diff --git a/crates/oxc_index/Cargo.toml b/crates/oxc_index/Cargo.toml
index 9a2a8c635..d6e130c28 100644
--- a/crates/oxc_index/Cargo.toml
+++ b/crates/oxc_index/Cargo.toml
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ workspace = true
 doctest = false
 
 [dependencies]
-serde = { workspace = true }
+serde = { workspace = true, optional = true }
 
 [features]
-serialize = []
+serialize = ["dep:serde"]