diff --git a/pyproject.toml b/pyproject.toml
index 896ad339f..0b35f8519 100644
--- a/pyproject.toml
+++ b/pyproject.toml
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ requires = [
     "cymem>=2.0.2,<2.1.0",
     "preshed>=3.0.2,<3.1.0",
     "murmurhash>=0.28.0,<1.1.0",
-    "thinc>=8.0.0a36,<8.0.0a40",
+    "thinc>=8.0.0a40,<8.0.0a50",
     "blis>=0.4.0,<0.5.0",
     "pytokenizations",
     "pathy"
diff --git a/requirements.txt b/requirements.txt
index 2746ecc37..770e74506 100644
--- a/requirements.txt
+++ b/requirements.txt
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 # Our libraries
 cymem>=2.0.2,<2.1.0
 preshed>=3.0.2,<3.1.0
-thinc>=8.0.0a36,<8.0.0a40
+thinc>=8.0.0a40,<8.0.0a50
 blis>=0.4.0,<0.5.0
 ml_datasets==0.2.0a0
 murmurhash>=0.28.0,<1.1.0
diff --git a/setup.cfg b/setup.cfg
index 33dabc91f..80e96122e 100644
--- a/setup.cfg
+++ b/setup.cfg
@@ -34,13 +34,13 @@ setup_requires =
     cymem>=2.0.2,<2.1.0
     preshed>=3.0.2,<3.1.0
     murmurhash>=0.28.0,<1.1.0
-    thinc>=8.0.0a36,<8.0.0a40
+    thinc>=8.0.0a40,<8.0.0a50
 install_requires =
     # Our libraries
     murmurhash>=0.28.0,<1.1.0
     cymem>=2.0.2,<2.1.0
     preshed>=3.0.2,<3.1.0
-    thinc>=8.0.0a36,<8.0.0a40
+    thinc>=8.0.0a40,<8.0.0a50
     blis>=0.4.0,<0.5.0
     wasabi>=0.8.0,<1.1.0
     srsly>=2.1.0,<3.0.0
diff --git a/spacy/cli/debug_config.py b/spacy/cli/debug_config.py
index c0c7de7ef..131fecf6d 100644
--- a/spacy/cli/debug_config.py
+++ b/spacy/cli/debug_config.py
@@ -51,9 +51,10 @@ def debug_config(
     msg.divider("Config validation")
     with show_validation_error(config_path):
         config = util.load_config(config_path, overrides=overrides)
-        nlp, resolved = util.load_model_from_config(config)
+        nlp = util.load_model_from_config(config)
         # Use the resolved config here in case user has one function returning
         # a dict of corpora etc.
+        resolved = util.resolve_training_config(nlp.config)
         check_section_refs(resolved, ["training.dev_corpus", "training.train_corpus"])
     msg.good("Config is valid")
     if show_vars:
diff --git a/spacy/cli/debug_data.py b/spacy/cli/debug_data.py
index d52f30b82..302bfd563 100644
--- a/spacy/cli/debug_data.py
+++ b/spacy/cli/debug_data.py
@@ -93,18 +93,19 @@ def debug_data(
         msg.fail("Config file not found", config_path, exists=1)
     with show_validation_error(config_path):
         cfg = util.load_config(config_path, overrides=config_overrides)
-        nlp, config = util.load_model_from_config(cfg)
+        nlp = util.load_model_from_config(cfg)
+        C = util.resolve_training_config(nlp.config)
     # Use original config here, not resolved version
     sourced_components = get_sourced_components(cfg)
-    frozen_components = config["training"]["frozen_components"]
+    frozen_components = C["training"]["frozen_components"]
     resume_components = [p for p in sourced_components if p not in frozen_components]
     pipeline = nlp.pipe_names
     factory_names = [nlp.get_pipe_meta(pipe).factory for pipe in nlp.pipe_names]
-    tag_map_path = util.ensure_path(config["training"]["tag_map"])
+    tag_map_path = util.ensure_path(C["training"]["tag_map"])
     tag_map = {}
     if tag_map_path is not None:
         tag_map = srsly.read_json(tag_map_path)
-    morph_rules_path = util.ensure_path(config["training"]["morph_rules"])
+    morph_rules_path = util.ensure_path(C["training"]["morph_rules"])
     morph_rules = {}
     if morph_rules_path is not None:
         morph_rules = srsly.read_json(morph_rules_path)
@@ -144,10 +145,10 @@ def debug_data(
 
     train_texts = gold_train_data["texts"]
     dev_texts = gold_dev_data["texts"]
-    frozen_components = config["training"]["frozen_components"]
+    frozen_components = C["training"]["frozen_components"]
 
     msg.divider("Training stats")
-    msg.text(f"Language: {config['nlp']['lang']}")
+    msg.text(f"Language: {C['nlp']['lang']}")
     msg.text(f"Training pipeline: {', '.join(pipeline)}")
     if resume_components:
         msg.text(f"Components from other pipelines: {', '.join(resume_components)}")
diff --git a/spacy/cli/debug_model.py b/spacy/cli/debug_model.py
index 7f8e1dabc..6f554ed2d 100644
--- a/spacy/cli/debug_model.py
+++ b/spacy/cli/debug_model.py
@@ -1,4 +1,3 @@
-import warnings
 from typing import Dict, Any, Optional, Iterable
 from pathlib import Path
 
