diff --git a/executor/programs/rust/commit/src/main.rs b/executor/programs/rust/commit/src/main.rs
index bbf79f54a..6dd776e39 100644
--- a/executor/programs/rust/commit/src/main.rs
+++ b/executor/programs/rust/commit/src/main.rs
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 use lambda_vm_syscalls as syscalls;
 
 pub fn main() {
-    let input: Vec<u8> = syscalls::syscalls::get_private_input();
+    let input = syscalls::syscalls::get_private_input();
     syscalls::syscalls::print_string(format!("Private input received: {:?}\n", input).as_str());
-    syscalls::syscalls::commit(&input);
+    syscalls::syscalls::commit(input);
 }
diff --git a/executor/programs/rust/commit_sum/src/main.rs b/executor/programs/rust/commit_sum/src/main.rs
index 6eb84bc83..4661eb2ff 100644
--- a/executor/programs/rust/commit_sum/src/main.rs
+++ b/executor/programs/rust/commit_sum/src/main.rs
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 use lambda_vm_syscalls as syscalls;
 
 pub fn main() {
-    let input: Vec<u8> = syscalls::syscalls::get_private_input();
+    let input = syscalls::syscalls::get_private_input();
     let a = input[0];
     let b = input[1];
     syscalls::syscalls::commit((a + b).to_le_bytes().as_ref());
diff --git a/executor/programs/rust/ethrex/src/main.rs b/executor/programs/rust/ethrex/src/main.rs
index 30a39f4b5..b2c6bdc30 100644
--- a/executor/programs/rust/ethrex/src/main.rs
+++ b/executor/programs/rust/ethrex/src/main.rs
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ use rkyv::rancor::Error;
 
 pub fn main() {
     let input = lambda_vm_syscalls::syscalls::get_private_input();
-    let input = rkyv::from_bytes::<ProgramInput, Error>(&input).unwrap();
+    let input = rkyv::from_bytes::<ProgramInput, Error>(input).unwrap();
     // LambdaVM crypto provider, defined in the lambda_vm repo and injected here
     // (so crypto changes don't require an ethrex PR — see `crypto/ethrex-crypto`).
     // It accelerates trait-routed `keccak256` (via the keccak_permute precompile)
diff --git a/syscalls/README.md b/syscalls/README.md
index 9e972e0d0..240fad757 100644
--- a/syscalls/README.md
+++ b/syscalls/README.md
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ Published as `lambda-vm-syscalls`. Intended to be used from RISC-V (RV64IM) gues
 | Function | Purpose |
 |---|---|
 | `commit(bytes: &[u8])` | Append bytes to the **public output** that the verifier checks. |
-| `get_private_input() -> Vec<u8>` | Read the host-supplied private input bytes (memory-mapped at `0xFF000000`). |
+| `get_private_input() -> &'static [u8]` | Read the host-supplied private input bytes zero-copy (memory-mapped at `0xFF000000`). |
 | `sys_halt() -> !` | Terminate execution cleanly. Called automatically after `main` by the default entry point. |
 | `keccak_permute(state: &mut [u64; 25])` | Keccak-f[1600] permutation precompile. |
 | `ecsm_mul(xr: &mut [u8; 32], xg: &[u8; 32], k: &[u8; 32])` | secp256k1 scalar multiplication: writes `xR = (k·G)_x` (32-byte little-endian; `0 < k < N`). |
diff --git a/syscalls/src/syscalls.rs b/syscalls/src/syscalls.rs
index 491315ecb..8f8cbf8c6 100644
--- a/syscalls/src/syscalls.rs
+++ b/syscalls/src/syscalls.rs
@@ -78,22 +78,27 @@ pub fn commit(slice: &[u8]) {
 /// `PRIVATE_INPUT_START = 0xFF000000`.
 ///
 /// The host pre-loads the input before execution; this function reads the
-/// 4-byte LE length prefix and then copies the data bytes into a new `Vec`.
+/// 4-byte LE length prefix and returns a zero-copy slice over the data bytes.
 /// No ecall is performed — it's a plain memory read (ZisK-style).
+///
+/// The returned slice borrows from the fixed private-input mapping: the host
+/// writes it before execution starts and never mutates it afterward, so the
+/// borrow is valid for the whole run.
 #[cfg(target_arch = "riscv64")]
-pub fn get_private_input() -> Vec<u8> {
+pub fn get_private_input() -> &'static [u8] {
     // SAFETY: The host pre-loads private input at PRIVATE_INPUT_START before
     // execution. The 4-byte LE length prefix is always valid (written by the
-    // executor). The data pointer and length are within the memory-mapped region.
+    // executor). The data pointer and length are within the memory-mapped region,
+    // which lives for the entire program execution and is never mutated after
+    // loading, so the 'static borrow is sound.
     let len_ptr = PRIVATE_INPUT_START as *const u32;
     let len = unsafe { core::ptr::read_volatile(len_ptr) } as usize;
     let data_ptr = (PRIVATE_INPUT_START + 4) as *const u8;
-    let slice = unsafe { core::slice::from_raw_parts(data_ptr, len) };
-    slice.to_vec()
+    unsafe { core::slice::from_raw_parts(data_ptr, len) }
 }
 
 #[cfg(not(target_arch = "riscv64"))]
-pub fn get_private_input() -> Vec<u8> {
+pub fn get_private_input() -> &'static [u8] {
     unimplemented!("syscalls are only implemented for riscv64 targets");
 }