diff --git a/src/cmd/aquila/install.zig b/src/cmd/aquila/install.zig
index fafc644e286ee0e54bfc941dd8ed9595eec9916f..053485c0a35f629f393acb4273bf0e92dd2b6cd7 100644
--- a/src/cmd/aquila/install.zig
+++ b/src/cmd/aquila/install.zig
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ pub fn execute(args: [][]u8) !void {
         defer f.close();
         const w = f.writer();
         const init = @import("../init.zig");
-        try init.writeExeManifest(w, try u.random_string(48), "zigmod_installation", null, null);
+        try init.writeExeManifest(w, try u.random_string(gpa, 48), "zigmod_installation", null, null);
     }
 
     // add to ~/zig.mod for later
diff --git a/src/cmd/init.zig b/src/cmd/init.zig
index cf85d528c113b1fbee33bd7c8d80fa9e32b8551b..9eca8f460df4edeb0e4ebf1d5b056c51079e663a 100644
--- a/src/cmd/init.zig
+++ b/src/cmd/init.zig
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ pub fn execute(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(48));
+    const id = try inquirer.answer(stdout, "ID (this gets autogenerated):", string, "{s}", try u.random_string(gpa, 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 86dd791d32c75d4e685bad7273d7dc2d9ebb344c..30a9169dee602ea04eed26188493bc36f99ac095 100644
--- a/src/common.zig
+++ b/src/common.zig
@@ -263,7 +263,7 @@ pub fn get_module_from_dep(d: *zigmod.Dep, cachepath: string, options: *CollectO
             dd.dep = d.*;
             const save = dd;
             if (d.type != .local) dd.clean_path = u.trim_prefix(modpath, cachepath)[1..];
-            if (dd.id.len == 0) dd.id = try u.random_string(48);
+            if (dd.id.len == 0) dd.id = try u.random_string(gpa, 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 6d41ac3b244bef9ffdf856aa95929d125529128a..b93ee893af5fcbfb59609618a5f97ae1d0ac5f1b 100644
--- a/src/util/funcs.zig
+++ b/src/util/funcs.zig
@@ -170,11 +170,11 @@ pub fn last(in: []string) !string {
 
 const alphabet = "0123456789abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz";
 
-pub fn random_string(len: usize) !string {
+pub fn random_string(alloc: *std.mem.Allocator, len: usize) !string {
     const now = @intCast(u64, std.time.nanoTimestamp());
     var rand = std.rand.DefaultPrng.init(now);
     const r = &rand.random;
-    var buf = try gpa.alloc(u8, len);
+    var buf = try alloc.alloc(u8, len);
     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 5291ef0657e7e08ca96740679da4c5694c17c0eb..e899c74d3fed47069d63b9556435c266b4a35fed 100644
--- a/src/util/modfile.zig
+++ b/src/util/modfile.zig
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ pub const ModFile = struct {
         }
 
         return Self{
-            .id = if (id.len == 0) try u.random_string(48) else id,
+            .id = if (id.len == 0) try u.random_string(alloc, 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 99dbbde8bbd25d17890805ee977a1484552b279b..3986c7be4fe21fca4cc14290983a4d7426745613 100644
--- a/src/util/module.zig
+++ b/src/util/module.zig
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ pub const Module = struct {
         return Module{
             .alloc = alloc,
             .is_sys_lib = false,
-            .id = if (dep.id.len > 0) dep.id else try u.random_string(48),
+            .id = if (dep.id.len > 0) dep.id else try u.random_string(alloc, 48),
             .name = dep.name,
             .main = dep.main,
             .c_include_dirs = dep.c_include_dirs,