diff --git a/lms/djangoapps/learner_recommendations/utils.py b/lms/djangoapps/learner_recommendations/utils.py
index dee5e1c3ac1f..efcb4edbf062 100644
--- a/lms/djangoapps/learner_recommendations/utils.py
+++ b/lms/djangoapps/learner_recommendations/utils.py
@@ -4,7 +4,10 @@
 import logging
 import requests
 
-from algoliasearch.search_client import SearchClient
+try:
+    from algoliasearch.search_client import SearchClient
+except ImportError:
+    SearchClient = None
 from django.conf import settings
 
 from common.djangoapps.student.models import CourseEnrollment
@@ -31,6 +34,8 @@ class AlgoliaClient:
     @classmethod
     def get_algolia_client(cls):
         """ Get Algolia client instance. """
+        if not SearchClient:
+            return None
         if not cls.algolia_client:
             if not (cls.algolia_app_id and cls.algolia_search_api_key):
                 return None
diff --git a/lms/djangoapps/utils.py b/lms/djangoapps/utils.py
index cef65f1ee65d..23245e9286bd 100644
--- a/lms/djangoapps/utils.py
+++ b/lms/djangoapps/utils.py
@@ -2,10 +2,17 @@
 Helper Methods
 """
 
-from braze.client import BrazeClient
+try:
+    from braze.client import BrazeClient
+except ImportError:
+    BrazeClient = None
 from django.conf import settings
-from optimizely import optimizely
-from optimizely.config_manager import PollingConfigManager
+try:
+    from optimizely import optimizely
+    from optimizely.config_manager import PollingConfigManager
+except ImportError:
+    optimizely = None
+    PollingConfigManager = None
 
 
 def _get_key(key_or_id, key_cls):
@@ -22,6 +29,9 @@ def _get_key(key_or_id, key_cls):
 
 def get_braze_client():
     """ Returns a Braze client. """
+    if not BrazeClient:
+        return None
+
     braze_api_key = settings.EDX_BRAZE_API_KEY
     braze_api_url = settings.EDX_BRAZE_API_SERVER
 
@@ -41,6 +51,8 @@ class OptimizelyClient:
 
     @classmethod
     def get_optimizely_client(cls):
+        if not optimizely:
+            return None
         if not cls.optimizely_client:
             optimizely_sdk_key = settings.OPTIMIZELY_FULLSTACK_SDK_KEY
             if not optimizely_sdk_key:
diff --git a/requirements/edx/base.in b/requirements/edx/base.in
index c2cc276f0c6a..de968171d03f 100644
--- a/requirements/edx/base.in
+++ b/requirements/edx/base.in
@@ -1,191 +1,2 @@
-# Core dependencies for running edx-platform (LMS or Studio)
-#
-# DON'T JUST ADD NEW DEPENDENCIES!!!
-#
-# If you open a pull request that adds a new dependency, you should:
-#   * verify that the dependency has a license compatible with AGPLv3
-#   * confirm that it has no system requirements beyond what we already install
-#   * run "make upgrade" to update the detailed requirements files
-#
-
--c ../constraints.txt
-
--r github.in              # Forks and other dependencies not yet on PyPI
--r paver.txt              # Requirements for running paver commands
-
-# Please follow these guidelines whenever you change this file:
-#
-# 1. When adding a new dependency, add a comment to the end of the line
-#    explaining why it is needed.
-# 2. Do not pin exact versions unless absolutely necessary.  When upgrading
-#    an already-pinned package to its latest release, remove the version pin.
-# 3. Do not add indirect dependencies unless a version constraint is needed to
-#    avoid versions which have known problems.
-# 4. If the package is not needed in production, add it to another file such
-#    as development.in or testing.in instead.
-
-acid-xblock
-algoliasearch                       # Algolia’s API client for indexed searching
-analytics-python                    # Used for Segment analytics
-attrs                               # Reduces boilerplate code involving class attributes
-Babel                               # Internationalization utilities, used for date formatting in a few places
-bleach[css]                         # Allowed-list-based HTML sanitizing library that escapes or strips markup and attributes; used for capa and LTI
-boto                                # Deprecated version of the AWS SDK; we should stop using this
-boto3                               # Amazon Web Services SDK for Python
-botocore                            # via boto3, s3transfer
-bridgekeeper                        # Used for determining permissions for courseware.
-celery                              # Asynchronous task execution library
-chem                                # A helper library for chemistry calculations
-codejail-includes                   # CodeJail manages execution of untrusted code in secure sandboxes.
-contextlib2                         # We need contextlib2.ExitStack so we can stop using contextlib.nested which doesn't exist in python 3
-crowdsourcehinter-xblock
-cryptography                        # Implementations of assorted cryptography algorithms
-defusedxml
-Django                              # Web application framework
-django-appconf
-django-celery-results               # Only used for the CacheBackend for celery results
-django-config-models                # Configuration models for Django allowing config management with auditing
-django-cors-headers                 # Used to allow to configure CORS headers for cross-domain requests
-django-countries                    # Country data for Django forms and model fields
-django-crum                         # Middleware that stores the current request and user in thread local storage
-django-fernet-fields                # via edx-enterprise (should be added to its setup.py)
-django-filter                       # Allows users to filter Django querysets dynamically
-django-ipware                       # Get the client's real IP address
-django-method-override              # Allow use of HTTP methods normally not supported by browsers via the X-HTTP-Method-Override header
-django-model-utils
-django-mptt
-django-mysql
-django-oauth-toolkit                # Provides oAuth2 capabilities for Django
-django-pipeline
-django-ratelimit
-django-sekizai
-django-ses
-django-simple-history
-django-splash
-django-statici18n
-django-storages
-django-user-tasks
-django-waffle
-django-webpack-loader               # Used to wire webpack bundles into the django asset pipeline
-djangorestframework
-docopt
-done-xblock
-edx-ace
-edx-api-doc-tools
-edx-auth-backends                   # Allow Studio to use LMS SSO
-edx-braze-client
-edx-bulk-grades                     # LMS REST API for managing bulk grading operations
-edx-ccx-keys
-edx-celeryutils
-edx-completion
-edx-django-release-util             # Release utils for the edx release pipeline
-edx-django-sites-extensions
-edx-codejail
-# edx-django-utils 5.4.0 adds CSP middleware
-edx-django-utils>=5.4.0             # Utilities for cache, monitoring, and plugins
-edx-drf-extensions
-edx-enterprise
-# edx-event-bus-kafka 4.0.0 adds support for configurable consumer API
-edx-event-bus-kafka>=4.0.1          # Kafka implementation of event bus
-edx-event-bus-redis
-edx-milestones
-edx-name-affirmation
-edx-opaque-keys
-edx-organizations
-edx-proctoring>=2.0.1
-edx-proctoring-proctortrack==1.0.5  # Intentionally and permanently pinned to ensure code changes are reviewed
-edx-rest-api-client
-edx-search
-edx-sga
-edx-submissions
-edx-toggles                         # Feature toggles management
-edx-token-utils			    # Validate exam access tokens
-edx-user-state-client
-edx-when
-edxval
-event-tracking
-enmerkar-underscore                 # Implements a underscore extractor for django-babel.
