diff --git a/v1/ast/annotations.go b/v1/ast/annotations.go
index 9484535dec..5c817fb3e9 100644
--- a/v1/ast/annotations.go
+++ b/v1/ast/annotations.go
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ import (
 	"encoding/json"
 	"fmt"
 	"net/url"
-	"sort"
+	"slices"
 	"strings"
 
 	"github.com/open-policy-agent/opa/internal/deepcopy"
@@ -18,12 +18,32 @@ import (
 
 const (
 	annotationScopePackage     = "package"
-	annotationScopeImport      = "import"
 	annotationScopeRule        = "rule"
 	annotationScopeDocument    = "document"
 	annotationScopeSubpackages = "subpackages"
 )
 
+var (
+	scopeTerm            = StringTerm("scope")
+	titleTerm            = StringTerm("title")
+	entrypointTerm       = StringTerm("entrypoint")
+	descriptionTerm      = StringTerm("description")
+	organizationsTerm    = StringTerm("organizations")
+	authorsTerm          = StringTerm("authors")
+	relatedResourcesTerm = StringTerm("related_resources")
+	schemasTerm          = StringTerm("schemas")
+	customTerm           = StringTerm("custom")
+	refTerm              = StringTerm("ref")
+	nameTerm             = StringTerm("name")
+	emailTerm            = StringTerm("email")
+	schemaTerm           = StringTerm("schema")
+	definitionTerm       = StringTerm("definition")
+	documentTerm         = StringTerm(annotationScopeDocument)
+	packageTerm          = StringTerm(annotationScopePackage)
+	ruleTerm             = StringTerm(annotationScopeRule)
+	subpackagesTerm      = StringTerm(annotationScopeSubpackages)
+)
+
 type (
 	// Annotations represents metadata attached to other AST nodes such as rules.
 	Annotations struct {
@@ -291,7 +311,6 @@ func (ar *AnnotationsRef) MarshalJSON() ([]byte, error) {
 }
 
 func scopeCompare(s1, s2 string) int {
-
 	o1 := scopeOrder(s1)
 	o2 := scopeOrder(s2)
 
@@ -342,7 +361,7 @@ func compareRelatedResources(a, b []*RelatedResourceAnnotation) int {
 	}
 
 	for i := range a {
-		if cmp := strings.Compare(a[i].String(), b[i].String()); cmp != 0 {
+		if cmp := a[i].Compare(b[i]); cmp != 0 {
 			return cmp
 		}
 	}
@@ -409,7 +428,9 @@ func (a *Annotations) Copy(node Node) *Annotations {
 		cpy.Schemas[i] = a.Schemas[i].Copy()
 	}
 
-	cpy.Custom = deepcopy.Map(a.Custom)
+	if a.Custom != nil {
+		cpy.Custom = deepcopy.Map(a.Custom)
+	}
 
 	cpy.node = node
 
@@ -425,19 +446,30 @@ func (a *Annotations) toObject() (*Object, *Error) {
 	}
 
 	if len(a.Scope) > 0 {
-		obj.Insert(StringTerm("scope"), StringTerm(a.Scope))
+		switch a.Scope {
+		case annotationScopeDocument:
+			obj.Insert(scopeTerm, documentTerm)
+		case annotationScopePackage:
+			obj.Insert(scopeTerm, packageTerm)
+		case annotationScopeRule:
+			obj.Insert(scopeTerm, ruleTerm)
+		case annotationScopeSubpackages:
+			obj.Insert(scopeTerm, subpackagesTerm)
+		default:
+			obj.Insert(scopeTerm, StringTerm(a.Scope))
+		}
 	}
 
 	if len(a.Title) > 0 {
-		obj.Insert(StringTerm("title"), StringTerm(a.Title))
+		obj.Insert(titleTerm, StringTerm(a.Title))
 	}
 
 	if a.Entrypoint {
-		obj.Insert(StringTerm("entrypoint"), BooleanTerm(true))
+		obj.Insert(entrypointTerm, InternedBooleanTerm(true))
 	}
 
 	if len(a.Description) > 0 {
-		obj.Insert(StringTerm("description"), StringTerm(a.Description))
+		obj.Insert(descriptionTerm, StringTerm(a.Description))
 	}
 
 	if len(a.Organizations) > 0 {
@@ -445,19 +477,19 @@ func (a *Annotations) toObject() (*Object, *Error) {
 		for _, org := range a.Organizations {
 			orgs = append(orgs, StringTerm(org))
 		}
-		obj.Insert(StringTerm("organizations"), ArrayTerm(orgs...))
+		obj.Insert(organizationsTerm, ArrayTerm(orgs...))
 	}
 
