diff --git a/src/CodeGen_Metal_Dev.cpp b/src/CodeGen_Metal_Dev.cpp
index a3cef155a6fa..6f1b343f42a1 100644
--- a/src/CodeGen_Metal_Dev.cpp
+++ b/src/CodeGen_Metal_Dev.cpp
@@ -863,8 +863,40 @@ vector<char> CodeGen_Metal_Dev::compile_to_src() {
     string str = src_stream.str();
     debug(1) << "Metal kernel:\n"
              << str << "\n";
+    
     vector<char> buffer(str.begin(), str.end());
-    buffer.push_back(0);
+
+    auto metal_compiler = get_env_variable("HL_METAL_COMPILER");
+    auto metal_linker = get_env_variable("HL_METAL_LINKER");
+    if (!metal_compiler.empty() && !metal_linker.empty()) {
+        // The user has specified the Metal compiler and linker to use, so instead of embedding
+        // the shader as a string, we will embed it as a metallib
+        // Write the source to a temporary file.
+        auto tmpfile = file_make_temp("metal", ".metal");
+        write_entire_file(tmpfile, buffer);
+
+        // Compile the Metal source to a metallib.
+        string metalir = tmpfile + ".ir";
+        string metallib = tmpfile + "lib";
+        string cmd = string(metal_compiler) + " -c -o " + metalir + " " + tmpfile;
+        debug(2) << "Running: " << cmd << "\n";
+
+        int ret = system(cmd.c_str());
+        user_assert(ret == 0) << "HL_METAL_COMPILER set, but failed to compile Metal source to Metal IR.\n";
+
+        cmd = string(metal_linker) + " -o " + metallib + " " + metalir;
+        debug(2) << "Running: " << cmd << "\n";
+
+        ret = system(cmd.c_str());
+        user_assert(ret == 0) << "HL_METAL_LINKER set, but failed to compile Metal IR to Metal library.\n";
+
+        // Read the metallib into a buffer.
+        buffer = read_entire_file(metallib);
+        debug(2) << "Metallib size: " << buffer.size() << "\n";
+    } else {
+        buffer.push_back(0);
+    }
+
     return buffer;
 }
 
diff --git a/src/runtime/metal.cpp b/src/runtime/metal.cpp
index ab18ba82e318..f0e3accab9e6 100644
--- a/src/runtime/metal.cpp
+++ b/src/runtime/metal.cpp
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ extern struct ObjectiveCClass _NSConcreteGlobalBlock;
 extern struct ObjectiveCClass _NSConcreteStackBlock;
 void *dlsym(void *, const char *);
 #define RTLD_DEFAULT ((void *)-2)
+extern objc_id /*dispatch_data_t*/ dispatch_data_create(const void * buffer, size_t size, objc_id queue, objc_id destructor);
 }
 
 namespace Halide {
@@ -199,6 +200,35 @@ WEAK mtl_library *new_library_with_source(mtl_device *device, const char *source
     return result;
 }
 
+WEAK mtl_library *new_library_from_data(mtl_device *device, const char *source_data, size_t source_len) {
+    objc_id error_return;
+
+    debug(nullptr) << "source_len: " << source_len << "\n";
+    
+    // With DISPATCH_DATA_DESTRUCTOR_DEFAULT, the data is copied, and no dispatch queue needs to be provided
+    // for the destructor
+    objc_id dispatch_data = dispatch_data_create((void*)source_data, source_len, nullptr, 
+                                                 /* DISPATCH_DATA_DESTRUCTOR_DEFAULT */ nullptr);
+    if (dispatch_data == nullptr) {
+        debug(nullptr) << "dispatch_data_create failed\n";
+    } else {
+        debug(nullptr) << "dispatch_data_create succeeded\n";
+    }
+
+
+
+    typedef mtl_library *(*new_library_with_data_method)(objc_id device, objc_sel sel, objc_id data, objc_id *error_return);
+    new_library_with_data_method method2 = (new_library_with_data_method)&objc_msgSend;
+    mtl_library *result = (*method2)(device, sel_getUid("newLibraryWithData:error:"),
+                                     dispatch_data, &error_return);
+
+    if (result == nullptr) {
+        ns_log_object(error_return);
+    }
+
+    return result;
+}
+
 WEAK mtl_function *new_function_with_name(mtl_library *library, const char *name, size_t name_len) {
     objc_id name_str = wrap_string_as_ns_string(name, name_len);
     typedef mtl_function *(*new_function_with_name_method)(objc_id library, objc_sel sel, objc_id name);
@@ -663,6 +693,17 @@ WEAK int halide_metal_device_free(void *user_context, halide_buffer_t *buf) {
     return halide_error_code_success;
 }
 
+namespace {
+    bool is_compiled_metallib(const char *source, int source_size) {
+        // Check for the magic bytes at the beginning of the file
+        if (source_size < 4) {
+            return false;
+        }
+        const uint8_t metal_magic_number[4] = {0x4D, 0x54, 0x4c, 0x42};  // MTLB
+        return memcmp(source, metal_magic_number, 4) == 0;
+    }
+}
+
 WEAK int halide_metal_initialize_kernels(void *user_context, void **state_ptr, const char *source, int source_size) {
     MetalContextHolder metal_context(user_context, true);
     if (metal_context.error()) {
@@ -673,9 +714,16 @@ WEAK int halide_metal_initialize_kernels(void *user_context, void **state_ptr, c
 #endif
 
     mtl_library *library{};
+    bool precompiled_shader = is_compiled_metallib(source, source_size);
+    if (precompiled_shader) {
+        debug(user_context) << "halide_metal_initialize_kernels: using embedded metallib\n";
+    } else {
+        debug(user_context) << "halide_metal_initialize_kernels: using embedded shader source\n";
+    }
+
     const bool setup = compilation_cache.kernel_state_setup(user_context, state_ptr, metal_context.device, library,
-                                                            new_library_with_source, metal_context.device,
-                                                            source, source_size);
+                                                            precompiled_shader ? new_library_from_data : new_library_with_source,
+                                                            metal_context.device, source, source_size);
     if (!setup || library == nullptr) {
         error(user_context) << "halide_metal_initialize_kernels: setup failed.\n";
         return halide_error_code_generic_error;