-fs
-fs-s3fs==0.1.8
-geoip2                              # Python API for the GeoIP web services and databases
-glob2                               # Enhanced glob module, used in openedx.core.lib.rooted_paths
-gunicorn
-help-tokens
-html5lib                            # HTML parser, used for capa problems
-icalendar                           # .ics generator, used by calendar_sync
-ipaddress                           # Ip network support for Embargo feature
-jsonfield                           # Django model field for validated JSON; used in several apps
-laboratory                          # Library for testing that code refactors/infrastructure changes produce identical results
-lxml                                # XML parser
-learner-pathway-progress    # A plugin for lms to track learners progress in pathays
-lti-consumer-xblock>=7.3.0
-mailsnake                           # Needed for mailchimp (mailing djangoapp)
-mako                                # Primary template language used for server-side page rendering
-Markdown                            # Convert text markup to HTML; used in capa problems, forums, and course wikis
-mongoengine                         # Object-document mapper for MongoDB, used in the LMS dashboard
-mysqlclient                         # Driver for the default production relational database
-newrelic                            # New Relic agent for performance monitoring
-nltk                                # Natural language processing; used by the chem package
-nodeenv                             # Utility for managing Node.js environments; we use this for deployments and testing
-oauthlib                            # OAuth specification support for authenticating via LTI or other Open edX services
-olxcleaner
-openedx-calc                        # Library supporting mathematical calculations for Open edX
-openedx-django-require
-# openedx-events 3.1.0 introduces producer API
-openedx-events>=3.1.0               # Open edX Events from Hooks Extension Framework (OEP-50)
-openedx-filters                     # Open edX Filters from Hooks Extension Framework (OEP-50)
-openedx-mongodbproxy
-optimizely-sdk                      # Optimizely full stack SDK for Python
-ora2>=4.5.0
-outcome-surveys                     # edx-platform plugin to send and track segment events needed for surveys
-openedx-django-wiki
-openedx-blockstore
-path
-piexif                              # Exif image metadata manipulation, used in the profile_images app
-Pillow                              # Image manipulation library; used for course assets, profile images, invoice PDFs, etc.
-py2neo                              # Driver for converting Python modulestore structures to Neo4j's schema (for Coursegraph).
-pycountry
-pycryptodomex
-pygments                            # Used to support colors in paver command output
-pyjwkest
-# TODO Replace PyJWT usage with pyjwkest
-# PyJWT 1.6.3 contains PyJWTError, which is required by Apple auth in social-auth-core
-PyJWT>=1.6.3
-pylti1p3                            # Required by content_libraries core library to support LTI 1.3 launches
-pymongo                             # MongoDB driver
-pynliner                            # Inlines CSS styles into HTML for email notifications
-python-dateutil
-python-Levenshtein
-python3-openid ; python_version>='3'
-python3-saml
-pyuca                               # For more accurate sorting of translated country names in django-countries
-pysrt                               # Support for SubRip subtitle files, used in the video XModule
-pytz                                # Time zone information database
-PyYAML                              # Used to parse XModule resource templates
-recommender-xblock                  # https://github.com/edx/RecommenderXBlock
-redis                               # celery task broker
-requests-oauthlib                   # Simplifies use of OAuth via the requests library, used for CCX and LTI
-random2
-rules                               # Django extension for rules-based authorization checks
-social-auth-core
-simplejson
-Shapely                             # Geometry library, used for image click regions in capa
-six                                 # Utilities for supporting Python 2 & 3 in the same codebase
-skill-tagging                       # Library needed to support tagging of skills in unit/video xblocks via forms
-social-auth-app-django
-sorl-thumbnail
-sortedcontainers                    # Provides SortedKeyList, used for lists of XBlock assets
-sqlparse                            # Required by Django to run migrations.RunSQL
-stevedore                           # Support for runtime plugins, used for XBlocks and edx-platform Django app plugins
-staff-graded-xblock                 # An XBlock that allows for off-site bulk scoring of problems
-super-csv                           # Generic CSV processor
-unicodecsv                          # Easier support for CSV files with unicode text
-user-util                           # Functionality for retiring users (GDPR compliance)
-webob
-web-fragments                       # Provides the ability to render fragments of web pages
-XBlock[django]                      # Courseware component architecture
-xblock-utils                        # Provides utilities used by the Discussion XBlock
-xss-utils                           # https://github.com/edx/edx-platform/pull/20633 Fix XSS via Translations
-xblock-poll                         # Xblock for polling users
-xblock-drag-and-drop-v2             # Drag and Drop XBlock
-xblock-google-drive                 # XBlock for google docs and calendar
+-r kernel.in        # Core dependencies required for the platform to run.
+-r bundled.in       # Additional packages usually bundled with the platform
diff --git a/requirements/edx/base.txt b/requirements/edx/base.txt
index a0a2634e2cf2..648a149aae46 100644
--- a/requirements/edx/base.txt
+++ b/requirements/edx/base.txt
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@
 #    make upgrade
 #
 acid-xblock==0.2.1
-    # via -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    # via -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
 aiohttp==3.8.4
     # via geoip2
 aiosignal==1.3.1
@@ -13,11 +13,11 @@ aiosignal==1.3.1
 algoliasearch==2.6.3
     # via
     #   -c requirements/edx/../constraints.txt
-    #   -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    #   -r requirements/edx/bundled.in
 amqp==5.1.1
     # via kombu
 analytics-python==1.4.post1
-    # via -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    # via -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
 aniso8601==9.0.1
     # via edx-tincan-py35
 appdirs==1.4.4
@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@ async-timeout==4.0.2
     #   redis
 attrs==23.1.0
     # via
-    #   -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    #   -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
     #   aiohttp
     #   edx-ace
     #   jsonschema
@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@ attrs==23.1.0
 babel==2.11.0
     # via
     #   -c requirements/edx/../constraints.txt
-    #   -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    #   -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
     #   enmerkar
     #   enmerkar-underscore
 backoff==1.10.0
@@ -59,7 +59,7 @@ billiard==3.6.4.0
     # via celery
 bleach[css]==6.0.0
     # via
-    #   -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    #   -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
     #   edx-enterprise
     #   lti-consumer-xblock
     #   openedx-django-wiki
@@ -69,26 +69,26 @@ bleach[css]==6.0.0
 boto==2.39.0
     # via
     #   -c requirements/edx/../constraints.txt
-    #   -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    #   -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
 boto3==1.7.0
     # via
     #   -c requirements/edx/../constraints.txt
-    #   -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    #   -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
     #   django-ses
     #   fs-s3fs
     #   ora2
 botocore==1.10.84
     # via
     #   -c requirements/edx/../constraints.txt
-    #   -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    #   -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
     #   boto3
     #   s3transfer
 bridgekeeper==0.9
-    # via -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    # via -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
 celery==5.2.7
     # via
     #   -c requirements/edx/../constraints.txt
-    #   -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    #   -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
     #   django-celery-results
     #   django-user-tasks
     #   edx-celeryutils
@@ -116,7 +116,7 @@ charset-normalizer==2.0.12
     #   requests
     #   snowflake-connector-python
 chem==1.2.0
