diff --git a/.cirrus.yml b/.cirrus.yml
index be291b990..d7026c453 100644
--- a/.cirrus.yml
+++ b/.cirrus.yml
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ prep_stuff_template: &PREP_STUFF_TEMPLATE
   bitcoind_installation_cache:
     folder: ./tests/bitcoin
     fingerprint_script: 
-      - cat pytest.ini | grep "addopts = " | cut -d'=' -f2 |  sed 's/--/+/g' | tr '+' '\n' | grep bitcoin |  cut -d' ' -f2 
+      - cat pyproject.toml | grep "addopts = " | cut -d'=' -f2 |  sed 's/--/+/g' | tr '+' '\n' | grep bitcoin |  cut -d' ' -f2 
       - cat tests/bitcoin_gitrev_pinned 2> /dev/null || true
       - cat /etc/os-release | grep VERSION
       - cat ./tests/install_noded.sh
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ prep_stuff_template: &PREP_STUFF_TEMPLATE
   elementsd_installation_cache:
     folder: ./tests/elements
     fingerprint_script: 
-      - cat pytest.ini | grep "addopts = " | cut -d'=' -f2 |  sed 's/--/+/g' | tr '+' '\n' | grep elements |  cut -d' ' -f2 
+      - cat pyproject.toml | grep "addopts = " | cut -d'=' -f2 |  sed 's/--/+/g' | tr '+' '\n' | grep elements |  cut -d' ' -f2 
       - cat tests/elements_gitrev_pinned 2> /dev/null || true
       - cat /etc/os-release | grep VERSION
       - cat ./tests/install_noded.sh
@@ -44,11 +44,11 @@ prep_stuff_template: &PREP_STUFF_TEMPLATE
 
   pip_script:
     #folder: /tmp/cirrus-ci-build/.env
-    #fingerprint_script: echo muh && cat requirements.txt && cat test_requirements.txt
+    #fingerprint_script: echo muh && cat requirements.txt
     #populate_script: 
     - virtualenv --python=python .env 
     - source ./.env/bin/activate
-    - pip3 install -r requirements.txt --require-hashes && pip3 install -r test_requirements.txt
+    - pip3 install -r requirements.txt --require-hashes && pip3 install -e ".[test]"
   install_script: 
     - source ./.env/bin/activate
     - pip3 install -e .
diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 397814d9b..38597243e 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@ tests/bitcoin*
 tests/elements*
 token.sh
 src/cryptoadvance/specter/translations/**/messages.mo
+src/cryptoadvance/specter/_version.py
 tests/elements
 signing_dir
 site
diff --git a/.gitlab-ci.yml b/.gitlab-ci.yml
index 5d2c4af77..ae732b289 100644
--- a/.gitlab-ci.yml
+++ b/.gitlab-ci.yml
@@ -11,7 +11,6 @@ cache:
   - key: 
       files: 
         - ./requirements.txt
-        - ./test_requirements.txt
       prefix: "$CI_JOB_NAME"
     paths:
       - .cache/pip
@@ -57,7 +56,7 @@ check:
  script:
    - pip3 install -r requirements.txt
    - pip3 install -e .
-   - pip3 install -r test_requirements.txt
+   - pip3 install -e ".[test]"
    - python3 setup.py install # compiles babel stuff as well (might make pip install obsolete)
    - py.test --cov-report term --cov cryptoadvance
 
@@ -67,7 +66,7 @@ check:
   script:
     # start the server in the background
     - pip3 install -e .
-    - pip3 install -r test_requirements.txt
+    - pip3 install -e ".[test]"
     - python3 setup.py install # compiles babel stuff as well (might make pip install obsolete)
     - npm i
     - ./utils/test-cypress.sh --docker --debug run
@@ -84,16 +83,11 @@ release_pip:
   only: 
     - tags
   script:
-    - pip3 install setuptools wheel twine
-    - pip3 install -r test_requirements.txt
-    - python3 setup.py install
-    # verifying the version number follows vx.y.z (e.g. "v1.2.3")
-    - if ! [[ $CI_COMMIT_TAG =~ ^v(0|[1-9][0-9]*)\.(0|[1-9][0-9]*)\.(0|[1-9][0-9]*)(-pre(0|[1-9][0-9]*))? ]]; then exit 1; fi
-    # set version number in setup.py
-    - echo Releasing $CI_COMMIT_TAG
-    - sed -i "s/version=\".*/version=\"$CI_COMMIT_TAG\",/" setup.py
-    - cat setup.py
-    - python3 setup.py sdist bdist_wheel
+    - pip3 install -e .
+    - pip3 install -e ".[test]"
+    - pip3 install .
+    - pip3 install build==0.10.0 twine
+    - python3 -m build
     - ls -l dist
     # twine reads the password from the env-var TWINE_PASSWORD
     # Either testing it or doing the real thing depending on which gitlab-project we're running:
@@ -126,17 +120,7 @@ release_binary_windows:
     - pip install virtualenv
     - virtualenv --python=python3 .env
     - .\.env\Scripts\activate
-    - pip install -r test_requirements.txt || echo "why the heck does this fail with:"
-    # Collecting distlib<1,>=0.3.6
-    #  Downloading distlib-0.3.6-py2.py3-none-any.whl (468 kB)
-    #  ------------------------------------- 468.5/468.5 kB 30.6 MB/s eta 0:00:00
-    # ERROR: To modify pip, please run the following command:
-    # C:\gitlab-runner\builds\xPkLDUk2\0\k9ert\specter-desktop\.env\Scripts\python.exe -m pip install -r test_requirements.txt
-    # Uploading artifacts for failed job
-
-    # That error message above doesn't even help a bit
-    # However it seems that if you do that yet another time, it doesn't fail!
-    - pip install -r test_requirements.txt -vv
+    - pip3 install -e ".[test]" 
     
