diff --git a/.github/workflows/build.yml b/.github/workflows/build.yml
index 83a4d72e..707ac362 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/build.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/build.yml
@@ -142,8 +142,8 @@ jobs:
           { description: WasmV1, target: wasm32v1-none },
         ]
         feature: [
-          { description: no_std, feature: "", build-std: "core,alloc", std: false },
-          { feature: --features std, build-std: "panic_abort,std", std: true },
+          { description: no_std, feature: "--features wasm_js", build-std: "core,alloc", std: false },
+          { feature: "--features wasm_js,std", build-std: "panic_abort,std", std: true },
         ]
         atomic: [
           { flags: "" },
diff --git a/.github/workflows/tests.yml b/.github/workflows/tests.yml
index d0747001..28b91ab9 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/tests.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/tests.yml
@@ -237,15 +237,15 @@ jobs:
           - {
               description: Web,
               version: stable,
-              flags: -Dwarnings --cfg getrandom_backend="wasm_js",
-              args: --features=std,
+              flags: '-Dwarnings --cfg getrandom_backend="wasm_js"',
+              args: '--features=std,wasm_js',
             }
           - {
               description: Web with Atomics,
               version: nightly,
               components: rust-src,
               flags: '-Dwarnings --cfg getrandom_backend="wasm_js" -Ctarget-feature=+atomics,+bulk-memory',
-              args: '--features=std -Zbuild-std=panic_abort,std',
+              args: '--features=std,wasm_js -Zbuild-std=panic_abort,std',
             }
     steps:
       - uses: actions/checkout@v4
diff --git a/.github/workflows/workspace.yml b/.github/workflows/workspace.yml
index f57b91c4..14b37dd9 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/workspace.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/workspace.yml
@@ -48,11 +48,11 @@ jobs:
     - name: Web WASM (wasm_js.rs)
       env:
         RUSTFLAGS: -Dwarnings --cfg getrandom_backend="wasm_js"
-      run: cargo clippy -Zbuild-std --target wasm32-unknown-unknown
+      run: cargo clippy -Zbuild-std --target wasm32-unknown-unknown --features wasm_js
     - name: Web WASM with atomics (wasm_js.rs)
       env:
         RUSTFLAGS: -Dwarnings --cfg getrandom_backend="wasm_js" -Ctarget-feature=+atomics,+bulk-memory
-      run: cargo clippy -Zbuild-std --target wasm32-unknown-unknown
+      run: cargo clippy -Zbuild-std --target wasm32-unknown-unknown --features wasm_js
     - name: Linux (linux_android.rs)
       env:
         RUSTFLAGS: -Dwarnings --cfg getrandom_backend="linux_getrandom"
diff --git a/Cargo.toml b/Cargo.toml
index de8866a6..8e6d0e6a 100644
--- a/Cargo.toml
+++ b/Cargo.toml
@@ -11,6 +11,18 @@ repository = "https://github.com/rust-random/getrandom"
 categories = ["os", "no-std"]
 exclude = [".*"]
 
+[features]
+# Implement std::error::Error for getrandom::Error and
+# use std to retrieve OS error descriptions
+std = []
+# Unstable feature to support being a libstd dependency
+rustc-dep-of-std = ["dep:compiler_builtins", "dep:core"]
+
+# Optional backend: wasm_js
+# This flag enables the backend but does not select it. To use the backend, use
+# this flag *and* set getrandom_backend=wasm_js (see README).
+wasm_js = ["dep:wasm-bindgen", "dep:js-sys"]
+
 [dependencies]
 cfg-if = "1"
 
@@ -59,20 +71,13 @@ wasi = { version = "0.13", default-features = false }
 windows-targets = "0.52"
 
