diff --git a/.github/workflows/CI.yml b/.github/workflows/CI.yml
index 6dc6439f..eda02603 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/CI.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/CI.yml
@@ -81,10 +81,6 @@ jobs:
         uses: julia-actions/julia-processcoverage@v1
       - name: "Process GAP code coverage"
         run: |
-          julia --color=yes --project=. -e '
-            using GAP
-            GAP.Packages.install("profiling", interactive = false) || exit(1)
-            '
           /tmp/gap.sh -A --quitonbreak --norepl etc/gather_coverage.g
           cat gap-lcov.info >> lcov.info
 
diff --git a/CHANGES.md b/CHANGES.md
index 5af20261..ebb77f00 100644
--- a/CHANGES.md
+++ b/CHANGES.md
@@ -7,6 +7,8 @@
   effectively pass `-A` to GAP when loading it)
 - Instead of downloading a single huge "artifact" containing all deposited GAP
   packages, we now use (and download) one artifact per GAP package.
+- Use precompiled binaries for many GAP packages, such as `io`, `ferret`
+  and many more
 
 ## Version 0.12.1 (released 2024-12-09)
 
diff --git a/Project.toml b/Project.toml
index c7f9efd8..60e22afe 100644
--- a/Project.toml
+++ b/Project.toml
@@ -6,11 +6,33 @@ version = "0.13.0-DEV"
 [deps]
 AbstractAlgebra = "c3fe647b-3220-5bb0-a1ea-a7954cac585d"
 Artifacts = "56f22d72-fd6d-98f1-02f0-08ddc0907c33"
+BinaryWrappers = "f01c122e-0ea1-4f85-ad8f-907073ad7a9f"
 Compat = "34da2185-b29b-5c13-b0c7-acf172513d20"
 Downloads = "f43a241f-c20a-4ad4-852c-f6b1247861c6"
 GAP_jll = "5cd7a574-2c56-5be2-91dc-c8bc375b9ddf"
 GAP_lib_jll = "de1ad85e-c930-5cd4-919d-ccd3fcafd1a3"
+GAP_pkg_ace_jll = "6e11effc-327b-571d-98e3-e12b1d1e7421"
+GAP_pkg_anupq_jll = "995f5adf-d221-5ddc-a873-ce518b8081c9"
+GAP_pkg_browse_jll = "6e540885-1cbc-538c-85e7-b800ca60d645"
+GAP_pkg_cddinterface_jll = "edf6cd94-1a94-567d-837e-37d1f3b87eed"
+GAP_pkg_crypting_jll = "3b5f52f3-99b5-593a-81cd-d6cf4b425c55"
+GAP_pkg_cvec_jll = "03de9d45-54dd-5e36-9810-6ca1d577e6b3"
+GAP_pkg_datastructures_jll = "66bcec33-4fa3-551a-b2da-ca256b6829d9"
+GAP_pkg_deepthought_jll = "27af9300-c9da-50fb-ba64-a6b0776a3078"
+GAP_pkg_digraphs_jll = "ce5c30f6-a98c-53bc-b643-089f5717f8db"
+GAP_pkg_edim_jll = "aa0ab9cb-918b-5ca1-812e-3cecb1c413b6"
+GAP_pkg_ferret_jll = "d6652ff9-bdf9-5f19-9e6f-c10727807222"
+GAP_pkg_float_jll = "b73cfdca-4c14-50a3-9408-5dcda5b8fad2"
+GAP_pkg_fplsa_jll = "f51f7fb6-0f19-5db2-8aaf-495cce673bcb"
+GAP_pkg_gauss_jll = "296a3c51-2614-5f89-afa9-2c5cd84b74d9"
+GAP_pkg_guava_jll = "70456840-cd51-5d76-a902-d128bd76a730"
+GAP_pkg_io_jll = "19a9678b-966c-568e-9f2e-41ceac70c829"
+GAP_pkg_json_jll = "b348cf08-4407-5d37-b307-1564396f8b07"
 GAP_pkg_juliainterface_jll = "ba154793-3a7d-51ee-8800-e295b0cf7374"
+GAP_pkg_normalizinterface_jll = "74f4ad05-5f81-5a78-8197-4e83b84c9c17"
+GAP_pkg_nq_jll = "00bf61e5-c0f9-5a3f-ba8b-68a621695b53"
+GAP_pkg_orb_jll = "b689cd95-dcfd-544e-a174-ce2fd787c795"
+GAP_pkg_simpcomp_jll = "1c659ad8-f6e2-554d-814b-22ddd907b91c"
 InteractiveUtils = "b77e0a4c-d291-57a0-90e8-8db25a27a240"
 Libdl = "8f399da3-3557-5675-b5ff-fb832c97cbdb"
 MacroTools = "1914dd2f-81c6-5fcd-8719-6d5c9610ff09"
@@ -26,11 +48,33 @@ TOML = "fa267f1f-6049-4f14-aa54-33bafae1ed76"
 [compat]
 AbstractAlgebra = "0.41.11, 0.42.1, 0.43"
 Artifacts = "1.6"
+BinaryWrappers = "0.1.3"
 Compat = "4.4.0"
 Downloads = "1.4.3"
 GAP_jll = "~400.1400.000"
 GAP_lib_jll = "~400.1400.000"
+GAP_pkg_ace_jll = "500.600.200"
+GAP_pkg_anupq_jll = "300.300.100"
+GAP_pkg_browse_jll = "100.800.2101"
+GAP_pkg_cddinterface_jll = "202400.900.200"
+GAP_pkg_crypting_jll = "0.1000.500"
+GAP_pkg_cvec_jll = "200.800.200"
+GAP_pkg_datastructures_jll = "0.300.100"
+GAP_pkg_deepthought_jll = "100.0.700"
+GAP_pkg_digraphs_jll = "100.900.0"
+GAP_pkg_edim_jll = "100.300.801"
+GAP_pkg_ferret_jll = "100.0.1400"
+GAP_pkg_float_jll = "100.0.500"
+GAP_pkg_fplsa_jll = "100.200.600"
+GAP_pkg_gauss_jll = "202400.1100.100"
+GAP_pkg_guava_jll = "300.1900.0"
+GAP_pkg_io_jll = "400.900.100"
+GAP_pkg_json_jll = "200.200.200"
 GAP_pkg_juliainterface_jll = "=0.1300.0"
+GAP_pkg_normalizinterface_jll = "100.300.700"
+GAP_pkg_nq_jll = "200.500.1100"
+GAP_pkg_orb_jll = "400.900.100"
+GAP_pkg_simpcomp_jll = "200.100.1400"
 InteractiveUtils = "1.6"
 Libdl = "1.6"
 MacroTools = "0.5.13"
diff --git a/src/GAP.jl b/src/GAP.jl
index 31a0cdcd..c2e94cc9 100644
--- a/src/GAP.jl
+++ b/src/GAP.jl
@@ -222,6 +222,9 @@ function initialize(argv::Vector{String})
     # Redirect error messages, in order not to print them to the screen.
     GAP.Globals.Read(GapObj(joinpath(@__DIR__, "..", "gap", "err.g")))
 