   script:
     # This script won't execute if the script before that fails
@@ -167,7 +151,7 @@ release_electron_linux_windows:
   stage: releasing
   only: 
     - tags
-  dependencies:
+  needs:
     - release_binary_windows
   before_script:
     - python3 -V  # Print out python version for debugging
@@ -177,7 +161,7 @@ release_electron_linux_windows:
     # Only difference to default befor_script: (ToDo fix this)
     - python3 -m virtualenv --python=python3 .env
     - source .env/bin/activate
-    - pip3 install -r test_requirements.txt
+    - pip3 install -e ".[test]"
   script:
     - echo "Releasing for ${CI_PROJECT_ROOT_NAMESPACE}"
     - export CI_PROJECT_ROOT_NAMESPACE # needed in the build-script to download the right windows-binary
@@ -227,7 +211,7 @@ release_signatures:
     - pip3 install --upgrade virtualenv
     - virtualenv --python=python3 .env
     - source .env/bin/activate
-    - pip3 install -r test_requirements.txt
+    - pip3 install -e ".[test]"
     - ./utils/artifact_signer.sh init # prepare .gnupg
   script:
     - python3 -m utils.release-helper download          # downloads the job-artifacts from gitlab
diff --git a/MANIFEST.in b/MANIFEST.in
index f98b9fb69..9c7af8dd3 100644
--- a/MANIFEST.in
+++ b/MANIFEST.in
@@ -9,3 +9,13 @@ recursive-include src/cryptoadvance/specter/services/*/static *
 recursive-include src/cryptoadvance/specter/translations/*/LC_MESSAGES *.mo
 recursive-include src/cryptoadvance/specter/translations/*/LC_MESSAGES *.po
 include requirements.txt
+
+# just by using using `setuptools_scm` it modifies the way files are added to the sdist. 
+# This was a cause of major headache in order to avoid large binaries e.g. in 
+# `pyinstaller/bitcoind` to not be added. See also this 
+# [chapter](https://github.com/pypa/setuptools_scm/#file-finders-hook-makes-most-of-manifestin-unnecessary)
+# ... which might make the above not necessary but the below very needed:
+exclude .gitattributes .gitignore pyinstaller .pre-commit.config.yaml 
+prune pyinstaller/bitcoind 
+prune pyinstaller/torbrowser 
+prune .github 
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/docker/python-bitcoind/Readme.md b/docker/python-bitcoind/Readme.md
index 806120ad4..eddd85b93 100644
--- a/docker/python-bitcoind/Readme.md
+++ b/docker/python-bitcoind/Readme.md
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ docker push registry.gitlab.com/cryptoadvance/specter-desktop/python-bitcoind:v2
 ```
 Here the version is v23.0 but that's just an example. This folder just explains how the image is created. Which image is USED is specified:
 
-* In the case of tests in pytest.ini in the addopts-line (MIGHT be different in different branches)
+* In the case of tests in pyproject.toml in the addopts-line (MIGHT be different in different branches)
 * in the case of running 
 
 ```
diff --git a/docs/development.md b/docs/development.md
index 3102798df..741fd0c4e 100644
--- a/docs/development.md
+++ b/docs/development.md
@@ -146,7 +146,7 @@ If you're not interested in elements, you can skip the liquid specific tests as
 
 Set up the dependencies:
 ```sh
-pip3 install -r test_requirements.txt
+pip3 install -e ".[test]"
 pip3 install -e .
 ```
   
diff --git a/pyinstaller/build-win-ci.bat b/pyinstaller/build-win-ci.bat
index 762dbc391..d411d98a8 100755
--- a/pyinstaller/build-win-ci.bat
+++ b/pyinstaller/build-win-ci.bat
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ echo "    --> Activating virtualenv"
 call .\.buildenv\Scripts\activate
 
 echo "    --> Installing test-requirement"
-pip3 install -r test_requirements.txt
+pip3 install -e ".[test]"
 
