diff --git a/lib/c-api/Cargo.toml b/lib/c-api/Cargo.toml
index 9b9fca8ff61..5335789a708 100644
--- a/lib/c-api/Cargo.toml
+++ b/lib/c-api/Cargo.toml
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ wasmer-engine-universal = { version = "2.0.0", path = "../engine-universal", opt
 wasmer-engine-dylib = { version = "2.0.0", path = "../engine-dylib", optional = true }
 wasmer-engine-staticlib = { version = "2.0.0", path = "../engine-staticlib", optional = true }
 wasmer-middlewares = { version = "2.0.0", path = "../middlewares", optional = true }
-wasmer-wasi = { version = "2.0.0", path = "../wasi", default-features = false, features = ["host_fs"], optional = true }
+wasmer-wasi = { version = "2.0.0", path = "../wasi", optional = true }
 wasmer-types = { version = "2.0.0", path = "../types" }
 enumset = "1.0"
 cfg-if = "1.0"
diff --git a/lib/cli/Cargo.toml b/lib/cli/Cargo.toml
index 98f248b48e7..887623da1b7 100644
--- a/lib/cli/Cargo.toml
+++ b/lib/cli/Cargo.toml
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ wasmer-engine-universal = { version = "2.0.0", path = "../engine-universal", opt
 wasmer-engine-dylib = { version = "2.0.0", path = "../engine-dylib", optional = true }
 wasmer-engine-staticlib = { version = "2.0.0", path = "../engine-staticlib", optional = true }
 wasmer-vm = { version = "2.0.0", path = "../vm" }
-wasmer-wasi = { version = "2.0.0", path = "../wasi", default-features = false, features = ["host_fs"], optional = true }
+wasmer-wasi = { version = "2.0.0", path = "../wasi", optional = true }
 wasmer-wasi-experimental-io-devices = { version = "2.0.0", path = "../wasi-experimental-io-devices", optional = true }
 wasmer-wast = { version = "2.0.0", path = "../../tests/lib/wast", optional = true }
 wasmer-cache = { version = "2.0.0", path = "../cache", optional = true }
diff --git a/lib/vfs/Cargo.toml b/lib/vfs/Cargo.toml
index 7a3dd8e6df4..02e1e43b6f7 100644
--- a/lib/vfs/Cargo.toml
+++ b/lib/vfs/Cargo.toml
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ typetag = { version = "0.1", optional = true }
 serde = { version = "1.0", default-features = false, features = ["derive"], optional = true }
 
 [features]
+default = ["host_fs"]
 host_fs = ["libc"]
 mem_fs = []
 enable-serde = [
diff --git a/lib/vfs/src/lib.rs b/lib/vfs/src/lib.rs
index 2ec54d5fefc..790f03781b3 100644
--- a/lib/vfs/src/lib.rs
+++ b/lib/vfs/src/lib.rs
@@ -6,6 +6,9 @@ use std::path::{Path, PathBuf};
 use thiserror::Error;
 use tracing::debug;
 
+#[cfg(all(not(feature = "host_fs"), not(feature = "mem_fs")))]
+compile_error!("At least the `host_fs` or the `mem_fs` feature must be enabled. Please, pick one.");
+
 #[cfg(feature = "host_fs")]
 pub mod host_fs;
 #[cfg(feature = "mem_fs")]