diff --git a/.github/workflows/test.yaml b/.github/workflows/test.yaml
index eb9522b7..1a382925 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/test.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/test.yaml
@@ -20,9 +20,6 @@ jobs:
             distro: ubuntu_latest
     steps:
       - uses: actions/checkout@v4.2.2
-        with:
-          submodules: true
-          set-safe-directory: true
 
       - uses: uraimo/run-on-arch-action@v2.8.1
         name: Build
@@ -33,9 +30,6 @@ jobs:
 
           githubToken: ${{ github.token }}
 
-          setup: |
-            git submodule update --init --recursive
-
           install: |
             apt-get update -q -y
             apt-get install -q -y python3 automake libtool autotools-dev git make cmake pkg-config gcc wget xz-utils libjansson-dev
diff --git a/Containerfile b/Containerfile
index b249382e..3f4ade7e 100644
--- a/Containerfile
+++ b/Containerfile
@@ -16,5 +16,5 @@ COPY . libocispec
 RUN cd libocispec && \
     ./autogen.sh && \
     ./configure CFLAGS='-Wall -Wextra -Werror' && \
-    make -j $(nproc) distcheck DISTCHECK_CONFIGURE_FLAGS="--enable-embedded-yajl" AM_DISTCHECK_DVI_TARGET="" TESTS="" && \
-    make clean
\ No newline at end of file
+    make -j $(nproc) distcheck AM_DISTCHECK_DVI_TARGET="" TESTS="" && \
+    make clean
diff --git a/ocispec.pc.in b/ocispec.pc.in
index 32673036..e380ffcf 100644
--- a/ocispec.pc.in
+++ b/ocispec.pc.in
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ includedir=@includedir@
 
 Name: @PACKAGE_NAME@
 Description: A library for easily parsing [OCI runtime](https://github.com/opencontainers/runtime-spec) and [OCI image](https://github.com/opencontainers/image-spec) files.
-Requires: yajl jansson
+Requires: jansson
 Version: @PACKAGE_VERSION@
 Libs: -L${libdir} -locispec
 Cflags: -I${includedir}/ocispec
diff --git a/src/ocispec/json_common.c b/src/ocispec/json_common.c
index 6d56b4ff..a7e050b0 100644
--- a/src/ocispec/json_common.c
+++ b/src/ocispec/json_common.c
@@ -5,9 +5,6 @@
 #include <limits.h>
 #include "ocispec/json_common.h"
 
-#define YAJL_GET_OBJECT_NO_CHECK(v) (&(v)->u.object)
-#define YAJL_GET_STRING_NO_CHECK(v) ((v)->u.string)
-
 #define MAX_NUM_STR_LEN 21
 
 char *
@@ -893,4 +890,4 @@ json_t *copy_unmatched_fields(json_t *src, const char **exclude_keys, size_t num
     }
 
     return dst;
-}
\ No newline at end of file
+}
diff --git a/src/ocispec/sources.py b/src/ocispec/sources.py
index 0d9ae742..424eba3f 100755
--- a/src/ocispec/sources.py
+++ b/src/ocispec/sources.py
@@ -131,34 +131,6 @@ def parse_obj_type_array(obj, c_file, prefix, obj_typename):
         c_file.append('          }\n')
         c_file.append('      }\n')
         c_file.append('    while (0);\n')
-    elif obj.subtyp == 'byte':
-        c_file.append('    do\n')
-        c_file.append('      {\n')
-        c_file.append(f'        yajl_val tmp = get_val (tree, "{obj.origname}", yajl_t_string);\n')
-        c_file.append('        if (tmp != NULL)\n')
-        c_file.append('          {\n')
-        if obj.doublearray:
-            c_file.append('                yajl_val *items = YAJL_GET_ARRAY_NO_CHECK(tmp)->values;\n')
-            c_file.append(f'                ret->{obj.fixname} = calloc ( YAJL_GET_ARRAY_NO_CHECK(tmp)->len + 1, sizeof (*ret->{obj.fixname}));\n')
-            c_file.append(f'                if (ret->{obj.fixname}[i] == NULL)\n')
-            c_file.append('                    return NULL;\n')
-            c_file.append('                size_t j;\n')
-            c_file.append('                for (j = 0; j < YAJL_GET_ARRAY_NO_CHECK(tmp)->len; j++)\n')
-            c_file.append('                  {\n')
-            c_file.append('                    char *str = YAJL_GET_STRING (itmes[j]);\n')
-            c_file.append(f'                    ret->{obj.fixname}[j] = (uint8_t *)strdup (str ? str : "");\n')
-            c_file.append(f'                    if (ret->{obj.fixname}[j] == NULL)\n')
-            c_file.append("                        return NULL;\n")
-            c_file.append('                  };\n')
-        else:
-            c_file.append('            char *str = YAJL_GET_STRING (tmp);\n')
-            c_file.append(f'            ret->{obj.fixname} = (uint8_t *)strdup (str ? str : "");\n')
-            c_file.append(f'            if (ret->{obj.fixname} == NULL)\n')
-            c_file.append('              return NULL;\n')
-            c_file.append(f'            ret->{obj.fixname}_len = str != NULL ? strlen (str) : 0;\n')
-        c_file.append('        }\n')
-        c_file.append('      }\n')
-        c_file.append('    while (0);\n')
     else:
         c_file.append('    do\n')
         c_file.append('      {\n')
@@ -682,8 +654,6 @@ def read_val_generator(c_file, level, src, dest, typ, keyname, obj_typename):
         c_file.append(f'{"    " * (level + 1)}sinvalid = json_double_to_{num_type} (json_number_value(val), {dest});\n')
         c_file.append(f"{'    ' * (level + 1)}if (invalid)\n")
         c_file.append(f'{"    " * (level + 1)}  {{\n')
-        c_file.append(f'{"    " * (level + 1)}    if (asprintf (err, "Invalid value \'%s\' with type \'{typ}\' ' \
-                     f'for key \'{keyname}\': %s", YAJL_GET_NUMBER (val), strerror (-invalid)) < 0)\n')
         c_file.append(f'{"    " * (level + 1)}        *err = strdup ("error allocating memory");\n')
         c_file.append(f"{'    ' * (level + 1)}    return NULL;\n")
         c_file.append(f'{"    " * (level + 1)}}}\n')