diff --git a/.github/workflows/annotate_python.yml b/.github/workflows/annotate_python.yml
index 51ca2bdeea8..0cc87c4283d 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/annotate_python.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/annotate_python.yml
@@ -20,9 +20,7 @@ jobs:
       - name: Install flake8
         run: pip install flake8 flake8-bugbear flake8-simplify flake8-debugger flake8-pep3101
       - name: install project
-        run: pip install .
-      - name: install dev requirements
-        run: pip install -r dev-requirements.txt
+        run: pip install ".[dev]"
       - name: install typing requirements
         run: pip install -r types-requirements.txt
       - name: find changed files
diff --git a/.github/workflows/coverage.yml b/.github/workflows/coverage.yml
index 17252f1b2e0..bc13c7b2b21 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/coverage.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/coverage.yml
@@ -36,8 +36,7 @@ jobs:
 
     - name: Install with dependencies
       run: |
-        pip install .
-        pip install -r dev-requirements.txt
+        pip install ".[dev]"
 
     - name: Test GUI
       if: matrix.test-type == 'gui-tests'
diff --git a/.github/workflows/doctest.yml b/.github/workflows/doctest.yml
index 1bb29c70392..4eb43a4404a 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/doctest.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/doctest.yml
@@ -31,11 +31,7 @@ jobs:
           setup.py
           pyproject.toml
           dev-requirements.txt
-    - run: pip install -e .
-
-    - name: Install with dependencies
-      run: |
-        pip install -r dev-requirements.txt
+    - run: pip install -e ".[dev]"
 
     - name: Test doctest
       run: |
diff --git a/.github/workflows/test_ert.yml b/.github/workflows/test_ert.yml
index 2bfb6946b79..fa292c8a68e 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/test_ert.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/test_ert.yml
@@ -38,10 +38,7 @@ jobs:
 
     - name: Install wheel
       run: |
-        find . -name "*.whl" -exec pip install {} \;
-
-    - name: Install dependencies
-      run: pip install -r dev-requirements.txt
+        find . -name "*.whl" -exec pip install "{}[dev]" \;
 
     - name: Test GUI
       if: inputs.test-type == 'gui-test'
diff --git a/.github/workflows/typing.yml b/.github/workflows/typing.yml
index a1a87912fd2..f1cfe4f6668 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/typing.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/typing.yml
@@ -30,13 +30,12 @@ jobs:
         python-version: ${{ matrix.python-version }}
     - name: Install ERT and dependencies
       run: |
-        pip install .
+        pip install ".[dev]"
     - name: Install dependencies
     # type checking requires protobuf stubs
       run: |
         python -m pip install --upgrade pip
         python -m pip install -r types-requirements.txt
-        python -m pip install -r dev-requirements.txt
         python -m pip install grpcio-tools
         python -m grpc_tools.protoc -I src/_ert_com_protocol --mypy_out=src/_ert_com_protocol src/_ert_com_protocol/_schema.proto
     - run: echo ::add-matcher::.github/mypy-matcher.json
diff --git a/CONTRIBUTING.md b/CONTRIBUTING.md
index b943e44e225..f0bd4d53390 100644
--- a/CONTRIBUTING.md
+++ b/CONTRIBUTING.md
@@ -69,7 +69,7 @@ noise in the review process.
 
 You can build the documentation after installation by running
 ```bash
-pip install -r dev-requirements.txt
+pip install ".[dev]" 
 sphinx-build -n -v -E -W ./docs ./tmp/ert_docs
 ```
 and then open the generated `./tmp/ert_docs/index.html` in a browser.
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index d39c7b06d28..a3f24948e41 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -132,7 +132,7 @@ pip install --editable .
 Additional development packages must be installed to run the test suite:
 
 ```sh
-pip install -r dev-requirements.txt
+pip install ".[dev]" 
 pytest tests/
 ```
 
diff --git a/ci/jenkins/Jenkinsfile-performance b/ci/jenkins/Jenkinsfile-performance
index d79cee8172c..f4495a13b08 100644
--- a/ci/jenkins/Jenkinsfile-performance
+++ b/ci/jenkins/Jenkinsfile-performance
@@ -26,8 +26,7 @@ pipeline {
                 source env/bin/activate
                 source /opt/rh/devtoolset-9/enable
                 pip install --upgrade pip
-                pip install .
-                pip install -r dev-requirements.txt
+                pip install ".[dev]"
                 """
             }
         }
diff --git a/pyproject.toml b/pyproject.toml
index 0359f64e633..f052c26fc8d 100644
--- a/pyproject.toml
+++ b/pyproject.toml
@@ -94,6 +94,44 @@ ert = "ert.__main__:main"
 [project.urls]
 Repository = "https://github.com/equinor/ert"
 
+[project.optional-dependencies]
+dev = [
+    "click",
+    "decorator",
+    "ecl_data_io",
+    "furo",
+    "flaky",
+    "grpcio-tools",
+    "hypothesis<=6.83.0; python_version=='3.8'",  # ipython pinned to 8.12.2 for python 3.8 support
+    "hypothesis; python_version>='3.9'",
+    "jsonpath_ng",
+    "jupytext",
+    "oil_reservoir_synthesizer",
+    "pytest-asyncio",
+    "pytest-benchmark",
+    "pytest-cov",
+    "pytest-memray",
+    "pytest-mock",
+    "pytest-mpl",
+    "pytest-qt",
+    "pytest-raises",
+    "pytest-snapshot",
+    "pytest-timeout",
+    "pytest-xdist",
+    "pytest>6",
+    "requests",
+    "scikit-build",
+    "setuptools_scm",
+    "sortedcontainers",
+    "sphinx<7.2",
+    "sphinx-argparse",
+    "sphinx-autoapi",
+    "sphinx-copybutton",
+    "sphinxcontrib-plantuml",
+    "sphinxcontrib.datatemplates",
+    "testpath",
+]
+
 [tool.setuptools]
 platforms = ["all"]