@@ -57,14 +56,17 @@ def debug_model_cli(
     }
     config_overrides = parse_config_overrides(ctx.args)
     with show_validation_error(config_path):
-        config = util.load_config(
-            config_path, overrides=config_overrides, interpolate=True
+        raw_config = util.load_config(
+            config_path, overrides=config_overrides, interpolate=False
         )
-        allocator = config["training"]["gpu_allocator"]
-        if use_gpu >= 0 and allocator:
-            set_gpu_allocator(allocator)
-        nlp, config = util.load_model_from_config(config)
-    seed = config["training"]["seed"]
+    config = raw_config.iterpolate()
+    allocator = config["training"]["gpu_allocator"]
+    if use_gpu >= 0 and allocator:
+        set_gpu_allocator(allocator)
+    with show_validation_error(config_path):
+        nlp = util.load_model_from_config(raw_config)
+        C = util.resolve_training_config(nlp.config)
+    seed = C["training"]["seed"]
     if seed is not None:
         msg.info(f"Fixing random seed: {seed}")
         fix_random_seed(seed)
@@ -75,7 +77,7 @@ def debug_model_cli(
             exits=1,
         )
     model = pipe.model
-    debug_model(config, nlp, model, print_settings=print_settings)
+    debug_model(C, nlp, model, print_settings=print_settings)
 
 
 def debug_model(
@@ -108,7 +110,7 @@ def debug_model(
                 _set_output_dim(nO=7, model=model)
                 nlp.begin_training(lambda: [Example.from_dict(x, {}) for x in X])
                 msg.info("Initialized the model with dummy data.")
-            except:
+            except Exception:
                 msg.fail(
                     "Could not initialize the model: you'll have to provide a valid train_corpus argument in the config file.",
                     exits=1,
diff --git a/spacy/cli/init_config.py b/spacy/cli/init_config.py
index 5203c5dbb..9f73b17ae 100644
--- a/spacy/cli/init_config.py
+++ b/spacy/cli/init_config.py
@@ -88,10 +88,10 @@ def fill_config(
     msg = Printer(no_print=no_print)
     with show_validation_error(hint_fill=False):
         config = util.load_config(base_path)
-        nlp, _ = util.load_model_from_config(config, auto_fill=True, validate=False)
+        nlp = util.load_model_from_config(config, auto_fill=True, validate=False)
     # Load a second time with validation to be extra sure that the produced
     # config result is a valid config
-    nlp, _ = util.load_model_from_config(nlp.config)
+    nlp = util.load_model_from_config(nlp.config)
     filled = nlp.config
     if pretraining:
         validate_config_for_pretrain(filled, msg)
@@ -169,7 +169,7 @@ def init_config(
         msg.text(f"- {label}: {value}")
     with show_validation_error(hint_fill=False):
         config = util.load_config_from_str(base_template)
-        nlp, _ = util.load_model_from_config(config, auto_fill=True)
+        nlp = util.load_model_from_config(config, auto_fill=True)
         config = nlp.config
         if pretraining:
             validate_config_for_pretrain(config, msg)
diff --git a/spacy/cli/pretrain.py b/spacy/cli/pretrain.py
index 9e913396e..29e220b95 100644
--- a/spacy/cli/pretrain.py
+++ b/spacy/cli/pretrain.py
@@ -69,17 +69,18 @@ def pretrain_cli(
     msg.info(f"Loading config from: {config_path}")
 
     with show_validation_error(config_path):
-        config = util.load_config(
-            config_path, overrides=config_overrides, interpolate=True
+        raw_config = util.load_config(
+            config_path, overrides=config_overrides, interpolate=False
         )
+    config = raw_config.interpolate()
     if not config.get("pretraining"):
         # TODO: What's the solution here? How do we handle optional blocks?
         msg.fail("The [pretraining] block in your config is empty", exits=1)
     if not output_dir.exists():
         output_dir.mkdir()
         msg.good(f"Created output directory: {output_dir}")
-
-    config.to_disk(output_dir / "config.cfg")
+    # Save non-interpolated config
+    raw_config.to_disk(output_dir / "config.cfg")
     msg.good("Saved config file in the output directory")
 
     pretrain(
@@ -103,14 +104,13 @@ def pretrain(
     allocator = config["training"]["gpu_allocator"]
     if use_gpu >= 0 and allocator:
         set_gpu_allocator(allocator)
-
-    nlp, config = util.load_model_from_config(config)
-    P_cfg = config["pretraining"]
-    corpus = dot_to_object(config, P_cfg["corpus"])
+    nlp = util.load_model_from_config(config)
+    C = util.resolve_training_config(nlp.config)
+    P_cfg = C["pretraining"]
+    corpus = dot_to_object(C, P_cfg["corpus"])
     batcher = P_cfg["batcher"]
-    model = create_pretraining_model(nlp, config["pretraining"])
-    optimizer = config["pretraining"]["optimizer"]
-
+    model = create_pretraining_model(nlp, C["pretraining"])
+    optimizer = C["pretraining"]["optimizer"]
     # Load in pretrained weights to resume from
     if resume_path is not None:
         _resume_model(model, resume_path, epoch_resume)
diff --git a/spacy/cli/train.py b/spacy/cli/train.py
index 5fc4ff035..8aef11e02 100644
--- a/spacy/cli/train.py
+++ b/spacy/cli/train.py
@@ -75,12 +75,12 @@ def train(
         msg.info("Using CPU")
     msg.info(f"Loading config and nlp from: {config_path}")
     with show_validation_error(config_path):
-        config = util.load_config(
-            config_path, overrides=config_overrides, interpolate=True
-        )
-        # Keep a second un-interpolated config so we can preserve variables in
+        # Keep an un-interpolated config so we can preserve variables in
         # the final nlp object we train and serialize
-        raw_config = util.load_config(config_path, overrides=config_overrides)
+        raw_config = util.load_config(
+            config_path, overrides=config_overrides, interpolate=False
+        )
+    config = raw_config.interpolate()
     if config["training"]["seed"] is not None:
         fix_random_seed(config["training"]["seed"])
     allocator = config["training"]["gpu_allocator"]
@@ -89,15 +89,17 @@ def train(
     # Use original config here before it's resolved to functions
     sourced_components = get_sourced_components(config)
     with show_validation_error(config_path):
-        nlp, config = util.load_model_from_config(raw_config)
-    util.load_vocab_data_into_model(nlp, lookups=config["training"]["lookups"])
-    if config["training"]["vectors"] is not None:
-        add_vectors(nlp, config["training"]["vectors"])
-    raw_text, tag_map, morph_rules, weights_data = load_from_paths(config)
-    T_cfg = config["training"]
+        nlp = util.load_model_from_config(raw_config)
+        # Resolve all training-relevant sections using the filled nlp config
+        C = util.resolve_training_config(nlp.config)
+    util.load_vocab_data_into_model(nlp, lookups=C["training"]["lookups"])
+    if C["training"]["vectors"] is not None:
+        add_vectors(nlp, C["training"]["vectors"])
+    raw_text, tag_map, morph_rules, weights_data = load_from_paths(C)
+    T_cfg = C["training"]
     optimizer = T_cfg["optimizer"]
-    train_corpus = dot_to_object(config, T_cfg["train_corpus"])
-    dev_corpus = dot_to_object(config, T_cfg["dev_corpus"])
+    train_corpus = dot_to_object(C, T_cfg["train_corpus"])
+    dev_corpus = dot_to_object(C, T_cfg["dev_corpus"])
     batcher = T_cfg["batcher"]
     train_logger = T_cfg["logger"]
     before_to_disk = create_before_to_disk_callback(T_cfg["before_to_disk"])
@@ -124,7 +126,7 @@ def train(
 
