diff --git a/kitty/core_text.m b/kitty/core_text.m
index 8d17c2338..14a0d6ce6 100644
--- a/kitty/core_text.m
+++ b/kitty/core_text.m
@@ -33,6 +33,7 @@ typedef struct {
     CTFontRef ct_font;
     hb_font_t *hb_font;
     PyObject *family_name, *full_name, *postscript_name, *path, *name_lookup_table;
+    FontFeatures font_features;
 } CTFace;
 PyTypeObject CTFace_Type;
 static CTFontRef window_title_font = nil;
@@ -87,7 +88,7 @@ get_path_for_font_descriptor(CTFontDescriptorRef font) {
 
 
 static CTFace*
-ct_face(CTFontRef font) {
+ct_face(CTFontRef font, PyObject *features) {
     CTFace *self = (CTFace *)CTFace_Type.tp_alloc(&CTFace_Type, 0);
     if (self) {
         init_face(self, font);
@@ -96,6 +97,9 @@ ct_face(CTFontRef font) {
         self->postscript_name = convert_cfstring(CTFontCopyPostScriptName(self->ct_font), true);
         self->path = get_path_for_font(self->ct_font);
         if (self->family_name == NULL || self->full_name == NULL || self->postscript_name == NULL || self->path == NULL) { Py_CLEAR(self); }
+        else {
+            if (!create_features_for_face(postscript_name_for_face((PyObject*)self), features, &self->font_features)) { Py_CLEAR(self); }
+        }
     }
     return self;
 }
@@ -106,6 +110,7 @@ dealloc(CTFace* self) {
     if (self->ct_font) CFRelease(self->ct_font);
     self->hb_font = NULL;
     self->ct_font = NULL;
+    free(self->font_features.features);
     Py_CLEAR(self->family_name); Py_CLEAR(self->full_name); Py_CLEAR(self->postscript_name); Py_CLEAR(self->path);
     Py_CLEAR(self->name_lookup_table);
     Py_TYPE(self)->tp_free((PyObject*)self);
@@ -126,6 +131,8 @@ string_to_tag(const uint8_t *bytes) {
     return (((uint32_t)bytes[0]) << 24) | (((uint32_t)bytes[1]) << 16) | (((uint32_t)bytes[2]) << 8) | bytes[3];
 }
 
+FontFeatures*
+features_for_face(PyObject *s) { return &((CTFace*)s)->font_features; }
 
 static void
 add_variation_pair(const void *key_, const void *value_, void *ctx) {
@@ -444,7 +451,7 @@ create_fallback_face(PyObject *base_face, CPUCell* cell, bool bold, bool italic,
             break;
         }
     }
-    return ans ? ans : (PyObject*)ct_face(new_font);
+    return ans ? ans : (PyObject*)ct_face(new_font, NULL);
 }
 
 unsigned int
@@ -590,7 +597,7 @@ face_from_descriptor(PyObject *descriptor, FONTS_DATA_HANDLE fg) {
     if (!desc) return NULL;
     RAII_CoreFoundation(CTFontRef, font, CTFontCreateWithFontDescriptor(desc, fg ? scaled_point_sz(fg) : 12, NULL));
     if (!font) { PyErr_SetString(PyExc_ValueError, "Failed to create CTFont object"); return NULL; }
-    return (PyObject*) ct_face(font);
+    return (PyObject*) ct_face(font, PyDict_GetItemString(descriptor, "features"));
 }
 
 PyObject*
@@ -600,7 +607,7 @@ face_from_path(const char *path, int UNUSED index, FONTS_DATA_HANDLE fg UNUSED)
     RAII_CoreFoundation(CGDataProviderRef, dp, CGDataProviderCreateWithURL(url));
     RAII_CoreFoundation(CGFontRef, cg_font, CGFontCreateWithDataProvider(dp));
     RAII_CoreFoundation(CTFontRef, ct_font, CTFontCreateWithGraphicsFont(cg_font, 0.0, NULL, NULL));
-    return (PyObject*) ct_face(ct_font);
+    return (PyObject*) ct_face(ct_font, NULL);
 }
 
 static PyObject*
diff --git a/kitty/fast_data_types.pyi b/kitty/fast_data_types.pyi
index a7b890cdc..3605b3040 100644
--- a/kitty/fast_data_types.pyi
+++ b/kitty/fast_data_types.pyi
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ from ctypes import Array, c_ubyte
 from typing import Any, Callable, Dict, Iterator, List, Literal, NewType, Optional, Tuple, TypedDict, Union, overload
 
 from kitty.boss import Boss
-from kitty.fonts import FontFeature, VariableData
+from kitty.fonts import VariableData
 from kitty.fonts.render import FontObject
 from kitty.marks import MarkerFunc
 from kitty.options.types import Options
@@ -400,6 +400,7 @@ class FontConfigPattern(TypedDict):
     # The following two are used by C code to get a face from the pattern
     named_style: NotRequired[int]
     axes: NotRequired[Tuple[float, ...]]
+    features: NotRequired[Tuple[ParsedFontFeature, ...]]
 
 
 def fc_list(spacing: int = -1, allow_bitmapped_fonts: bool = False, only_variable: bool = False) -> Tuple[FontConfigPattern, ...]:
@@ -464,6 +465,7 @@ class CoreTextFont(TypedDict):
 
     # The following is used by C code to get a face from the pattern
     axis_map: NotRequired[Dict[str, float]]
+    features: NotRequired[Tuple[ParsedFontFeature, ...]]
 