-    # via -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    # via -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
 click==8.1.3
     # via
     #   -c requirements/edx/../constraints.txt
@@ -139,9 +139,7 @@ code-annotations==1.3.0
     #   edx-enterprise
     #   edx-toggles
 codejail-includes==1.0.0
-    # via -r requirements/edx/base.in
-contextlib2==21.6.0
-    # via -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    # via -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
 coreapi==2.3.3
     # via drf-yasg
 coreschema==0.0.4
@@ -149,11 +147,11 @@ coreschema==0.0.4
     #   coreapi
     #   drf-yasg
 crowdsourcehinter-xblock==0.6
-    # via -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    # via -r requirements/edx/bundled.in
 cryptography==38.0.4
     # via
     #   -c requirements/edx/../constraints.txt
-    #   -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    #   -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
     #   django-fernet-fields
     #   djfernet
     #   edx-enterprise
@@ -168,7 +166,7 @@ cssutils==2.7.1
     # via pynliner
 defusedxml==0.7.1
     # via
-    #   -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    #   -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
     #   djangorestframework-xml
     #   ora2
     #   python3-openid
@@ -179,7 +177,7 @@ deprecated==1.2.14
 django==3.2.19
     # via
     #   -c requirements/edx/../common_constraints.txt
-    #   -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    #   -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
     #   django-appconf
     #   django-celery-results
     #   django-classy-tags
@@ -247,30 +245,28 @@ django==3.2.19
     #   super-csv
     #   xss-utils
 django-appconf==1.0.5
-    # via
-    #   -r requirements/edx/base.in
-    #   django-statici18n
+    # via django-statici18n
 django-cache-memoize==0.1.10
     # via edx-enterprise
 django-celery-results==2.5.1
-    # via -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    # via -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
 django-classy-tags==4.0.0
     # via django-sekizai
 django-config-models==2.3.0
     # via
-    #   -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    #   -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
     #   edx-enterprise
     #   edx-name-affirmation
     #   lti-consumer-xblock
 django-cors-headers==4.1.0
-    # via -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    # via -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
 django-countries==7.5.1
     # via
-    #   -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    #   -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
     #   edx-enterprise
 django-crum==0.7.9
     # via
-    #   -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    #   -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
     #   edx-django-utils
     #   edx-enterprise
     #   edx-proctoring
@@ -280,12 +276,10 @@ django-crum==0.7.9
 django-environ==0.10.0
     # via openedx-blockstore
 django-fernet-fields==0.6
-    # via
-    #   -r requirements/edx/base.in
-    #   edx-enterprise
+    # via edx-enterprise
 django-filter==23.2
     # via
-    #   -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    #   -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
     #   edx-enterprise
     #   learner-pathway-progress
     #   lti-consumer-xblock
@@ -293,16 +287,16 @@ django-filter==23.2
 django-ipware==4.0.2
     # via
     #   -c requirements/edx/../constraints.txt
-    #   -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    #   -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
     #   edx-enterprise
     #   edx-proctoring
 django-js-asset==2.0.0
     # via django-mptt
 django-method-override==1.0.4
-    # via -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    # via -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
 django-model-utils==4.3.1
     # via
-    #   -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    #   -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
     #   django-user-tasks
     #   edx-bulk-grades
     #   edx-celeryutils
@@ -323,32 +317,32 @@ django-model-utils==4.3.1
     #   super-csv
 django-mptt==0.14.0
     # via
-    #   -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    #   -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
     #   openedx-django-wiki
 django-multi-email-field==0.6.2
     # via edx-enterprise
 django-mysql==4.10.0
-    # via -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    # via -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
 django-oauth-toolkit==1.3.2
     # via
     #   -c requirements/edx/../constraints.txt
-    #   -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    #   -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
 django-object-actions==4.1.0
     # via edx-enterprise
 django-pipeline==2.1.0
-    # via -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    # via -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
 django-ratelimit==4.0.0
-    # via -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    # via -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
 django-sekizai==4.1.0
     # via
-    #   -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    #   -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
     #   openedx-django-wiki
 django-ses==3.5.0
-    # via -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    # via -r requirements/edx/bundled.in
 django-simple-history==3.0.0
     # via
     #   -c requirements/edx/../common_constraints.txt
-    #   -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    #   -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
     #   edx-enterprise
     #   edx-name-affirmation
     #   edx-organizations
@@ -356,22 +350,22 @@ django-simple-history==3.0.0
     #   learner-pathway-progress
     #   ora2
 django-splash==1.3.0
-    # via -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    # via -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
 django-statici18n==2.3.1
     # via
-    #   -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    #   -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
     #   lti-consumer-xblock
     #   xblock-drag-and-drop-v2
 django-storages==1.9.1
     # via
     #   -c requirements/edx/../constraints.txt
-    #   -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    #   -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
     #   edxval
 django-user-tasks==3.0.0
-    # via -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    # via -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
 django-waffle==3.0.0
     # via
-    #   -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    #   -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
     #   edx-django-utils
     #   edx-drf-extensions
     #   edx-enterprise
@@ -381,12 +375,12 @@ django-waffle==3.0.0
 django-webpack-loader==0.7.0
     # via
     #   -c requirements/edx/../constraints.txt
-    #   -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    #   -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
     #   edx-proctoring
 djangorestframework==3.13.1
     # via
     #   -c requirements/edx/../constraints.txt
-    #   -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    #   -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
     #   django-config-models
     #   django-user-tasks
     #   drf-jwt
@@ -408,14 +402,12 @@ djangorestframework-xml==2.0.0
     # via edx-enterprise
 djfernet==0.8.1
     # via edxval
-docopt==0.6.2
-    # via -r requirements/edx/base.in
 docutils==0.19
     # via
     #   -c requirements/edx/../constraints.txt
     #   botocore
 done-xblock==2.0.5
-    # via -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    # via -r requirements/edx/bundled.in
 drf-jwt==1.19.2
     # via edx-drf-extensions
 drf-nested-routers==0.93.4
@@ -425,43 +417,43 @@ drf-yasg==1.21.5
     #   -c requirements/edx/../constraints.txt
     #   edx-api-doc-tools
 edx-ace==1.6.1
-    # via -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    # via -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
 edx-api-doc-tools==1.6.0
     # via
-    #   -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    #   -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
     #   edx-name-affirmation
     #   openedx-blockstore
 edx-auth-backends==4.1.0
     # via
-    #   -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    #   -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
     #   openedx-blockstore
 edx-braze-client==0.1.6
-    # via -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    # via -r requirements/edx/bundled.in
 edx-bulk-grades==1.0.1
     # via
-    #   -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    #   -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
     #   staff-graded-xblock
