diff --git a/lib/compile.js b/lib/compile.js
index 62898aa..61d8316 100644
--- a/lib/compile.js
+++ b/lib/compile.js
@@ -185,38 +185,20 @@ function compileTree(loader, tree, traceOpts, compileOpts, outputOpts, cache) {
 
   // verify that the tree is a tree
   verifyTree(tree);
-  
+
   var ordered = getTreeModulesPostOrder(tree, traceOpts);
 
-  // compileOpts.entryPoints can be unnormalized
   var inputEntryPoints;
-  if (compileOpts.entryPoints)
-    inputEntryPoints = compileOpts.entryPoints.map(function(entryPoint) {
-      return loader.getCanonicalName(loader.normalizeSync(entryPoint));
-    });
 
   // get entrypoints from graph algorithm
-  var entryPoints = inputEntryPoints || [];
+  var entryPoints;
 
-  ordered.entryPoints.forEach(function(entryPoint) {
-    if (entryPoints.indexOf(entryPoint) == -1)
-      entryPoints.push(entryPoint);
-  });
-
-  var modules = ordered.modules.filter(function(moduleName) {
-    var load = tree[moduleName];
-    if (load.runtimePlugin && compileOpts.static)
-      throw new TypeError('Plugin ' + load.plugin + ' does not support static builds, compiling ' + load.name + '.');
-    return load && !load.conditional && !load.runtimePlugin;
-  });
+  var modules;
 
   // plugins have the ability to report an asset list during builds
   var assetList = [];
 
-  if (compileOpts.encodeNames)
-    entryPoints = entryPoints.map(function(name) {
-      return getEncoding(name, cache.encodings)
-    });
+  var outputs = [];
 
   var outputs = [];
 
@@ -224,25 +206,63 @@ function compileTree(loader, tree, traceOpts, compileOpts, outputOpts, cache) {
   var pluginLoads = {};
   var compilers = {};
 
-  // create load output objects
-  return Promise.all(modules.map(function(name) {
-    return Promise.resolve()
-    .then(function() {
-      var load = tree[name];
+  return Promise.resolve()
+  .then(function() {
+    // compileOpts.entryPoints can be unnormalized
+    if (!compileOpts.entryPoints)
+      return [];
 
-      if (load === true)
-        throw new TypeError(name + ' was defined via a bundle, so can only be used for subtraction or union operations.');
+    return Promise.all(compileOpts.entryPoints.map(function(entryPoint) {
 
-      // store plugin loads for bundle hook
-      if (load.metadata.loader) {
-        var pluginLoad = extend({}, load);
-        pluginLoad.address = loader.baseURL + load.path;
-        (pluginLoads[load.metadata.loader] = pluginLoads[load.metadata.loader] || []).push(pluginLoad);
-      }
+      // NB do we need to check that entry points are conditionally unique?
+      return loader.normalize(entryPoint)
+      .then(function(normalized) {
+        return loader.getCanonicalName(normalized);
+      });
+    }));
+  })
+  .then(function(inputEntryPoints) {
+    entryPoints = inputEntryPoints || [];
+    
+    ordered.entryPoints.forEach(function(entryPoint) {
+      if (entryPoints.indexOf(entryPoint) == -1)
+        entryPoints.push(entryPoint);
+    });
 
-      return compileLoad(loader, tree[name], compileOpts, cache);
+    modules = ordered.modules.filter(function(moduleName) {
+      var load = tree[moduleName];
+      if (load.runtimePlugin && compileOpts.static)
+        throw new TypeError('Plugin ' + load.plugin + ' does not support static builds, compiling ' + load.name + '.');
+      return load && !load.conditional && !load.runtimePlugin;
     });
-  }))
+
+    if (compileOpts.encodeNames)
+      entryPoints = entryPoints.map(function(name) {
+        return getEncoding(name, cache.encodings)
+      });
+  })
+
+  // create load output objects
+  .then(function() {
+    return Promise.all(modules.map(function(name) {
+      return Promise.resolve()
+      .then(function() {
+        var load = tree[name];
+
+        if (load === true)
+          throw new TypeError(name + ' was defined via a bundle, so can only be used for subtraction or union operations.');
+
+        // store plugin loads for bundle hook
+        if (load.metadata.loader) {
+          var pluginLoad = extend({}, load);
+          pluginLoad.address = loader.baseURL + load.path;
+          (pluginLoads[load.metadata.loader] = pluginLoads[load.metadata.loader] || []).push(pluginLoad);
+        }
+
+        return compileLoad(loader, tree[name], compileOpts, cache);
+      });
+    }));
+  })
   .then(function(compiled) {
     outputs = outputs.concat(compiled);
   })