diff --git a/cmd/syft/internal/commands/scan.go b/cmd/syft/internal/commands/scan.go
index 7f92491ca..4572f6558 100644
--- a/cmd/syft/internal/commands/scan.go
+++ b/cmd/syft/internal/commands/scan.go
@@ -260,6 +260,11 @@ func getSource(ctx context.Context, opts *options.Catalog, userInput string, sou
 		cfg = cfg.WithDigestAlgorithms(hashers...)
 	}
 
+	if source.ParseScope(opts.Scope) != source.SquashedScope {
+		// every other scope reads each layer's squash, which is cheaper to build while the image is read
+		ctx = internal.WithEagerLayerSquashes(ctx)
+	}
+
 	src, err := syft.GetSource(ctx, userInput, cfg)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("could not determine source: %w", err)
diff --git a/go.mod b/go.mod
index cfb556be1..ee1ce5c1e 100644
--- a/go.mod
+++ b/go.mod
@@ -39,7 +39,6 @@ require (
 	github.com/dustin/go-humanize v1.1.0
 	github.com/elliotchance/phpserialize v1.4.0
 	github.com/facebookincubator/nvdtools v0.1.5
-	github.com/github/go-spdx/v2 v2.8.0
 	github.com/gkampitakis/go-snaps v0.5.24
 	github.com/go-git/go-billy/v5 v5.9.2
 	github.com/go-git/go-git/v5 v5.19.3
@@ -69,6 +68,7 @@ require (
 	github.com/nix-community/go-nix v0.0.0-20250101154619-4bdde671e0a1
 	github.com/olekukonko/tablewriter v1.1.5
 	github.com/opencontainers/go-digest v1.0.0
+	github.com/pb33f/ordered-map/v2 v2.3.2
 	github.com/pelletier/go-toml v1.9.5
 	github.com/quasilyte/go-ruleguard/dsl v0.3.23
 	github.com/rust-secure-code/go-rustaudit v0.0.0-20250226111315-e20ec32e963c
@@ -83,6 +83,7 @@ require (
 	github.com/spf13/afero v1.15.0
 	github.com/spf13/cobra v1.10.2
 	github.com/stretchr/testify v1.12.1
+	github.com/tailscale/hujson v0.0.0-20260302212456-ecc657c15afd
 	github.com/ulikunitz/xz v0.5.17
 	github.com/vbatts/go-mtree v0.7.0
 	github.com/vifraa/gopom v1.0.0
@@ -95,17 +96,14 @@ require (
 	golang.org/x/exp v0.0.0-20260410095643-746e56fc9e2f
 	golang.org/x/mod v0.42.0
 	golang.org/x/net v0.61.0
+	golang.org/x/sys v0.49.0
 	golang.org/x/time v0.16.0
 	golang.org/x/tools v0.52.0
+	howett.net/plist v1.0.1
 	modernc.org/sqlite v1.61.0
 )
 
-require (
-	github.com/pb33f/ordered-map/v2 v2.3.2
-	github.com/tailscale/hujson v0.0.0-20260302212456-ecc657c15afd
-	golang.org/x/sys v0.49.0
-	howett.net/plist v1.0.1
-)
+require github.com/github/go-spdx/v2 v2.8.0
 
 require (
 	cel.dev/expr v0.25.2 // indirect
diff --git a/internal/layer_squashes.go b/internal/layer_squashes.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..ad3b24f2a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/layer_squashes.go
@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+package internal
+
+import "context"
+
+type eagerLayerSquashesKey struct{}
+
+// WithEagerLayerSquashes has the image source provider build every layer's squashed tree while it reads the
+// image, instead of the first time each one is used. Set it when the scan will read lower layers (any scope but
+// squashed): eager squashing overlaps with fetching and indexing the layers, so those scans finish sooner.
+func WithEagerLayerSquashes(ctx context.Context) context.Context {
+	return context.WithValue(ctx, eagerLayerSquashesKey{}, true)
+}
+
+func EagerLayerSquashes(ctx context.Context) bool {
+	v, _ := ctx.Value(eagerLayerSquashesKey{}).(bool)
+	return v
+}
diff --git a/syft/source/stereoscopesource/image_source_provider.go b/syft/source/stereoscopesource/image_source_provider.go
index 1b1f78e4e..5d89124cb 100644
--- a/syft/source/stereoscopesource/image_source_provider.go
+++ b/syft/source/stereoscopesource/image_source_provider.go
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/anchore/go-collections"
 	"github.com/anchore/stereoscope"
 	"github.com/anchore/stereoscope/pkg/image"
+	"github.com/anchore/syft/internal"
 	"github.com/anchore/syft/syft/source"
 )
 