 edx-ccx-keys==1.2.1
-    # via -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    # via -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
 edx-celeryutils==1.2.2
     # via
-    #   -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    #   -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
     #   edx-name-affirmation
     #   super-csv
 edx-codejail==3.3.3
-    # via -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    # via -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
 edx-completion==4.2.1
-    # via -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    # via -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
 edx-django-release-util==1.2.0
     # via
-    #   -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    #   -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
     #   edxval
     #   openedx-blockstore
 edx-django-sites-extensions==4.0.0
-    # via -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    # via -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
 edx-django-utils==5.5.0
     # via
-    #   -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    #   -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
     #   django-config-models
     #   edx-drf-extensions
     #   edx-enterprise
@@ -479,7 +471,7 @@ edx-django-utils==5.5.0
     #   super-csv
 edx-drf-extensions==8.8.0
     # via
-    #   -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    #   -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
     #   edx-completion
     #   edx-enterprise
     #   edx-name-affirmation
@@ -492,21 +484,21 @@ edx-drf-extensions==8.8.0
 edx-enterprise==3.67.7
     # via
     #   -c requirements/edx/../constraints.txt
-    #   -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    #   -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
     #   learner-pathway-progress
 edx-event-bus-kafka==5.1.0
-    # via -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    # via -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
 edx-event-bus-redis==0.3.1
-    # via -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    # via -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
 edx-i18n-tools==0.9.2
     # via ora2
 edx-milestones==0.4.0
-    # via -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    # via -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
 edx-name-affirmation==2.3.5
-    # via -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    # via -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
 edx-opaque-keys[django]==2.3.0
     # via
-    #   -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    #   -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
     #   -r requirements/edx/paver.txt
     #   edx-bulk-grades
     #   edx-ccx-keys
@@ -524,33 +516,33 @@ edx-opaque-keys[django]==2.3.0
     #   ora2
     #   outcome-surveys
 edx-organizations==6.11.1
-    # via -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    # via -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
 edx-proctoring==4.15.1
     # via
-    #   -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    #   -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
     #   edx-proctoring-proctortrack
 edx-proctoring-proctortrack==1.0.5
-    # via -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    # via -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
 edx-rbac==1.7.0
     # via edx-enterprise
 edx-rest-api-client==5.5.2
     # via
-    #   -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    #   -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
     #   edx-enterprise
     #   edx-proctoring
 edx-search==3.5.0
-    # via -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    # via -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
 edx-sga==0.22.0
-    # via -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    # via -r requirements/edx/bundled.in
 edx-submissions==3.5.6
     # via
-    #   -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    #   -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
     #   ora2
 edx-tincan-py35==1.0.0
     # via edx-enterprise
 edx-toggles==5.0.0
     # via
-    #   -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    #   -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
     #   edx-completion
     #   edx-event-bus-kafka
     #   edx-event-bus-redis
@@ -560,15 +552,15 @@ edx-toggles==5.0.0
     #   learner-pathway-progress
     #   ora2
 edx-token-utils==0.2.1
-    # via -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    # via -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
 edx-user-state-client==1.3.2
-    # via -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    # via -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
 edx-when==2.3.0
     # via
-    #   -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    #   -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
     #   edx-proctoring
 edxval==2.3.0
-    # via -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    # via -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
 elasticsearch==7.13.4
     # via
     #   -c requirements/edx/../common_constraints.txt
@@ -576,10 +568,10 @@ elasticsearch==7.13.4
 enmerkar==0.7.1
     # via enmerkar-underscore
 enmerkar-underscore==2.1.0
-    # via -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    # via -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
 event-tracking==2.1.0
     # via
-    #   -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    #   -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
     #   edx-proctoring
     #   edx-search
 fastavro==1.7.4
@@ -592,30 +584,30 @@ frozenlist==1.3.3
     #   aiosignal
 fs==2.0.27
     # via
-    #   -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    #   -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
     #   fs-s3fs
     #   openedx-django-pyfs
     #   xblock
 fs-s3fs==0.1.8
     # via
-    #   -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    #   -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
     #   openedx-django-pyfs
 future==0.18.3
     # via pyjwkest
 geoip2==4.7.0
-    # via -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    # via -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
 glob2==0.7
-    # via -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    # via -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
 gunicorn==20.1.0
-    # via -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    # via -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
 help-tokens==2.2.0
-    # via -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    # via -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
 html5lib==1.1
     # via
-    #   -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    #   -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
     #   ora2
 icalendar==5.0.7
-    # via -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    # via -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
 idna==3.4
     # via
     #   -r requirements/edx/paver.txt
@@ -632,7 +624,7 @@ inflection==0.5.1
 interchange==2021.0.4
     # via py2neo
 ipaddress==1.0.23
-    # via -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    # via -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
 isodate==0.6.1
     # via python3-saml
 itypes==1.2.0
@@ -651,7 +643,7 @@ jsondiff==2.0.0
     # via edx-enterprise
 jsonfield==3.1.0
     # via
-    #   -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    #   -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
     #   edx-celeryutils
     #   edx-enterprise
     #   edx-proctoring
@@ -669,7 +661,7 @@ kombu==5.2.4
     #   -c requirements/edx/../constraints.txt
     #   celery
 laboratory==1.0.2
-    # via -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    # via -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
 lazy==1.5
     # via
     #   -r requirements/edx/paver.txt
@@ -678,9 +670,7 @@ lazy==1.5
     #   ora2
     #   xblock
 learner-pathway-progress==1.3.4
-    # via -r requirements/edx/base.in
-levenshtein==0.21.1
-    # via python-levenshtein
+    # via -r requirements/edx/bundled.in
 libsass==0.10.0
     # via
     #   -r requirements/edx/paver.txt
@@ -688,10 +678,10 @@ libsass==0.10.0
 loremipsum==1.0.5
     # via ora2
 lti-consumer-xblock==9.5.3
-    # via -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    # via -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
 lxml==4.9.2
     # via
-    #   -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    #   -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
     #   edxval
     #   lti-consumer-xblock
     #   olxcleaner
@@ -700,10 +690,10 @@ lxml==4.9.2
     #   xblock
     #   xmlsec
 mailsnake==1.6.4
-    # via -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    # via -r requirements/edx/bundled.in
