diff --git a/MODULE.bazel b/MODULE.bazel
index 58faa0d..ee63456 100644
--- a/MODULE.bazel
+++ b/MODULE.bazel
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ bazel_dep(name = "googletest", version = "1.15.2")
 bazel_dep(name = "highway", version = "1.1.0")
 bazel_dep(name = "nlohmann_json", version = "3.11.3")
 bazel_dep(name = "platforms", version = "0.0.10")
+bazel_dep(name = "pybind11_bazel", version = "2.12.0")
 bazel_dep(name = "rules_cc", version = "0.0.9")
 bazel_dep(name = "rules_license", version = "0.0.7")
 bazel_dep(name = "google_benchmark", version = "1.8.5")
diff --git a/compression/python/BUILD.bazel b/compression/python/BUILD.bazel
index 89e2222..6b451bd 100644
--- a/compression/python/BUILD.bazel
+++ b/compression/python/BUILD.bazel
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
-load("//devtools/clif/python:clif_build_rule.bzl", "py_clif_cc")
 # [internal] load strict.bzl
+load("@pybind11_bazel//:build_defs.bzl", "pybind_extension")
 
 package(
     default_applicable_licenses = [
@@ -12,8 +12,9 @@ cc_library(
     name = "compression_clif_aux",
     srcs = ["compression_clif_aux.cc"],
     hdrs = ["compression_clif_aux.h"],
+    visibility = ["//visibility:private"],
     deps = [
-        "//third_party/absl/types:span",
+        "@abseil-cpp//absl/types:span",
         "//compression:compress",
         "//compression:io",
         "@highway//:hwy",
@@ -21,12 +22,12 @@ cc_library(
     ],
 )
 
-py_clif_cc(
+pybind_extension(
     name = "compression",
-    srcs = ["compression.clif"],
+    srcs = ["compression_extension.cc"],
     deps = [
         ":compression_clif_aux",
-        "//third_party/absl/python/numpy:span_clif_lib",
+        "@abseil-cpp//absl/types:span",
     ],
 )
 
diff --git a/compression/python/compression.clif b/compression/python/compression.clif
deleted file mode 100644
index 69dfc9b..0000000
--- a/compression/python/compression.clif
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,14 +0,0 @@
-from "third_party/absl/python/numpy/span.h" import *
-from "third_party/gemma_cpp/compression/python/compression_clif_aux.h":
-  namespace `gcpp`:
-    class SbsWriter:
-      # NOTE: Individual compression backends may impose constraints on the
-      # array length, such as a minimum of (say) 32 elements.
-      def `Insert` as insert(self, name: str, weights: NumpyArray<float>)
-      def `InsertNUQ` as insert_nuq(self, name: str, weights: NumpyArray<float>)
-      def `InsertBfloat16` as insert_bf16(self, name: str, weights: NumpyArray<float>)
-      def `InsertFloat` as insert_float(self, name: str, weights: NumpyArray<float>)
-
-      def `AddScales` as add_scales(self, scales: list<float>)
-
-      def `Write` as write(self, path: str)
diff --git a/compression/python/compression_clif_aux.cc b/compression/python/compression_clif_aux.cc
index a9d3894..ba91781 100644
--- a/compression/python/compression_clif_aux.cc
+++ b/compression/python/compression_clif_aux.cc
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@
 #ifndef GEMMA_ONCE
 #define GEMMA_ONCE
 
-#include "third_party/absl/types/span.h"
+#include "absl/types/span.h"
 #include "compression/io.h"
 #include "hwy/base.h"
 #include "hwy/contrib/thread_pool/thread_pool.h"
diff --git a/compression/python/compression_clif_aux.h b/compression/python/compression_clif_aux.h
index 8dc7a9d..fd4efc8 100644
--- a/compression/python/compression_clif_aux.h
+++ b/compression/python/compression_clif_aux.h
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@
 #include <string>
 #include <vector>
 
-#include "third_party/absl/types/span.h"
+#include "absl/types/span.h"
 
 namespace gcpp {
 
diff --git a/compression/python/compression_extension.cc b/compression/python/compression_extension.cc
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c2916a8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/compression/python/compression_extension.cc
@@ -0,0 +1,38 @@
+#include <pybind11/pybind11.h>
+
+#include <exception>
+#include <stdexcept>
+#include <string>
+
+#include "absl/types/span.h"
+#include "compression/python/compression_clif_aux.h"
+#include "pybind11/numpy.h"
+#include "pybind11/pybind11.h"
+#include "pybind11/stl.h"
+
+using gcpp::SbsWriter;
+
+namespace py = pybind11;
+
+namespace {
+template <auto Func>
+void wrap_span(SbsWriter& writer, std::string name, py::array_t<float> data) {
+  if (data.ndim() != 1 || data.strides(0) != sizeof(float)) {
+    throw std::domain_error("Input array must be 1D and densely packed.");
+  }
+  std::invoke(Func, writer, name, absl::MakeSpan(data.data(0), data.size()));
+}
+}  // namespace
+
+PYBIND11_MODULE(compression, m) {
+  py::class_<SbsWriter>(m, "SbsWriter")
+      .def(py::init<>())
+      // NOTE: Individual compression backends may impose constraints on the
+      // array length, such as a minimum of (say) 32 elements.
+      .def("insert", wrap_span<&SbsWriter::Insert>)
+      .def("insert_nuq", wrap_span<&SbsWriter::InsertNUQ>)
+      .def("insert_bf16", wrap_span<&SbsWriter::InsertBfloat16>)
+      .def("insert_float", wrap_span<&SbsWriter::InsertFloat>)
+      .def("add_scales", &SbsWriter::AddScales)
+      .def("write", &SbsWriter::Write);
+}