 
 class CTFace:
@@ -482,6 +484,10 @@ def coretext_all_fonts(monospaced_only: bool) -> Tuple[CoreTextFont, ...]:
     pass
 
 
+class ParsedFontFeature:
+    def __init__(self, s: str): ...
+
+
 def add_timer(
     callback: Callable[[Optional[int]], None],
     interval: float,
@@ -600,10 +606,6 @@ def get_options() -> Options:
     pass
 
 
-def parse_font_feature(ff: str) -> bytes:
-    pass
-
-
 def glfw_primary_monitor_size() -> Tuple[int, int]:
     pass
 
@@ -1071,7 +1073,6 @@ def set_font_data(
     descriptor_for_idx: Callable[[int], Tuple[FontObject, bool, bool]],
     bold: int, italic: int, bold_italic: int, num_symbol_fonts: int,
     symbol_maps: Tuple[Tuple[int, int, int], ...], font_sz_in_pts: float,
-    font_feature_settings: Dict[str, Tuple[FontFeature, ...]],
     narrow_symbols: Tuple[Tuple[int, int, int], ...],
 ) -> None:
     pass
diff --git a/kitty/fonts.c b/kitty/fonts.c
index 263903878..7719c8f5a 100644
--- a/kitty/fonts.c
+++ b/kitty/fonts.c
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@
  */
 
 #include "fonts.h"
+#include "pyport.h"
 #include "state.h"
 #include "emoji.h"
 #include "unicode-data.h"
@@ -43,7 +44,6 @@ static hb_feature_t hb_features[3] = {{0}};
 static char_type shape_buffer[4096] = {0};
 static size_t max_texture_size = 1024, max_array_len = 1024;
 typedef enum { LIGA_FEATURE, DLIG_FEATURE, CALT_FEATURE } HBFeature;
-static PyObject* font_feature_settings = NULL;
 
 typedef struct {
     char_type left, right;
@@ -290,40 +290,45 @@ desc_to_face(PyObject *desc, FONTS_DATA_HANDLE fg) {
     return ans;
 }
 
+bool
+create_features_for_face(const char *psname, PyObject *features, FontFeatures *output) {
+    size_t count_from_descriptor = features ? PyTuple_GET_SIZE(features): 0;
+    __typeof__(OPT(font_features).entries) from_opts = NULL;
+    if (psname) {
+        for (size_t i = 0; i < OPT(font_features).num && !from_opts; i++) {
+            __typeof__(OPT(font_features).entries) e = OPT(font_features).entries + i;
+            if (strcmp(e->psname, psname) == 0) from_opts = e;
+        }
+    }
+    size_t count_from_opts = from_opts ? from_opts->num : 0;
+    output->features = calloc(MAX(2u, count_from_opts + count_from_descriptor), sizeof(output->features[0]));
+    if (!output->features) { PyErr_NoMemory(); return false; }
+    for (size_t i = 0; i < count_from_opts; i++) {
+        output->features[output->count++] = from_opts->features[i];
+    }
+    for (size_t i = 0; i < count_from_descriptor; i++) {
+        ParsedFontFeature *f = (ParsedFontFeature*)PyTuple_GET_ITEM(features, i);
+        output->features[output->count++] = f->feature;
+    }
+    if (!output->count) {
+        if (strstr(psname, "NimbusMonoPS-") == psname) {
+            output->features[output->count++] = hb_features[LIGA_FEATURE];
+            output->features[output->count++] = hb_features[DLIG_FEATURE];
+        }
+    }
+    return true;
+}
+
 static bool
 init_font(Font *f, PyObject *face, bool bold, bool italic, bool emoji_presentation) {
     f->face = face; Py_INCREF(f->face);
     f->bold = bold; f->italic = italic; f->emoji_presentation = emoji_presentation;
-    f->num_ffs_hb_features = 0;
-    const char *psname = postscript_name_for_face(face);
-    if (font_feature_settings != NULL){
-        PyObject* o = PyDict_GetItemString(font_feature_settings, psname);
-        if (o != NULL && PyTuple_Check(o)) {
-            Py_ssize_t len = PyTuple_GET_SIZE(o);
-            if (len > 0) {
-                f->num_ffs_hb_features = len + 1;
-                f->ffs_hb_features = calloc(f->num_ffs_hb_features, sizeof(hb_feature_t));
-                if (!f->ffs_hb_features) return false;
-                for (Py_ssize_t i = 0; i < len; i++) {
-                    PyObject* parsed = PyObject_GetAttrString(PyTuple_GET_ITEM(o, i), "parsed");
-                    if (parsed) {
-                        memcpy(f->ffs_hb_features + i, PyBytes_AS_STRING(parsed), sizeof(hb_feature_t));
-                        Py_DECREF(parsed);
-                    }
-                }
-                memcpy(f->ffs_hb_features + len, &hb_features[CALT_FEATURE], sizeof(hb_feature_t));
-            }
-        }
-    }
-    if (!f->num_ffs_hb_features) {
-        f->ffs_hb_features = calloc(4, sizeof(hb_feature_t));
-        if (!f->ffs_hb_features) return false;
-        if (strstr(psname, "NimbusMonoPS-") == psname) {
-            memcpy(f->ffs_hb_features + f->num_ffs_hb_features++, &hb_features[LIGA_FEATURE], sizeof(hb_feature_t));
-            memcpy(f->ffs_hb_features + f->num_ffs_hb_features++, &hb_features[DLIG_FEATURE], sizeof(hb_feature_t));
-        }
-        memcpy(f->ffs_hb_features + f->num_ffs_hb_features++, &hb_features[CALT_FEATURE], sizeof(hb_feature_t));
-    }
+    const FontFeatures *features = features_for_face(face);
+    f->ffs_hb_features = calloc(1 + features->count, sizeof(hb_feature_t));
+    if (!f->ffs_hb_features) { PyErr_NoMemory(); return false; }
+    f->num_ffs_hb_features = features->count;
+    memcpy(f->ffs_hb_features, features->features, sizeof(hb_feature_t) * features->count);
+    memcpy(f->ffs_hb_features + f->num_ffs_hb_features++, &hb_features[CALT_FEATURE], sizeof(hb_feature_t));
     return true;
 }
 