     # Load pretrained tok2vec weights - cf. CLI command 'pretrain'
     if weights_data is not None:
-        tok2vec_component = config["pretraining"]["component"]
+        tok2vec_component = C["pretraining"]["component"]
         if tok2vec_component is None:
             msg.fail(
                 f"To use pretrained tok2vec weights, [pretraining.component] "
@@ -132,7 +134,7 @@ def train(
                 exits=1,
             )
         layer = nlp.get_pipe(tok2vec_component).model
-        tok2vec_layer = config["pretraining"]["layer"]
+        tok2vec_layer = C["pretraining"]["layer"]
         if tok2vec_layer:
             layer = layer.get_ref(tok2vec_layer)
         layer.from_bytes(weights_data)
diff --git a/spacy/language.py b/spacy/language.py
index a52391419..bf3911888 100644
--- a/spacy/language.py
+++ b/spacy/language.py
@@ -166,11 +166,10 @@ class Language:
         self._components = []
         self._disabled = set()
         self.max_length = max_length
-        self.resolved = {}
         # Create the default tokenizer from the default config
         if not create_tokenizer:
             tokenizer_cfg = {"tokenizer": self._config["nlp"]["tokenizer"]}
-            create_tokenizer = registry.make_from_config(tokenizer_cfg)["tokenizer"]
+            create_tokenizer = registry.resolve(tokenizer_cfg)["tokenizer"]
         self.tokenizer = create_tokenizer(self)
 
     def __init_subclass__(cls, **kwargs):
@@ -467,7 +466,7 @@ class Language:
             if "nlp" not in arg_names or "name" not in arg_names:
                 raise ValueError(Errors.E964.format(name=name))
             # Officially register the factory so we can later call
-            # registry.make_from_config and refer to it in the config as
+            # registry.resolve and refer to it in the config as
             # @factories = "spacy.Language.xyz". We use the class name here so
             # different classes can have different factories.
             registry.factories.register(internal_name, func=factory_func)
@@ -650,8 +649,9 @@ class Language:
         cfg = {factory_name: config}
         # We're calling the internal _fill here to avoid constructing the
         # registered functions twice
-        resolved, filled = registry.resolve(cfg, validate=validate)
-        filled = Config(filled[factory_name])
+        resolved = registry.resolve(cfg, validate=validate)
+        filled = registry.fill({"cfg": cfg[factory_name]}, validate=validate)["cfg"]
+        filled = Config(filled)
         filled["factory"] = factory_name
         filled.pop("@factories", None)
         # Remove the extra values we added because we don't want to keep passing
@@ -1518,15 +1518,14 @@ class Language:
         config = util.copy_config(config)
         orig_pipeline = config.pop("components", {})
         config["components"] = {}
-        resolved, filled = registry.resolve(
-            config, validate=validate, schema=ConfigSchema
-        )
+        filled = registry.fill(config, validate=validate, schema=ConfigSchema)
         filled["components"] = orig_pipeline
         config["components"] = orig_pipeline
-        create_tokenizer = resolved["nlp"]["tokenizer"]
-        before_creation = resolved["nlp"]["before_creation"]
-        after_creation = resolved["nlp"]["after_creation"]
-        after_pipeline_creation = resolved["nlp"]["after_pipeline_creation"]
+        resolved_nlp = registry.resolve(filled["nlp"], validate=validate)
+        create_tokenizer = resolved_nlp["tokenizer"]
+        before_creation = resolved_nlp["before_creation"]
+        after_creation = resolved_nlp["after_creation"]
+        after_pipeline_creation = resolved_nlp["after_pipeline_creation"]
         lang_cls = cls
         if before_creation is not None:
             lang_cls = before_creation(cls)
@@ -1587,7 +1586,6 @@ class Language:
         disabled_pipes = [*config["nlp"]["disabled"], *disable]
         nlp._disabled = set(p for p in disabled_pipes if p not in exclude)
         nlp.config = filled if auto_fill else config
-        nlp.resolved = resolved
         if after_pipeline_creation is not None:
             nlp = after_pipeline_creation(nlp)
             if not isinstance(nlp, cls):
diff --git a/spacy/schemas.py b/spacy/schemas.py
index 0c85dfe57..6db05bbd9 100644
--- a/spacy/schemas.py
+++ b/spacy/schemas.py
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ from enum import Enum
 from pydantic import BaseModel, Field, ValidationError, validator
 from pydantic import StrictStr, StrictInt, StrictFloat, StrictBool
 from pydantic import root_validator
+from thinc.config import Promise
 from collections import defaultdict
 from thinc.api import Optimizer
 
