecl, ConstructorDecl, ExtSetPart, FuncDecl, LinkIndex,
+    ListPart, Module, Node, NodeId, Operation, OperationDecl, Param, ParamSort, Region, RegionId,
+    RegionKind, RegionScope, ScopeClosure, Term, TermId,
 };
 
 mod pest_parser {
diff --git a/hugr-model/tests/binary.rs b/hugr-model/tests/binary.rs
index 6120abb60..18ab842e0 100644
--- a/hugr-model/tests/binary.rs
+++ b/hugr-model/tests/binary.rs
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 #![allow(missing_docs)]
 
-use bumpalo::Bump;
 use hugr_model::v0 as model;
+use model::bumpalo::Bump;
 use pretty_assertions::assert_eq;
 
 /// Reads a module from a string, serializes it to binary, and then deserializes it back to a module.
diff --git a/hugr-model/tests/text.rs b/hugr-model/tests/text.rs
index 7139acf64..45c6adc54 100644
--- a/hugr-model/tests/text.rs
+++ b/hugr-model/tests/text.rs
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
 use hugr_model::v0 as model;
 
 fn roundtrip(source: &str) -> String {
-    let bump = bumpalo::Bump::new();
+    let bump = model::bumpalo::Bump::new();
     let parsed_model = model::text::parse(source, &bump).unwrap();
     model::text::print_to_string(&parsed_model.module, 80).unwrap()
 }