@@ -1433,12 +1438,12 @@ set_symbol_maps(SymbolMap **maps, size_t *num, const PyObject *sm) {
 static PyObject*
 set_font_data(PyObject UNUSED *m, PyObject *args) {
     PyObject *sm, *ns;
-    Py_CLEAR(box_drawing_function); Py_CLEAR(prerender_function); Py_CLEAR(descriptor_for_idx); Py_CLEAR(font_feature_settings);
-    if (!PyArg_ParseTuple(args, "OOOIIIIO!dOO!",
+    Py_CLEAR(box_drawing_function); Py_CLEAR(prerender_function); Py_CLEAR(descriptor_for_idx);
+    if (!PyArg_ParseTuple(args, "OOOIIIIO!dO!",
                 &box_drawing_function, &prerender_function, &descriptor_for_idx,
                 &descriptor_indices.bold, &descriptor_indices.italic, &descriptor_indices.bi, &descriptor_indices.num_symbol_fonts,
-                &PyTuple_Type, &sm, &OPT(font_size), &font_feature_settings, &PyTuple_Type, &ns)) return NULL;
-    Py_INCREF(box_drawing_function); Py_INCREF(prerender_function); Py_INCREF(descriptor_for_idx); Py_INCREF(font_feature_settings);
+                &PyTuple_Type, &sm, &OPT(font_size), &PyTuple_Type, &ns)) return NULL;
+    Py_INCREF(box_drawing_function); Py_INCREF(prerender_function); Py_INCREF(descriptor_for_idx);
     free_font_groups();
     clear_symbol_maps();
     set_symbol_maps(&symbol_maps, &num_symbol_maps, sm);
@@ -1539,7 +1544,6 @@ finalize(void) {
     Py_CLEAR(box_drawing_function);
     Py_CLEAR(prerender_function);
     Py_CLEAR(descriptor_for_idx);
-    Py_CLEAR(font_feature_settings);
     free_font_groups();
     free(ligature_types);
     if (harfbuzz_buffer) { hb_buffer_destroy(harfbuzz_buffer); harfbuzz_buffer = NULL; }
@@ -1710,26 +1714,89 @@ free_font_data(PyObject *self UNUSED, PyObject *args UNUSED) {
     Py_RETURN_NONE;
 }
 
-static PyObject*
-parse_font_feature(PyObject *self UNUSED, PyObject *feature) {
-    if (!PyUnicode_Check(feature)) {
-        PyErr_SetString(PyExc_TypeError, "feature must be a unicode object");
-        return NULL;
+static PyObject *
+parsed_font_feature_new(PyTypeObject *type, PyObject *args, PyObject *kwds UNUSED) {
+    const char *s;
+    if (!PyArg_ParseTuple(args, "s", &s)) return NULL;
+    ParsedFontFeature *self = (ParsedFontFeature *)type->tp_alloc(type, 0);
+    if (self != NULL) {
+        if (!hb_feature_from_string(s, -1, &self->feature)) {
+            PyErr_Format(PyExc_ValueError, "%s is not a valid font feature", s);
+            Py_CLEAR(self);
+        }
     }
-    PyObject *ans = PyBytes_FromStringAndSize(NULL, sizeof(hb_feature_t));
-    if (!ans) return NULL;
-    if (!hb_feature_from_string(PyUnicode_AsUTF8(feature), -1, (hb_feature_t*)PyBytes_AS_STRING(ans))) {
-        Py_CLEAR(ans);
-        PyErr_Format(PyExc_ValueError, "%U is not a valid font feature", feature);
-        return NULL;
-    }
-    return ans;
+    return (PyObject*) self;
 }
 
