diff --git a/src/cmd/aquila/install.zig b/src/cmd/aquila/install.zig
index 35a17d06a49f205ca048e47eabf684ec7155cb29..459b0de22dac3e2d183dbff299eafbcebf3b5b7b 100644
--- a/src/cmd/aquila/install.zig
+++ b/src/cmd/aquila/install.zig
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ pub fn execute(self_name: []const u8, args: [][]u8) !void {
         defer f.close();
         const w = f.writer();
         const init = @import("../init.zig");
-        try init.writeExeManifest(w, try u.random_string(gpa, 48), "zigmod_installation", null, null);
+        try init.writeExeManifest(w, &u.random_string(48), "zigmod_installation", null, null);
     }
 
     // add to ~/zigmod.yml for later
diff --git a/src/cmd/aquila/update.zig b/src/cmd/aquila/update.zig
index 4ccba0201bf0907b746379bee58f4bc5ccea6e40..ee3fd3d28d05963079f45d8f4810c8578a5b7c60 100644
--- a/src/cmd/aquila/update.zig
+++ b/src/cmd/aquila/update.zig
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ pub fn execute(self_name: []const u8, args: [][]u8) !void {
         defer f.close();
         const w = f.writer();
         const init = @import("../init.zig");
-        try init.writeExeManifest(w, try u.random_string(gpa, 48), "zigmod_installation", null, null);
+        try init.writeExeManifest(w, &u.random_string(48), "zigmod_installation", null, null);
     }
     u.assert(args.len == 0, "zigmod aq update accepts no parameters", .{});
 
diff --git a/src/cmd/init.zig b/src/cmd/init.zig
index 94048925b950df2af2dafc7106ba852810c84e1c..e2d9ba2fb6f863fc1c934af8ed8cceb1215c5511 100644
--- a/src/cmd/init.zig
+++ b/src/cmd/init.zig
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ pub fn execute(self_name: []const u8, args: [][]u8) !void {
     const stdin = std.io.getStdIn().reader();
     const cwd = std.fs.cwd();
 
-    const id = try inquirer.answer(stdout, "ID (this gets autogenerated):", string, "{s}", try u.random_string(gpa, 48));
+    const id = try inquirer.answer(stdout, "ID (this gets autogenerated):", string, "{s}", &u.random_string(48));
 
     const ptype = try inquirer.forEnum(stdout, stdin, "Are you making an application or a library?", gpa, enum { exe, lib }, null);
 
diff --git a/src/common.zig b/src/common.zig
index ca7912539c06ff9a836a36edbe5e9c5c2b8a4c87..e9d3009e4590a1f514efca17b47fc28957ebd675 100644
--- a/src/common.zig
+++ b/src/common.zig
@@ -277,7 +277,7 @@ pub fn get_module_from_dep(d: *zigmod.Dep, cachepath: string, options: *CollectO
             dd.for_build = d.for_build;
             const save = dd;
             if (d.type != .local) dd.clean_path = extras.trimPrefix(modpath, cachepath)[1..];
-            if (dd.id.len == 0) dd.id = try u.random_string(options.alloc, 48);
+            if (dd.id.len == 0) dd.id = &u.random_string(48);
             if (d.name.len > 0) dd.name = d.name;
             if (d.main.len > 0) dd.main = d.main;
             if (d.c_include_dirs.len > 0) dd.c_include_dirs = d.c_include_dirs;
diff --git a/src/util/funcs.zig b/src/util/funcs.zig
index a920acc39b3b55096d73a47e2a30a0bc3da088a1..d4227029e6b591d57e1113fa93cc122610447d3e 100644
--- a/src/util/funcs.zig
+++ b/src/util/funcs.zig
@@ -97,11 +97,11 @@ pub fn last(in: []string) !string {
 
 const alphabet = "0123456789abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz";
 
-pub fn random_string(alloc: std.mem.Allocator, len: usize) !string {
+pub fn random_string(comptime len: usize) [len]u8 {
     const now: u64 = @intCast(std.time.nanoTimestamp());
     var rand = std.rand.DefaultPrng.init(now);
     var r = rand.random();
-    var buf = try alloc.alloc(u8, len);
+    var buf: [len]u8 = undefined;
     var i: usize = 0;
     while (i < len) : (i += 1) {
         buf[i] = alphabet[r.int(usize) % alphabet.len];
diff --git a/src/util/modfile.zig b/src/util/modfile.zig
index b28eef368c2fc1eb566b1fbd784008b3f67b5702..2072fe81b26eb02b2c513f59f10111926c22be42 100644
--- a/src/util/modfile.zig
+++ b/src/util/modfile.zig
@@ -62,7 +62,7 @@ pub const ModFile = struct {
         }
 
         return Self{
-            .id = if (id.len == 0) try u.random_string(alloc, 48) else id,
+            .id = if (id.len == 0) &u.random_string(48) else id,
             .name = name,
             .main = main,
             .c_include_dirs = try mapping.get_string_array(alloc, "c_include_dirs"),
diff --git a/src/util/module.zig b/src/util/module.zig
index ac1c03de7ee97351e5f827088da9ecab731a7b7b..412ecdb9927760018da2d02fbfaad9bc9cda1a2b 100644
--- a/src/util/module.zig
+++ b/src/util/module.zig
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ pub const Module = struct {
         }
         return Module{
             .type = dep.type,
-            .id = if (dep.id.len > 0) dep.id else try u.random_string(alloc, 48),
+            .id = if (dep.id.len > 0) dep.id else &u.random_string(48),
             .name = dep.name,
             .main = dep.main,
             .c_include_dirs = dep.c_include_dirs,