 # wasm_js
-[target.'cfg(all(getrandom_backend = "wasm_js", target_arch = "wasm32", any(target_os = "unknown", target_os = "none")))'.dependencies]
-wasm-bindgen = { version = "0.2.98", default-features = false }
-[target.'cfg(all(getrandom_backend = "wasm_js", target_arch = "wasm32", any(target_os = "unknown", target_os = "none"), target_feature = "atomics"))'.dependencies]
-js-sys = { version = "0.3.77", default-features = false }
-[target.'cfg(all(getrandom_backend = "wasm_js", target_arch = "wasm32", any(target_os = "unknown", target_os = "none")))'.dev-dependencies]
+[target.'cfg(all(target_arch = "wasm32", any(target_os = "unknown", target_os = "none")))'.dependencies]
+wasm-bindgen = { version = "0.2.98", default-features = false, optional = true }
+[target.'cfg(all(target_arch = "wasm32", any(target_os = "unknown", target_os = "none"), target_feature = "atomics"))'.dependencies]
+js-sys = { version = "0.3.77", default-features = false, optional = true }
+[target.'cfg(all(target_arch = "wasm32", any(target_os = "unknown", target_os = "none")))'.dev-dependencies]
 wasm-bindgen-test = "0.3"
 
-[features]
-# Implement std::error::Error for getrandom::Error and
-# use std to retrieve OS error descriptions
-std = []
-# Unstable feature to support being a libstd dependency
-rustc-dep-of-std = ["dep:compiler_builtins", "dep:core"]
-
 [lints.rust.unexpected_cfgs]
 level = "warn"
 check-cfg = [
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index ea3b8b01..0007634c 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -82,7 +82,7 @@ of randomness based on their specific needs:
 | `linux_getrandom` | Linux, Android       | `*‑linux‑*`              | [`getrandom`][1] system call (without `/dev/urandom` fallback). Bumps minimum supported Linux kernel version to 3.17 and Android API level to 23 (Marshmallow).
 | `rdrand`          | x86, x86-64          | `x86_64-*`, `i686-*`     | [`RDRAND`] instruction
 | `rndr`            | AArch64              | `aarch64-*`              | [`RNDR`] register
-| `wasm_js`         | Web Browser, Node.js | `wasm32‑unknown‑unknown`, `wasm32v1-none` | [`Crypto.getRandomValues`]
+| `wasm_js`         | Web Browser, Node.js | `wasm32‑unknown‑unknown`, `wasm32v1-none` | [`Crypto.getRandomValues`]. Requires feature `wasm_js` ([see below](#webassembly-support)).
 | `custom`          | All targets          | `*`                      | User-provided custom implementation (see [custom backend])
 
 Opt-in backends can be enabled using the `getrandom_backend` configuration flag.
@@ -112,18 +112,19 @@ the `wasm32-unknown-unknown` target (i.e. the target used by `wasm-pack`)
 is not automatically supported since, from the target name alone, we cannot deduce
 which JavaScript interface should be used (or if JavaScript is available at all).
 
-Instead, *if the `wasm_js` backend is enabled*, this crate will assume
-that you are building for an environment containing JavaScript, and will
-call the appropriate Web Crypto methods [described above](#opt-in-backends) using
-the [`wasm-bindgen`] toolchain. Both web browser (main window and Web Workers)
-and Node.js (v19 or later) environments are supported.
+To enable `getrandom`'s functionality on `wasm32-unknown-unknown` using the Web
+Crypto methods [described above](#opt-in-backends) via [`wasm-bindgen`], do
+*both* of the following:
 
-To enable the `wasm_js` backend, you can add the following lines to your
-project's `.cargo/config.toml` file:
-```toml
-[target.wasm32-unknown-unknown]
-rustflags = ['--cfg', 'getrandom_backend="wasm_js"']
-```
+-   Use the `wasm_js` feature flag, i.e.
+    `getrandom = { version = "0.3", features = ["wasm_js"] }`.
+    On its own, this only makes the backend available. (As a side effect this
+    will make your `Cargo.lock` significantly larger if you are not already
+    using [`wasm-bindgen`], but otherwise enabling this feature is harmless.)
+-   Set `RUSTFLAGS='--cfg getrandom_backend="wasm_js"'` ([see above](#opt-in-backends)).
+
+This backend supports both web browsers (main window and Web Workers)
+and Node.js (v19 or later) environments.
 
