diff --git a/pubspec.yaml b/pubspec.yaml
index 38c2dae..cc50185 100644
--- a/pubspec.yaml
+++ b/pubspec.yaml
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 name: dart_style
 # Note: See tool/grind.dart for how to bump the version.
-version: 1.3.4
+version: 1.3.5-dev
 description: >-
   Opinionated, automatic Dart source code formatter.
   Provides an API and a CLI tool.
diff --git a/test/command_line_test.dart b/test/command_line_test.dart
index 9bbaf07..9dbadf9 100644
--- a/test/command_line_test.dart
+++ b/test/command_line_test.dart
@@ -13,6 +13,8 @@
 import 'utils.dart';
 
 void main() {
+  compileFormatterExecutable();
+
   test('formats a directory', () async {
     await d.dir('code', [
       d.file('a.dart', unformattedSource),
diff --git a/test/command_test.dart b/test/command_test.dart
index 32ed262..20a1928 100644
--- a/test/command_test.dart
+++ b/test/command_test.dart
@@ -11,6 +11,8 @@
 import 'utils.dart';
 
 void main() {
+  compileCommandExecutable();
+
   test('formats a directory', () async {
     await d.dir('code', [
       d.file('a.dart', unformattedSource),
diff --git a/test/utils.dart b/test/utils.dart
index da3d766..1ea15de 100644
--- a/test/utils.dart
+++ b/test/utils.dart
@@ -25,17 +25,89 @@
 final _indentPattern = RegExp(r'\(indent (\d+)\)');
 final _fixPattern = RegExp(r'\(fix ([a-x-]+)\)');
 
-/// Runs the command line formatter, passing it [args].
-Future<TestProcess> runFormatter([List<String> args]) {
+/// If tool/command_shell.dart has been compiled to a snapshot, this is the path
+/// to it.
+String _commandExecutablePath;
+
+/// If bin/format.dart has been compiled to a snapshot, this is the path to it.
+String _formatterExecutablePath;
+
+/// Compiles format.dart to a native executable for tests to use.
+void compileFormatterExecutable() {
+  setUpAll(() async {
+    _formatterExecutablePath = await _compileExecutable('bin/format.dart');
+  });
+
+  tearDownAll(() async {
+    await _deleteExecutable(_formatterExecutablePath);
+    _formatterExecutablePath = null;
+  });
+}
+
+/// Compiles command_shell.dart to a native executable for tests to use.
+void compileCommandExecutable() {
+  setUpAll(() async {
+    _commandExecutablePath =
+        await _compileExecutable('tool/command_shell.dart');
+  });
+
+  tearDownAll(() async {
+    await _deleteExecutable(_commandExecutablePath);
+    _commandExecutablePath = null;
+  });
+}
+
+/// Compile the Dart [script] to a native executable.
+///
+/// We do this instead of spawning the script from source each time because it's
+/// much faster when the same script needs to be run several times.
+Future<String> _compileExecutable(String script) async {
+  var scriptName = p.basename(script);
+  var tempDir =
+      await Directory.systemTemp.createTemp(p.withoutExtension(scriptName));
+  var executable = p.join(tempDir.path, '$scriptName.aot');
+
+  var dart2Native =
+      p.join(p.dirname(Platform.resolvedExecutable), 'dart2native');
+
   // Locate the "test" directory. Use mirrors so that this works with the test
   // package, which loads this suite into an isolate.
   var testDir = p.dirname(currentMirrorSystem()
       .findLibrary(#dart_style.test.utils)
       .uri
       .toFilePath());
+  var scriptPath = p.normalize(p.join(p.dirname(testDir), script));
 
-  var formatterPath = p.normalize(p.join(testDir, '../bin/format.dart'));
-  return TestProcess.start(Platform.executable, [formatterPath, ...?args],
+  var compileResult = await Process.run(
+      dart2Native, [scriptPath, '--output', executable]);
+
+  if (compileResult.exitCode != 0) {
+    fail('Could not compile $scriptName to a snapshot (exit code '
+        '${compileResult.exitCode}):\n${compileResult.stdout}\n\n'
+        '${compileResult.stderr}');
+  }
+
+  return executable;
+}
+
+/// Attempts to delete to temporary directory created for [executable] by
+/// [_createSnapshot()].
+Future<void> _deleteExecutable(String executable) async {
+  try {
+    await Directory(p.dirname(executable)).delete(recursive: true);
+  } on IOException {
+    // Do nothing if we failed to delete it. The OS will eventually clean it
+    // up.
+  }
+}
+
+/// Runs the command line formatter, passing it [args].
+Future<TestProcess> runFormatter([List<String> args]) {
+  if (_formatterExecutablePath == null) {
+    fail('Must call createFormatterExecutable() before running commands.');
+  }
+
+  return TestProcess.start(_formatterExecutablePath, args ?? <String>[],
       workingDirectory: d.sandbox);
 }
 
@@ -47,17 +119,11 @@
 
 /// Runs the test shell for the [Command]-based formatter, passing it [args].
 Future<TestProcess> runCommand([List<String> args]) {
-  // Locate the "test" directory. Use mirrors so that this works with the test
-  // package, which loads this suite into an isolate.
-  var testDir = p.dirname(currentMirrorSystem()
-      .findLibrary(#dart_style.test.utils)
-      .uri
-      .toFilePath());
+  if (_commandExecutablePath == null) {
+    fail('Must call createCommandExecutable() before running commands.');
+  }
 
-  var formatterPath =
-      p.normalize(p.join(testDir, '../tool/command_shell.dart'));
-  return TestProcess.start(
-      Platform.executable, [formatterPath, 'format', ...?args],
+  return TestProcess.start(_commandExecutablePath, ['format', ...?args],
       workingDirectory: d.sandbox);
 }