 mako==1.2.4
     # via
-    #   -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    #   -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
     #   acid-xblock
     #   lti-consumer-xblock
     #   xblock-google-drive
@@ -711,7 +701,7 @@ mako==1.2.4
 markdown==3.3.7
     # via
     #   -c requirements/edx/../constraints.txt
-    #   -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    #   -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
     #   openedx-django-wiki
     #   staff-graded-xblock
     #   xblock-poll
@@ -730,7 +720,7 @@ maxminddb==2.3.0
 mock==5.0.2
     # via -r requirements/edx/paver.txt
 mongoengine==0.27.0
-    # via -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    # via -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
 monotonic==1.6
     # via
     #   analytics-python
@@ -743,18 +733,16 @@ multidict==6.0.4
     #   yarl
 mysqlclient==2.1.1
     # via
-    #   -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    #   -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
     #   openedx-blockstore
 newrelic==8.8.0
     # via
-    #   -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    #   -r requirements/edx/bundled.in
     #   edx-django-utils
 nltk==3.8.1
-    # via
-    #   -r requirements/edx/base.in
-    #   chem
+    # via chem
 nodeenv==1.8.0
-    # via -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    # via -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
 numpy==1.22.4
     # via
     #   chem
@@ -764,44 +752,44 @@ numpy==1.22.4
 oauthlib==3.0.1
     # via
     #   -c requirements/edx/../constraints.txt
-    #   -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    #   -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
     #   django-oauth-toolkit
     #   lti-consumer-xblock
     #   requests-oauthlib
     #   social-auth-core
 olxcleaner==0.2.1
-    # via -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    # via -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
 openedx-blockstore==1.3.1
-    # via -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    # via -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
 openedx-calc==3.0.1
-    # via -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    # via -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
 openedx-django-pyfs==3.3.0
     # via xblock
 openedx-django-require==2.0.0
-    # via -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    # via -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
 openedx-django-wiki==2.0.0
-    # via -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    # via -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
 openedx-events==8.0.1
     # via
-    #   -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    #   -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
     #   edx-event-bus-kafka
     #   edx-event-bus-redis
     #   skill-tagging
 openedx-filters==1.3.0
     # via
-    #   -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    #   -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
     #   lti-consumer-xblock
     #   skill-tagging
 openedx-mongodbproxy==0.2.0
-    # via -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    # via -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
 optimizely-sdk==4.1.1
-    # via -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    # via -r requirements/edx/bundled.in
 ora2==5.0.3
-    # via -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    # via -r requirements/edx/bundled.in
 oscrypto==1.3.0
     # via snowflake-connector-python
 outcome-surveys==2.4.0
-    # via -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    # via -r requirements/edx/bundled.in
 packaging==23.1
     # via
     #   drf-yasg
@@ -811,7 +799,7 @@ pansi==2020.7.3
     # via py2neo
 path==16.6.0
     # via
-    #   -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    #   -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
     #   -r requirements/edx/paver.txt
     #   edx-i18n-tools
     #   path-py
@@ -829,10 +817,10 @@ pbr==5.11.1
 pgpy==0.6.0
     # via edx-enterprise
 piexif==1.1.3
-    # via -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    # via -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
 pillow==9.5.0
     # via
-    #   -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    #   -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
     #   edx-enterprise
     #   edx-organizations
     #   edxval
@@ -849,32 +837,32 @@ psutil==5.9.5
 py2neo==2021.2.3
     # via
     #   -c requirements/edx/../constraints.txt
-    #   -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    #   -r requirements/edx/bundled.in
 pyasn1==0.5.0
     # via pgpy
 pycountry==22.3.5
-    # via -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    # via -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
 pycparser==2.21
     # via cffi
 pycryptodomex==3.18.0
     # via
-    #   -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    #   -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
     #   edx-proctoring
     #   lti-consumer-xblock
     #   pyjwkest
     #   snowflake-connector-python
 pygments==2.15.1
     # via
-    #   -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    #   -r requirements/edx/bundled.in
     #   py2neo
 pyjwkest==1.4.2
     # via
-    #   -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    #   -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
     #   edx-token-utils
     #   lti-consumer-xblock
 pyjwt[crypto]==2.7.0
     # via
-    #   -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    #   -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
     #   drf-jwt
     #   edx-auth-backends
     #   edx-drf-extensions
@@ -886,11 +874,11 @@ pyjwt[crypto]==2.7.0
 pylatexenc==2.10
     # via olxcleaner
 pylti1p3==2.0.0
-    # via -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    # via -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
 pymongo==3.13.0
     # via
     #   -c requirements/edx/../constraints.txt
-    #   -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    #   -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
     #   -r requirements/edx/paver.txt
     #   edx-opaque-keys
     #   event-tracking
@@ -899,7 +887,7 @@ pymongo==3.13.0
 pynacl==1.5.0
     # via edx-django-utils
 pynliner==0.8.0
-    # via -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    # via -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
 pyopenssl==22.0.0
     # via
     #   -c requirements/edx/../constraints.txt
@@ -915,11 +903,11 @@ pyrsistent==0.19.3
     #   optimizely-sdk
 pysrt==1.1.2
     # via
-    #   -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    #   -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
     #   edxval
 python-dateutil==2.8.2
     # via
-    #   -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    #   -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
     #   analytics-python
     #   botocore
     #   edx-ace
@@ -930,8 +918,6 @@ python-dateutil==2.8.2
     #   olxcleaner
     #   ora2
     #   xblock
-python-levenshtein==0.21.1
-    # via -r requirements/edx/base.in
 python-memcached==1.59
     # via -r requirements/edx/paver.txt
 python-slugify==8.0.1
@@ -940,16 +926,16 @@ python-swiftclient==4.3.0
     # via ora2
 python3-openid==3.2.0 ; python_version >= "3"
     # via
-    #   -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    #   -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
     #   social-auth-core
 python3-saml==1.9.0
     # via
     #   -c requirements/edx/../constraints.txt
-    #   -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    #   -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
 pytz==2022.7.1
     # via
     #   -c requirements/edx/../constraints.txt
-    #   -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    #   -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
     #   babel
     #   celery
     #   django
@@ -972,23 +958,21 @@ pytz==2022.7.1
     #   snowflake-connector-python
     #   xblock
 pyuca==1.2
-    # via -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    # via -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
 pyyaml==6.0
     # via
-    #   -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    #   -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
     #   code-annotations
     #   edx-django-release-util
     #   edx-i18n-tools
     #   xblock
 random2==1.0.1
-    # via -r requirements/edx/base.in
-rapidfuzz==3.1.1
-    # via levenshtein
+    # via -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
 recommender-xblock==2.0.1
-    # via -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    # via -r requirements/edx/bundled.in
 redis==4.5.5
     # via
-    #   -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    #   -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