 echo "    --> Setting version in setup.py"
 python .\utils\release-helper.py set_setup_py_version  %1%
diff --git a/pyproject.toml b/pyproject.toml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..58e0fd834
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pyproject.toml
@@ -0,0 +1,87 @@
+[build-system]
+requires = [
+    "setuptools<=65.7.0", 
+    "setuptools_scm[toml]>=6.2", 
+    "babel",
+    "build==0.10.0",
+    "wheel",
+    "twine"
+]
+build-backend = "setuptools.build_meta"
+
+[project]
+name = "cryptoadvance.specter"
+
+authors = [
+  { name="Stepan Snigirev"},
+  { name="k9ert"},
+]
+description = "A GUI for Bitcoin Core & Electrum optimised to work with airgapped hardware wallets"
+
+urls = { Homepage = "https://github.com/cryptoadvance/spectrum" }
+readme = "README.md"
+license = {file = "LICENSE"}
+
+
+requires-python = ">=3.7,<4.0"
+
+dynamic = ["dependencies", "version"]
+
+classifiers =[
+    'Programming Language :: Python :: 3',
+    'License :: OSI Approved :: MIT License',
+    'Operating System :: OS Independent',
+    'Framework :: Flask',
+]
+
+[project.scripts] 
+specter="cryptoadvance.specter.cli:entry_point"
+
+[tool.setuptools_scm]
+write_to = "src/cryptoadvance/specter/_version.py"
+version_scheme = "python-simplified-semver"
+
+[tool.pytest.ini_options]
+norecursedirs = "tests/bitcoin* tests/elements* tests/xtestdata_testextensions"
+
+log_format = "[%(levelname)8s] %(message)s %(name)s (%(filename)s:%(lineno)s)"
+addopts = "--bitcoind-version v22.0.0 --elementsd-version v0.21.0.2"
+markers = [
+    "slow: mark test as slow.",
+    "elm: mark test as elementsd dependent",
+    "bottleneck: mark a test as so ressource intensive that it can create a bottleneck where the test just fails due to a lack of ressources",
+    "threading: test needs threading to work"
+]
+
+filterwarnings = [
+    "ignore::DeprecationWarning:bitbox02[.*]"
+]
+
+[tool.setuptools]
+#include-package-data = false
+package-dir = {'' = 'src'}
+
+[tool.setuptools.packages.find]
+where = ["src"]
+include = ["cryptoadvance.*"]
+
+[tool.setuptools.exclude-package-data]
+mypkg = ["pyinstaller"]
+
+[tool.setuptools.dynamic]
+dependencies = {file = ["requirements.in"]}
+
+[project.optional-dependencies]
+test = [
+    "black==22.3.0",
+    "pre-commit==2.13.0",
+    "pip-tools==5.5.0",
+    "pytest==7.1.2",
+    "PySocks==1.7.1",
+    "pytest-cov==2.10.1",
+    "mock==4.0.2",
+    "babel==2.10.3",
+    "python-gitlab==2.10.1",
+    # requirements for stuff in ./utils
+    "requests==2.26.0",
+]
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/pytest.ini b/pytest.ini
deleted file mode 100644
index 0e5a06a59..000000000
--- a/pytest.ini
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,17 +0,0 @@
-[pytest]
-norecursedirs = tests/bitcoin* tests/elements* tests/xtestdata_testextensions
-log_format = [%(levelname)8s] %(message)s %(name)s (%(filename)s:%(lineno)s)
-addopts = --bitcoind-version v22.0.0 --elementsd-version v0.21.0.2
-markers =
-    slow: mark test as slow.
-    elm: mark test as elementsd dependent
-    bottleneck: mark a test as so ressource intensive that it can create a bottleneck where the test just fails due to a lack of ressources
-    threading: test needs threading to work
-    
-# If you need live logging to debug, uncomment the next line
-# log_cli = True 
-# Then set the desired logging level on the command line, for example:
-# pytest --log-cli-level INFO
-
-filterwarnings =
-    ignore::DeprecationWarning:bitbox02[.*]
diff --git a/requirements.in b/requirements.in
index 6ee2e3800..c883bd249 100644
--- a/requirements.in
+++ b/requirements.in
@@ -9,7 +9,6 @@ Flask-Login==0.5.0
 Flask-RESTful==0.3.9
 Flask-HTTPAuth==4.4.0
 hwi==2.1.1
-importlib_metadata==4.8.1
 python-dotenv==0.13.0
 requests==2.26.0
 pysocks==1.7.1
diff --git a/requirements.txt b/requirements.txt
index f99334dc9..301f66a7e 100644
--- a/requirements.txt
+++ b/requirements.txt
@@ -321,10 +321,6 @@ idna==3.4 \
     --hash=sha256:814f528e8dead7d329833b91c5faa87d60bf71824cd12a7530b5526063d02cb4 \
     --hash=sha256:90b77e79eaa3eba6de819a0c442c0b4ceefc341a7a2ab77d7562bf49f425c5c2
     # via requests
-importlib_metadata==4.8.1 \
-    --hash=sha256:b618b6d2d5ffa2f16add5697cf57a46c76a56229b0ed1c438322e4e95645bd15 \
-    --hash=sha256:f284b3e11256ad1e5d03ab86bb2ccd6f5339688ff17a4d797a0fe7df326f23b1
-    # via -r requirements.in
 itsdangerous==2.1.2 \
     --hash=sha256:2c2349112351b88699d8d4b6b075022c0808887cb7ad10069318a8b0bc88db44 \
     --hash=sha256:5dbbc68b317e5e42f327f9021763545dc3fc3bfe22e6deb96aaf1fc38874156a
@@ -686,9 +682,9 @@ specterext-exfund==0.1.7 \
 specterext-faucet==0.1.2 \
     --hash=sha256:86db78a6c41688152cfeec14efafd6d06c97e6edd9735461ee897495f90cb2e8
     # via -r requirements.in
-specterext-stacktrack==0.3.0 \
-    --hash=sha256:14f96f1f552f57ba017b8bc642f07343edbb1abafe09e03bbaae179d78d7ce23 \
-    --hash=sha256:9e2946185730aab377951e83a27d8791a34e0f031e44f15991212b6b85722ca0
+specterext-stacktrack==0.2.1 \
+    --hash=sha256:28729d1a981d8c061902b3d26baefc723d286aecea4d203ed729d1c89a9de267 \
+    --hash=sha256:34a5e9da8a3cb7a4c8b7bc4e0a417a043150e608a7261e56d84fbfba9af15b8a
     # via -r requirements.in
 sqlalchemy==1.4.42 \
     --hash=sha256:04f2598c70ea4a29b12d429a80fad3a5202d56dce19dd4916cc46a965a5ca2e9 \
@@ -775,10 +771,6 @@ wtforms==3.0.1 \
     --hash=sha256:6b351bbb12dd58af57ffef05bc78425d08d1914e0fd68ee14143b7ade023c5bc \
     --hash=sha256:837f2f0e0ca79481b92884962b914eba4e72b7a2daaf1f939c890ed0124b834b
     # via flask-wtf
-zipp==3.10.0 \
-    --hash=sha256:4fcb6f278987a6605757302a6e40e896257570d11c51628968ccb2a47e80c6c1 \
-    --hash=sha256:7a7262fd930bd3e36c50b9a64897aec3fafff3dfdeec9623ae22b40e93f99bb8
-    # via importlib-metadata
 