 	if len(a.RelatedResources) > 0 {
 		rrs := make([]*Term, 0, len(a.RelatedResources))
 		for _, rr := range a.RelatedResources {
-			rrObj := NewObject(Item(StringTerm("ref"), StringTerm(rr.Ref.String())))
+			rrObj := NewObject(Item(refTerm, StringTerm(rr.Ref.String())))
 			if len(rr.Description) > 0 {
-				rrObj.Insert(StringTerm("description"), StringTerm(rr.Description))
+				rrObj.Insert(descriptionTerm, StringTerm(rr.Description))
 			}
 			rrs = append(rrs, NewTerm(rrObj))
 		}
-		obj.Insert(StringTerm("related_resources"), ArrayTerm(rrs...))
+		obj.Insert(relatedResourcesTerm, ArrayTerm(rrs...))
 	}
 
 	if len(a.Authors) > 0 {
@@ -465,14 +497,14 @@ func (a *Annotations) toObject() (*Object, *Error) {
 		for _, author := range a.Authors {
 			aObj := NewObject()
 			if len(author.Name) > 0 {
-				aObj.Insert(StringTerm("name"), StringTerm(author.Name))
+				aObj.Insert(nameTerm, StringTerm(author.Name))
 			}
 			if len(author.Email) > 0 {
-				aObj.Insert(StringTerm("email"), StringTerm(author.Email))
+				aObj.Insert(emailTerm, StringTerm(author.Email))
 			}
 			as = append(as, NewTerm(aObj))
 		}
-		obj.Insert(StringTerm("authors"), ArrayTerm(as...))
+		obj.Insert(authorsTerm, ArrayTerm(as...))
 	}
 
 	if len(a.Schemas) > 0 {
@@ -480,21 +512,21 @@ func (a *Annotations) toObject() (*Object, *Error) {
 		for _, s := range a.Schemas {
 			sObj := NewObject()
 			if len(s.Path) > 0 {
-				sObj.Insert(StringTerm("path"), NewTerm(s.Path.toArray()))
+				sObj.Insert(pathTerm, NewTerm(s.Path.toArray()))
 			}
 			if len(s.Schema) > 0 {
-				sObj.Insert(StringTerm("schema"), NewTerm(s.Schema.toArray()))
+				sObj.Insert(schemaTerm, NewTerm(s.Schema.toArray()))
 			}
 			if s.Definition != nil {
 				def, err := InterfaceToValue(s.Definition)
 				if err != nil {
 					return nil, NewError(CompileErr, a.Location, "invalid definition in schema annotation: %s", err.Error())
 				}
-				sObj.Insert(StringTerm("definition"), NewTerm(def))
+				sObj.Insert(definitionTerm, NewTerm(def))
 			}
 			ss = append(ss, NewTerm(sObj))
 		}
-		obj.Insert(StringTerm("schemas"), ArrayTerm(ss...))
+		obj.Insert(schemasTerm, ArrayTerm(ss...))
 	}
 
 	if len(a.Custom) > 0 {
@@ -502,7 +534,7 @@ func (a *Annotations) toObject() (*Object, *Error) {
 		if err != nil {
 			return nil, NewError(CompileErr, a.Location, "invalid custom annotation %s", err.Error())
 		}
-		obj.Insert(StringTerm("custom"), NewTerm(c))
+		obj.Insert(customTerm, NewTerm(c))
 	}
 
 	return &obj, nil
@@ -563,7 +595,11 @@ func attachAnnotationsNodes(mod *Module) Errors {
 			case *Package:
 				a.Scope = annotationScopePackage
 			case *Import:
-				a.Scope = annotationScopeImport
+				// Note that this isn't a valid scope, but set here so that the
+				// validate function called below can print an error message with
+				// a context that makes sense ("invalid scope: 'import'" instead of
+				// "invalid scope: '')
+				a.Scope = "import"
 			}
 		}
 
@@ -681,7 +717,6 @@ func (s *SchemaAnnotation) Copy() *SchemaAnnotation {
 // Compare returns an integer indicating if s is less than, equal to, or greater
 // than other.
 func (s *SchemaAnnotation) Compare(other *SchemaAnnotation) int {
-
 	if cmp := s.Path.Compare(other.Path); cmp != 0 {
 		return cmp
 	}
@@ -819,9 +854,7 @@ func (as *AnnotationSet) Flatten() FlatAnnotationsRefSet {
 	}
 
 	// Sort by path, then annotation location, for stable output
-	sort.SliceStable(refs, func(i, j int) bool {
-		return refs[i].Compare(refs[j]) < 0
-	})
+	slices.SortStableFunc(refs, (*AnnotationsRef).Compare)
 
 	return refs
 }
@@ -853,8 +886,8 @@ func (as *AnnotationSet) Chain(rule *Rule) AnnotationsRefSet {
 
 	if len(refs) > 1 {
 		// Sort by annotation location; chain must start with annotations declared closest to rule, then going outward
-		sort.SliceStable(refs, func(i, j int) bool {
-			return refs[i].Annotations.Location.Compare(refs[j].Annotations.Location) > 0
+		slices.SortStableFunc(refs, func(a, b *AnnotationsRef) int {
+			return -a.Annotations.Location.Compare(b.Annotations.Location)
 		})
 	}