+static PyObject*
+parsed_font_feature_str(PyObject *self_) {
+    char buf[128];
+    hb_feature_to_string(&((ParsedFontFeature*)self_)->feature, buf, arraysz(buf));
+    return PyUnicode_FromString(buf);
+}
+
+static PyObject*
+parsed_font_feature_repr(PyObject *self_) {
+    RAII_PyObject(s, parsed_font_feature_str(self_));
+    return s ? PyObject_Repr(s) : NULL;
+}
+
+
+PyTypeObject ParsedFontFeature_Type;
+
+static PyObject*
+parsed_font_feature_cmp(PyObject *self, PyObject *other, int op) {
+    if (op != Py_EQ && op != Py_NE) return Py_NotImplemented;
+    if (!PyObject_TypeCheck(other, &ParsedFontFeature_Type)) {
+        if (op == Py_EQ) Py_RETURN_FALSE;
+        Py_RETURN_TRUE;
+    }
+    ParsedFontFeature *a = (ParsedFontFeature*)self, *b = (ParsedFontFeature*)other;
+    PyObject *ret = Py_True;
+    if (memcmp(&a->feature, &b->feature, sizeof(hb_feature_t)) == 0) {
+        if (op == Py_NE) ret = Py_False;
+    } else {
+        if (op == Py_EQ) ret = Py_False;
+    }
+    Py_INCREF(ret); return ret;
+}
+
+static Py_hash_t
+parsed_font_feature_hash(PyObject *s) {
+    ParsedFontFeature *self = (ParsedFontFeature*)s;
+    if (self->hash_computed) return self->hashval;
+    self->hash_computed = true;
+    HASH_FUNCTION(&self->feature, sizeof(hb_feature_t), self->hashval);
+    return self->hashval;
+}
+
+static PyObject*
+parsed_font_feature_call(PyObject *s, PyObject *args, PyObject *kwargs UNUSED) {
+    ParsedFontFeature *self = (ParsedFontFeature*)s;
+    void *dest = PyLong_AsVoidPtr(args);
+    memcpy(dest, &self->feature, sizeof(hb_feature_t));
+    Py_RETURN_NONE;
+}
+
+PyTypeObject ParsedFontFeature_Type = {
+    PyVarObject_HEAD_INIT(NULL, 0)
+    .tp_name = "kitty.fast_data_types.ParsedFontFeature",
+    .tp_basicsize = sizeof(ParsedFontFeature),
+    .tp_flags = Py_TPFLAGS_DEFAULT,
+    .tp_doc = "FontFeature",
+    .tp_new = parsed_font_feature_new,
+    .tp_str = parsed_font_feature_str,
+    .tp_repr = parsed_font_feature_repr,
+    .tp_richcompare = parsed_font_feature_cmp,
+    .tp_hash = parsed_font_feature_hash,
+    .tp_call = parsed_font_feature_call,
+};
+
+
+
 static PyMethodDef module_methods[] = {
     METHODB(set_font_data, METH_VARARGS),
     METHODB(free_font_data, METH_NOARGS),
-    METHODB(parse_font_feature, METH_O),
     METHODB(create_test_font_group, METH_VARARGS),
     METHODB(sprite_map_set_layout, METH_VARARGS),
     METHODB(test_sprite_position_for, METH_VARARGS),
@@ -1757,5 +1824,9 @@ init_fonts(PyObject *module) {
     create_feature("-calt", CALT_FEATURE);
 #undef create_feature
     if (PyModule_AddFunctions(module, module_methods) != 0) return false;
+    if (PyType_Ready(&ParsedFontFeature_Type) < 0) return 0;
+    if (PyModule_AddObject(module, "ParsedFontFeature", (PyObject *)&ParsedFontFeature_Type) != 0) return 0;
+    Py_INCREF(&ParsedFontFeature_Type);
+
     return true;
 }
diff --git a/kitty/fonts.h b/kitty/fonts.h
index 807ba0c2d..cfcde2f15 100644
--- a/kitty/fonts.h
+++ b/kitty/fonts.h
@@ -18,6 +18,20 @@ typedef struct {
     size_t width, height;
 } StringCanvas;
 
+typedef struct FontFeatures {
+    size_t count;
+    hb_feature_t *features;
+} FontFeatures;
+
+typedef struct ParsedFontFeature {
+    PyObject_HEAD
+
+    hb_feature_t feature;
+    Py_hash_t hashval;
+    bool hash_computed;
+} ParsedFontFeature;
+
+
 // API that font backends need to implement
 unsigned int glyph_id_for_codepoint(PyObject *, char_type);
 int get_glyph_width(PyObject *, glyph_index);
@@ -54,6 +68,8 @@ bool
 read_STAT_font_table(const uint8_t *table, size_t table_len, PyObject *name_lookup_table, PyObject *output);
 bool
 read_features_from_font_table(const uint8_t *table, size_t table_len, PyObject *name_lookup_table, PyObject *output);
+FontFeatures* features_for_face(PyObject *);
+bool create_features_for_face(const char* psname, PyObject *features, FontFeatures* output);
 
 static inline void
 right_shift_canvas(pixel *canvas, size_t width, size_t height, size_t amt) {
diff --git a/kitty/fonts/__init__.py b/kitty/fonts/__init__.py
index 8afb4cba1..e4f27f2cf 100644
--- a/kitty/fonts/__init__.py
+++ b/kitty/fonts/__init__.py
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 from enum import Enum, IntEnum, auto
 from typing import TYPE_CHECKING, Dict, List, Literal, NamedTuple, Optional, Sequence, Tuple, TypedDict, TypeVar, Union
 
+from kitty.fast_data_types import ParsedFontFeature
 from kitty.types import run_once
 from kitty.typing import CoreTextFont, FontConfigPattern
 from kitty.utils import shlex_split
@@ -88,18 +89,6 @@ class VariableData(TypedDict):
     multi_axis_styles: Tuple[MultiAxisStyle, ...]
 