+    # set up a few package JLLs
+    setup_gap_pkg_overrides()
+
     return nothing
 end
 
@@ -332,4 +335,6 @@ include("prompt.jl")
 include("exec.jl")
 include("doctestfilters.jl")
 
+include("GAP_pkg.jl")
+
 end
diff --git a/src/GAP_pkg.jl b/src/GAP_pkg.jl
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..54364367
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/GAP_pkg.jl
@@ -0,0 +1,49 @@
+using BinaryWrappers
+
+const pkg_bindirs = Dict{Symbol, String}()
+
+for pkg in [
+    :ace,
+    :anupq,
+    :browse,
+    :cddinterface,
+    :crypting,
+    :cvec,
+    :datastructures,
+    :deepthought,
+    :digraphs,
+    :edim,
+    :ferret,
+    :float,
+    :fplsa,
+    :gauss,
+    :guava,
+    :io,
+    :json,
+    :normalizinterface,
+    :nq,
+    :orb,
+    :simpcomp,
+    ]
+    jll = Symbol("GAP_pkg_$(pkg)_jll")
+    @eval begin
+        using $jll
+        # Crude heuristic: if the JLL has a `bin` directory then we assume it
+        # contains executables the packages uses; otherwise assume it contains
+        # a kernel extension `lib/gap/BLAH.so`.
+        #
+        # This fails if a package has both executables and a kernel extension.
+        pkg_bindirs[Symbol($(string(pkg)))] =
+              if isdir(joinpath($jll.find_artifact_dir(), "bin"))
+                  @generate_wrappers($jll)
+              else
+                  joinpath($jll.find_artifact_dir(), "lib", "gap")
+              end
+    end
+end
+
+function setup_gap_pkg_overrides()
+    for (pkg, dir) in pkg_bindirs
+        setproperty!(GAP.Globals.DirectoriesPackageProgramsOverrides, pkg, GapObj(dir))
+    end
+end