diff --git a/Cargo.toml b/Cargo.toml
index 90f7349..8261780 100644
--- a/Cargo.toml
+++ b/Cargo.toml
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ ed25519-dalek = { version = "2.1.0", features = ["rand_core"] }
 rand_chacha = { version = "0.3.1", optional = true }
 rand_core = "0.6.4"
 reddsa = { git = "https://github.com/ZcashFoundation/reddsa.git", rev = "b9c3107e6ec5333a89a7fa064f2d10f749a90cce", features = ["frost", "frost-rerandomized"] }
-siphasher = { version = "1.0.0", optional = true }
+siphasher = { version = "1.0.0" }
 x25519-dalek = { version = "2.0.0", features = ["reusable_secrets", "static_secrets"] }
 
 [dev-dependencies]
@@ -24,8 +24,8 @@ hex-literal = "0.4.1"
 rand = "0.8.5"
 
 [features]
-default = ["std", "signing", "dkg"]
+default = ["signing", "dkg"]
 
 std = []
-signing = ["dep:blake3", "dep:rand_chacha", "dep:siphasher", "std"]
-dkg = ["std", "signing"]
+signing = ["dep:blake3", "dep:rand_chacha", "std"]
+dkg = ["signing"]
diff --git a/src/checksum.rs b/src/checksum.rs
index ecdfe02..bb3cb6c 100644
--- a/src/checksum.rs
+++ b/src/checksum.rs
@@ -2,8 +2,7 @@
  * License, v. 2.0. If a copy of the MPL was not distributed with this
  * file, You can obtain one at https://mozilla.org/MPL/2.0/. */
 
-use std::error;
-use std::fmt;
+use core::fmt;
 
 use siphasher::sip::SipHasher24;
 
@@ -32,5 +31,3 @@ impl fmt::Display for ChecksumError {
         }
     }
 }
-
-impl error::Error for ChecksumError {}
diff --git a/src/dkg/round2.rs b/src/dkg/round2.rs
index b9898fd..2085cef 100644
--- a/src/dkg/round2.rs
+++ b/src/dkg/round2.rs
@@ -319,18 +319,19 @@ impl CombinedPublicPackage {
         Ok(write_variable_length(
             writer,
             &self.packages,
-            |writer, pkg| Ok(pkg.serialize_without_sender_into(writer)?),
+            |writer, pkg| {
+                pkg.serialize_without_sender_into(writer)
+                    .map_err(|_| io::Error::other("serialize_into failed"))
+            },
         )?)
     }
 
-    pub fn deserialize_from<R: io::Read>(mut reader: R) -> io::Result<Self> {
+    pub fn deserialize_from<R: io::Read>(mut reader: R) -> Result<Self, IronfishFrostError> {
         let sender_identity = Identity::deserialize_from(&mut reader)?;
 
         let packages = read_variable_length(reader, move |reader| {
-            Ok(PublicPackage::deserialize_without_sender_from(
-                reader,
-                sender_identity.clone(),
-            )?)
+            PublicPackage::deserialize_without_sender_from(reader, sender_identity.clone())
+                .map_err(|_| io::Error::other("deserialization failed"))
         })?;
 
         Ok(Self { packages })
diff --git a/src/error.rs b/src/error.rs
index 16b292b..e62888e 100644
--- a/src/error.rs
+++ b/src/error.rs
@@ -6,12 +6,13 @@ use reddsa::frost::redjubjub::frost::Error as FrostError;
 use reddsa::frost::redjubjub::JubjubBlake2b512;
 
 use crate::checksum::ChecksumError;
+use crate::io;
 
 #[derive(Debug)]
 pub enum IronfishFrostError {
     InvalidInput,
     StdError,
-    IoError(std::io::Error),
+    IoError(io::Error),
     FrostError(FrostError<JubjubBlake2b512>),
     SignatureError(ed25519_dalek::SignatureError),
     ChecksumError(ChecksumError),
@@ -23,8 +24,8 @@ impl From<FrostError<JubjubBlake2b512>> for IronfishFrostError {
     }
 }
 
-impl From<std::io::Error> for IronfishFrostError {
-    fn from(error: std::io::Error) -> Self {
+impl From<io::Error> for IronfishFrostError {
+    fn from(error: io::Error) -> Self {
         IronfishFrostError::IoError(error)
     }
 }
@@ -34,12 +35,3 @@ impl From<ed25519_dalek::SignatureError> for IronfishFrostError {
         IronfishFrostError::SignatureError(error)
     }
 }
-
-impl From<IronfishFrostError> for std::io::Error {
-    fn from(error: IronfishFrostError) -> Self {
-        match error {
-            IronfishFrostError::IoError(e) => e,
-            _ => std::io::Error::new(std::io::ErrorKind::Other, format!("{:?}", error)),
-        }
-    }
-}
diff --git a/src/lib.rs b/src/lib.rs
index 994fbad..daed32c 100644
--- a/src/lib.rs
+++ b/src/lib.rs
@@ -11,7 +11,6 @@
 
 mod serde;
 
-#[cfg(feature = "signing")]
 mod checksum;
 
 pub mod error;