@@ -16,10 +17,12 @@ if TYPE_CHECKING:
     from .training import Example  # noqa: F401
 
 
+# fmt: off
 ItemT = TypeVar("ItemT")
-Batcher = Callable[[Iterable[ItemT]], Iterable[List[ItemT]]]
-Reader = Callable[["Language", str], Iterable["Example"]]
-Logger = Callable[["Language"], Tuple[Callable[[Dict[str, Any]], None], Callable]]
+Batcher = Union[Callable[[Iterable[ItemT]], Iterable[List[ItemT]]], Promise]
+Reader = Union[Callable[["Language", str], Iterable["Example"]], Promise]
+Logger = Union[Callable[["Language"], Tuple[Callable[[Dict[str, Any]], None], Callable]], Promise]
+# fmt: on
 
 
 def validate(schema: Type[BaseModel], obj: Dict[str, Any]) -> List[str]:
@@ -292,6 +295,20 @@ class ConfigSchema(BaseModel):
         arbitrary_types_allowed = True
 
 
+class NlpSchema(BaseModel):
+    nlp: ConfigSchemaNlp
+
+
+class TrainingSchema(BaseModel):
+    training: ConfigSchemaTraining
+    pretraining: Union[ConfigSchemaPretrain, ConfigSchemaPretrainEmpty] = {}
+    corpora: Dict[str, Reader]
+
+    class Config:
+        extra = "allow"
+        arbitrary_types_allowed = True
+
+
 # Project config Schema
 
 
diff --git a/spacy/tests/doc/test_add_entities.py b/spacy/tests/doc/test_add_entities.py
index 615ab9e5b..86aa883bd 100644
--- a/spacy/tests/doc/test_add_entities.py
+++ b/spacy/tests/doc/test_add_entities.py
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ def test_doc_add_entities_set_ents_iob(en_vocab):
         "update_with_oracle_cut_size": 100,
     }
     cfg = {"model": DEFAULT_NER_MODEL}
-    model = registry.make_from_config(cfg, validate=True)["model"]
+    model = registry.resolve(cfg, validate=True)["model"]
     ner = EntityRecognizer(en_vocab, model, **config)
     ner.begin_training(lambda: [_ner_example(ner)])
     ner(doc)
@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@ def test_ents_reset(en_vocab):
         "update_with_oracle_cut_size": 100,
     }
     cfg = {"model": DEFAULT_NER_MODEL}
-    model = registry.make_from_config(cfg, validate=True)["model"]
+    model = registry.resolve(cfg, validate=True)["model"]
     ner = EntityRecognizer(en_vocab, model, **config)
     ner.begin_training(lambda: [_ner_example(ner)])
     ner(doc)
diff --git a/spacy/tests/parser/test_add_label.py b/spacy/tests/parser/test_add_label.py
index 3d67e6ef6..cd376e0fc 100644
--- a/spacy/tests/parser/test_add_label.py
+++ b/spacy/tests/parser/test_add_label.py
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ def parser(vocab):
         "update_with_oracle_cut_size": 100,
     }
     cfg = {"model": DEFAULT_PARSER_MODEL}
-    model = registry.make_from_config(cfg, validate=True)["model"]
+    model = registry.resolve(cfg, validate=True)["model"]
     parser = DependencyParser(vocab, model, **config)
     return parser
 
@@ -82,7 +82,7 @@ def test_add_label_deserializes_correctly():
         "update_with_oracle_cut_size": 100,
     }
     cfg = {"model": DEFAULT_NER_MODEL}
-    model = registry.make_from_config(cfg, validate=True)["model"]
+    model = registry.resolve(cfg, validate=True)["model"]
     ner1 = EntityRecognizer(Vocab(), model, **config)
     ner1.add_label("C")
     ner1.add_label("B")
@@ -111,7 +111,7 @@ def test_add_label_get_label(pipe_cls, n_moves, model_config):
     splitting the move names.
     """
     labels = ["A", "B", "C"]
-    model = registry.make_from_config({"model": model_config}, validate=True)["model"]
+    model = registry.resolve({"model": model_config}, validate=True)["model"]
     config = {
         "learn_tokens": False,
         "min_action_freq": 30,
diff --git a/spacy/tests/parser/test_arc_eager_oracle.py b/spacy/tests/parser/test_arc_eager_oracle.py
index 826fc1d87..84070db73 100644
--- a/spacy/tests/parser/test_arc_eager_oracle.py
+++ b/spacy/tests/parser/test_arc_eager_oracle.py
@@ -127,7 +127,7 @@ def test_get_oracle_actions():
         "update_with_oracle_cut_size": 100,
     }
     cfg = {"model": DEFAULT_PARSER_MODEL}
-    model = registry.make_from_config(cfg, validate=True)["model"]
+    model = registry.resolve(cfg, validate=True)["model"]
     parser = DependencyParser(doc.vocab, model, **config)
     parser.moves.add_action(0, "")
     parser.moves.add_action(1, "")
diff --git a/spacy/tests/parser/test_neural_parser.py b/spacy/tests/parser/test_neural_parser.py
index 0747241d8..1bb5d4aa5 100644
--- a/spacy/tests/parser/test_neural_parser.py
+++ b/spacy/tests/parser/test_neural_parser.py
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ def arc_eager(vocab):
 @pytest.fixture
 def tok2vec():
     cfg = {"model": DEFAULT_TOK2VEC_MODEL}
-    tok2vec = registry.make_from_config(cfg, validate=True)["model"]
+    tok2vec = registry.resolve(cfg, validate=True)["model"]
     tok2vec.initialize()
     return tok2vec
 