 # WARNING: The following packages were not pinned, but pip requires them to be
 # pinned when the requirements file includes hashes. Consider using the --allow-unsafe flag.
diff --git a/setup.py b/setup.py
index 0c437f6a8..0f17403df 100755
--- a/setup.py
+++ b/setup.py
@@ -32,36 +32,14 @@ for req in install_reqs:
         continue
     reqs.append(str(req).rstrip(" \\"))
 
-
-with open("README.md", "r") as fh:
-    long_description = fh.read()
-
 setup(
-    name="cryptoadvance.specter",
-    version="vx.y.z-get-replaced-by-release-script",
-    author="Stepan Snigirev, Kim Neunert",
-    author_email="snigirev.stepan@gmail.com, kim.neunert@gmail.com",
-    description="A GUI for Bitcoin Core optimised to work with airgapped hardware wallets",
-    long_description=long_description,
-    long_description_content_type="text/markdown",
-    url="https://github.com/cryptoadvance/specter-desktop",
-    packages=find_namespace_packages("src", include=["cryptoadvance.*"]),
-    package_dir={"": "src"},
     package_data={
         "": [
             "translations/*/LC_MESSAGES/messages.mo",
         ]
     },
     # take METADATA.in into account, include that stuff as well (static/templates)
-    include_package_data=True,
     install_requires=reqs,
-    classifiers=[
-        "Programming Language :: Python :: 3",
-        "License :: OSI Approved :: MIT License",
-        "Operating System :: OS Independent",
-        "Framework :: Flask",
-    ],
-    python_requires=">=3.7,<4.0",
     cmdclass={
         "install": InstallWithBabelCompile,
         # The rest is convenience but not strictly necessary for the automation:
@@ -70,8 +48,4 @@ setup(
         "init_catalog": babel.init_catalog,
         "update_catalog": babel.update_catalog,
     },
-    entry_points="""
-        [console_scripts]
-        specter=cryptoadvance.specter.cli:entry_point
-    """,
 )
diff --git a/src/cryptoadvance/specter/util/shell.py b/src/cryptoadvance/specter/util/shell.py
index d44a99700..b24113e70 100644
--- a/src/cryptoadvance/specter/util/shell.py
+++ b/src/cryptoadvance/specter/util/shell.py
@@ -68,6 +68,6 @@ def grep(file_location, search_line):
     """returns true if any like in that file endswith search_line"""
     with open(file_location, "r") as the_file:
         for line in the_file.readlines():
-            if line.strip().endswith(search_line):
+            if line.strip().__contains__(search_line):
                 return True
     return False
diff --git a/src/cryptoadvance/specter/util/version.py b/src/cryptoadvance/specter/util/version.py
index a65d2f63f..60956cb45 100644
--- a/src/cryptoadvance/specter/util/version.py
+++ b/src/cryptoadvance/specter/util/version.py
@@ -10,7 +10,6 @@ from urllib.error import HTTPError
 import requests
 from requests.exceptions import ConnectionError
 from urllib3.exceptions import NewConnectionError
-import importlib_metadata
 
 from cryptoadvance.specter.specter_error import SpecterError
 
@@ -60,18 +59,6 @@ class VersionChecker:
             )
             time.sleep(dt)
 
-    def _get_current_version(self):
-        current = "unknown"
-        if self.installation_type == "app":
-            current = VersionChecker._version_txt_content()
-        else:
-            current = importlib_metadata.version(self.name)
-            if current == None:
-                current = "custom"
-        if current == "vx.y.z-get-replaced-by-release-script":
-            current = "custom"
-        return current
-
     def _get_binary_version(self):
         """
         Get binary version: current, latest.
@@ -172,12 +159,15 @@ class VersionChecker:
         return latest
 
