diff --git a/CHANGELOG.markdown b/CHANGELOG.markdown
--- a/CHANGELOG.markdown
+++ b/CHANGELOG.markdown
@@ -1,3 +1,7 @@
+/0.8.0.2/:
+
+ * changed tests and benchmarks to not build by default to work around corruption in the hackage db
+
 /0.8.0.1/:
  
  * test suite now forces build
diff --git a/Setup.lhs b/Setup.lhs
--- a/Setup.lhs
+++ b/Setup.lhs
@@ -2,9 +2,11 @@
 \begin{code}
 {-# LANGUAGE CPP #-}
 
-import Control.Monad (unless, mplus)
+import Control.Monad (when, unless, mplus)
 
-import Distribution.PackageDescription     (PackageDescription)
+import Data.Maybe (listToMaybe, fromMaybe)
+import Distribution.PackageDescription     
+    (PackageDescription, buildable, exeName, buildInfo, executables, customFieldsBI, BuildInfo)
 import Distribution.Verbosity              (normal)
 import Distribution.Simple.Build           (build)
 import Distribution.Simple.LocalBuildInfo  (LocalBuildInfo(..))
@@ -39,6 +41,13 @@
     Just hpc <- findExecutable "hpc"
     return hpc
 
+testSpeculation :: a -> (BuildInfo -> a) -> PackageDescription -> a
+testSpeculation dflt f pd = 
+    fromMaybe dflt $ listToMaybe 
+               [ f (buildInfo exe)
+               | exe <- executables pd
+               , exeName exe == "test-speculation" ]
+
 testHook :: Args -> Bool -> PackageDescription -> LocalBuildInfo -> IO ()
 testHook args0 _unknown pd lbi = do
     let args = if null args0 then [] else "-t" : args0
@@ -48,34 +57,50 @@
     canonicalBuildDir <- canonicalizePath (buildDir lbi)
     t <- doesDirectoryExist testDir
     unless t $ do
+        unless (testSpeculation False buildable pd) $ do
+          fail "Reconfigure with 'cabal configure -ftests' or 'cabal install -ftests' and try again."
         putStrLn "building tests"
         build pd lbi defaultBuildFlags knownSuffixHandlers
         putStrLn "tests built"
+
     setCurrentDirectory testDir
-    do removeFile "test-speculation.tix" 
-       putStrLn $ "removed test-speculation.tix" 
-     `catch` \_ -> return ()
+    let customFields = testSpeculation [] customFieldsBI pd
+        profiling = maybe False (const True) $ lookup "x-hpc" customFields
+
+    when profiling $ do 
+        removeFile "test-speculation.tix" 
+        putStrLn $ "removed test-speculation.tix" 
+       `catch` \_ -> return ()
+
     exitcode <- system $ unwords $ "test-speculation" : args
     unless (exitcode == ExitSuccess) $ 
         fail "test failed"
-    hpc <- findHPC lbi 
-    exitcode <- system $ unwords $ hpc 
+
+    when profiling $ do
+      hpc <- findHPC lbi 
+
+      exitcode <- system $ unwords $ hpc 
             : "report" 
             : "test-speculation" 
             : "--srcdir=../../.." 
             : []
-    let markupDir base = base </> "doc" </> "html" </> "test-speculation"
-    createDirectoryIfMissing True (markupDir canonicalBuildDir)
-    exitcode <- system $ unwords $ hpc 
+      unless (exitcode == ExitSuccess) $ 
+        fail "hpc report failed"
+
+      let markupDir base = base </> "doc" </> "html" </> "test-speculation"
+      createDirectoryIfMissing True (markupDir canonicalBuildDir)
+
+      exitcode <- system $ unwords $ hpc 
             : "markup" 
             : "test-speculation"
             : "--srcdir=../../.." 
             : ("--destdir=" ++ markupDir canonicalBuildDir) 
             : "--exclude=Main" 
             : []
-    unless (exitcode == ExitSuccess) $ 
+      unless (exitcode == ExitSuccess) $ 
         fail "hpc report failed"
-    putStrLn $ "Code coverage created: " ++ (markupDir (buildDir lbi) </> "hpc_index.html")
+
+      putStrLn $ "Code coverage created: " ++ (markupDir (buildDir lbi) </> "hpc_index.html")
 
 \end{code}
 
diff --git a/speculation.cabal b/speculation.cabal
--- a/speculation.cabal
+++ b/speculation.cabal
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 name:           speculation
-version:        0.8.0.1
+version:        0.8.0.2
 license:        BSD3
 license-file:   LICENSE
 author:         Edward A. Kmett
@@ -55,43 +55,43 @@
   location: http://github.com/ekmett/speculation.git
   branch:   master
 
-flag optimize
-  description: Enable optimizations
+flag lib
+  description: Build the library. Useful for speeding up the modify-build-test cycle.
   default:     True
 
 flag tests
   description: Build the tests
-  default:     True
+  default:     False
 
 flag benchmarks
   description: Build the benchmarks
+  default:     False
+
+flag optimize
+  description: Enable optimizations for the library and benchmarks
   default:     True
 
 flag hpc
   description: Use HPC for tests
   default:     True
 
-flag nolib
-  description: Don't build the library. Useful for speeding up the modify-build-test cycle.
-  default:     False
 
 library
-  ghc-options: -Wall
-
-  if flag(optimize)
-    ghc-options: -funbox-strict-fields -O2 -fspec-constr -fdicts-cheap
-
-  if flag(nolib)
+  if !flag(lib)
     buildable: False
+  else 
+    ghc-options: -Wall
+    if flag(optimize)
+      ghc-options: -funbox-strict-fields -O2 -fspec-constr -fdicts-cheap
 
-  build-depends:
-    base >= 4 && < 6,
-    parallel >= 2.2 && < 2.3,
-    stm >= 2.1 && < 2.2
+    build-depends:
+      base >= 4 && < 6,
+      parallel >= 2.2 && < 2.3,
+      stm >= 2.1 && < 2.2
 
-  exposed-modules:
-    Control.Concurrent.Speculation
-    Data.Foldable.Speculation
+    exposed-modules:
+      Control.Concurrent.Speculation
+      Data.Foldable.Speculation
 
 executable test-speculation
   main-is: Test.hs
@@ -100,6 +100,7 @@
   else
     if flag(hpc)
       ghc-options: -fhpc
+      x-hpc: true
     ghc-options: -Wall
     build-depends:
       base >= 4 && < 6,