@@ -38,14 +38,14 @@ def parser(vocab, arc_eager):
         "update_with_oracle_cut_size": 100,
     }
     cfg = {"model": DEFAULT_PARSER_MODEL}
-    model = registry.make_from_config(cfg, validate=True)["model"]
+    model = registry.resolve(cfg, validate=True)["model"]
     return Parser(vocab, model, moves=arc_eager, **config)
 
 
 @pytest.fixture
 def model(arc_eager, tok2vec, vocab):
     cfg = {"model": DEFAULT_PARSER_MODEL}
-    model = registry.make_from_config(cfg, validate=True)["model"]
+    model = registry.resolve(cfg, validate=True)["model"]
     model.attrs["resize_output"](model, arc_eager.n_moves)
     model.initialize()
     return model
@@ -72,7 +72,7 @@ def test_build_model(parser, vocab):
         "update_with_oracle_cut_size": 100,
     }
     cfg = {"model": DEFAULT_PARSER_MODEL}
-    model = registry.make_from_config(cfg, validate=True)["model"]
+    model = registry.resolve(cfg, validate=True)["model"]
     parser.model = Parser(vocab, model=model, moves=parser.moves, **config).model
     assert parser.model is not None
 
diff --git a/spacy/tests/parser/test_preset_sbd.py b/spacy/tests/parser/test_preset_sbd.py
index 1de05be1b..e8dfa68c7 100644
--- a/spacy/tests/parser/test_preset_sbd.py
+++ b/spacy/tests/parser/test_preset_sbd.py
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ def parser(vocab):
         "update_with_oracle_cut_size": 100,
     }
     cfg = {"model": DEFAULT_PARSER_MODEL}
-    model = registry.make_from_config(cfg, validate=True)["model"]
+    model = registry.resolve(cfg, validate=True)["model"]
     parser = DependencyParser(vocab, model, **config)
     parser.cfg["token_vector_width"] = 4
     parser.cfg["hidden_width"] = 32
diff --git a/spacy/tests/pipeline/test_tok2vec.py b/spacy/tests/pipeline/test_tok2vec.py
index 985314217..558b9079c 100644
--- a/spacy/tests/pipeline/test_tok2vec.py
+++ b/spacy/tests/pipeline/test_tok2vec.py
@@ -139,7 +139,7 @@ TRAIN_DATA = [
 
 def test_tok2vec_listener():
     orig_config = Config().from_str(cfg_string)
-    nlp, config = util.load_model_from_config(orig_config, auto_fill=True, validate=True)
+    nlp = util.load_model_from_config(orig_config, auto_fill=True, validate=True)
     assert nlp.pipe_names == ["tok2vec", "tagger"]
     tagger = nlp.get_pipe("tagger")
     tok2vec = nlp.get_pipe("tok2vec")
@@ -173,7 +173,7 @@ def test_tok2vec_listener():
 
