diff --git a/packages/compartment-mapper/NEWS.md b/packages/compartment-mapper/NEWS.md
index 4d5d249d6a..7a2aab4488 100644
--- a/packages/compartment-mapper/NEWS.md
+++ b/packages/compartment-mapper/NEWS.md
@@ -1,5 +1,10 @@
 User-visible changes to `@endo/compartment-mapper`:
 
+# Next version
+
+- Omits unused module descriptors from `compartment-map.json` in archived
+  applications, potentially reducing file sizes.
+
 # v1.3.0 (2024-10-10)
 
 - Adds support for dynamic requires in CommonJS modules. This requires specific
diff --git a/packages/compartment-mapper/src/archive-lite.js b/packages/compartment-mapper/src/archive-lite.js
index 5ffa0d721b..a2201fd792 100644
--- a/packages/compartment-mapper/src/archive-lite.js
+++ b/packages/compartment-mapper/src/archive-lite.js
@@ -148,22 +148,25 @@ const translateCompartmentMap = (compartments, sources, compartmentRenames) => {
   const result = create(null);
   for (const compartmentName of keys(compartmentRenames)) {
     const compartment = compartments[compartmentName];
-    const { name, label, retained, policy } = compartment;
-    if (retained) {
+    const { name, label, retained: compartmentRetained, policy } = compartment;
+    if (compartmentRetained) {
       // rename module compartments
       /** @type {Record<string, ModuleDescriptor>} */
       const modules = create(null);
       const compartmentModules = compartment.modules;
       if (compartment.modules) {
         for (const name of keys(compartmentModules).sort()) {
-          const module = compartmentModules[name];
-          if (module.compartment !== undefined) {
-            modules[name] = {
-              ...module,
-              compartment: compartmentRenames[module.compartment],
-            };
-          } else {
-            modules[name] = module;
+          const { retained: moduleRetained, ...retainedModule } =
+            compartmentModules[name];
+          if (moduleRetained) {
+            if (retainedModule.compartment !== undefined) {
+              modules[name] = {
+                ...retainedModule,
+                compartment: compartmentRenames[retainedModule.compartment],
+              };
+            } else {
+              modules[name] = retainedModule;
+            }
           }
         }
       }
diff --git a/packages/compartment-mapper/src/compartment-map.js b/packages/compartment-mapper/src/compartment-map.js
index e8e61fc1ce..87b67275b4 100644
--- a/packages/compartment-mapper/src/compartment-map.js
+++ b/packages/compartment-mapper/src/compartment-map.js
@@ -107,7 +107,7 @@ const assertConditions = (conditions, url) => {
  * @param {string} url
  */
 const assertCompartmentModule = (allegedModule, path, url) => {
-  const { compartment, module, ...extra } = allegedModule;
+  const { compartment, module, retained, ...extra } = allegedModule;
   assertEmptyObject(
     extra,
     `${path} must not have extra properties, got ${q({
@@ -125,6 +125,13 @@ const assertCompartmentModule = (allegedModule, path, url) => {
     'string',
     `${path}.module must be a string, got ${q(module)} in ${q(url)}`,
   );
+  if (retained !== undefined) {
+    assert.typeof(
+      retained,
+      'boolean',
+      `${path}.retained must be a boolean, got ${q(retained)} in ${q(url)}`,
+    );
+  }
 };
 
 /**
diff --git a/packages/compartment-mapper/src/import-hook.js b/packages/compartment-mapper/src/import-hook.js
index b62c5ec634..cbc13e647b 100644
--- a/packages/compartment-mapper/src/import-hook.js
+++ b/packages/compartment-mapper/src/import-hook.js
@@ -269,6 +269,7 @@ function* chooseModuleDescriptor(
   for (const candidateSpecifier of candidates) {
     const candidateModuleDescriptor = moduleDescriptors[candidateSpecifier];
     if (candidateModuleDescriptor !== undefined) {
+      candidateModuleDescriptor.retained = true;
       const { compartment: candidateCompartmentName = packageLocation } =
         candidateModuleDescriptor;
       const candidateCompartment = compartments[candidateCompartmentName];
@@ -339,6 +340,7 @@ function* chooseModuleDescriptor(
       // module specifier than the requested one.
       if (candidateSpecifier !== moduleSpecifier) {
         moduleDescriptors[moduleSpecifier] = {
+          retained: true,
           module: candidateSpecifier,
           compartment: packageLocation,
         };
diff --git a/packages/compartment-mapper/src/link.js b/packages/compartment-mapper/src/link.js
index d099f9adbb..ef691f864e 100644
--- a/packages/compartment-mapper/src/link.js
+++ b/packages/compartment-mapper/src/link.js
@@ -112,6 +112,8 @@ const makeModuleMapHook = (
 
     const moduleDescriptor = moduleDescriptors[moduleSpecifier];
     if (moduleDescriptor !== undefined) {
+      moduleDescriptor.retained = true;
+
       // "foreignCompartmentName" refers to the compartment which
       // may differ from the current compartment
       const {
@@ -193,6 +195,7 @@ const makeModuleMapHook = (
         // a moduleMapHook when we assemble compartments from the resulting
         // archive.
         moduleDescriptors[moduleSpecifier] = {
+          retained: true,
           compartment: foreignCompartmentName,
           module: foreignModuleSpecifier,
         };
diff --git a/packages/compartment-mapper/src/types.js b/packages/compartment-mapper/src/types.js
index bdd3e4fc78..e5755a2aaa 100644
--- a/packages/compartment-mapper/src/types.js
+++ b/packages/compartment-mapper/src/types.js
@@ -61,13 +61,14 @@ export {};
  * `package.json`, there is a corresponding module descriptor.
  *
  * @typedef {object} ModuleDescriptor
- * @property {string=} [compartment]
+ * @property {string} [compartment]
  * @property {string} [module]
  * @property {string} [location]
  * @property {Language} [parser]
  * @property {string} [sha512] in base 16, hex
  * @property {string} [exit]
  * @property {string} [deferredError]
+ * @property {boolean} [retained]
  */
 
 /**