 
-class FontFeature:
-
-    __slots__ = 'name', 'parsed'
-
-    def __init__(self, name: str, parsed: bytes):
-        self.name = name
-        self.parsed = parsed
-
-    def __repr__(self) -> str:
-        return repr(self.name)
-
-
 class ModificationType(Enum):
     underline_position = auto()
     underline_thickness = auto()
@@ -144,6 +133,7 @@ class FontSpec(NamedTuple):
     system: Optional[str] = None
     axes: Tuple[Tuple[str, float], ...] = ()
     variable_name: Optional[str] = None
+    features: Tuple[ParsedFontFeature, ...] = ()
     created_from_string: str = ''
 
     @classmethod
@@ -155,19 +145,21 @@ class FontSpec(NamedTuple):
             return FontSpec(system=spec, created_from_string=spec)
         axes = {}
         defined = {}
+        features: Tuple[ParsedFontFeature, ...] = ()
         for item in items:
             k, sep, v = item.partition('=')
             if sep != '=':
                 raise ValueError(f'The font specification: {spec} is not valid as {item} does not contain an =')
             if k in ('family', 'style', 'full_name', 'postscript_name', 'variable_name'):
                 defined[k] = v
+            elif k == 'features':
+                features += tuple(ParsedFontFeature(x) for x in v.split())
             else:
                 try:
                     axes[k] = float(v)
                 except Exception:
                     raise ValueError(f'The font specification: {spec} is not valid as {v} is not a number')
-        return FontSpec(axes=tuple(axes.items()), created_from_string=spec, **defined)
-
+        return FontSpec(axes=tuple(axes.items()), created_from_string=spec, features=features, **defined)
 
     @property
     def is_system(self) -> bool:
@@ -198,6 +190,8 @@ class FontSpec(NamedTuple):
             a('variable_name', self.variable_name)
         if self.style is not None:
             a('style', self.style)
+        if self.features:
+            a('features', ' '.join(str(f) for f in self.features))
         if self.axes:
             for (key, val) in self.axes:
                 a(key, f'{val:g}')
diff --git a/kitty/fonts/render.py b/kitty/fonts/render.py
index c2cdf82f4..2db1c3dcb 100644
--- a/kitty/fonts/render.py
+++ b/kitty/fonts/render.py
@@ -189,7 +189,7 @@ def set_font_family(opts: Optional[Options] = None, override_font_size: Optional
     set_font_data(
         render_box_drawing, prerender_function, descriptor_for_idx,
         indices['bold'], indices['italic'], indices['bi'], num_symbol_fonts,
-        sm, sz, opts.font_features.copy(), ns
+        sm, sz, ns
     )
 
 
diff --git a/kitty/freetype.c b/kitty/freetype.c
index 7ef9d106c..216a9d4b9 100644
--- a/kitty/freetype.c
+++ b/kitty/freetype.c
@@ -48,6 +48,7 @@ typedef struct {
     free_extra_data_func free_extra_data;
     float apple_leading;
     PyObject *name_lookup_table;
+    FontFeatures font_features;
 } Face;
 PyTypeObject Face_Type;
 
@@ -233,8 +234,7 @@ init_ft_face(Face *self, PyObject *path, int hinting, int hintstyle, FONTS_DATA_
       self->strikethrough_thickness = os2->yStrikeoutSize;
     }
 
-    self->path = path;
-    Py_INCREF(self->path);
+    self->path = path; Py_INCREF(self->path);
     self->space_glyph_id = glyph_id_for_codepoint((PyObject*)self, ' ');
     return true;
 }
@@ -299,11 +299,15 @@ face_from_descriptor(PyObject *descriptor, FONTS_DATA_HANDLE fg) {
             }
             if ((error = FT_Set_Var_Design_Coordinates(self->face, sz, coords))) return set_load_error(path, error);
         }
+        if (!create_features_for_face(postscript_name_for_face((PyObject*)self), PyDict_GetItemString(descriptor, "features"), &self->font_features)) return NULL;
     }
     Py_XINCREF(retval);
     return retval;
 }
 
+FontFeatures*
+features_for_face(PyObject *s) { return &((Face*)s)->font_features; }
+
 static PyObject*
 new(PyTypeObject *type UNUSED, PyObject *args, PyObject *kw) {
     const char *path = NULL;
@@ -343,6 +347,7 @@ dealloc(Face* self) {
     if (self->harfbuzz_font) hb_font_destroy(self->harfbuzz_font);
     if (self->face) FT_Done_Face(self->face);
     if (self->extra_data && self->free_extra_data) self->free_extra_data(self->extra_data);
+    free(self->font_features.features);
     Py_CLEAR(self->path);
     Py_CLEAR(self->name_lookup_table);
     Py_TYPE(self)->tp_free((PyObject*)self);
diff --git a/kitty/options/definition.py b/kitty/options/definition.py
index 1880122b4..21ad24e7c 100644
--- a/kitty/options/definition.py
+++ b/kitty/options/definition.py
@@ -132,10 +132,8 @@ Note that this refers to programming ligatures, typically implemented using the
 '''
     )
 
-opt('+font_features', 'none',
-    option_type='font_features',
-    add_to_default=False,
-    long_text='''
+opt('+font_features', 'none', option_type='font_features', ctype='!font_features',
+    add_to_default=False, long_text='''
 Choose exactly which OpenType features to enable or disable. This is useful as
 some fonts might have features worthwhile in a terminal. For example, Fira Code
 includes a discretionary feature, :code:`zero`, which in that font changes the
diff --git a/kitty/options/parse.py b/kitty/options/parse.py
index 7f109bad1..93dbd9899 100644
--- a/kitty/options/parse.py
+++ b/kitty/options/parse.py
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ from kitty.options.utils import (
     scrollback_pager_history_size, shell_integration, store_multiple, symbol_map, tab_activity_symbol,
     tab_bar_edge, tab_bar_margin_height, tab_bar_min_tabs, tab_fade, tab_font_style, tab_separator,
     tab_title_template, titlebar_color, to_cursor_shape, to_font_size, to_layout_names, to_modifiers,
-    url_prefixes, url_style, visual_window_select_characters, window_border_width, window_size
+    url_prefixes, url_style, visual_window_select_characters, window_border_width, window_size, window_logo_scale
 )
 
 
diff --git a/kitty/options/to-c-generated.h b/kitty/options/to-c-generated.h
index 6aec2ea6d..0cc1f640d 100644
--- a/kitty/options/to-c-generated.h
+++ b/kitty/options/to-c-generated.h
@@ -44,6 +44,19 @@ convert_from_opts_disable_ligatures(PyObject *py_opts, Options *opts) {
     Py_DECREF(ret);
 }
 
