diff --git a/.github/workflows/ci.yml b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
index b7ef464e..47b3ac29 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/ci.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ jobs:
         feature_set: [basic]
         include:
           - feature_set: basic
-            features: --features default,light-test
+            features: --features default,light-test,circom,noname,noir
     steps:
       - uses: actions/checkout@v2
       - uses: actions-rs/toolchain@v1
@@ -159,7 +159,7 @@ jobs:
         feature_set: [basic, wasm]
         include:
           - feature_set: basic
-            features: --features default,light-test
+            features: --features default,light-test,circom,noname,noir
             # We only want to test `folding-schemes` package with `wasm` feature.
           - feature_set: wasm
             features: -p folding-schemes --features wasm,parallel --target wasm32-unknown-unknown
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 5b742968..9ab1f173 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -34,6 +34,7 @@ Available frontends to define the folded circuit:
 - [arkworks](https://github.com/arkworks-rs), arkworks contributors
 - [Circom](https://github.com/iden3/circom), iden3, 0Kims Association
 - [Noname](https://github.com/zksecurity/noname), zkSecurity
+- [Noir](https://github.com/noir-lang/noir), Aztec
 
 ## Usage
 
diff --git a/examples/circom_full_flow.rs b/examples/circom_full_flow.rs
index a78dfa4d..11566d6d 100644
--- a/examples/circom_full_flow.rs
+++ b/examples/circom_full_flow.rs
@@ -2,6 +2,9 @@
 #![allow(non_camel_case_types)]
 #![allow(clippy::upper_case_acronyms)]
 ///
+/// To run:
+/// > cargo run --release --example noir_full_flow -- --nocapture
+///
 /// This example performs the full flow:
 /// - define the circuit to be folded
 /// - fold the circuit with Nova+CycleFold's IVC
diff --git a/examples/external_inputs.rs b/examples/external_inputs.rs
index 2f708091..5adda49d 100644
--- a/examples/external_inputs.rs
+++ b/examples/external_inputs.rs
@@ -3,6 +3,9 @@
 #![allow(non_camel_case_types)]
 #![allow(clippy::upper_case_acronyms)]
 
+///
+/// To run:
+/// > cargo run --release --example external_inputs -- --nocapture
 use ark_bn254::{constraints::GVar, Bn254, Fr, G1Projective as Projective};
 use ark_crypto_primitives::{
     crh::{
diff --git a/examples/full_flow.rs b/examples/full_flow.rs
index 5c9ce186..c72bcbfb 100644
--- a/examples/full_flow.rs
+++ b/examples/full_flow.rs
@@ -2,6 +2,9 @@
 #![allow(non_camel_case_types)]
 #![allow(clippy::upper_case_acronyms)]
 ///
+/// To run:
+/// > cargo run --release --example full_flow -- --nocapture
+///
 /// This example performs the full flow:
 /// - define the circuit to be folded
 /// - fold the circuit with Nova+CycleFold's IVC
diff --git a/examples/multi_inputs.rs b/examples/multi_inputs.rs
index f7819525..b4da88da 100644
--- a/examples/multi_inputs.rs
+++ b/examples/multi_inputs.rs
@@ -3,6 +3,9 @@
 #![allow(non_camel_case_types)]
 #![allow(clippy::upper_case_acronyms)]
 
