diff --git a/doc/build.rst b/doc/build.rst
index 17b02dce0..503f54c4e 100644
--- a/doc/build.rst
+++ b/doc/build.rst
@@ -63,7 +63,7 @@ In Ubunutu 20.04::
     $ sudo apt install build-essential curl git file pkg-config swig \
            libcairo2-dev libnetpbm10-dev netpbm libpng-dev libjpeg-dev \
            zlib1g-dev libbz2-dev libcfitsio-dev wcslib-dev \
-           python3 python3-pip python3-distutils python3-dev \
+           python3 python3-pip python3-dev \
            python3-numpy python3-scipy python3-pil
     $ pip install fitsio # or astropy
 
diff --git a/libkd/setup-min.py b/libkd/setup-min.py
index 2b2c3e8f7..087d1e5c6 100644
--- a/libkd/setup-min.py
+++ b/libkd/setup-min.py
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 # This file is part of libkd.
 # Licensed under a 3-clause BSD style license - see LICENSE
 from __future__ import print_function
-from distutils.core import setup, Extension
+from setuptools import setup, Extension
 import os.path
 
 from numpy import get_include
diff --git a/libkd/setup.py b/libkd/setup.py
index d42de2740..f2638bd3f 100644
--- a/libkd/setup.py
+++ b/libkd/setup.py
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 from __future__ import print_function
 # This file is part of libkd.
 # Licensed under a 3-clause BSD style license - see LICENSE
-from distutils.core import setup, Extension
+from setuptools import setup, Extension
 import os.path
 
 from numpy import get_include
diff --git a/plot/setup.py b/plot/setup.py
index a80324649..f7557a587 100644
--- a/plot/setup.py
+++ b/plot/setup.py
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@
 from an_build_ext import an_build_ext
 from setuputils import *
 
-from distutils.core import setup, Extension
+from setuptools import setup, Extension
 
 import numpy
 numpy_inc = numpy.get_include()
diff --git a/sdss/setup.py b/sdss/setup.py
index f34e9ddc5..31c631b49 100644
--- a/sdss/setup.py
+++ b/sdss/setup.py
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 # This file is part of the Astrometry.net suite.
 # Licensed under a 3-clause BSD style license - see LICENSE
-from distutils.core import setup, Extension
+from setuptools import setup, Extension
 import os
 import sys
 
diff --git a/setup-libkd.py b/setup-libkd.py
index b0c076a3a..a30b80f1f 100644
--- a/setup-libkd.py
+++ b/setup-libkd.py
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import os
-from distutils.core import setup, Extension
+from setuptools import setup, Extension
 
 from numpy import get_include
 numpy_inc = get_include()
diff --git a/setup.py b/setup.py
index 70bd81c83..24a209576 100644
--- a/setup.py
+++ b/setup.py
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 from __future__ import print_function
-from distutils.core import setup, Extension
+from setuptools import setup, Extension
 from setuptools.command.install import install
 import subprocess
 import os
diff --git a/solver/setup-solver.py b/solver/setup-solver.py
index 54c901228..057dd2b1b 100644
--- a/solver/setup-solver.py
+++ b/solver/setup-solver.py
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@
 
 
 from an_build_ext import an_build_ext
-from distutils.core import setup, Extension
+from setuptools import setup, Extension
 import numpy
 
 numpy_inc = [numpy.get_include()]
diff --git a/util/an_build_ext.py b/util/an_build_ext.py
index c1e623847..ebec10563 100644
--- a/util/an_build_ext.py
+++ b/util/an_build_ext.py
@@ -1,9 +1,14 @@
 # This file is part of the Astrometry.net suite.
 # Licensed under a 3-clause BSD style license - see LICENSE
-from distutils.command.build_ext import build_ext # as _build_py
-#from distutils.command import build_ext as _build_ext
-from distutils.dep_util import newer_group, newer
-from distutils import log
+from setuptools.command.build_ext import build_ext # as _build_py
+#from setuptools.command import build_ext as _build_ext
+try:
+    from setuptools.modified import newer_group, newer
+except ModuleNotFoundError:
+    from setuptools import distutils
+    newer_group = distutils.dep_util.newer_group
+    newer = distutils.dep_util.newer
+import logging as log
 import os
 
 class an_build_ext(build_ext):
diff --git a/util/makefile.common b/util/makefile.common
index d7e1191f3..9bd3bc99d 100644
--- a/util/makefile.common
+++ b/util/makefile.common
@@ -118,7 +118,7 @@ SHAREDLIBFLAGS_DEF := $(shell $(LINKTEST))
 SHAREDLIB_SUFFIX = so
 
 # Cygwin peculiarities:
-# --.dll filename suffix for shared libraries (created by python distutils)
+# --.dll filename suffix for shared libraries (created by python setuptools)
 # -- -fPIC produces warnings
 
 UNAME = $(shell uname -s)
@@ -126,8 +126,8 @@ ifneq (CYGWIN,$(findstring CYGWIN,$(UNAME)))
   SHAREDLIBFLAGS_DEF += -fPIC
 endif 
 
-# Get the library suffix used by python distutils (.dll on cygwin, .so elsewhere for py2; .PLATFORM.so for py3)
-PYTHON_SO_EXT ?= $(shell $(PYTHON) -c "from distutils import sysconfig; print(sysconfig.get_config_var('EXT_SUFFIX') or sysconfig.get_config_var('SO'))")
+# Get the library suffix used by python sysconfig (.dll on cygwin, .so elsewhere for py2; .PLATFORM.so for py3)
+PYTHON_SO_EXT ?= $(shell $(PYTHON) -c "import sysconfig; print(sysconfig.get_config_var('EXT_SUFFIX') or sysconfig.get_config_var('SO'))")
 
 # Set a default, otherwise terrible things happen:
 #   in util/Makefile : clean: rm -f *$(PYTHON_SO_EXT)
diff --git a/util/setup.py b/util/setup.py
index ccc0331fd..4d22068af 100644
--- a/util/setup.py
+++ b/util/setup.py
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@
 
 from an_build_ext import *
 
-from distutils.core import setup, Extension
+from setuptools import setup, Extension
 import numpy
 from setuputils import *