 def test_tok2vec_listener_callback():
     orig_config = Config().from_str(cfg_string)
-    nlp, config = util.load_model_from_config(orig_config, auto_fill=True, validate=True)
+    nlp = util.load_model_from_config(orig_config, auto_fill=True, validate=True)
     assert nlp.pipe_names == ["tok2vec", "tagger"]
     tagger = nlp.get_pipe("tagger")
     tok2vec = nlp.get_pipe("tok2vec")
diff --git a/spacy/tests/regression/test_issue3001-3500.py b/spacy/tests/regression/test_issue3001-3500.py
index a64dc53e4..56ef23dbf 100644
--- a/spacy/tests/regression/test_issue3001-3500.py
+++ b/spacy/tests/regression/test_issue3001-3500.py
@@ -195,7 +195,7 @@ def test_issue3345():
         "update_with_oracle_cut_size": 100,
     }
     cfg = {"model": DEFAULT_NER_MODEL}
-    model = registry.make_from_config(cfg, validate=True)["model"]
+    model = registry.resolve(cfg, validate=True)["model"]
     ner = EntityRecognizer(doc.vocab, model, **config)
     # Add the OUT action. I wouldn't have thought this would be necessary...
     ner.moves.add_action(5, "")
diff --git a/spacy/tests/regression/test_issue3501-4000.py b/spacy/tests/regression/test_issue3501-4000.py
index a79be6638..304e654c3 100644
--- a/spacy/tests/regression/test_issue3501-4000.py
+++ b/spacy/tests/regression/test_issue3501-4000.py
@@ -264,9 +264,7 @@ def test_issue3830_no_subtok():
         "min_action_freq": 30,
         "update_with_oracle_cut_size": 100,
     }
-    model = registry.make_from_config({"model": DEFAULT_PARSER_MODEL}, validate=True)[
-        "model"
-    ]
+    model = registry.resolve({"model": DEFAULT_PARSER_MODEL}, validate=True)["model"]
     parser = DependencyParser(Vocab(), model, **config)
     parser.add_label("nsubj")
     assert "subtok" not in parser.labels
@@ -281,9 +279,7 @@ def test_issue3830_with_subtok():
         "min_action_freq": 30,
         "update_with_oracle_cut_size": 100,
     }
-    model = registry.make_from_config({"model": DEFAULT_PARSER_MODEL}, validate=True)[
-        "model"
-    ]
+    model = registry.resolve({"model": DEFAULT_PARSER_MODEL}, validate=True)["model"]
     parser = DependencyParser(Vocab(), model, **config)
     parser.add_label("nsubj")
     assert "subtok" not in parser.labels
diff --git a/spacy/tests/serialize/test_serialize_config.py b/spacy/tests/serialize/test_serialize_config.py
index 1a5be4bec..eb5f15007 100644
--- a/spacy/tests/serialize/test_serialize_config.py
+++ b/spacy/tests/serialize/test_serialize_config.py
@@ -108,8 +108,8 @@ def my_parser():
 def test_create_nlp_from_config():
     config = Config().from_str(nlp_config_string)
     with pytest.raises(ConfigValidationError):
-        nlp, _ = load_model_from_config(config, auto_fill=False)
-    nlp, resolved = load_model_from_config(config, auto_fill=True)
+        load_model_from_config(config, auto_fill=False)
+    nlp = load_model_from_config(config, auto_fill=True)
     assert nlp.config["training"]["batcher"]["size"] == 666
     assert len(nlp.config["training"]) > 1
     assert nlp.pipe_names == ["tok2vec", "tagger"]
@@ -136,7 +136,7 @@ def test_create_nlp_from_config_multiple_instances():
         "tagger2": config["components"]["tagger"],
     }
     config["nlp"]["pipeline"] = list(config["components"].keys())
-    nlp, _ = load_model_from_config(config, auto_fill=True)
+    nlp = load_model_from_config(config, auto_fill=True)
     assert nlp.pipe_names == ["t2v", "tagger1", "tagger2"]
     assert nlp.get_pipe_meta("t2v").factory == "tok2vec"
     assert nlp.get_pipe_meta("tagger1").factory == "tagger"
@@ -150,7 +150,7 @@ def test_create_nlp_from_config_multiple_instances():
 def test_serialize_nlp():
     """ Create a custom nlp pipeline from config and ensure it serializes it correctly """
     nlp_config = Config().from_str(nlp_config_string)
-    nlp, _ = load_model_from_config(nlp_config, auto_fill=True)
+    nlp = load_model_from_config(nlp_config, auto_fill=True)
     nlp.get_pipe("tagger").add_label("A")
     nlp.begin_training()
     assert "tok2vec" in nlp.pipe_names
@@ -209,7 +209,7 @@ def test_config_nlp_roundtrip():
     nlp = English()
     nlp.add_pipe("entity_ruler")
     nlp.add_pipe("ner")
-    new_nlp, new_config = load_model_from_config(nlp.config, auto_fill=False)
+    new_nlp = load_model_from_config(nlp.config, auto_fill=False)
     assert new_nlp.config == nlp.config
     assert new_nlp.pipe_names == nlp.pipe_names
     assert new_nlp._pipe_configs == nlp._pipe_configs
@@ -280,12 +280,12 @@ def test_config_overrides():
     overrides_dot = {"nlp.lang": "de", "nlp.pipeline": ["tagger"]}
     # load_model from config with overrides passed directly to Config
     config = Config().from_str(nlp_config_string, overrides=overrides_dot)
-    nlp, _ = load_model_from_config(config, auto_fill=True)
+    nlp = load_model_from_config(config, auto_fill=True)
     assert isinstance(nlp, German)
     assert nlp.pipe_names == ["tagger"]
     # Serialized roundtrip with config passed in
     base_config = Config().from_str(nlp_config_string)
-    base_nlp, _ = load_model_from_config(base_config, auto_fill=True)
+    base_nlp = load_model_from_config(base_config, auto_fill=True)
     assert isinstance(base_nlp, English)
     assert base_nlp.pipe_names == ["tok2vec", "tagger"]
     with make_tempdir() as d:
@@ -328,7 +328,7 @@ def test_config_optional_sections():
     config = Config().from_str(nlp_config_string)
     config = DEFAULT_CONFIG.merge(config)
     assert "pretraining" not in config
-    filled = registry.fill_config(config, schema=ConfigSchema, validate=False)
+    filled = registry.fill(config, schema=ConfigSchema, validate=False)
     # Make sure that optional "pretraining" block doesn't default to None,
     # which would (rightly) cause error because it'd result in a top-level
     # key that's not a section (dict). Note that the following roundtrip is
@@ -341,7 +341,7 @@ def test_config_auto_fill_extra_fields():
     config = Config({"nlp": {"lang": "en"}, "training": {}})
     assert load_model_from_config(config, auto_fill=True)
     config = Config({"nlp": {"lang": "en"}, "training": {"extra": "hello"}})
-    nlp, _ = load_model_from_config(config, auto_fill=True, validate=False)
+    nlp = load_model_from_config(config, auto_fill=True, validate=False)
     assert "extra" not in nlp.config["training"]
     # Make sure the config generated is valid
     load_model_from_config(nlp.config)
diff --git a/spacy/tests/serialize/test_serialize_pipeline.py b/spacy/tests/serialize/test_serialize_pipeline.py
index d1c4553be..1c605fea8 100644
--- a/spacy/tests/serialize/test_serialize_pipeline.py
+++ b/spacy/tests/serialize/test_serialize_pipeline.py
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ def parser(en_vocab):
         "update_with_oracle_cut_size": 100,
     }
     cfg = {"model": DEFAULT_PARSER_MODEL}
-    model = registry.make_from_config(cfg, validate=True)["model"]
+    model = registry.resolve(cfg, validate=True)["model"]
     parser = DependencyParser(en_vocab, model, **config)
     parser.add_label("nsubj")
     return parser
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ def blank_parser(en_vocab):
         "update_with_oracle_cut_size": 100,
     }
     cfg = {"model": DEFAULT_PARSER_MODEL}
-    model = registry.make_from_config(cfg, validate=True)["model"]
+    model = registry.resolve(cfg, validate=True)["model"]
     parser = DependencyParser(en_vocab, model, **config)
     return parser
 
