diff --git a/build.gradle.kts b/build.gradle.kts
index b41f92e2..59ad90a1 100644
--- a/build.gradle.kts
+++ b/build.gradle.kts
@@ -338,7 +338,10 @@ dependencies {
     annotationProcessor(libs.nullaway)
     api(libs.jspecify)
     api(libs.protobuf.java)
-    implementation(libs.cel)
+    implementation(libs.cel) {
+        // https://github.com/google/cel-java/issues/748
+        exclude(group = "com.google.protobuf", module = "protobuf-javalite")
+    }
 
     buf("build.buf:buf:${libs.versions.buf.get()}:${osdetector.classifier}@exe")
 
diff --git a/gradle/libs.versions.toml b/gradle/libs.versions.toml
index ffb2ab2a..9aa47f5e 100644
--- a/gradle/libs.versions.toml
+++ b/gradle/libs.versions.toml
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 [versions]
 assertj = "3.27.3"
 buf = "1.55.1"
-cel = "0.9.1"
+cel = "0.10.1"
 error-prone = "2.40.0"
 junit = "5.13.3"
 maven-publish = "0.34.0"
diff --git a/src/main/java/build/buf/protovalidate/CustomOverload.java b/src/main/java/build/buf/protovalidate/CustomOverload.java
index bc377a52..3494d00d 100644
--- a/src/main/java/build/buf/protovalidate/CustomOverload.java
+++ b/src/main/java/build/buf/protovalidate/CustomOverload.java
@@ -17,12 +17,10 @@
 import com.google.protobuf.ByteString;
 import com.google.protobuf.Descriptors;
 import com.google.protobuf.Message;
-import dev.cel.common.CelErrorCode;
-import dev.cel.common.CelRuntimeException;
 import dev.cel.common.types.CelType;
 import dev.cel.common.types.SimpleType;
 import dev.cel.runtime.CelEvaluationException;
-import dev.cel.runtime.CelRuntime.CelFunctionBinding;
+import dev.cel.runtime.CelFunctionBinding;
 import java.util.ArrayList;
 import java.util.Arrays;
 import java.util.Collections;
@@ -49,7 +47,6 @@ static List<CelFunctionBinding> create() {
     ArrayList<CelFunctionBinding> bindings = new ArrayList<>();
     bindings.addAll(
         Arrays.asList(
-            celBytesToString(),
             celGetField(),
             celFormat(),
             celStartsWithBytes(),
@@ -73,27 +70,6 @@ static List<CelFunctionBinding> create() {
     return Collections.unmodifiableList(bindings);
   }
 
-  /**
-   * This implements that standard {@code bytes_to_string} function. We override it because the CEL
-   * library doesn't validate that the bytes are valid utf-8.
-   *
-   * <p>Workaround until <a href="https://github.com/google/cel-java/pull/717">cel-java issue
-   * 717</a> lands.
-   */
-  private static CelFunctionBinding celBytesToString() {
-    return CelFunctionBinding.from(
-        "bytes_to_string",
-        ByteString.class,
-        v -> {
-          if (!v.isValidUtf8()) {
-            throw new CelRuntimeException(
-                new IllegalArgumentException("invalid UTF-8 in bytes, cannot convert to string"),
-                CelErrorCode.BAD_FORMAT);
-          }
-          return v.toStringUtf8();
-        });
-  }
-
   /**
    * Creates a custom function overload for the "getField" operation.
    *
diff --git a/src/main/java/build/buf/protovalidate/ValidateLibrary.java b/src/main/java/build/buf/protovalidate/ValidateLibrary.java
index f82c744b..73404023 100644
--- a/src/main/java/build/buf/protovalidate/ValidateLibrary.java
+++ b/src/main/java/build/buf/protovalidate/ValidateLibrary.java
@@ -22,9 +22,6 @@
 import dev.cel.parser.CelStandardMacro;
 import dev.cel.runtime.CelRuntimeBuilder;
 import dev.cel.runtime.CelRuntimeLibrary;
-import dev.cel.runtime.CelStandardFunctions;
-import dev.cel.runtime.CelStandardFunctions.StandardFunction;
-import dev.cel.runtime.CelStandardFunctions.StandardFunction.Overload.Conversions;
 
 /**
  * Custom {@link CelCompilerLibrary} and {@link CelRuntimeLibrary}. Provides all the custom
@@ -57,17 +54,6 @@ public void setCheckerOptions(CelCheckerBuilder checkerBuilder) {
 
   @Override
   public void setRuntimeOptions(CelRuntimeBuilder runtimeBuilder) {
-    runtimeBuilder
-        .addFunctionBindings(CustomOverload.create())
-        .setStandardEnvironmentEnabled(false)
-        .setStandardFunctions(
-            CelStandardFunctions.newBuilder()
-                .filterFunctions(
-                    // CEL doesn't validate, that the bytes are valid utf-8, so we provide our own
-                    // implementation.
-                    (function, overload) ->
-                        function != StandardFunction.STRING
-                            || !overload.equals(Conversions.BYTES_TO_STRING))
-                .build());
+    runtimeBuilder.addFunctionBindings(CustomOverload.create());
   }
 }