+static void
+convert_from_python_font_features(PyObject *val, Options *opts) {
+    font_features(val, opts);
+}
+
+static void
+convert_from_opts_font_features(PyObject *py_opts, Options *opts) {
+    PyObject *ret = PyObject_GetAttrString(py_opts, "font_features");
+    if (ret == NULL) return;
+    convert_from_python_font_features(ret, opts);
+    Py_DECREF(ret);
+}
+
 static void
 convert_from_python_modify_font(PyObject *val, Options *opts) {
     modify_font(val, opts);
@@ -1170,6 +1183,8 @@ convert_opts_from_python_opts(PyObject *py_opts, Options *opts) {
     if (PyErr_Occurred()) return false;
     convert_from_opts_disable_ligatures(py_opts, opts);
     if (PyErr_Occurred()) return false;
+    convert_from_opts_font_features(py_opts, opts);
+    if (PyErr_Occurred()) return false;
     convert_from_opts_modify_font(py_opts, opts);
     if (PyErr_Occurred()) return false;
     convert_from_opts_text_composition_strategy(py_opts, opts);
diff --git a/kitty/options/to-c.h b/kitty/options/to-c.h
index 00434564f..4ee81ed04 100644
--- a/kitty/options/to-c.h
+++ b/kitty/options/to-c.h
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@
 
 #include "../state.h"
 #include "../colors.h"
+#include "../fonts.h"
 
 static inline float
 PyFloat_AsFloat(PyObject *o) {
@@ -44,7 +45,7 @@ parse_ms_long_to_monotonic_t(PyObject *val) {
     return ms_to_monotonic_t(PyLong_AsUnsignedLong(val));
 }
 
-static WindowTitleIn
+static inline WindowTitleIn
 window_title_in(PyObject *title_in) {
     const char *in = PyUnicode_AsUTF8(title_in);
     switch(in[0]) {
@@ -57,7 +58,7 @@ window_title_in(PyObject *title_in) {
     return ALL;
 }
 
-static UnderlineHyperlinks
+static inline UnderlineHyperlinks
 underline_hyperlinks(PyObject *x) {
     const char *in = PyUnicode_AsUTF8(x);
     switch(in[0]) {
@@ -67,7 +68,7 @@ underline_hyperlinks(PyObject *x) {
     }
 }
 
-static BackgroundImageLayout
+static inline BackgroundImageLayout
 bglayout(PyObject *layout_name) {
     const char *name = PyUnicode_AsUTF8(layout_name);
     switch(name[0]) {
@@ -82,7 +83,7 @@ bglayout(PyObject *layout_name) {
     return TILING;
 }
 
-static ImageAnchorPosition
+static inline ImageAnchorPosition
 bganchor(PyObject *anchor_name) {
     const char *name = PyUnicode_AsUTF8(anchor_name);
     ImageAnchorPosition anchor = {0.5f, 0.5f, 0.5f, 0.5f};
@@ -108,16 +109,16 @@ bganchor(PyObject *anchor_name) {
     if (opts->name) memcpy(opts->name, s, sz); \
 }
 
-static void
+static inline void
 background_image(PyObject *src, Options *opts) { STR_SETTER(background_image); }
 
-static void
+static inline void
 bell_path(PyObject *src, Options *opts) { STR_SETTER(bell_path); }
 
-static void
+static inline void
 bell_theme(PyObject *src, Options *opts) { STR_SETTER(bell_theme); }
 
-static void
+static inline void
 window_logo_path(PyObject *src, Options *opts) { STR_SETTER(default_window_logo); }
 
 #undef STR_SETTER
@@ -132,7 +133,7 @@ parse_font_mod_size(PyObject *val, float *sz, AdjustmentUnit *unit) {
     }
 }
 
-static void
+static inline void
 modify_font(PyObject *mf, Options *opts) {
 #define S(which) { PyObject *v = PyDict_GetItemString(mf, #which); if (v) parse_font_mod_size(v, &opts->which.val, &opts->which.unit); }
     S(underline_position); S(underline_thickness); S(strikethrough_thickness); S(strikethrough_position);
@@ -140,7 +141,45 @@ modify_font(PyObject *mf, Options *opts) {
 #undef S
 }
 