+///
+/// To run:
+/// > cargo run --release --example multi_inputs -- --nocapture
 use ark_ff::PrimeField;
 use ark_r1cs_std::alloc::AllocVar;
 use ark_r1cs_std::fields::fp::FpVar;
diff --git a/examples/noir_full_flow.rs b/examples/noir_full_flow.rs
index 1d5ba52e..1a894b26 100644
--- a/examples/noir_full_flow.rs
+++ b/examples/noir_full_flow.rs
@@ -2,6 +2,9 @@
 #![allow(non_camel_case_types)]
 #![allow(clippy::upper_case_acronyms)]
 ///
+/// To run:
+/// > cargo run --release --example noir_full_flow -- --nocapture
+///
 /// This example performs the full flow:
 /// - define the circuit to be folded
 /// - fold the circuit with Nova+CycleFold's IVC
diff --git a/examples/noname_full_flow.rs b/examples/noname_full_flow.rs
index a0954751..20fc5f47 100644
--- a/examples/noname_full_flow.rs
+++ b/examples/noname_full_flow.rs
@@ -2,6 +2,9 @@
 #![allow(non_camel_case_types)]
 #![allow(clippy::upper_case_acronyms)]
 ///
+/// To run:
+/// > cargo run --release --example noname_full_flow -- --nocapture
+///
 /// This example performs the full flow:
 /// - define the circuit to be folded
 /// - fold the circuit with Nova+CycleFold's IVC
diff --git a/examples/sha256.rs b/examples/sha256.rs
index 705dcb8d..88a2f31a 100644
--- a/examples/sha256.rs
+++ b/examples/sha256.rs
@@ -3,6 +3,9 @@
 #![allow(non_camel_case_types)]
 #![allow(clippy::upper_case_acronyms)]
 
+///
+/// To run:
+/// > cargo run --release --example sha256 -- --nocapture
 use ark_crypto_primitives::crh::{
     sha256::{
         constraints::{Sha256Gadget, UnitVar},
diff --git a/folding-schemes/Cargo.toml b/folding-schemes/Cargo.toml
index 067b6e1c..85e61b33 100644
--- a/folding-schemes/Cargo.toml
+++ b/folding-schemes/Cargo.toml
@@ -12,11 +12,10 @@ ark-crypto-primitives = { version = "^0.4.0", default-features = false, features
 ark-grumpkin = { version = "0.4.0", default-features = false }
 ark-poly-commit = { version = "^0.4.0", default-features = false, features = ["parallel"] }
 ark-relations = { version = "^0.4.0", default-features = false }
-# this is patched at the workspace level
+# ark-r1cs-std is patched at the workspace level
 ark-r1cs-std = { version = "0.4.0", default-features = false, features = ["parallel"] }
 ark-snark = { version = "^0.4.0", default-features = false }
 ark-serialize = { version = "^0.4.0", default-features = false }
-ark-circom = { git = "https://github.com/arnaucube/circom-compat", default-features = false }
 ark-groth16 = { version = "^0.4.0", default-features = false, features = ["parallel"]}
 ark-bn254 = { version = "^0.4.0", default-features = false }
 thiserror = "1.0"
@@ -25,17 +24,20 @@ num-bigint = "0.4"
 num-integer = "0.1"
 color-eyre = "=0.6.2"
 sha3 = "0.10"
-ark-noname = { git = "https://github.com/dmpierre/ark-noname", branch="feat/sonobe-integration" }
-noname = { git = "https://github.com/dmpierre/noname" }
-serde_json = "1.0.85"                                                                # to (de)serialize JSON
+serde_json = "1.0.85" # to (de)serialize JSON
 serde = "1.0.203"
-acvm = { git = "https://github.com/noir-lang/noir", rev="2b4853e", default-features = false }
-arkworks_backend = { git = "https://github.com/dmpierre/arkworks_backend", branch="feat/sonobe-integration" }
 log = "0.4"
 
 # tmp import for espresso's sumcheck
 espresso_subroutines = {git="https://github.com/EspressoSystems/hyperplonk", package="subroutines"}
 