     @classmethod
-    def _version_txt_content(cls):
-        version_file = "version.txt"
-        if getattr(sys, "frozen", False):
-            version_file = os.path.join(sys._MEIPASS, "version.txt")
-        with open(version_file) as f:
-            return f.read().strip()
+    def _get_current_version(self):
+        """Returns the version found in cryptoadvance.specter._version or "unknown"
+        if that doesn't exist
+        """
+        try:
+            from cryptoadvance.specter._version import version
+        except ModuleNotFoundError:
+            return "unknown"
+        return "v" + version
 
 
 def compare(version1: str, version2: str) -> int:
@@ -223,20 +213,34 @@ def compare(version1: str, version2: str) -> int:
 
 
 def _parse_version(version: str) -> dict:
-    """Parses version-strings like v1.5.6-pre5 and returns a dict"""
-    if version[0] == "v":
-        version = version[1:]
-    version = version.replace("rc", "-pre")
-    version_ar = version.split(".")
-    if len(version_ar) != 3:
-        raise SpecterError(f"version {version} does not have 3 separated digits")
-    postfix = ""
-    if "-" in version_ar[2]:
-        postfix = version_ar[2].split("-")[1]
-        version_ar[2] = version_ar[2].split("-")[0]
-    return {
-        "major": int(version_ar[0]),
-        "minor": int(version_ar[1]),
-        "patch": int(version_ar[2]),
-        "postfix": postfix,
-    }
+    """Parses version-strings like v1.5.6-pre5 and returns a dict
+    This also parses something like:
+    2.0.0rc20.dev0+ga99ede2a.d20230215
+    but ignores the stuff behind the postfix (which is good enough for our use cases)
+    see also: https://github.com/pypa/setuptools_scm/#default-versioning-scheme
+    """
+    try:
+
+        if version[0] == "v":
+            version = version[1:]
+        version = version.replace("rc", "-pre")
+        version_ar = version.split(".")
+        if len(version_ar) == 5 or len(version_ar) == 4:
+            version_ar = version_ar[0:3]
+        if len(version_ar) != 3:
+            raise SpecterError(
+                f"version {version} does not have 3 separated digits but {len(version_ar)}"
+            )
+        postfix = ""
+        if "-" in version_ar[2]:
+            postfix = version_ar[2].split("-")[1]
+            version_ar[2] = version_ar[2].split("-")[0]
+        return {
+            "major": int(version_ar[0]),
+            "minor": int(version_ar[1]),
+            "patch": int(version_ar[2]),
+            "postfix": postfix,
+        }
+    except Exception as e:
+        logger.error(f"{str(e)} parsing version {version} ")
+        raise e
diff --git a/test_requirements.txt b/test_requirements.txt
deleted file mode 100644
index 0f58978fc..000000000
--- a/test_requirements.txt
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,12 +0,0 @@
-# requirements for testing
-black==22.3.0
-pre-commit==2.13.0
-pip-tools==5.5.0
-pytest==7.1.2
-PySocks==1.7.1
-pytest-cov==2.10.1
-mock==4.0.2
-babel==2.10.3
-python-gitlab==2.10.1
-# requirements for stuff in ./utils
-requests==2.26.0
diff --git a/tests/conftest.py b/tests/conftest.py
index b5082a2a9..60a33be82 100644
--- a/tests/conftest.py
+++ b/tests/conftest.py
@@ -131,7 +131,7 @@ def instantiate_bitcoind_controller(
     running_version = bitcoind_controller.version()
     requested_version = request.config.getoption("--bitcoind-version")
     assert running_version == requested_version, (
-        "Please make sure that the Bitcoind-version (%s) matches with the version in pytest.ini (%s)"
+        "Please make sure that the Bitcoind-version (%s) matches with the version in pyproject.toml (%s)"
         % (running_version, requested_version)
     )
     return bitcoind_controller
@@ -157,7 +157,7 @@ def instantiate_elementsd_controller(request, rpcport=18643, extra_args=[]):
     running_version = elementsd_controller.version()
     requested_version = request.config.getoption("--elementsd-version")
     assert running_version == requested_version, (
-        "Please make sure that the elementsd-version (%s) matches with the version in pytest.ini (%s)"
+        "Please make sure that the elementsd-version (%s) matches with the version in pyproject.toml (%s)"
         % (running_version, requested_version)
     )
     return elementsd_controller
diff --git a/tests/install_noded.sh b/tests/install_noded.sh
index 471725d25..46b1a4d19 100755
--- a/tests/install_noded.sh
+++ b/tests/install_noded.sh
@@ -32,17 +32,17 @@ function maybe_update {
     # Determine if we need to pull. From https://stackoverflow.com/a/3278427
     UPSTREAM=origin/master
     LOCAL=$(git describe --all | sed 's/heads\///' | sed 's/tags\///') # gives either a tag or "master" 
-    if cat ../../pytest.ini | grep "addopts = --${node_impl}d-version" ; then
+    if cat ../../pyproject.toml | grep "addopts = --${node_impl}d-version" ; then
         # in this case, we use the expected version from the test also as the tag to be checked out
         # i admit that this is REALLY ugly. Happy for any recommendations to do that more easy
-        PINNED=$(cat ../../pytest.ini | grep "addopts = " | cut -d'=' -f2 |  sed 's/--/+/g' | tr '+' '\n' | grep ${node_impl} |  cut -d' ' -f2)
+        PINNED=$(cat ../../pyproject.toml | grep "addopts = " | cut -d'=' -f2 |  sed 's/--/+/g' | tr '+' '\n' | grep ${node_impl} |  cut -d' ' -f2)
         if [ "$node_impl" = "elements" ]; then
             # in the case of elements, the tags have a "elements-" prefix
             PINNED=$(echo "$PINNED" | sed 's/v//' | sed 's/^/elements-/')
         fi
     fi
     