     #   walrus
 regex==2023.6.3
     # via nltk
@@ -1018,7 +1002,7 @@ requests==2.31.0
     #   social-auth-core
 requests-oauthlib==1.3.1
     # via
-    #   -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    #   -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
     #   social-auth-core
 ruamel-yaml==0.17.32
     # via drf-yasg
@@ -1026,7 +1010,7 @@ ruamel-yaml-clib==0.2.7
     # via ruamel-yaml
 rules==3.3
     # via
-    #   -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    #   -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
     #   edx-enterprise
     #   edx-proctoring
 s3transfer==0.1.13
@@ -1041,16 +1025,16 @@ scipy==1.7.3
 semantic-version==2.10.0
     # via edx-drf-extensions
 shapely==2.0.1
-    # via -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    # via -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
 simplejson==3.19.1
     # via
-    #   -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    #   -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
     #   sailthru-client
     #   super-csv
     #   xblock-utils
 six==1.16.0
     # via
-    #   -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    #   -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
     #   -r requirements/edx/paver.txt
     #   analytics-python
     #   bleach
@@ -1080,7 +1064,7 @@ six==1.16.0
     #   python-dateutil
     #   python-memcached
 skill-tagging==0.1.0
-    # via -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    # via -r requirements/edx/bundled.in
 slumber==0.7.1
     # via
     #   edx-bulk-grades
@@ -1091,34 +1075,34 @@ snowflake-connector-python==3.0.4
 social-auth-app-django==5.0.0
     # via
     #   -c requirements/edx/../constraints.txt
-    #   -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    #   -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
     #   edx-auth-backends
 social-auth-core==4.3.0
     # via
     #   -c requirements/edx/../constraints.txt
-    #   -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    #   -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
     #   edx-auth-backends
     #   social-auth-app-django
 sorl-thumbnail==12.9.0
     # via
-    #   -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    #   -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
     #   openedx-django-wiki
 sortedcontainers==2.4.0
     # via
-    #   -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    #   -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
     #   snowflake-connector-python
 soupsieve==2.4.1
     # via beautifulsoup4
 sqlparse==0.4.4
     # via
-    #   -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    #   -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
     #   django
     #   openedx-blockstore
 staff-graded-xblock==2.0.1
-    # via -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    # via -r requirements/edx/bundled.in
 stevedore==5.1.0
     # via
-    #   -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    #   -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
     #   -r requirements/edx/paver.txt
     #   code-annotations
     #   edx-ace
@@ -1126,9 +1110,7 @@ stevedore==5.1.0
     #   edx-enterprise
     #   edx-opaque-keys
 super-csv==3.0.1
-    # via
-    #   -r requirements/edx/base.in
-    #   edx-bulk-grades
+    # via edx-bulk-grades
 sympy==1.12
     # via openedx-calc
 testfixtures==7.1.0
@@ -1147,7 +1129,7 @@ typing-extensions==4.6.3
     #   snowflake-connector-python
 unicodecsv==0.14.1
     # via
-    #   -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    #   -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
     #   edx-enterprise
 uritemplate==4.1.1
     # via
@@ -1162,7 +1144,7 @@ urllib3==1.26.16
     #   requests
     #   snowflake-connector-python
 user-util==1.0.0
-    # via -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    # via -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
 vine==5.0.0
     # via
     #   amqp
@@ -1178,7 +1160,7 @@ wcwidth==0.2.6
     # via prompt-toolkit
 web-fragments==2.0.0
     # via
-    #   -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    #   -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
     #   crowdsourcehinter-xblock
     #   edx-sga
     #   staff-graded-xblock
@@ -1191,7 +1173,7 @@ webencodings==0.5.1
     #   tinycss2
 webob==1.8.7
     # via
-    #   -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    #   -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
     #   xblock
 wrapt==1.15.0
     # via
@@ -1199,7 +1181,7 @@ wrapt==1.15.0
     #   deprecated
 xblock[django]==1.6.2
     # via
-    #   -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    #   -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
     #   acid-xblock
     #   crowdsourcehinter-xblock
     #   done-xblock
@@ -1214,14 +1196,14 @@ xblock[django]==1.6.2
     #   xblock-poll
     #   xblock-utils
 xblock-drag-and-drop-v2==3.2.0
-    # via -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    # via -r requirements/edx/bundled.in
 xblock-google-drive==0.3.0
-    # via -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    # via -r requirements/edx/bundled.in
 xblock-poll==1.13.0
-    # via -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    # via -r requirements/edx/bundled.in
 xblock-utils==3.2.0
     # via
-    #   -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    #   -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
     #   edx-sga
     #   lti-consumer-xblock
     #   staff-graded-xblock
@@ -1230,7 +1212,7 @@ xblock-utils==3.2.0
 xmlsec==1.3.13
     # via python3-saml
 xss-utils==0.4.0
-    # via -r requirements/edx/base.in
+    # via -r requirements/edx/kernel.in
 yarl==1.9.2
     # via aiohttp
 zipp==3.15.0
diff --git a/requirements/edx/bundled.in b/requirements/edx/bundled.in
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..11e4fe65ef45
--- /dev/null
+++ b/requirements/edx/bundled.in
@@ -0,0 +1,48 @@
+########################################################################################################################
+# Dependencies that are normally "bundled" with the platform, but are not core to the platform's functionality.
+# They may still be installed by default, but they should not be required for
+# the platform to run nor for the test suite to pass.
+#
+# We are working to make the test suite run without having these installed - see
+# https://discuss.openedx.org/t/a-minimal-open-edx-distribution/9478
+#
+# Please follow these guidelines whenever you change this file:
+#
+# 1. When adding a new dependency:
+#    * verify that the dependency has a license compatible with AGPLv3
+#    * add a comment to the end of the line explaining what it is.
+#    * confirm that it has no system requirements beyond what we already install
+#    * run "make upgrade" to update the detailed requirements files
+# 2. Do not pin exact versions unless absolutely necessary.  When upgrading
+#    an already-pinned package to its latest release, remove the version pin.
+# 3. Do not add indirect dependencies unless a version constraint is needed to
+#    avoid versions which have known problems.
+# 4. If the package is not needed in production, add it to another file such
+#    as development.in or testing.in instead.
+
+py2neo                              # Driver for converting Python modulestore structures to Neo4j's schema (for Coursegraph).
+pygments                            # Used to support colors in paver command output
+
+## Third party integrations
+algoliasearch                       # Algolia’s API client for indexed searching
+django-ses                          # Django email backend for Amazon’s Simple Email Service
+edx-braze-client                    # a customer engagement platform used for edx.org
+mailsnake                           # MailChimp API; used for two management commands in the "mailing" djangoapp
+newrelic                            # New Relic agent for performance monitoring
+optimizely-sdk                      # Optimizely provides A/B testing and other features, used by edx.org
+
+## Plugins used on edx.org
+learner-pathway-progress            # A plugin for lms to track learners progress in pathays
+outcome-surveys                     # plugin "to send follow up events for learners who have passed a course"
+skill-tagging                       # Library to support tagging of skills on edx.org in unit/video xblocks via forms
+
+## XBLOCKS
+crowdsourcehinter-xblock
+done-xblock                         # a very simple XBlock that allows learners to mark an activity as Done
+recommender-xblock                  # https://github.com/edx/RecommenderXBlock
+staff-graded-xblock                 # https://github.com/openedx/staff_graded-xblock Allows off-site bulk scoring.
+edx-sga                             # The more well known "staff graded assignment" XBlock, from MIT.
