diff --git a/Cargo.lock b/Cargo.lock
index 27c1f073d2..b23ccf79ae 100644
--- a/Cargo.lock
+++ b/Cargo.lock
@@ -7600,6 +7600,7 @@ dependencies = [
  "dunce",
  "futures",
  "glob",
+ "indexmap 1.9.3",
  "itertools 0.10.5",
  "lazy_static 1.4.0",
  "mime_guess",
diff --git a/crates/loader/Cargo.toml b/crates/loader/Cargo.toml
index b04b148766..afdc38b447 100644
--- a/crates/loader/Cargo.toml
+++ b/crates/loader/Cargo.toml
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ dirs = "4.0"
 dunce = "1.0"
 futures = "0.3.17"
 glob = "0.3.0"
+indexmap = { version = "1" }
 itertools = "0.10.3"
 lazy_static = "1.4.0"
 mime_guess = { version = "2.0" }
diff --git a/crates/loader/src/lib.rs b/crates/loader/src/lib.rs
index 90e4631a9d..ea64bac40d 100644
--- a/crates/loader/src/lib.rs
+++ b/crates/loader/src/lib.rs
@@ -40,6 +40,14 @@ pub async fn from_file(
     loader.load_file(path).await
 }
 
+/// Load a Spin locked app from a standalone Wasm file.
+pub async fn from_wasm_file(wasm_path: impl AsRef<Path>) -> Result<LockedApp> {
+    let app_root = std::env::current_dir()?;
+    let manifest = single_file_manifest(wasm_path)?;
+    let loader = LocalLoader::new(&app_root, FilesMountStrategy::Direct, None).await?;
+    loader.load_manifest(manifest).await
+}
+
 /// The strategy to use for mounting WASI files into a guest.
 #[derive(Debug)]
 pub enum FilesMountStrategy {
@@ -50,3 +58,36 @@ pub enum FilesMountStrategy {
     /// patterns, and `exclude_files` are not supported.
     Direct,
 }
+
+fn single_file_manifest(
+    wasm_path: impl AsRef<Path>,
+) -> anyhow::Result<spin_manifest::schema::v2::AppManifest> {
+    use serde::Deserialize;
+
+    let wasm_path_str = wasm_path
+        .as_ref()
+        .to_str()
+        .context("Failed to stringise Wasm file path")?
+        .to_owned();
+    let app_name = wasm_path
+        .as_ref()
+        .file_stem()
+        .and_then(|s| s.to_str())
+        .unwrap_or("wasm-file")
+        .to_owned();
+
+    let manifest = toml::toml!(
+        spin_manifest_version = 2
+
+        [application]
+        name = app_name
+
+        [[trigger.http]]
+        route = "/..."
+        component = { source = wasm_path_str }
+    );
+
+    let manifest = spin_manifest::schema::v2::AppManifest::deserialize(manifest)?;
+
+    Ok(manifest)
+}
diff --git a/crates/loader/src/local.rs b/crates/loader/src/local.rs
index 2c18a32a23..3b2303e820 100644
--- a/crates/loader/src/local.rs
+++ b/crates/loader/src/local.rs
@@ -67,7 +67,7 @@ impl LocalLoader {
     }
 
     // Load the given manifest into a LockedApp, ready for execution.
-    async fn load_manifest(&self, mut manifest: AppManifest) -> Result<LockedApp> {
+    pub(crate) async fn load_manifest(&self, mut manifest: AppManifest) -> Result<LockedApp> {
         spin_manifest::normalize::normalize_manifest(&mut manifest);
 
