diff --git a/.github/workflows/python-qis-wheels.yml b/.github/workflows/python-qis-wheels.yml
index c4800df76..34049ef8f 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/python-qis-wheels.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/python-qis-wheels.yml
@@ -7,6 +7,10 @@ on:
   release:
     types:
       - published
+  pull_request:
+    # check builds work if qis-compiler build config changes
+    paths:
+      - 'qis-compiler/pyproject.toml'
   workflow_dispatch:
 
 permissions:
@@ -95,6 +99,7 @@ jobs:
       contents: write
       # IMPORTANT: this permission is mandatory for trusted publishing
       id-token: write
+    if: ${{ github.event_name != 'pull_request' }}
     steps:
       # note: we can't use if: on the entire job, as if statements are evaluated
       # before matrix expansion, so we follow the convention of guppylang and
diff --git a/qis-compiler/pyproject.toml b/qis-compiler/pyproject.toml
index 5681d5f5e..1c7c9223f 100644
--- a/qis-compiler/pyproject.toml
+++ b/qis-compiler/pyproject.toml
@@ -5,10 +5,10 @@ build-backend = "maturin"
 [dependency-groups]
 dev = [
     "guppylang~=0.21.0",
+    "pytest>=8.4.2",
     "pytest-snapshot~=0.9.0",
     "cibuildwheel>=2.23.2",
-    "pytket~=2.9",
-    "tket",
+    "tket-exts", # remove after next guppy-internals release
 ]
 
 [project]
@@ -82,21 +82,17 @@ cache-keys = [
 ]
 
 [tool.uv.sources]
-tket = { workspace = true }
-guppylang = { git = "https://github.com/cqcl/guppylang.git", rev = "025880d648d3", subdirectory = "guppylang" }
+guppylang = { git = "https://github.com/cqcl/guppylang.git", rev = "d5b4ca6", subdirectory = "guppylang" }
+tket-exts = { workspace = true }
 
 [tool.cibuildwheel]
 build = "cp310-*"
+build-frontend = "build[uv]"
 skip = "*-win32 *-manylinux_i686 *-musllinux*"
 manylinux-x86_64-image = "manylinux_2_28"
 manylinux-aarch64-image = "manylinux_2_28"
-test-requires = [
-    "pytest",
-    "pytest-snapshot",
-    "guppylang @ git+https://github.com/cqcl/guppylang.git#subdirectory=guppylang@ts/borrow-arrays",
-    "pytket~=2.9.1",
-    "tket~=0.12.7",
-]
+
+before-test = "uv sync --only-dev --active"
 test-command = "pytest -vv {package}"
 
 [tool.cibuildwheel.linux.environment]
@@ -151,10 +147,11 @@ before-test = '''
         # make sure the cache is readable by the host
         chmod -R a+rX /host/tmp/ci-cache/hugr-qis
     fi
+    uv sync --only-dev --active
 '''
 repair-wheel-command = [
     'auditwheel repair -w {dest_dir} {wheel}',
-    'pipx run abi3audit --strict --report {wheel}',
+    'uvx abi3audit --strict --report {wheel}',
 ]
 
 [tool.cibuildwheel.macos.environment]
@@ -171,7 +168,7 @@ before-all = [
 ]
 repair-wheel-command = [
     'DYLD_LIBRARY_PATH=/tmp/llvm/lib delocate-wheel --require-archs {delocate_archs} -w {dest_dir} -v {wheel}',
-    'pipx run abi3audit --strict --report {wheel}',
+    'uvx abi3audit --strict --report {wheel}',
 ]
 
 [tool.cibuildwheel.windows.environment]
@@ -183,8 +180,7 @@ before-all = [
     'curl -LO https://github.com/PLC-lang/llvm-package-windows/releases/download/v14.0.6/LLVM-14.0.6-win64.7z',
     '7z x LLVM-14.0.6-win64.7z "-oC:\LLVM" -y',
 ]
-before-build = ['pip install delvewheel']
 repair-wheel-command = [
-    'delvewheel repair -w {dest_dir} {wheel}',
-    'pipx run abi3audit --strict --report {wheel}',
+    'uvx delvewheel repair -w {dest_dir} {wheel}',
+    'uvx abi3audit --strict --report {wheel}',
 ]
diff --git a/qis-compiler/python/tests/test_basic_generation.py b/qis-compiler/python/tests/test_basic_generation.py
index c4bf54aea..e7474ce2c 100644
--- a/qis-compiler/python/tests/test_basic_generation.py
+++ b/qis-compiler/python/tests/test_basic_generation.py
@@ -1,3 +1,6 @@
+import importlib
+import importlib.util
+
 import pytest
 from guppylang import guppy
 from guppylang.std.builtins import array, exit, panic, result
@@ -18,7 +21,6 @@
 )
 from hugr.ops import CFG
 from pytest_snapshot.plugin import Snapshot
-from pytket._tket.circuit import Circuit
 from selene_hugr_qis_compiler import HugrReadError, check_hugr, compile_to_llvm_ir
 
