diff --git a/.github/workflows/lean-build.yml b/.github/workflows/lean-build.yml
index 20b9a8f..c30b3c2 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/lean-build.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/lean-build.yml
@@ -33,10 +33,13 @@ jobs:
       uses: actions/cache@v4
       with:
         path: ~/wolfssl-lean
-        key: wolfssl-lean-ecc-v1-${{ steps.wolfssl-rev.outputs.sha }}
+        key: wolfssl-lean-ecc-verifyonly-v2-${{ steps.wolfssl-rev.outputs.sha }}
 
-    # Minimal backend for ES256 verification: ECC + SHA-256 only.
-    # No keygen and no RNG are needed to verify a COSE_Sign1.
+    # Verify-only ECC backend: NO_ECC_SIGN compiles ECC signing out entirely,
+    # mirroring an embedded verify-only target (e.g. wolfBoot). This is the
+    # config that catches a lean wolfCOSE accidentally pulling in a signing
+    # helper such as wc_ecc_sign_hash (via wolfCose_EccSignRaw): it links here
+    # only if the verify path references no sign-side symbols.
     - name: Build minimal wolfSSL
       if: steps.cache-wolfssl.outputs.cache-hit != 'true'
       run: |
@@ -45,17 +48,23 @@ jobs:
         cd wolfssl-lean-src
         ./autogen.sh
         ./configure --enable-cryptonly --enable-ecc \
+                    CFLAGS="-DNO_ECC_SIGN" \
                     --prefix=$HOME/wolfssl-lean
         make -j$(nproc)
         make install
 
+    # No --gc-sections here on purpose. Against the NO_ECC_SIGN wolfSSL above, a
+    # verify path that leaks a signing helper (e.g. wc_ecc_sign_hash via
+    # wolfCose_EccSignRaw) must fail to link. With dead-code stripping the unused
+    # helper would be removed and the missing-symbol link error would never fire,
+    # so the regression would slip through unnoticed.
     - name: Build and run the lean verify-only example
       run: |
         export WOLFSSL_DIR=$HOME/wolfssl-lean
         export LD_LIBRARY_PATH=$WOLFSSL_DIR/lib
         make lean-verify \
           CFLAGS="-std=c11 -DHAVE_ANONYMOUS_INLINE_AGGREGATES=1 -Os -Wall -Wextra -Wpedantic -Wshadow -Wconversion -ffunction-sections -fdata-sections -I./include -isystem $WOLFSSL_DIR/include" \
-          LDFLAGS="-L$WOLFSSL_DIR/lib -lwolfssl -Wl,--gc-sections"
+          LDFLAGS="-L$WOLFSSL_DIR/lib -lwolfssl"
 
     - name: Assert the signing API is absent from a verify-only build
       run: |
diff --git a/src/wolfcose.c b/src/wolfcose.c
index 0932746..07669ac 100644
--- a/src/wolfcose.c
+++ b/src/wolfcose.c
@@ -539,6 +539,7 @@ static int wolfCose_HmacCheckKeyLen(int32_t alg, size_t keyLen)
 /* ----- Internal: ECC DER <-> raw r||s conversion ----- */
 
 #ifdef WOLFCOSE_HAVE_ECDSA
+#if defined(WOLFCOSE_SIGN1_SIGN) || defined(WOLFCOSE_SIGN_SIGN)
 int wolfCose_EccSignRaw(const uint8_t* hash, size_t hashLen,
                          uint8_t* sigBuf, size_t* sigLen,
                          size_t coordSz, WC_RNG* rng, ecc_key* eccKey)
@@ -601,16 +602,20 @@ int wolfCose_EccSignRaw(const uint8_t* hash, size_t hashLen,
     }
     return ret;
 }
+#endif /* WOLFCOSE_SIGN1_SIGN || WOLFCOSE_SIGN_SIGN */
 
 int wolfCose_EccVerifyRaw(const uint8_t* sigBuf, size_t sigLen,
                            const uint8_t* hash, size_t hashLen,
                            size_t coordSz, ecc_key* eccKey, int* verified)
 {
     int ret;
+#ifndef NO_ASN
     uint8_t derSig[ECC_MAX_SIG_SIZE];
     word32 derSigLen = (word32)sizeof(derSig);
+#endif
 
-    if ((sigBuf == NULL) || (hash == NULL) || (eccKey == NULL) || (verified == NULL)) {
+    if ((sigBuf == NULL) || (hash == NULL) || (eccKey == NULL) ||
+        (verified == NULL)) {
         ret = WOLFCOSE_E_INVALID_ARG;
     }
     else if (sigLen != (coordSz * 2u)) {
@@ -619,7 +624,20 @@ int wolfCose_EccVerifyRaw(const uint8_t* sigBuf, size_t sigLen,
     else {
         *verified = 0;
 
-        /* Convert raw r||s to DER */
+#ifdef NO_ASN
+        /* NO_ASN wolfCrypt (e.g. wolfBoot): wc_ecc_verify_hash consumes the raw
+         * r||s signature directly, so no DER conversion is needed and the
+         * sign-side helper wc_ecc_rs_raw_to_sig (gated on ASN) is not required.
+         * wolfCOSE holds no mp_int itself, keeping the verify path allocation
+         * free at this layer. */
+        INJECT_FAILURE(WOLF_FAIL_ECC_VERIFY, -1,
+            ret = wc_ecc_verify_hash(sigBuf, (word32)sigLen, hash,
+                                      (word32)hashLen, verified, eccKey));
+        if (ret != 0) {
+            ret = WOLFCOSE_E_CRYPTO;
+        }
+#else
+        /* Convert raw r||s to DER, then verify. */
         INJECT_FAILURE(WOLF_FAIL_ECC_RS_TO_SIG, -1,
             ret = wc_ecc_rs_raw_to_sig(sigBuf, (word32)coordSz,
                                          &sigBuf[coordSz], (word32)coordSz,
@@ -636,6 +654,7 @@ int wolfCose_EccVerifyRaw(const uint8_t* sigBuf, size_t sigLen,
             }
         }
         (void)wolfCose_ForceZero(derSig, sizeof(derSig));
+#endif
     }
     return ret;
 }
diff --git a/src/wolfcose_internal.h b/src/wolfcose_internal.h
index 8f8d2b9..310f5ba 100644
--- a/src/wolfcose_internal.h
+++ b/src/wolfcose_internal.h
@@ -292,10 +292,12 @@ WOLFCOSE_LOCAL int wolfCose_HmacType(int32_t alg, int* hmacType);
  * \param eccKey   Caller-owned ECC key with private key.
  * \return WOLFCOSE_SUCCESS or negative error code.
  */
+#if defined(WOLFCOSE_SIGN1_SIGN) || defined(WOLFCOSE_SIGN_SIGN)
 WOLFCOSE_LOCAL int wolfCose_EccSignRaw(const uint8_t* hash, size_t hashLen,
                                         uint8_t* sigBuf, size_t* sigLen,
                                         size_t coordSz,
                                         WC_RNG* rng, ecc_key* eccKey);
+#endif /* WOLFCOSE_SIGN1_SIGN || WOLFCOSE_SIGN_SIGN */
 
 /**
  * \brief Verify a raw r||s ECC signature.