diff --git a/PLAN.md b/PLAN.md
index a9a940e5b..863cdf053 100644
--- a/PLAN.md
+++ b/PLAN.md
@@ -707,6 +707,9 @@ feature list is not an exhaustive audit.
       arity with distinct `value_names`); optional-value shapes that need
       per-occurrence presence semantics and arbitrary `value_parser` callbacks
       produce targeted migration diagnostics instead of a generic unknown-option error.
+      The generated build also takes a zero-cost shared reference to every field, so a
+      parse-only compatibility flag does not trip an adopter's `deny(dead_code)` merely
+      because application code intentionally accepts and ignores it.
 - [x] **Command-with-arguments completion hints.** `ExecutablePath`,
       `CommandName`, `CommandString`, and `CommandWithArguments` lower to
       shell-native completion types. A forwarded argv vector offers commands for
diff --git a/derive/src/codegen.rs b/derive/src/codegen.rs
index 6d1798c0a..5522db710 100644
--- a/derive/src/codegen.rs
+++ b/derive/src/codegen.rs
@@ -31,10 +31,19 @@ fn built_value(cli: &Cli, sub_build: &TokenStream, fields: &[TokenStream]) -> To
         debug_assert!(cli.fields.is_empty());
         quote!(Self)
     } else {
+        let field_reads = cli.fields.iter().map(|field| &field.ident);
         quote! {
-            Self {
-                #sub_build
-                #(#fields),*
+            {
+                let __usage_built = Self {
+                    #sub_build
+                    #(#fields),*
+                };
+                // A parsed compatibility flag may intentionally be accepted and ignored.
+                // Reading every field here keeps `#[deny(dead_code)]` from blaming the
+                // adopter for a field the derive itself owns. These shared references
+                // generate no runtime work after optimization.
+                #(let _ = &__usage_built.#field_reads;)*
+                __usage_built
             }
         }
     }
diff --git a/usage-rs/tests/facade.rs b/usage-rs/tests/facade.rs
index 374970480..c1f0b9a5b 100644
--- a/usage-rs/tests/facade.rs
+++ b/usage-rs/tests/facade.rs
@@ -481,6 +481,15 @@ struct ClapSpellings {
     path: Option<String>,
 }
 
+#[deny(dead_code)]
+#[derive(Cli)]
+#[command(bin = "parse-only-field")]
+struct ParseOnlyField {
+    /// Accepted for compatibility even though the application intentionally ignores it.
+    #[arg(long)]
+    compatibility: bool,
+}
+
 #[derive(Cli)]
 #[command(bin = "clap-override-id")]
 struct ClapOverrideId {
@@ -1121,6 +1130,12 @@ fn clap_field_ids_and_aliases_need_no_rewrite() {
     );
 }
 
+#[test]
+fn parse_only_fields_do_not_trigger_dead_code() {
+    ParseOnlyField::parse_from(&[OsStr::new("--compatibility")])
+        .expect("the compatibility flag should still parse");
+}
+
 #[test]
 fn clap_value_arity_stays_on_each_flag_occurrence() {
     let parsed = FixedArity::parse_from(&[