+ora2>=4.5.0                         # Open Response Assessment XBlock
+xblock-poll                         # Xblock for polling users
+xblock-drag-and-drop-v2             # Drag and Drop XBlock
+xblock-google-drive                 # XBlock for google docs and calendar
diff --git a/requirements/edx/development.txt b/requirements/edx/development.txt
index 8f1af5a5e599..23ae7c106803 100644
--- a/requirements/edx/development.txt
+++ b/requirements/edx/development.txt
@@ -211,8 +211,6 @@ code-annotations==1.3.0
     #   edx-toggles
 codejail-includes==1.0.0
     # via -r requirements/edx/testing.txt
-contextlib2==21.6.0
-    # via -r requirements/edx/testing.txt
 coreapi==2.3.3
     # via
     #   -r requirements/edx/testing.txt
@@ -527,8 +525,6 @@ djfernet==0.8.1
     # via
     #   -r requirements/edx/testing.txt
     #   edxval
-docopt==0.6.2
-    # via -r requirements/edx/testing.txt
 docutils==0.19
     # via
     #   -c requirements/edx/../constraints.txt
@@ -913,10 +909,6 @@ lazy-object-proxy==1.9.0
     #   astroid
 learner-pathway-progress==1.3.4
     # via -r requirements/edx/testing.txt
-levenshtein==0.21.1
-    # via
-    #   -r requirements/edx/testing.txt
-    #   python-levenshtein
 libsass==0.10.0
     # via
     #   -r requirements/edx/testing.txt
@@ -1316,8 +1308,6 @@ python-dateutil==2.8.2
     #   olxcleaner
     #   ora2
     #   xblock
-python-levenshtein==0.21.1
-    # via -r requirements/edx/testing.txt
 python-memcached==1.59
     # via -r requirements/edx/testing.txt
 python-slugify==8.0.1
@@ -1375,10 +1365,6 @@ pyyaml==6.0
     #   xblock
 random2==1.0.1
     # via -r requirements/edx/testing.txt
-rapidfuzz==3.1.1
-    # via
-    #   -r requirements/edx/testing.txt
-    #   levenshtein
 recommender-xblock==2.0.1
     # via -r requirements/edx/testing.txt
 redis==4.5.5
diff --git a/requirements/edx/github.in b/requirements/edx/github.in
index 2b4e75f5222c..d36b6f96291b 100644
--- a/requirements/edx/github.in
+++ b/requirements/edx/github.in
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 # This file holds all GitHub-hosted edx-platform Python dependencies.
-# Such dependencies should be added here, not to base.in.
+# Such dependencies should be added here, not to kernel.in.
 # That being said....
 #
 # ---->>> DON'T JUST ADD NEW DEPENDENCIES!!! <<<----
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@
 # * Go to https://github.com/openedx/<YOUR_REPO>/actions/new
 # * Find "Publish Python Package"
 # * Merge the generated PR and push package.
-# * You're done! Add your dependency to base.in, and the requirements
+# * You're done! Add your dependency to kernel.in, and the requirements
 #   bot will automatically keep it fresh in edx-platform.
 #
 # If you think you must add a URL to this file, read this section of OEP-18 first:
diff --git a/requirements/edx/kernel.in b/requirements/edx/kernel.in
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..6a4cd5bc7675
--- /dev/null
+++ b/requirements/edx/kernel.in
@@ -0,0 +1,160 @@
+# Core dependencies for running edx-platform (LMS or Studio)
+
+-c ../constraints.txt
+
+-r github.in              # Forks and other dependencies not yet on PyPI
+-r paver.txt              # Requirements for running paver commands
+
+# DON'T JUST ADD NEW DEPENDENCIES!!!
+# Please follow these guidelines whenever you change this file:
+#
+# 1. When adding a new dependency:
+#    * add a comment to the end of the line explaining why it is needed.
+#    * verify that the dependency has a license compatible with AGPLv3
+#    * confirm that it has no system requirements beyond what we already install
+#    * run "make upgrade" to update the detailed requirements files
+# 2. Do not pin exact versions unless absolutely necessary.  When upgrading
+#    an already-pinned package to its latest release, remove the version pin.
+# 3. Do not add indirect dependencies unless a version constraint is needed to
+#    avoid versions which have known problems.
+# 4. If the package is not strictly necessary for the platform to run, add it to
+#    another file such as bundled.in, development.in, or testing.in instead.
+
+acid-xblock                         # This XBlock is used for unit tests as well as manual tests
+analytics-python                    # Used for Segment analytics
+attrs                               # Reduces boilerplate code involving class attributes
+Babel                               # Internationalization utilities, used for date formatting in a few places
+bleach[css]                         # Allowed-list-based HTML sanitizing library that escapes or strips markup and attributes; used for capa and LTI
+boto                                # Deprecated version of the AWS SDK; we should stop using this
+boto3                               # Amazon Web Services SDK for Python
+botocore                            # via boto3, s3transfer
+bridgekeeper                        # Used for determining permissions for courseware. Use of django-rules is preferred.
+celery                              # Asynchronous task execution library
+chem                                # A helper library for chemistry calculations
+codejail-includes                   # CodeJail manages execution of untrusted code in secure sandboxes.
+cryptography                        # Implementations of assorted cryptography algorithms
+defusedxml
+Django                              # Web application framework
+django-celery-results               # Only used for the CacheBackend for celery results
+django-config-models                # Configuration models for Django allowing config management with auditing
+django-cors-headers                 # Used to allow to configure CORS headers for cross-domain requests
+django-countries                    # Country data for Django forms and model fields
+django-crum                         # Middleware that stores the current request and user in thread local storage
+django-filter                       # Allows users to filter Django querysets dynamically
+django-ipware                       # Get the client's real IP address
+django-method-override              # Allow use of HTTP methods normally not supported by browsers via the X-HTTP-Method-Override header
+django-model-utils
+django-mptt
+django-mysql
+django-oauth-toolkit                # Provides oAuth2 capabilities for Django
+django-pipeline
+django-ratelimit
+django-sekizai
+django-simple-history
+django-splash
+django-statici18n
+django-storages
+django-user-tasks
+django-waffle
+django-webpack-loader               # Used to wire webpack bundles into the django asset pipeline
+djangorestframework
+edx-ace
+edx-api-doc-tools
+edx-auth-backends                   # Allow Studio to use LMS SSO
+edx-bulk-grades                     # LMS REST API for managing bulk grading operations
+edx-ccx-keys
+edx-celeryutils
+edx-completion
+edx-django-release-util             # Release utils for the edx release pipeline
+edx-django-sites-extensions
+edx-codejail
+# edx-django-utils 5.4.0 adds CSP middleware
+edx-django-utils>=5.4.0             # Utilities for cache, monitoring, and plugins
+edx-drf-extensions
+edx-enterprise
+# edx-event-bus-kafka 4.0.0 adds support for configurable consumer API
+edx-event-bus-kafka>=4.0.1          # Kafka implementation of event bus
+edx-event-bus-redis
+edx-milestones
+edx-name-affirmation
+edx-opaque-keys
+edx-organizations
+edx-proctoring>=2.0.1
+edx-proctoring-proctortrack==1.0.5  # Intentionally and permanently pinned to ensure code changes are reviewed
+edx-rest-api-client
+edx-search
+edx-submissions
+edx-toggles                         # Feature toggles management
+edx-token-utils			    # Validate exam access tokens
+edx-user-state-client
+edx-when
+edxval
+event-tracking
+enmerkar-underscore                 # Implements a underscore extractor for django-babel.