-    # the version in pytest.ini is (also) used to check the version via getnetworkinfo()["subversion"]
+    # the version in pyproject.toml is (also) used to check the version via getnetworkinfo()["subversion"]
     # However, this might not be a valid git rev. So we need another way to specify the git-rev used
     # as we want to be able to test against specific commits
     if [ -f ../${node_impl}_gitrev_pinned ]; then
@@ -78,14 +78,14 @@ function maybe_update {
 
 function calc_pytestinit_nodeimpl_version {
 
-    # returns the version of $node_impl from pytest.ini from a line which looks like:
+    # returns the version of $node_impl from pyproject.toml from a line which looks like:
     # addopts = --bitcoind-version v22.0 --elementsd-version v0.20.99
     # special treatments for bitcoin and elements necessary, see below
     local node_impl=$1
-    if cat ../pytest.ini | grep -q "${node_impl}d-version" ; then
+    if cat ../pyproject.toml | grep -q "${node_impl}d-version" ; then
         # in this case, we use the expected version from the test also as the tag to be checked out
         # i admit that this is REALLY ugly. Happy for any recommendations to do that more easy
-        PINNED=$(cat ../pytest.ini | grep "addopts = " | cut -d'=' -f2 |  sed 's/--/+/g' | tr '+' '\n' | grep ${node_impl} |  cut -d' ' -f2)
+        PINNED=$(cat ../pyproject.toml | grep "addopts = " | grep -oP "${node_impl}d-version \K\S+" | cut -d'"' -f1)
        
         if [ "$node_impl" = "elements" ]; then
             # in the case of elements, the tags have a "elements-" prefix
diff --git a/tests/test_cli_server.py b/tests/test_cli_server.py
index b47f4da7e..653e8f593 100644
--- a/tests/test_cli_server.py
+++ b/tests/test_cli_server.py
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ mock_config_dict = {
 @patch("cryptoadvance.specter.cli.cli_server.create_app")
 @patch("cryptoadvance.specter.cli.cli_server.init_app")
 def test_server_host_and_port(init_app, create_app, caplog):
-    """This test will fail if you have turned on live-logging in pytest.ini (log_cli = 1 )"""
+    """This test will fail if you have turned on live-logging in pyproject.toml (log_cli = 1 )"""
     caplog.set_level(logging.DEBUG)
     mock_app = MagicMock()
     mock_app.config = MagicMock()
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ def test_server_host_and_port(init_app, create_app, caplog):
 @patch("cryptoadvance.specter.cli.cli_server.create_app")
 @patch("cryptoadvance.specter.cli.cli_server.init_app")
 def test_server_host_and_port(init_app, create_app, caplog):
-    """This test will fail if you have turned on live-logging in pytest.ini (log_cli = 1 )"""
+    """This test will fail if you have turned on live-logging in pyproject.toml (log_cli = 1 )"""
     caplog.set_level(logging.DEBUG)
     mock_app = MagicMock()
     mock_app.config = MagicMock()
@@ -93,7 +93,7 @@ def test_server_host_and_port(init_app, create_app, caplog):
 @patch("cryptoadvance.specter.cli.cli_server.create_app")
 @patch("cryptoadvance.specter.cli.cli_server.init_app")
 def test_server_debug(init_app, create_app, caplog):
-    """This test will fail if you have turned on live-logging in pytest.ini (log_cli = 1 )"""
+    """This test will fail if you have turned on live-logging in pyproject.toml (log_cli = 1 )"""
     caplog.set_level(logging.DEBUG)
     runner = CliRunner()
     result = runner.invoke(server, ["--debug", "--no-filelog"])
@@ -109,7 +109,7 @@ def test_server_debug(init_app, create_app, caplog):
 @patch("cryptoadvance.specter.cli.cli_server.create_app")
 @patch("cryptoadvance.specter.cli.cli_server.init_app")
 def test_server_datafolder(init_app, create_app, caplog):
-    """This test will fail if you have turned on live-logging in pytest.ini (log_cli = 1 )"""
+    """This test will fail if you have turned on live-logging in pyproject.toml (log_cli = 1 )"""
     caplog.set_level(logging.DEBUG)
     mock_app = MagicMock()
     mock_app.config = MagicMock()
@@ -135,7 +135,7 @@ def test_server_datafolder(init_app, create_app, caplog):
 @patch("cryptoadvance.specter.cli.cli_server.create_app")
 @patch("cryptoadvance.specter.cli.cli_server.init_app")
 def test_server_config(init_app, create_app, caplog):
-    """This test will fail if you have turned on live-logging in pytest.ini (log_cli = 1 )"""
+    """This test will fail if you have turned on live-logging in pyproject.toml (log_cli = 1 )"""
     caplog.set_level(logging.DEBUG)
     mock_app = MagicMock()
     mock_app.config = MagicMock()
diff --git a/tests/test_util_shell.py b/tests/test_util_shell.py
index 575b86db2..9b08b078e 100644
--- a/tests/test_util_shell.py
+++ b/tests/test_util_shell.py
@@ -26,4 +26,4 @@ def test_last_lines(caplog):
 def test_grep():
     from cryptoadvance.specter.util.shell import grep
 
