diff --git a/setup.py b/setup.py
index 7cd88ab4..f16ff247 100644
--- a/setup.py
+++ b/setup.py
@@ -71,6 +71,8 @@
 ]
 rpm_require.extend(__base_pip_requires)
 
+
+
 # This metadata can be read out with:
 #    import importlib.metadata
 #    dir(importlib.metadata.metadata('decisionengine_modules'))
@@ -78,6 +80,19 @@
 #    importlib_resources on python < 3.9
 #
 # Much of it comes out of decisionengine_modules.about.py
+
+# for decisionengine dev we have version in the form X.Y.Z.devN
+# while for tag we have version in the form X.Y.Z
+verarr=about.__version__.split(".")[:4]
+if len(verarr)>3:
+    # this is a dev version
+    ver='.'.join(verarr[:3]+[verarr[3][:3]])
+else:
+    # this is a tag
+    ver='.'.join(verarr[:3])
+# string to add decisionengine as decisionengine_modules requirement
+de_req=[f"decisionengine>="+ver]
+
 setup(
     setup_requires=["setuptools >= 51.2", "wheel >= 0.36.2", "setuptools_scm >= 6.3.1"],
     python_requires=">3.7.0",
@@ -89,7 +104,7 @@
     license=about.__license__,
     package_dir={"": "src"},
     packages=find_packages(where="src", exclude=("tests", "*.tests", "*.tests.*", "build.*", "doc.*")),
-    install_requires=runtime_require,
+    install_requires=runtime_require+de_req,
     extras_require={
         "develop": devel_req,
     },