@@ -29,6 +30,10 @@ func (l stereoscopeImageSourceProvider) Name() string {
 }
 
 func (l stereoscopeImageSourceProvider) Provide(ctx context.Context) (source.Source, error) {
+	if !internal.EagerLayerSquashes(ctx) {
+		// lower layer squashes are only built if something reads them, so a squashed scan never pays for them
+		ctx = image.WithLazyLayerSquashes(ctx)
+	}
 	img, err := l.stereoscopeProvider.Provide(ctx)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
diff --git a/syft/source/stereoscopesource/image_source_provider_test.go b/syft/source/stereoscopesource/image_source_provider_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..90fb8d519
--- /dev/null
+++ b/syft/source/stereoscopesource/image_source_provider_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,76 @@
+package stereoscopesource
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"path/filepath"
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/google/go-containerregistry/pkg/name"
+	"github.com/google/go-containerregistry/pkg/v1/random"
+	"github.com/google/go-containerregistry/pkg/v1/tarball"
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
+
+	"github.com/anchore/stereoscope"
+	"github.com/anchore/stereoscope/pkg/filetree"
+	"github.com/anchore/stereoscope/pkg/image"
+	"github.com/anchore/syft/internal"
+	"github.com/anchore/syft/syft/source"
+)
+
+func Test_stereoscopeImageSourceProvider_layerSquashes(t *testing.T) {
+	img, err := random.Image(1024, 3)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	tag, err := name.NewTag("localhost/layer-squashes:latest")
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	archive := filepath.Join(t.TempDir(), "image.tar")
+	require.NoError(t, tarball.WriteToFile(archive, tag, img))
+
+	provide := func(t *testing.T, ctx context.Context) *stereoscopeImageSource {
+		providers := Providers(ProviderConfig{
+			StereoscopeImageProviderConfig: stereoscope.ImageProviderConfig{UserInput: archive},
+		})
+		for _, p := range providers {
+			if p.Value.Name() != image.DockerTarballSource {
+				continue
+			}
+			src, err := p.Value.Provide(ctx)
+			require.NoError(t, err)
+			t.Cleanup(func() { require.NoError(t, src.Close()) })
+			return src.(*stereoscopeImageSource)
+		}
+		t.Fatalf("no %s provider", image.DockerTarballSource)
+		return nil
+	}
+
+	lazy := provide(t, context.Background())
+	eager := provide(t, internal.WithEagerLayerSquashes(context.Background()))
+
+	// lower layers are built on first use unless eager was asked for, the top is the image squash either way
+	require.Len(t, lazy.image.Layers, 3)
+	for idx := range lazy.image.Layers {
+		_, isTree := lazy.image.Layers[idx].SquashedTree.(*filetree.FileTree)
+		assert.Equalf(t, idx == 2, isTree, "lazy layer %d", idx)
+		assert.IsTypef(t, &filetree.FileTree{}, eager.image.Layers[idx].SquashedTree, "eager layer %d", idx)
+	}
+
+	// every scope sees the same files either way
+	for _, scope := range []source.Scope{source.SquashedScope, source.AllLayersScope, source.DeepSquashedScope} {
+		t.Run(string(scope), func(t *testing.T) {
+			files := func(src *stereoscopeImageSource) []string {
+				res, err := src.FileResolver(scope)
+				require.NoError(t, err)
+				locs, err := res.FilesByGlob("**/*")
+				require.NoError(t, err)
+				var out []string
+				for _, l := range locs {
+					out = append(out, l.RealPath+"@"+l.FileSystemID)
+				}
+				return out
+			}
+			want := files(eager)
+			require.NotEmpty(t, want)
+			assert.ElementsMatch(t, want, files(lazy))
+		})
+	}
+}