-    assert grep("./setup.py", 'name="cryptoadvance.specter",')
+    assert grep("./pyproject.toml", 'name = "cryptoadvance.specter"')
diff --git a/tests/test_util_version.py b/tests/test_util_version.py
index 1d8f87079..af5fe3606 100644
--- a/tests/test_util_version.py
+++ b/tests/test_util_version.py
@@ -13,19 +13,16 @@ from mock import Mock, patch, PropertyMock
     "cryptoadvance.specter.util.version.VersionChecker.installation_type",
     new_callable=PropertyMock,
 )
-@patch("cryptoadvance.specter.util.version.importlib_metadata.version")
-@patch("cryptoadvance.specter.util.version.VersionChecker._version_txt_content")
+@patch("cryptoadvance.specter.util.version.VersionChecker._get_current_version")
 def test_VersionChecker(
-    VersionChecker_version_txt_content,
-    imp_lib_mock,
+    mock_get_current_version,
     mock_installation_type,
     mock_latest,
     caplog,
 ):
     mock_latest.return_value = "v9.10.21"
-    imp_lib_mock.return_value = "1.2.3"
-    VersionChecker_version_txt_content.return_value = "2.3.4"
     mock_installation_type.return_value = "pip"
+    mock_get_current_version.return_value = "1.2.3"
 
     # We're mocking cryptoadvance by another package because that package is installed but not cryptoadvance.specter
     vc = VersionChecker(name="joke")
@@ -37,18 +34,17 @@ def test_VersionChecker(
     assert vc._get_binary_version() == (
         "1.2.3",
         "v9.10.21",
-    )  # will break with a new release
-    # assert vc._get_pip_version() == ("1.2.3", "v5.3.0")    # Might break anytime
-    # assert vc.info == "h"
+    )
 
+    # Same tests with "app"
     mock_installation_type.return_value = "app"
     vc = VersionChecker(name="joke")
     assert vc.installation_type == "app"
-    assert vc._get_current_version() == "2.3.4"
-    assert vc.current == "2.3.4"
+    assert vc._get_current_version() == "1.2.3"
+    assert vc.current == "1.2.3"
 
     assert vc._get_binary_version() == (
-        "2.3.4",
+        "1.2.3",
         "v9.10.21",
     )
 
@@ -58,11 +54,7 @@ def test_VersionChecker(
     "cryptoadvance.specter.util.version.VersionChecker.installation_type",
     new_callable=PropertyMock,
 )
-@patch("cryptoadvance.specter.util.version.importlib_metadata.version")
-@patch("cryptoadvance.specter.util.version.VersionChecker._version_txt_content")
 def test_VersionChecker_get_binary_version(
-    VersionChecker_version_txt_content,
-    imp_lib_mock,
     mock_installation_type,
     mock_requests_session: MagicMock,
     caplog,
@@ -105,6 +97,18 @@ def test_parse_version():
         "patch": 5,
         "postfix": "pre12",
     }
+    assert _parse_version("2.0.0rc20.dev0+ga99ede2a.d20230215") == {
+        "major": 2,
+        "minor": 0,
+        "patch": 0,
+        "postfix": "pre20",
+    }
+    assert _parse_version("2.0.0.dev1897+gcccf4a9") == {
+        "major": 2,
+        "minor": 0,
+        "patch": 0,
+        "postfix": "",
+    }
 