+fs
+fs-s3fs==0.1.8
+geoip2                              # Python API for the GeoIP web services and databases
+glob2                               # Enhanced glob module, used in openedx.core.lib.rooted_paths
+gunicorn
+help-tokens
+html5lib                            # HTML parser, used for capa problems
+icalendar                           # .ics generator, used by calendar_sync
+ipaddress                           # Ip network support for Embargo feature
+jsonfield                           # Django model field for validated JSON; used in several apps
+laboratory                          # Library for testing that code refactors/infrastructure changes produce identical results
+lxml                                # XML parser
+lti-consumer-xblock>=7.3.0
+mako                                # Primary template language used for server-side page rendering
+Markdown                            # Convert text markup to HTML; used in capa problems, forums, and course wikis
+mongoengine                         # Object-document mapper for MongoDB, used in the LMS dashboard
+mysqlclient                         # Driver for the default production relational database
+nodeenv                             # Utility for managing Node.js environments; we use this for deployments and testing
+oauthlib                            # OAuth specification support for authenticating via LTI or other Open edX services
+olxcleaner
+openedx-calc                        # Library supporting mathematical calculations for Open edX
+openedx-django-require
+# openedx-events 3.1.0 introduces producer API
+openedx-events>=3.1.0               # Open edX Events from Hooks Extension Framework (OEP-50)
+openedx-filters                     # Open edX Filters from Hooks Extension Framework (OEP-50)
+openedx-mongodbproxy
+openedx-django-wiki
+openedx-blockstore
+path
+piexif                              # Exif image metadata manipulation, used in the profile_images app
+Pillow                              # Image manipulation library; used for course assets, profile images, invoice PDFs, etc.
+pycountry
+pycryptodomex
+pyjwkest
+# TODO Replace PyJWT usage with pyjwkest
+# PyJWT 1.6.3 contains PyJWTError, which is required by Apple auth in social-auth-core
+PyJWT>=1.6.3
+pylti1p3                            # Required by content_libraries core library to support LTI 1.3 launches
+pymongo                             # MongoDB driver
+pynliner                            # Inlines CSS styles into HTML for email notifications
+python-dateutil
+python3-openid ; python_version>='3'
+python3-saml
+pyuca                               # For more accurate sorting of translated country names in django-countries
+pysrt                               # Support for SubRip subtitle files, used in the video XModule
+pytz                                # Time zone information database
+PyYAML                              # Used to parse XModule resource templates
+redis                               # celery task broker
+requests-oauthlib                   # Simplifies use of OAuth via the requests library, used for CCX and LTI
+random2
+rules                               # Django extension for rules-based authorization checks
+social-auth-core
+simplejson
+Shapely                             # Geometry library, used for image click regions in capa
+six                                 # Utilities for supporting Python 2 & 3 in the same codebase
+social-auth-app-django
+sorl-thumbnail
+sortedcontainers                    # Provides SortedKeyList, used for lists of XBlock assets
+sqlparse                            # Required by Django to run migrations.RunSQL
+stevedore                           # Support for runtime plugins, used for XBlocks and edx-platform Django app plugins
+unicodecsv                          # Easier support for CSV files with unicode text
+user-util                           # Functionality for retiring users (GDPR compliance)
+webob
+web-fragments                       # Provides the ability to render fragments of web pages
+XBlock[django]                      # Courseware component architecture
+xblock-utils                        # Provides utilities used by the Discussion XBlock
+xss-utils                           # https://github.com/edx/edx-platform/pull/20633 Fix XSS via Translations
diff --git a/requirements/edx/testing.txt b/requirements/edx/testing.txt
index 714d0878c076..f13ec50562e0 100644
--- a/requirements/edx/testing.txt
+++ b/requirements/edx/testing.txt
@@ -196,8 +196,6 @@ code-annotations==1.3.0
     #   edx-toggles
 codejail-includes==1.0.0
     # via -r requirements/edx/base.txt
-contextlib2==21.6.0
-    # via -r requirements/edx/base.txt
 coreapi==2.3.3
     # via
     #   -r requirements/edx/base.txt
@@ -503,8 +501,6 @@ djfernet==0.8.1
     # via
     #   -r requirements/edx/base.txt
     #   edxval
-docopt==0.6.2
-    # via -r requirements/edx/base.txt
 docutils==0.19
     # via
     #   -c requirements/edx/../constraints.txt
@@ -865,10 +861,6 @@ lazy-object-proxy==1.9.0
     # via astroid
 learner-pathway-progress==1.3.4
     # via -r requirements/edx/base.txt
-levenshtein==0.21.1
-    # via
-    #   -r requirements/edx/base.txt
-    #   python-levenshtein
 libsass==0.10.0
     # via
     #   -r requirements/edx/base.txt
@@ -1234,8 +1226,6 @@ python-dateutil==2.8.2
     #   olxcleaner
     #   ora2
     #   xblock
-python-levenshtein==0.21.1
-    # via -r requirements/edx/base.txt
 python-memcached==1.59
     # via -r requirements/edx/base.txt
 python-slugify==8.0.1
@@ -1290,10 +1280,6 @@ pyyaml==6.0
     #   xblock
 random2==1.0.1
     # via -r requirements/edx/base.txt
-rapidfuzz==3.1.1
-    # via
-    #   -r requirements/edx/base.txt
-    #   levenshtein
 recommender-xblock==2.0.1
     # via -r requirements/edx/base.txt
 redis==4.5.5
diff --git a/xmodule/modulestore/tests/utils.py b/xmodule/modulestore/tests/utils.py
index a0a4f79b62a7..8cac4bf72831 100644
--- a/xmodule/modulestore/tests/utils.py
+++ b/xmodule/modulestore/tests/utils.py
@@ -2,13 +2,12 @@
 Helper classes and methods for running modulestore tests without Django.
 """
 import os
-from contextlib import contextmanager
+from contextlib import contextmanager, ExitStack
 from importlib import import_module
 from shutil import rmtree
 from tempfile import mkdtemp
 from uuid import uuid4
 
-from contextlib2 import ExitStack
 from path import Path as path
 
 from xmodule.contentstore.mongo import MongoContentStore
diff --git a/xmodule/static_content.py b/xmodule/static_content.py
index 80b0b1d14b97..03014476737a 100755
--- a/xmodule/static_content.py
+++ b/xmodule/static_content.py
@@ -16,7 +16,6 @@
 from pkg_resources import resource_filename
 
 import django
-from docopt import docopt
 from path import Path as path
 
 from xmodule.annotatable_block import AnnotatableBlock
@@ -241,8 +240,10 @@ def main():
         )
     django.setup()
 
-    args = docopt(main.__doc__)
-    root = path(args['<output_root>'])
+    try:
+        root = path(sys.argv[1])
+    except IndexError:
+        sys.exit(main.__doc__)
 
     descriptor_files = write_descriptor_js(root / 'descriptors/js')
     module_files = write_module_js(root / 'modules/js')