         let AppManifest {
diff --git a/crates/manifest/src/schema/v2.rs b/crates/manifest/src/schema/v2.rs
index 9fb5fd556a..180b200b97 100644
--- a/crates/manifest/src/schema/v2.rs
+++ b/crates/manifest/src/schema/v2.rs
@@ -118,10 +118,10 @@ pub struct Component {
     pub exclude_files: Vec<String>,
     /// `allowed_http_hosts = ["example.com"]`
     #[serde(default, skip_serializing_if = "Vec::is_empty")]
-    pub(crate) allowed_http_hosts: Vec<String>,
+    pub allowed_http_hosts: Vec<String>,
     /// `allowed_outbound_hosts = ["redis://myredishost.com:6379"]`
     #[serde(default, skip_serializing_if = "Vec::is_empty")]
-    pub(crate) allowed_outbound_hosts: Vec<String>,
+    pub allowed_outbound_hosts: Vec<String>,
     /// `key_value_stores = ["default", "my-store"]`
     #[serde(
         default,
diff --git a/examples/spin-timer/Cargo.lock b/examples/spin-timer/Cargo.lock
index a87d1651b8..566a988379 100644
--- a/examples/spin-timer/Cargo.lock
+++ b/examples/spin-timer/Cargo.lock
@@ -5847,6 +5847,7 @@ dependencies = [
  "dunce",
  "futures",
  "glob",
+ "indexmap 1.9.3",
  "itertools 0.10.5",
  "lazy_static 1.4.0",
  "mime_guess",
diff --git a/src/commands/up.rs b/src/commands/up.rs
index dabb5b035d..a22e523d29 100644
--- a/src/commands/up.rs
+++ b/src/commands/up.rs
@@ -435,6 +435,9 @@ impl UpCommand {
                     .await?;
                 ResolvedAppSource::OciRegistry { locked_app }
             }
+            AppSource::BareWasm(path) => ResolvedAppSource::BareWasm {
+                wasm_path: path.clone(),
+            },
             AppSource::Unresolvable(err) => bail!("{err}"),
             AppSource::None => bail!("Internal error - should have shown help"),
         })
@@ -463,6 +466,11 @@ impl UpCommand {
                     })
             }
             ResolvedAppSource::OciRegistry { locked_app } => Ok(locked_app),
+            ResolvedAppSource::BareWasm { wasm_path } => spin_loader::from_wasm_file(&wasm_path)
+                .await
+                .with_context(|| {
+                    format!("Failed to load component from {}", quoted_path(&wasm_path))
+                }),
         }
     }
 
diff --git a/src/commands/up/app_source.rs b/src/commands/up/app_source.rs
index 88431ce76f..4c7ab656f6 100644
--- a/src/commands/up/app_source.rs
+++ b/src/commands/up/app_source.rs
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ use spin_manifest::schema::v2::AppManifest;
 pub enum AppSource {
     File(PathBuf),
     OciRegistry(String),
+    BareWasm(PathBuf),
     Unresolvable(String),
     None,
 }
@@ -31,7 +32,13 @@ impl AppSource {
 
     pub fn infer_file_source(path: impl Into<PathBuf>) -> Self {
         match spin_common::paths::resolve_manifest_file_path(path.into()) {
-            Ok(file) => Self::File(file),
+            Ok(file) => {
+                if is_wasm_file(&file) {
+                    Self::BareWasm(file)
+                } else {
+                    Self::File(file)
+                }
+            }
             Err(e) => Self::Unresolvable(e.to_string()),
         }
     }
@@ -58,11 +65,17 @@ impl AppSource {
     }
 }
 
+fn is_wasm_file(path: &Path) -> bool {
+    let extn = path.extension().and_then(std::ffi::OsStr::to_str);
+    extn.is_some_and(|e| e == "wasm" || e == "wat")
+}
+
 impl std::fmt::Display for AppSource {
     fn fmt(&self, f: &mut std::fmt::Formatter<'_>) -> std::fmt::Result {
         match self {
             Self::File(path) => write!(f, "local app {}", quoted_path(path)),
             Self::OciRegistry(reference) => write!(f, "remote app {reference:?}"),
+            Self::BareWasm(path) => write!(f, "Wasm file {}", quoted_path(path)),
             Self::Unresolvable(s) => write!(f, "unknown app source: {s:?}"),
             Self::None => write!(f, "<no source>"),
         }
@@ -77,6 +90,9 @@ pub enum ResolvedAppSource {
         manifest_path: PathBuf,
         manifest: AppManifest,
     },
+    BareWasm {
+        wasm_path: PathBuf,
+    },
     OciRegistry {
         locked_app: LockedApp,
     },
@@ -85,17 +101,20 @@ pub enum ResolvedAppSource {
 impl ResolvedAppSource {
     pub fn trigger_types(&self) -> anyhow::Result<Vec<&str>> {
         let types = match self {
-            ResolvedAppSource::File { manifest, .. } => {
-                manifest.triggers.keys().collect::<HashSet<_>>()
-            }
+            ResolvedAppSource::File { manifest, .. } => manifest
+                .triggers
+                .keys()
+                .map(|s| s.as_str())
+                .collect::<HashSet<_>>(),
             ResolvedAppSource::OciRegistry { locked_app } => locked_app
                 .triggers
                 .iter()
-                .map(|t| &t.trigger_type)
+                .map(|t| t.trigger_type.as_str())
                 .collect::<HashSet<_>>(),
+            ResolvedAppSource::BareWasm { .. } => ["http"].into_iter().collect(),
         };
 
         ensure!(!types.is_empty(), "no triggers in app");
-        Ok(types.into_iter().map(|t| t.as_str()).collect())
+        Ok(types.into_iter().collect())
     }
 }