+# frontend dependencies:
+ark-circom = { git = "https://github.com/arnaucube/circom-compat", default-features = false, optional=true }
+noir_arkworks_backend = { package="arkworks_backend", git = "https://github.com/dmpierre/arkworks_backend", branch="feat/sonobe-integration", optional=true }
+acvm = { git = "https://github.com/noir-lang/noir", rev="2b4853e", default-features = false, optional=true }
+noname = { git = "https://github.com/dmpierre/noname", optional=true }
+ark-noname = { git = "https://github.com/dmpierre/ark-noname", branch="feat/sonobe-integration", optional=true }
+
 [dev-dependencies]
 ark-pallas = {version="0.4.0", features=["r1cs"]}
 ark-vesta = {version="0.4.0", features=["r1cs"]}
@@ -54,7 +56,14 @@ getrandom = { version = "0.2", features = ["js"] }
 default = ["ark-circom/default", "parallel"]
 parallel = []
 wasm = ["ark-circom/wasm"]
+# 'light-test' is a feature disabled by default, that when enabled will affect
+# the DeciderEthCircuit implementations, skipping the heavy-weight parts of the
+# circuit, allowing to run light tests of it taking less time.
 light-test = []
+# frontend features:
+circom = ["dep:ark-circom"]
+noname = ["dep:noname", "dep:ark-noname"]
+noir = ["dep:acvm", "dep:noir_arkworks_backend"]
 
 
 [[example]]
diff --git a/folding-schemes/src/frontend/mod.rs b/folding-schemes/src/frontend/mod.rs
index f1f73d39..65ce19be 100644
--- a/folding-schemes/src/frontend/mod.rs
+++ b/folding-schemes/src/frontend/mod.rs
@@ -4,8 +4,13 @@ use ark_r1cs_std::fields::fp::FpVar;
 use ark_relations::r1cs::{ConstraintSystemRef, SynthesisError};
 use ark_std::fmt::Debug;
 
+// we use features to activate specific frontends, to reduce the amount of dependencies and compile
+// time
+#[cfg(feature = "circom")]
 pub mod circom;
+#[cfg(feature = "noir")]
 pub mod noir;
+#[cfg(feature = "noname")]
 pub mod noname;
 
 /// FCircuit defines the trait of the circuit of the F function, which is the one being folded (ie.
diff --git a/folding-schemes/src/frontend/noir/mod.rs b/folding-schemes/src/frontend/noir/mod.rs
index f069c224..12cb318e 100644
--- a/folding-schemes/src/frontend/noir/mod.rs
+++ b/folding-schemes/src/frontend/noir/mod.rs
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ use ark_ff::PrimeField;
 use ark_r1cs_std::{alloc::AllocVar, fields::fp::FpVar, R1CSVar};
 use ark_relations::r1cs::ConstraintSynthesizer;
 use ark_relations::r1cs::{ConstraintSystemRef, SynthesisError};
-use arkworks_backend::{read_program_from_file, sonobe_bridge::AcirCircuitSonobe};
+use noir_arkworks_backend::{read_program_from_file, sonobe_bridge::AcirCircuitSonobe};
 
 #[derive(Clone, Debug)]
 pub struct NoirFCircuit<F: PrimeField> {
diff --git a/solidity-verifiers/Cargo.toml b/solidity-verifiers/Cargo.toml
index 907f93bf..2c7ae80a 100644
--- a/solidity-verifiers/Cargo.toml
+++ b/solidity-verifiers/Cargo.toml
@@ -28,7 +28,8 @@ tracing-subscriber = { version = "0.2" }
 ark-bn254 = {version="0.4.0", features=["r1cs"]}
 ark-grumpkin = {version="0.4.0", features=["r1cs"]}
 rand = "0.8.5"
-folding-schemes = { path = "../folding-schemes/", features=["light-test"]}
+# use the diverse frontend features for the examples
+folding-schemes = { path = "../folding-schemes/", features=["light-test", "circom", "noname", "noir"]}
 noname = { git = "https://github.com/dmpierre/noname" }
 
 [features]
@@ -56,4 +57,3 @@ path = "../examples/noname_full_flow.rs"
 [[example]]
 name = "noir_full_flow"
 path = "../examples/noir_full_flow.rs"
-