-static MouseShape
+static inline void
+free_font_features(Options *opts) {
+    if (opts->font_features.entries) {
+        for (size_t i = 0; i < opts->font_features.num; i++) {
+            free((void*)opts->font_features.entries[i].psname);
+            free((void*)opts->font_features.entries[i].features);
+        }
+        free(opts->font_features.entries);
+    }
+    memset(&opts->font_features, 0, sizeof(opts->font_features));
+}
+
+static inline void
+font_features(PyObject *mf, Options *opts) {
+    free_font_features(opts);
+    opts->font_features.num = PyDict_GET_SIZE(mf);
+    if (!opts->font_features.num) return;
+    opts->font_features.entries = calloc(opts->font_features.num, sizeof(opts->font_features.entries[0]));
+    if (!opts->font_features.entries) { PyErr_NoMemory(); return; }
+    PyObject *key, *value;
+    Py_ssize_t pos = 0, i = 0;
+    while (PyDict_Next(mf, &pos, &key, &value)) {
+        __typeof__(opts->font_features.entries) e = opts->font_features.entries + i++;
+        Py_ssize_t psname_sz; const char *psname = PyUnicode_AsUTF8AndSize(key, &psname_sz);
+        e->psname = strndup(psname, psname_sz);
+        if (!e->psname) { PyErr_NoMemory(); return; }
+        e->num = PyTuple_GET_SIZE(value);
+        if (e->num) {
+            e->features = calloc(e->num, sizeof(e->features[0]));
+            if (!e->features) { PyErr_NoMemory(); return; }
+            for (size_t n = 0; n < e->num; n++) {
+                ParsedFontFeature *f = (ParsedFontFeature*)PyTuple_GET_ITEM(value, n);
+                e->features[n] = f->feature;
+            }
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+static inline MouseShape
 pointer_shape(PyObject *shape_name) {
     const char *name = PyUnicode_AsUTF8(shape_name);
     if (!name) return TEXT_POINTER;
@@ -181,7 +220,7 @@ pointer_shape(PyObject *shape_name) {
     return TEXT_POINTER;
 }
 
-static int
+static inline int
 macos_colorspace(PyObject *csname) {
     if (PyUnicode_CompareWithASCIIString(csname, "srgb") == 0) return 1;
     if (PyUnicode_CompareWithASCIIString(csname, "displayp3") == 0) return 2;
@@ -198,7 +237,7 @@ free_url_prefixes(Options *opts) {
     }
 }
 
-static void
+static inline void
 url_prefixes(PyObject *up, Options *opts) {
     if (!PyTuple_Check(up)) { PyErr_SetString(PyExc_TypeError, "url_prefixes must be a tuple"); return; }
     free_url_prefixes(opts);
@@ -233,7 +272,7 @@ free_menu_map(Options *opts) {
     opts->global_menu.count = 0;
 }
 
-static void
+static inline void
 menu_map(PyObject *entry_dict, Options *opts) {
     if (!PyDict_Check(entry_dict)) { PyErr_SetString(PyExc_TypeError, "menu_map entries must be a dict"); return; }
     free_menu_map(opts);
@@ -261,7 +300,7 @@ menu_map(PyObject *entry_dict, Options *opts) {
     }
 }
 
-static void
+static inline void
 text_composition_strategy(PyObject *val, Options *opts) {
     if (!PyUnicode_Check(val)) { PyErr_SetString(PyExc_TypeError, "text_rendering_strategy must be a string"); return; }
     opts->text_old_gamma = false;
@@ -305,30 +344,30 @@ list_of_chars(PyObject *chars) {
     return ans;
 }
 
-static void
+static inline void
 url_excluded_characters(PyObject *chars, Options *opts) {
     free(opts->url_excluded_characters);
     opts->url_excluded_characters = list_of_chars(chars);
 }
 
-static void
+static inline void
 select_by_word_characters(PyObject *chars, Options *opts) {
     free(opts->select_by_word_characters);
     opts->select_by_word_characters = list_of_chars(chars);
 }
 
-static void
+static inline void
 select_by_word_characters_forward(PyObject *chars, Options *opts) {
     free(opts->select_by_word_characters_forward);
     opts->select_by_word_characters_forward = list_of_chars(chars);
 }
 
-static void
+static inline void
 tab_bar_style(PyObject *val, Options *opts) {
     opts->tab_bar_hidden = PyUnicode_CompareWithASCIIString(val, "hidden") == 0 ? true: false;
 }
 
-static void
+static inline void
 tab_bar_margin_height(PyObject *val, Options *opts) {
     if (!PyTuple_Check(val) || PyTuple_GET_SIZE(val) != 2) {
         PyErr_SetString(PyExc_TypeError, "tab_bar_margin_height is not a 2-item tuple");
@@ -344,16 +383,17 @@ window_logo_scale(PyObject *src, Options *opts) {
     opts->window_logo_scale.height = PyFloat_AsFloat(PyTuple_GET_ITEM(src, 1));
 }
 
-static void
+static inline void
 resize_debounce_time(PyObject *src, Options *opts) {
     opts->resize_debounce_time.on_end = s_double_to_monotonic_t(PyFloat_AsDouble(PyTuple_GET_ITEM(src, 0)));
     opts->resize_debounce_time.on_pause = s_double_to_monotonic_t(PyFloat_AsDouble(PyTuple_GET_ITEM(src, 1)));
 }
 
