diff --git a/clarity/Cargo.toml b/clarity/Cargo.toml
index cba9468313..74d49d2766 100644
--- a/clarity/Cargo.toml
+++ b/clarity/Cargo.toml
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@ rstest_reuse = { version = "0.5.0" }
 serde_stacker = "0.1"
 
 [features]
-default = ["rusqlite"]
+default = ["devtools"]
 developer-mode = ["stacks_common/developer-mode", "clarity-types/developer-mode"]
 slog_json = ["stacks_common/slog_json"]
 rusqlite = ["stacks_common/rusqlite", "clarity-types/rusqlite", "dep:rusqlite"]
diff --git a/clarity/src/vm/ast/mod.rs b/clarity/src/vm/ast/mod.rs
index b09de172e6..4ebb7b2f7e 100644
--- a/clarity/src/vm/ast/mod.rs
+++ b/clarity/src/vm/ast/mod.rs
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@ use stacks_common::types::StacksEpochId;
 use self::definition_sorter::DefinitionSorter;
 use self::errors::ParseResult;
 use self::expression_identifier::ExpressionIdentifier;
+#[cfg(not(feature = "devtools"))]
 use self::parser::v1::parse as parse_v1;
 use self::parser::v2::parse as parse_v2;
 use self::stack_depth_checker::{StackDepthChecker, VaryStackDepthChecker};
@@ -58,12 +59,21 @@ pub fn parse(
 /// Parse a program based on which epoch is active
 fn parse_in_epoch(
     source_code: &str,
-    epoch_id: StacksEpochId,
+    // the epoch_id argument can be removed as part of #3662 (removing parser v1)
+    #[allow(unused_variables)] epoch_id: StacksEpochId,
 ) -> ParseResult<Vec<PreSymbolicExpression>> {
-    if epoch_id >= StacksEpochId::Epoch21 {
+    #[cfg(feature = "devtools")]
+    {
         parse_v2(source_code)
-    } else {
-        parse_v1(source_code)
+    }
+
+    #[cfg(not(feature = "devtools"))]
+    {
+        if epoch_id >= StacksEpochId::Epoch21 {
+            parse_v2(source_code)
+        } else {
+            parse_v1(source_code)
+        }
     }
 }
 
@@ -111,7 +121,8 @@ fn inner_build_ast<T: CostTracker>(
     source_code: &str,
     cost_track: &mut T,
     clarity_version: ClarityVersion,
-    epoch: StacksEpochId,
+    // the epoch_id argument can be removed as part of #3662 (removing parser v1)
+    #[allow(unused_variables)] epoch: StacksEpochId,
     error_early: bool,
 ) -> ParseResult<(ContractAST, Vec<Diagnostic>, bool)> {
     let cost_err = match runtime_cost(
@@ -124,9 +135,18 @@ fn inner_build_ast<T: CostTracker>(
         _ => None,
     };
 
+    #[cfg(feature = "devtools")]
+    let (pre_expressions, mut diagnostics, mut success) = if error_early {
+        let exprs = parse_v2(source_code)?;
+        (exprs, Vec::new(), true)
+    } else {
+        parser::v2::parse_collect_diagnostics(source_code)
+    };
+
+    #[cfg(not(feature = "devtools"))]
     let (pre_expressions, mut diagnostics, mut success) = if epoch >= StacksEpochId::Epoch21 {
         if error_early {
-            let exprs = parser::v2::parse(source_code)?;
+            let exprs = parse_v2(source_code)?;
             (exprs, Vec::new(), true)
         } else {
             parser::v2::parse_collect_diagnostics(source_code)