diff --git a/setup.py b/setup.py
index 646d3408..aab03af7 100644
--- a/setup.py
+++ b/setup.py
@@ -106,6 +106,7 @@ def copy_shared_libraries():
             "numpy>=1.21",
             "scipy>=1.7",
             "mdolab-baseclasses>=1.3.1",
+            "setuptools",
         ],
         extras_require={
             "optview": [