-static void
+static inline void
 free_allocs_in_options(Options *opts) {
     free_menu_map(opts);
     free_url_prefixes(opts);
+    free_font_features(opts);
 #define F(x) free(opts->x); opts->x = NULL;
     F(select_by_word_characters); F(url_excluded_characters); F(select_by_word_characters_forward);
     F(background_image); F(bell_path); F(bell_theme); F(default_window_logo);
diff --git a/kitty/options/types.py b/kitty/options/types.py
index 01ead072f..20b8ac9f3 100644
--- a/kitty/options/types.py
+++ b/kitty/options/types.py
@@ -488,8 +488,8 @@ class Options:
     bell_border_color: Color = Color(255, 90, 0)
     bell_on_tab: str = '🔔 '
     bell_path: typing.Optional[str] = None
-    bold_font: FontSpec = FontSpec(family='', style='', postscript_name='', full_name='', system='auto', axes=())
-    bold_italic_font: FontSpec = FontSpec(family='', style='', postscript_name='', full_name='', system='auto', axes=())
+    bold_font: FontSpec = FontSpec(family=None, style=None, postscript_name=None, full_name=None, system='auto', axes=(), variable_name=None, features=(), created_from_string='auto')
+    bold_italic_font: FontSpec = FontSpec(family=None, style=None, postscript_name=None, full_name=None, system='auto', axes=(), variable_name=None, features=(), created_from_string='auto')
     box_drawing_scale: typing.Tuple[float, float, float, float] = (0.001, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0)
     clear_all_mouse_actions: bool = False
     clear_all_shortcuts: bool = False
@@ -520,7 +520,7 @@ class Options:
     enabled_layouts: typing.List[str] = ['fat', 'grid', 'horizontal', 'splits', 'stack', 'tall', 'vertical']
     file_transfer_confirmation_bypass: str = ''
     focus_follows_mouse: bool = False
-    font_family: FontSpec = FontSpec(family='', style='', postscript_name='', full_name='', system='monospace', axes=())
+    font_family: FontSpec = FontSpec(family=None, style=None, postscript_name=None, full_name=None, system='monospace', axes=(), variable_name=None, features=(), created_from_string='monospace')
     font_size: float = 11.0
     force_ltr: bool = False
     foreground: Color = Color(221, 221, 221)
@@ -534,7 +534,7 @@ class Options:
     initial_window_height: typing.Tuple[int, str] = (400, 'px')
     initial_window_width: typing.Tuple[int, str] = (640, 'px')
     input_delay: int = 3
-    italic_font: FontSpec = FontSpec(family='', style='', postscript_name='', full_name='', system='auto', axes=())
+    italic_font: FontSpec = FontSpec(family=None, style=None, postscript_name=None, full_name=None, system='auto', axes=(), variable_name=None, features=(), created_from_string='auto')
     kitty_mod: int = 5
     linux_bell_theme: str = '__custom'
     linux_display_server: choices_for_linux_display_server = 'auto'
@@ -631,7 +631,7 @@ class Options:
     action_alias: typing.Dict[str, str] = {}
     env: typing.Dict[str, str] = {}
     exe_search_path: typing.Dict[str, str] = {}
-    font_features: typing.Dict[str, typing.Tuple[kitty.fonts.FontFeature, ...]] = {}
+    font_features: typing.Dict[str, typing.Tuple[kitty.fast_data_types.ParsedFontFeature, ...]] = {}
     kitten_alias: typing.Dict[str, str] = {}
     menu_map: typing.Dict[typing.Tuple[str, ...], str] = {}
     modify_font: typing.Dict[str, kitty.fonts.FontModification] = {}
diff --git a/kitty/options/utils.py b/kitty/options/utils.py
index b61291252..f7de683f9 100644
--- a/kitty/options/utils.py
+++ b/kitty/options/utils.py
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@ from kitty.conf.utils import (
 )
 from kitty.constants import is_macos
 from kitty.fast_data_types import CURSOR_BEAM, CURSOR_BLOCK, CURSOR_UNDERLINE, NO_CURSOR_SHAPE, Color, Shlex, SingleKey
-from kitty.fonts import FontFeature, FontModification, FontSpec, ModificationType, ModificationUnit, ModificationValue
+from kitty.fonts import FontModification, FontSpec, ModificationType, ModificationUnit, ModificationValue
 from kitty.key_names import character_key_name_aliases, functional_key_name_aliases, get_key_name_lookup
 from kitty.rgb import color_as_int
 from kitty.types import FloatEdges, MouseEvent
@@ -879,7 +879,7 @@ def clear_all_shortcuts(val: str, dict_with_parse_results: Optional[Dict[str, An
     return ans
 
 
-def font_features(val: str) -> Iterable[Tuple[str, Tuple[FontFeature, ...]]]:
+def font_features(val: str) -> Iterable[Tuple[str, Tuple[defines.ParsedFontFeature, ...]]]:
     if val == 'none':
         return
     parts = val.split()
@@ -890,11 +890,9 @@ def font_features(val: str) -> Iterable[Tuple[str, Tuple[FontFeature, ...]]]:
         features = []
         for feat in parts[1:]:
             try:
-                parsed = defines.parse_font_feature(feat)
+                features.append(defines.ParsedFontFeature(feat))
             except ValueError:
                 log_error(f'Ignoring invalid font feature: {feat}')
-            else:
-                features.append(FontFeature(feat, parsed))
         yield parts[0], tuple(features)
 
 
diff --git a/kitty/state.h b/kitty/state.h
index a539a88e8..d8db29da3 100644
--- a/kitty/state.h
+++ b/kitty/state.h
@@ -9,6 +9,10 @@
 #include "screen.h"
 #include "monotonic.h"
 #include "window_logo.h"
+#pragma GCC diagnostic push
+#pragma GCC diagnostic ignored "-Wpedantic"
+#include <hb.h>
+#pragma GCC diagnostic pop
 
 #define OPT(name) global_state.opts.name
 #define debug_rendering(...) if (global_state.debug_rendering) { timed_debug_print(__VA_ARGS__); }
@@ -106,6 +110,14 @@ typedef struct {
     unsigned long wayland_titlebar_color;
     struct { struct MenuItem *entries; size_t count; } global_menu;
     bool wayland_enable_ime;
+    struct {
+        size_t num;
+        struct {
+            const char *psname;
+            size_t num;
+            hb_feature_t *features;
+        } *entries;
+    } font_features;
 } Options;
 
 typedef struct WindowLogoRenderData {