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@ def blank_parser(en_vocab):
 @pytest.fixture
 def taggers(en_vocab):
     cfg = {"model": DEFAULT_TAGGER_MODEL}
-    model = registry.make_from_config(cfg, validate=True)["model"]
+    model = registry.resolve(cfg, validate=True)["model"]
     tagger1 = Tagger(en_vocab, model)
     tagger2 = Tagger(en_vocab, model)
     return tagger1, tagger2
@@ -59,7 +59,7 @@ def test_serialize_parser_roundtrip_bytes(en_vocab, Parser):
         "update_with_oracle_cut_size": 100,
     }
     cfg = {"model": DEFAULT_PARSER_MODEL}
-    model = registry.make_from_config(cfg, validate=True)["model"]
+    model = registry.resolve(cfg, validate=True)["model"]
     parser = Parser(en_vocab, model, **config)
     new_parser = Parser(en_vocab, model, **config)
     new_parser = new_parser.from_bytes(parser.to_bytes(exclude=["vocab"]))
@@ -77,7 +77,7 @@ def test_serialize_parser_roundtrip_disk(en_vocab, Parser):
         "update_with_oracle_cut_size": 100,
     }
     cfg = {"model": DEFAULT_PARSER_MODEL}
-    model = registry.make_from_config(cfg, validate=True)["model"]
+    model = registry.resolve(cfg, validate=True)["model"]
     parser = Parser(en_vocab, model, **config)
     with make_tempdir() as d:
         file_path = d / "parser"
@@ -111,7 +111,7 @@ def test_serialize_tagger_roundtrip_bytes(en_vocab, taggers):
     tagger1 = tagger1.from_bytes(tagger1_b)
     assert tagger1.to_bytes() == tagger1_b
     cfg = {"model": DEFAULT_TAGGER_MODEL}
-    model = registry.make_from_config(cfg, validate=True)["model"]
+    model = registry.resolve(cfg, validate=True)["model"]
     new_tagger1 = Tagger(en_vocab, model).from_bytes(tagger1_b)
     new_tagger1_b = new_tagger1.to_bytes()
     assert len(new_tagger1_b) == len(tagger1_b)
@@ -126,7 +126,7 @@ def test_serialize_tagger_roundtrip_disk(en_vocab, taggers):
         tagger1.to_disk(file_path1)
         tagger2.to_disk(file_path2)
         cfg = {"model": DEFAULT_TAGGER_MODEL}
-        model = registry.make_from_config(cfg, validate=True)["model"]
+        model = registry.resolve(cfg, validate=True)["model"]
         tagger1_d = Tagger(en_vocab, model).from_disk(file_path1)
         tagger2_d = Tagger(en_vocab, model).from_disk(file_path2)
         assert tagger1_d.to_bytes() == tagger2_d.to_bytes()
@@ -135,7 +135,7 @@ def test_serialize_tagger_roundtrip_disk(en_vocab, taggers):
 def test_serialize_textcat_empty(en_vocab):
     # See issue #1105
     cfg = {"model": DEFAULT_TEXTCAT_MODEL}
-    model = registry.make_from_config(cfg, validate=True)["model"]
+    model = registry.resolve(cfg, validate=True)["model"]
     textcat = TextCategorizer(
         en_vocab,
         model,
@@ -149,7 +149,7 @@ def test_serialize_textcat_empty(en_vocab):
 @pytest.mark.parametrize("Parser", test_parsers)
 def test_serialize_pipe_exclude(en_vocab, Parser):
     cfg = {"model": DEFAULT_PARSER_MODEL}
-    model = registry.make_from_config(cfg, validate=True)["model"]
+    model = registry.resolve(cfg, validate=True)["model"]
     config = {
         "learn_tokens": False,
         "min_action_freq": 0,
@@ -176,7 +176,7 @@ def test_serialize_pipe_exclude(en_vocab, Parser):
 