 ### Custom backend
 
diff --git a/src/backends.rs b/src/backends.rs
index 921b7779..1509af11 100644
--- a/src/backends.rs
+++ b/src/backends.rs
@@ -19,9 +19,19 @@ cfg_if! {
     } else if #[cfg(getrandom_backend = "rndr")] {
         mod rndr;
         pub use rndr::*;
-    } else if #[cfg(getrandom_backend = "wasm_js")] {
-        mod wasm_js;
-        pub use wasm_js::*;
+    } else if #[cfg(all(getrandom_backend = "wasm_js"))] {
+        cfg_if! {
+            if #[cfg(feature = "wasm_js")] {
+                mod wasm_js;
+                pub use wasm_js::*;
+            } else {
+                compile_error!(
+                    "The \"wasm_js\" backend requires the `wasm_js` feature \
+                    for `getrandom`. For more information see: \
+                    https://docs.rs/getrandom/#webassembly-support"
+                );
+            }
+        }
     } else if #[cfg(target_os = "espidf")] {
         mod esp_idf;
         pub use esp_idf::*;
@@ -145,14 +155,14 @@ cfg_if! {
     } else if #[cfg(all(target_arch = "x86_64", target_env = "sgx"))] {
         mod rdrand;
         pub use rdrand::*;
-    } else if #[cfg(all(
-        target_arch = "wasm32",
-        any(target_os = "unknown", target_os = "none")
-    ))] {
-        compile_error!("the wasm32-unknown-unknown targets are not supported \
-                        by default, you may need to enable the \"wasm_js\" \
-                        configuration flag. For more information see: \
-                        https://docs.rs/getrandom/#webassembly-support");
+    } else if #[cfg(all(target_arch = "wasm32", any(target_os = "unknown", target_os = "none")))] {
+        compile_error!(
+            "The wasm32-unknown-unknown targets are not supported by default; \
+            you may need to enable the \"wasm_js\" configuration flag. Note \
+            that enabling the `wasm_js` feature flag alone is insufficient. \
+            For more information see: \
+            https://docs.rs/getrandom/#webassembly-support"
+        );
     } else {
         compile_error!("target is not supported. You may need to define \
                         a custom backend see: \
diff --git a/src/error.rs b/src/error.rs
index e82b5e3a..ccbe7837 100644
--- a/src/error.rs
+++ b/src/error.rs
@@ -116,7 +116,7 @@ impl Error {
             Error::IOS_RANDOM_GEN => "SecRandomCopyBytes: iOS Security framework failure",
             #[cfg(all(windows, target_vendor = "win7"))]
             Error::WINDOWS_RTL_GEN_RANDOM => "RtlGenRandom: Windows system function failure",
-            #[cfg(getrandom_backend = "wasm_js")]
+            #[cfg(all(feature = "wasm_js", getrandom_backend = "wasm_js"))]
             Error::WEB_CRYPTO => "Web Crypto API is unavailable",
             #[cfg(target_os = "vxworks")]
             Error::VXWORKS_RAND_SECURE => "randSecure: VxWorks RNG module is not initialized",
diff --git a/tests/mod.rs b/tests/mod.rs
index c972e768..9f1e6338 100644
--- a/tests/mod.rs
+++ b/tests/mod.rs
@@ -1,11 +1,7 @@
 use core::mem::MaybeUninit;
 use getrandom::{fill, fill_uninit};
 
-#[cfg(all(
-    getrandom_backend = "wasm_js",
-    target_arch = "wasm32",
-    target_os = "unknown"
-))]
+#[cfg(all(feature = "wasm_js", target_arch = "wasm32", target_os = "unknown"))]
 use wasm_bindgen_test::wasm_bindgen_test as test;
 
 #[test]