 triples = [
@@ -58,6 +60,9 @@ def foo() -> None:
 
 def test_unsupported_pytket_ops() -> None:
     """Test the check_hugr function to ensure it flags unsupported pytket ops."""
+    if importlib.util.find_spec("tket") is None:
+        pytest.skip("tket not installed; skipping test of unsupported pytket ops")
+    from pytket._tket.circuit import Circuit
 
     # A pytket circuit with an unsupported op.
     circ = Circuit(2).CSXdg(0, 1)
diff --git a/uv.lock b/uv.lock
index 0c5b14c9c..5759cabb0 100644
--- a/uv.lock
+++ b/uv.lock
@@ -738,12 +738,11 @@ wheels = [
 [[package]]
 name = "guppylang"
 version = "0.21.5"
-source = { git = "https://github.com/cqcl/guppylang.git?subdirectory=guppylang&rev=025880d648d3#025880d648d3a22776514ad4403b4c46f29bd818" }
+source = { git = "https://github.com/cqcl/guppylang.git?subdirectory=guppylang&rev=d5b4ca6#d5b4ca6186f87a958e33efe9e1447824607638dc" }
 dependencies = [
     { name = "guppylang-internals" },
     { name = "numpy", version = "2.2.6", source = { registry = "https://pypi.org/simple" }, marker = "python_full_version < '3.11'" },
     { name = "numpy", version = "2.3.4", source = { registry = "https://pypi.org/simple" }, marker = "python_full_version >= '3.11'" },
-    { name = "selene-hugr-qis-compiler" },
     { name = "selene-sim" },
     { name = "tqdm" },
     { name = "types-tqdm" },
@@ -752,7 +751,7 @@ dependencies = [
 [[package]]
 name = "guppylang-internals"
 version = "0.24.0"
-source = { git = "https://github.com/cqcl/guppylang.git?subdirectory=guppylang-internals&rev=025880d648d3#025880d648d3a22776514ad4403b4c46f29bd818" }
+source = { git = "https://github.com/cqcl/guppylang.git?subdirectory=guppylang-internals&rev=d5b4ca6#d5b4ca6186f87a958e33efe9e1447824607638dc" }
 dependencies = [
     { name = "hugr" },
     { name = "tket-exts" },
@@ -2604,9 +2603,9 @@ dev = [
     { name = "cibuildwheel", version = "2.23.3", source = { registry = "https://pypi.org/simple" }, marker = "python_full_version < '3.11'" },
     { name = "cibuildwheel", version = "3.2.1", source = { registry = "https://pypi.org/simple" }, marker = "python_full_version >= '3.11'" },
     { name = "guppylang" },
+    { name = "pytest" },
     { name = "pytest-snapshot" },
-    { name = "pytket" },
-    { name = "tket" },
+    { name = "tket-exts" },
 ]
 
 [package.metadata]
@@ -2614,10 +2613,10 @@ dev = [
 [package.metadata.requires-dev]
 dev = [
     { name = "cibuildwheel", specifier = ">=2.23.2" },
-    { name = "guppylang", git = "https://github.com/cqcl/guppylang.git?subdirectory=guppylang&rev=025880d648d3" },
+    { name = "guppylang", git = "https://github.com/cqcl/guppylang.git?subdirectory=guppylang&rev=d5b4ca6" },
+    { name = "pytest", specifier = ">=8.4.2" },
     { name = "pytest-snapshot", specifier = "~=0.9.0" },
-    { name = "pytket", specifier = "~=2.9" },
-    { name = "tket", editable = "tket-py" },
+    { name = "tket-exts", editable = "tket-exts" },
 ]
 
 [[package]]