 def test_serialize_sentencerecognizer(en_vocab):
     cfg = {"model": DEFAULT_SENTER_MODEL}
-    model = registry.make_from_config(cfg, validate=True)["model"]
+    model = registry.resolve(cfg, validate=True)["model"]
     sr = SentenceRecognizer(en_vocab, model)
     sr_b = sr.to_bytes()
     sr_d = SentenceRecognizer(en_vocab, model).from_bytes(sr_b)
diff --git a/spacy/tests/test_util.py b/spacy/tests/test_util.py
index 1668991cd..0647b8556 100644
--- a/spacy/tests/test_util.py
+++ b/spacy/tests/test_util.py
@@ -82,10 +82,10 @@ def test_util_dot_section():
     no_output_layer = false
     """
     nlp_config = Config().from_str(cfg_string)
-    en_nlp, en_config = util.load_model_from_config(nlp_config, auto_fill=True)
+    en_nlp = util.load_model_from_config(nlp_config, auto_fill=True)
     default_config = Config().from_disk(DEFAULT_CONFIG_PATH)
     default_config["nlp"]["lang"] = "nl"
-    nl_nlp, nl_config = util.load_model_from_config(default_config, auto_fill=True)
+    nl_nlp = util.load_model_from_config(default_config, auto_fill=True)
     # Test that creation went OK
     assert isinstance(en_nlp, English)
     assert isinstance(nl_nlp, Dutch)
@@ -94,14 +94,15 @@ def test_util_dot_section():
     # not exclusive_classes
     assert en_nlp.get_pipe("textcat").model.attrs["multi_label"] is False
     # Test that default values got overwritten
-    assert en_config["nlp"]["pipeline"] == ["textcat"]
-    assert nl_config["nlp"]["pipeline"] == []  # default value []
+    assert en_nlp.config["nlp"]["pipeline"] == ["textcat"]
+    assert nl_nlp.config["nlp"]["pipeline"] == []  # default value []
     # Test proper functioning of 'dot_to_object'
     with pytest.raises(KeyError):
-        dot_to_object(en_config, "nlp.pipeline.tagger")
+        dot_to_object(en_nlp.config, "nlp.pipeline.tagger")
     with pytest.raises(KeyError):
-        dot_to_object(en_config, "nlp.unknownattribute")
-    assert isinstance(dot_to_object(nl_config, "training.optimizer"), Optimizer)
+        dot_to_object(en_nlp.config, "nlp.unknownattribute")
+    resolved = util.resolve_training_config(nl_nlp.config)
+    assert isinstance(dot_to_object(resolved, "training.optimizer"), Optimizer)
 
 
 def test_simple_frozen_list():
diff --git a/spacy/tests/training/test_readers.py b/spacy/tests/training/test_readers.py
index d20a032e8..c06c9d282 100644
--- a/spacy/tests/training/test_readers.py
+++ b/spacy/tests/training/test_readers.py
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ import pytest
 from thinc.api import Config
 from spacy import Language
 from spacy.util import load_model_from_config, registry, dot_to_object
+from spacy.util import resolve_training_config
 from spacy.training import Example
 
 
@@ -37,8 +38,8 @@ def test_readers():
         return {"train": reader, "dev": reader, "extra": reader, "something": reader}
 
     config = Config().from_str(config_string)
-    nlp, resolved = load_model_from_config(config, auto_fill=True)
-
+    nlp = load_model_from_config(config, auto_fill=True)
+    resolved = resolve_training_config(nlp.config)
     train_corpus = dot_to_object(resolved, resolved["training"]["train_corpus"])
     assert isinstance(train_corpus, Callable)
     optimizer = resolved["training"]["optimizer"]
@@ -87,8 +88,8 @@ def test_cat_readers(reader, additional_config):
     config = Config().from_str(nlp_config_string)
     config["corpora"]["@readers"] = reader
     config["corpora"].update(additional_config)
-    nlp, resolved = load_model_from_config(config, auto_fill=True)
-
+    nlp = load_model_from_config(config, auto_fill=True)
+    resolved = resolve_training_config(nlp.config)
     train_corpus = dot_to_object(resolved, resolved["training"]["train_corpus"])
     optimizer = resolved["training"]["optimizer"]
     # simulate a training loop
diff --git a/spacy/util.py b/spacy/util.py
index 378ec2823..dd2115705 100644
--- a/spacy/util.py
+++ b/spacy/util.py
@@ -86,7 +86,7 @@ class registry(thinc.registry):
     # spacy_factories entry point. This registry only exists so we can easily
     # load them via the entry points. The "true" factories are added via the
     # Language.factory decorator (in the spaCy code base and user code) and those
-    # are the factories used to initialize components via registry.make_from_config.
+    # are the factories used to initialize components via registry.resolve.
     _entry_point_factories = catalogue.create("spacy", "factories", entry_points=True)
     factories = catalogue.create("spacy", "internal_factories")
     # This is mostly used to get a list of all installed models in the current
@@ -351,9 +351,7 @@ def load_model_from_path(
         meta = get_model_meta(model_path)
     config_path = model_path / "config.cfg"
     config = load_config(config_path, overrides=dict_to_dot(config))
-    nlp, _ = load_model_from_config(
-        config, vocab=vocab, disable=disable, exclude=exclude
-    )
+    nlp = load_model_from_config(config, vocab=vocab, disable=disable, exclude=exclude)
     return nlp.from_disk(model_path, exclude=exclude)
 
 
@@ -365,7 +363,7 @@ def load_model_from_config(
     exclude: Iterable[str] = SimpleFrozenList(),
     auto_fill: bool = False,
     validate: bool = True,
-) -> Tuple["Language", Config]:
+) -> "Language":
     """Create an nlp object from a config. Expects the full config file including
     a section "nlp" containing the settings for the nlp object.
 
@@ -398,7 +396,31 @@ def load_model_from_config(
         auto_fill=auto_fill,
         validate=validate,
     )
-    return nlp, nlp.resolved
+    return nlp
+
+
+def resolve_training_config(
+    config: Config,
+    exclude: Iterable[str] = ("nlp", "components"),
+    validate: bool = True,
+) -> Dict[str, Any]:
+    """Resolve the config sections relevant for trainig and create all objects.
+    Mostly used in the CLI to separate training config (not resolved by default
+    because not runtime-relevant – an nlp object should load fine even if it's
+    [training] block refers to functions that are not available etc.).
+
+    config (Config): The config to resolve.
+    exclude (Iterable[str]): The config blocks to exclude. Those blocks won't
+        be available in the final resolved config.
+    validate (bool): Whether to validate the config.
+    RETURNS (Dict[str, Any]): The resolved config.
+    """
+    config = config.copy()
+    excluded = {}
+    for key in exclude:
+        if key in config:
+            excluded.pop(key, None)
+    return registry.resolve(config, validate=validate)
 
 
 def load_model_from_init_py(