diff --git a/src/libcmd/installables.cc b/src/libcmd/installables.cc
index 08497854c..e184de9a7 100644
--- a/src/libcmd/installables.cc
+++ b/src/libcmd/installables.cc
@@ -429,7 +429,7 @@ Value * InstallableFlake::getFlakeOutputs(EvalState & state, const flake::Locked
     callFlake(state, lockedFlake, *vFlake);
 
     auto vRes = state.allocValue();
-    auto gotField = state.getAttrField(*vFlake, {state.symbols.create("outputs")}, noPos, *vRes);
+    auto gotField = state.lazyGetAttrField(*vFlake, {state.symbols.create("outputs")}, noPos, *vRes);
     assert(gotField);
     return vRes;
 }
diff --git a/src/libexpr/eval-inline.hh b/src/libexpr/eval-inline.hh
index 4d8d07397..9b3b1e427 100644
--- a/src/libexpr/eval-inline.hh
+++ b/src/libexpr/eval-inline.hh
@@ -47,8 +47,10 @@ void EvalState::forceValue(Value & v, const Pos & pos)
     else if (v.isApp())
         callFunction(*v.app.left, *v.app.right, v, noPos);
     else if (v.isCachedThunk()) {
+        auto evalCache = v.getEvalCache();
         v.mkThunk(v.cachedThunk.thunk->env, v.cachedThunk.thunk->expr);
         forceValue(v, pos);
+        v.setEvalCache(evalCache);
     }
     else if (v.isBlackhole())
         throwEvalError(pos, "infinite recursion encountered");
diff --git a/src/libexpr/eval.cc b/src/libexpr/eval.cc
index 9415ab46c..2643ad397 100644
--- a/src/libexpr/eval.cc
+++ b/src/libexpr/eval.cc
@@ -1189,28 +1189,13 @@ void EvalState::updateCacheStats(ValueCache::CacheResult cacheResult)
     };
 }
 
-struct ExprCastedVar : Expr
-{
-    Value * v;
-    ExprCastedVar(Value * v) : v(v) {};
-    void show(std::ostream & str) const override {
-        std::set<const Value*> active;
-        printValue(str, active, *v);
-    }
-
-    void bindVars(const StaticEnv & env) override {}
-    void eval(EvalState & state, Env & env, Value & v) override {
-        v = std::move(*this->v);
-    }
-    Value * maybeThunk(EvalState & state, Env & env) override {
-        return v;
-    }
-};
-
 bool EvalState::lazyGetAttrField(Value & attrs, const std::vector<Symbol> & selector, const Pos & pos, Value & dest)
 {
-    forceValue(attrs, pos);
     auto eval_cache = attrs.getEvalCache();
+    if (eval_cache.isEmpty()) {
+        forceValue(attrs, pos);
+        eval_cache = attrs.getEvalCache();
+    }
     auto [ cacheResult, resultingCursor ] = eval_cache.getValue(*this, selector, dest);
     updateCacheStats(cacheResult);
     switch (cacheResult.returnCode) {
@@ -1242,8 +1227,11 @@ bool EvalState::getAttrField(Value & attrs, const std::vector<Symbol> & selector
 {
     Pos * pos2 = 0;
 
-    forceValue(attrs, pos);
     auto eval_cache = attrs.getEvalCache();
+    if (eval_cache.isEmpty()) {
+        forceValue(attrs, pos);
+        eval_cache = attrs.getEvalCache();
+    }
     auto [ cacheResult, resultingCursor ] = eval_cache.getValue(*this, selector, dest);
     updateCacheStats(cacheResult);
     switch (cacheResult.returnCode) {
@@ -1260,6 +1248,7 @@ bool EvalState::getAttrField(Value & attrs, const std::vector<Symbol> & selector
             ;
     }
 
+    forceValue(attrs, pos);
 