 
 def test_compare():
diff --git a/tests/xtestdata_testextensions/ext_root_adhoc_1/tests/conftest.py b/tests/xtestdata_testextensions/ext_root_adhoc_1/tests/conftest.py
index e8e8cd251..d715ba276 100644
--- a/tests/xtestdata_testextensions/ext_root_adhoc_1/tests/conftest.py
+++ b/tests/xtestdata_testextensions/ext_root_adhoc_1/tests/conftest.py
@@ -120,7 +120,7 @@ def instantiate_bitcoind_controller(request, rpcport=18543, extra_args=[]):
     running_version = bitcoind_controller.version()
     requested_version = request.config.getoption("--bitcoind-version")
     assert running_version == requested_version, (
-        "Please make sure that the Bitcoind-version (%s) matches with the version in pytest.ini (%s)"
+        "Please make sure that the Bitcoind-version (%s) matches with the version in pyproject.toml (%s)"
         % (running_version, requested_version)
     )
     return bitcoind_controller
@@ -146,7 +146,7 @@ def instantiate_elementsd_controller(request, rpcport=18643, extra_args=[]):
     running_version = elementsd_controller.version()
     requested_version = request.config.getoption("--elementsd-version")
     assert running_version == requested_version, (
-        "Please make sure that the elementsd-version (%s) matches with the version in pytest.ini (%s)"
+        "Please make sure that the elementsd-version (%s) matches with the version in pyproject.toml (%s)"
         % (running_version, requested_version)
     )
     return elementsd_controller
diff --git a/tests/xtestdata_testextensions/ext_root_fully_qualified_1/tests/conftest.py b/tests/xtestdata_testextensions/ext_root_fully_qualified_1/tests/conftest.py
index 533ec8b01..fb2f4fbee 100644
--- a/tests/xtestdata_testextensions/ext_root_fully_qualified_1/tests/conftest.py
+++ b/tests/xtestdata_testextensions/ext_root_fully_qualified_1/tests/conftest.py
@@ -117,7 +117,7 @@ def instantiate_bitcoind_controller(request, rpcport=18543, extra_args=[]):
     running_version = bitcoind_controller.version()
     requested_version = request.config.getoption("--bitcoind-version")
     assert running_version == requested_version, (
-        "Please make sure that the Bitcoind-version (%s) matches with the version in pytest.ini (%s)"
+        "Please make sure that the Bitcoind-version (%s) matches with the version in pyproject.toml (%s)"
         % (running_version, requested_version)
     )
     return bitcoind_controller
@@ -143,7 +143,7 @@ def instantiate_elementsd_controller(request, rpcport=18643, extra_args=[]):
     running_version = elementsd_controller.version()
     requested_version = request.config.getoption("--elementsd-version")
     assert running_version == requested_version, (
-        "Please make sure that the elementsd-version (%s) matches with the version in pytest.ini (%s)"
+        "Please make sure that the elementsd-version (%s) matches with the version in pyproject.toml (%s)"
         % (running_version, requested_version)
     )
     return elementsd_controller
diff --git a/tests/xtestdata_testextensions/ext_root_fully_qualified_2/tests/conftest.py b/tests/xtestdata_testextensions/ext_root_fully_qualified_2/tests/conftest.py
index f64afe0b6..6b32da2ac 100644
--- a/tests/xtestdata_testextensions/ext_root_fully_qualified_2/tests/conftest.py
+++ b/tests/xtestdata_testextensions/ext_root_fully_qualified_2/tests/conftest.py
@@ -116,7 +116,7 @@ def instantiate_bitcoind_controller(docker, request, rpcport=18543, extra_args=[
     running_version = bitcoind_controller.version()
     requested_version = request.config.getoption("--bitcoind-version")
     assert running_version == requested_version, (
-        "Please make sure that the Bitcoind-version (%s) matches with the version in pytest.ini (%s)"
+        "Please make sure that the Bitcoind-version (%s) matches with the version in pyproject.toml (%s)"
         % (running_version, requested_version)
     )
     return bitcoind_controller
@@ -142,7 +142,7 @@ def instantiate_elementsd_controller(request, rpcport=18643, extra_args=[]):
     running_version = elementsd_controller.version()
     requested_version = request.config.getoption("--elementsd-version")
     assert running_version == requested_version, (
-        "Please make sure that the elementsd-version (%s) matches with the version in pytest.ini (%s)"
+        "Please make sure that the elementsd-version (%s) matches with the version in pyproject.toml (%s)"
         % (running_version, requested_version)
     )
     return elementsd_controller
diff --git a/utils/build-common.sh b/utils/build-common.sh
index 266744b7b..9795cba49 100644
--- a/utils/build-common.sh
+++ b/utils/build-common.sh
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ function create_virtualenv_for_pyinstaller {
     fi
     virtualenv --python=python3 .buildenv
     source .buildenv/bin/activate
-    pip3 install -r test_requirements.txt
+    pip3 install -e ".[test]"
 }
 
 function build_pypi_pckgs_and_install {
@@ -26,12 +26,9 @@ function build_pypi_pckgs_and_install {
     if [[ "$OSTYPE" == "darwin"* ]]; then
         SML_ADD="\"\""
     fi
-    sed -i $SML_ADD "s|version=\".*|version=\"$version\",|" setup.py
-    cat setup.py
-    python3 setup.py sdist bdist_wheel
-    git checkout setup.py
-    pypi_comp_version=$(echo $version | sed 's/^v//' | sed 's/-pre/rc/' )
-    pip3 install ./dist/cryptoadvance.specter-${pypi_comp_version}-py3-none-any.whl
+    pip3 install build==0.10.0
+    python3 -m build
+    pip3 install ./dist/cryptoadvance.specter-*.whl
 }
 
 function specify_app_name {
diff --git a/utils/build-osx.sh b/utils/build-osx.sh
index a3c423c0b..292629111 100755
--- a/utils/build-osx.sh
+++ b/utils/build-osx.sh
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ function create_virtualenv_for_pyinstaller {
     # we do:
     virtualenv --python=/usr/local/bin/python3 .buildenv
     source .buildenv/bin/activate
-    pip3 install -r test_requirements.txt
+    pip3 install -e ".[test]"
 }
 
 
diff --git a/utils/test-all-linux.sh b/utils/test-all-linux.sh
index 704cd8680..4fb2d04b5 100755
--- a/utils/test-all-linux.sh
+++ b/utils/test-all-linux.sh
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ pip3 install -r requirements.txt --require-hashes
 pip3 install -e . # this does not compile the babel translation-files
 
 
-pip3 install -r test_requirements.txt
+pip3 install -e ".[test]"
 ./tests/install_noded.sh --bitcoin binary
 ./tests/install_noded.sh --elements binary