diff --git a/.github/workflows/main.yml b/.github/workflows/main.yml
index 92c5ae06e819..8c16c57201c0 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/main.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/main.yml
@@ -281,6 +281,9 @@ jobs:
     # Check that benchmarks of the cranelift project build
     - run: cargo check --benches -p cranelift-codegen
 
+    # Check that the bench-api compiles
+    - run: cargo check -p wasmtime-bench-api
+
     # Check some feature combinations of the `wasmtime-c-api` crate
     - run: cargo check -p wasmtime-c-api --no-default-features
     - run: cargo check -p wasmtime-c-api --no-default-features --features wat
diff --git a/crates/bench-api/Cargo.toml b/crates/bench-api/Cargo.toml
index 83cce9065cae..ebfdeb871002 100644
--- a/crates/bench-api/Cargo.toml
+++ b/crates/bench-api/Cargo.toml
@@ -18,8 +18,10 @@ doctest = false
 anyhow = { workspace = true }
 shuffling-allocator = { version = "1.1.1", optional = true }
 target-lexicon = { workspace = true }
-wasmtime = { workspace = true }
-wasmtime-cli-flags = { workspace = true, default-features = true }
+wasmtime = { workspace = true, default-features = true }
+wasmtime-cli-flags = { workspace = true, default-features = true, features = [
+    "cranelift",
+] }
 wasmtime-wasi = { workspace = true, default-features = true }
 wasmtime-wasi-nn = { workspace = true, optional = true }
 wasi-cap-std-sync = { workspace = true }