diff --git a/setup.cfg b/setup.cfg
index 7c71f4f6..5f7d25c3 100644
--- a/setup.cfg
+++ b/setup.cfg
@@ -1,3 +1,6 @@
+[metadata]
+version = attr: jose.__version__
+
 [flake8]
 max-line-length = 119
 
diff --git a/setup.py b/setup.py
index ed196b84..2123bcd6 100644
--- a/setup.py
+++ b/setup.py
@@ -47,7 +47,6 @@ def _cryptography_version():
 
 setup(
     name='python-jose',
-    version=jose.__version__,
     author='Michael Davis',
     author_email='mike.philip.davis@gmail.com',
     description='JOSE implementation in Python',
@@ -71,7 +70,10 @@ def _cryptography_version():
         'Topic :: Utilities',
     ],
     extras_require=extras_require,
-    setup_requires=['pytest-runner'],
+    setup_requires=[
+        'pytest-runner',
+        'setuptools>=39.2.0',
+    ],
     tests_require=[
         'six',
         'ecdsa',