     Value * vAttrs = &attrs;
     try {
diff --git a/src/libexpr/flake/flake.cc b/src/libexpr/flake/flake.cc
index 11112b07c..2445d1cc9 100644
--- a/src/libexpr/flake/flake.cc
+++ b/src/libexpr/flake/flake.cc
@@ -596,36 +596,44 @@ void callFlake(EvalState & state,
     const LockedFlake & lockedFlake,
     Value & vRes)
 {
-    auto vLocks = state.allocValue();
+    auto lockExpr = new ExprString(
+        state.symbols.create(lockedFlake.lockFile.to_string())
+    );
+    auto subdirExpr = new ExprString(
+        state.symbols.create(lockedFlake.flake.lockedRef.subdir)
+    );
+
     auto vRootSrc = state.allocValue();
-    auto vRootSubdir = state.allocValue();
-    auto vTmp1 = state.allocValue();
-    auto vTmp2 = state.allocValue();
-
-    mkString(*vLocks, lockedFlake.lockFile.to_string());
-
     emitTreeAttrs(state, *lockedFlake.flake.sourceInfo, lockedFlake.flake.lockedRef.input, *vRootSrc);
 
-    mkString(*vRootSubdir, lockedFlake.flake.lockedRef.subdir);
-
-    static RootValue vCallFlake = nullptr;
-
-    if (!vCallFlake) {
-        vCallFlake = allocRootValue(state.allocValue());
-        state.eval(state.parseExprFromString(
+    static Expr * callFlakeExpr = nullptr;
+    if (!callFlakeExpr) {
+        callFlakeExpr = state.parseExprFromString(
             #include "call-flake.nix.gen.hh"
-            , "/"), **vCallFlake);
+            , "/");
     }
 
-    state.callFunction(**vCallFlake, *vLocks, *vTmp1, noPos);
-    state.callFunction(*vTmp1, *vRootSrc, *vTmp2, noPos);
-    state.callFunction(*vTmp2, *vRootSubdir, vRes, noPos);
-    state.forceValue(vRes);
+    auto resExpr = new ExprApp(
+        new ExprApp(
+            new ExprApp(
+                callFlakeExpr,
+                lockExpr
+            ),
+            new ExprCastedVar(vRootSrc)
+        ),
+        subdirExpr
+    );
+    auto thunk = (Thunk*)allocBytes(sizeof(Thunk));
+    thunk->expr = resExpr;
+    thunk->env = &state.baseEnv;
     auto fingerprint = lockedFlake.getFingerprint();
     auto treeCache = state.openTreeCache(fingerprint);
     auto cacheRoot = treeCache ? treeCache->getRoot() : nullptr;
-    auto evalCache = ValueCache(cacheRoot);
-    vRes.setEvalCache(evalCache);
+    auto evalCache = new ValueCache(cacheRoot);
+    vRes.mkCachedThunk(
+        thunk,
+        evalCache
+    );
 }
 
 static void prim_getFlake(EvalState & state, const Pos & pos, Value * * args, Value & v)
diff --git a/src/libexpr/nixexpr.cc b/src/libexpr/nixexpr.cc
index 492b819e7..8d51fdce9 100644
--- a/src/libexpr/nixexpr.cc
+++ b/src/libexpr/nixexpr.cc
@@ -440,6 +440,18 @@ string ExprLambda::showNamePos() const
     return (format("%1% at %2%") % (name.set() ? "'" + (string) name + "'" : "anonymous function") % pos).str();
 }
 
+void ExprCastedVar::show(std::ostream & str) const {
+    std::set<const Value*> active;
+    printValue(str, active, *v);
+}
+
+void ExprCastedVar::bindVars(const StaticEnv & env) {}
+void ExprCastedVar::eval(EvalState & state, Env & env, Value & v) {
+    v = std::move(*this->v);
+}
+Value * ExprCastedVar::maybeThunk(EvalState & state, Env & env) {
+    return v;
+}
 
 
 /* Symbol table. */
diff --git a/src/libexpr/nixexpr.hh b/src/libexpr/nixexpr.hh
index da860e141..bee16c48f 100644
--- a/src/libexpr/nixexpr.hh
+++ b/src/libexpr/nixexpr.hh
@@ -339,6 +339,14 @@ struct ExprPos : Expr
     COMMON_METHODS
 };
 
+struct ExprCastedVar : Expr
+{
+    Value * v;
+    ExprCastedVar(Value * v) : v(v) {};
+    Value * maybeThunk(EvalState & state, Env & env);
+    COMMON_METHODS
+};
+
 
 /* Static environments are used to map variable names onto (level,
    displacement) pairs used to obtain the value of the variable at