diff --git a/src/arch/aarch64/CodeGen.zig b/src/arch/aarch64/CodeGen.zig
index f2116689e9ba218ba149fcc4b4efffbbab6ec8b9..1acc11d7e8b99025e548f78364adc5abcb3af73c 100644
--- a/src/arch/aarch64/CodeGen.zig
+++ b/src/arch/aarch64/CodeGen.zig
@@ -655,6 +655,11 @@ fn genBody(self: *Self, body: []const Air.Inst.Index) InnerError!void {
     const air_tags = self.air.instructions.items(.tag);
 
     for (body) |inst| {
+        // TODO: remove now-redundant isUnused calls from AIR handler functions
+        if (self.liveness.isUnused(inst) and !self.air.mustLower(inst)) {
+            continue;
+        }
+
         const old_air_bookkeeping = self.air_bookkeeping;
         try self.ensureProcessDeathCapacity(Liveness.bpi);
 
diff --git a/src/arch/arm/CodeGen.zig b/src/arch/arm/CodeGen.zig
index 70144551d12e19a73f9b967bf3a0cede91bd4a5a..661e713b1cf0abd6a8a6df2d747c4667e754f7a1 100644
--- a/src/arch/arm/CodeGen.zig
+++ b/src/arch/arm/CodeGen.zig
@@ -639,6 +639,11 @@ fn genBody(self: *Self, body: []const Air.Inst.Index) InnerError!void {
     const air_tags = self.air.instructions.items(.tag);
 
     for (body) |inst| {
+        // TODO: remove now-redundant isUnused calls from AIR handler functions
+        if (self.liveness.isUnused(inst) and !self.air.mustLower(inst)) {
+            continue;
+        }
+
         const old_air_bookkeeping = self.air_bookkeeping;
         try self.ensureProcessDeathCapacity(Liveness.bpi);
 
diff --git a/src/arch/riscv64/CodeGen.zig b/src/arch/riscv64/CodeGen.zig
index 16d9548da7a9cbb9b40636f529adbe20e911f946..f0ab8b331775545dbefc8d83c8cd04aa7b02ab5d 100644
--- a/src/arch/riscv64/CodeGen.zig
+++ b/src/arch/riscv64/CodeGen.zig
@@ -473,6 +473,11 @@ fn genBody(self: *Self, body: []const Air.Inst.Index) InnerError!void {
     const air_tags = self.air.instructions.items(.tag);
 
     for (body) |inst| {
+        // TODO: remove now-redundant isUnused calls from AIR handler functions
+        if (self.liveness.isUnused(inst) and !self.air.mustLower(inst)) {
+            continue;
+        }
+
         const old_air_bookkeeping = self.air_bookkeeping;
         try self.ensureProcessDeathCapacity(Liveness.bpi);
 
diff --git a/src/arch/sparc64/CodeGen.zig b/src/arch/sparc64/CodeGen.zig
index 197234c13b976bd049e6387c9227ecb04ecd3109..2bcc1e1c4ee6228e3bef007f5f900b0aca842ccb 100644
--- a/src/arch/sparc64/CodeGen.zig
+++ b/src/arch/sparc64/CodeGen.zig
@@ -489,6 +489,11 @@ fn genBody(self: *Self, body: []const Air.Inst.Index) InnerError!void {
     const air_tags = self.air.instructions.items(.tag);
 
     for (body) |inst| {
+        // TODO: remove now-redundant isUnused calls from AIR handler functions
+        if (self.liveness.isUnused(inst) and !self.air.mustLower(inst)) {
+            continue;
+        }
+
         const old_air_bookkeeping = self.air_bookkeeping;
         try self.ensureProcessDeathCapacity(Liveness.bpi);
 
diff --git a/src/arch/x86_64/CodeGen.zig b/src/arch/x86_64/CodeGen.zig
index 33ff45d27d61283d2f0767c4a3d0408852952bb9..5620ee2ad270aeb63f46da8a1b3d20896f37bec6 100644
--- a/src/arch/x86_64/CodeGen.zig
+++ b/src/arch/x86_64/CodeGen.zig
@@ -905,6 +905,11 @@ fn genBody(self: *Self, body: []const Air.Inst.Index) InnerError!void {
     const air_tags = self.air.instructions.items(.tag);
 
     for (body) |inst| {
+        // TODO: remove now-redundant isUnused calls from AIR handler functions
+        if (self.liveness.isUnused(inst) and !self.air.mustLower(inst)) {
+            continue;
+        }
+
         const old_air_bookkeeping = self.air_bookkeeping;
         try self.ensureProcessDeathCapacity(Liveness.bpi);
         if (builtin.mode == .Debug) {
diff --git a/src/codegen/spirv.zig b/src/codegen/spirv.zig
index 58da5539ac9d46a3491a0adbdb2896a772e3f75d..87b72c6726db86d39a892fac416ee3c0a51d3577 100644
--- a/src/codegen/spirv.zig
+++ b/src/codegen/spirv.zig
@@ -1507,6 +1507,11 @@ pub const DeclGen = struct {
     }
 
     fn genInst(self: *DeclGen, inst: Air.Inst.Index) !void {
+        // TODO: remove now-redundant isUnused calls from AIR handler functions
+        if (self.liveness.isUnused(inst) and !self.air.mustLower(inst)) {
+            return;
+        }
+
         const air_tags = self.air.instructions.items(.tag);
         const maybe_result_id: ?IdRef = switch (air_tags[inst]) {
             // zig fmt: off