diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 9e30d52..449759d 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -15,16 +15,19 @@ Brozzler is designed to work in conjunction with
 Installation
 ------------
 ```
+git clone https://github.com/nlevitt/brozzler
+cd brozzler
 # set up virtualenv if desired
-pip install --process-dependency-links git+https://github.com/nlevitt/brozzler.git
+pip install -r requirements.txt .
 ```
-Brozzler also requires a rethinkdb deployment.
+Brozzler also requires rethinkdb.
 
 Fonts for good screenshots
 --------------------------
 On ubuntu 14.04 trusty I installed these packages:
 
-xfonts-base ttf-mscorefonts-installer fonts-arphic-bkai00mp fonts-arphic-bsmi00lp fonts-arphic-gbsn00lp fonts-arphic-gkai00mp fonts-arphic-ukai fonts-farsiweb fonts-nafees fonts-sil-abyssinica fonts-sil-ezra fonts-sil-padauk fonts-unfonts-extra fonts-unfonts-core ttf-indic-fonts fonts-thai-tlwg fonts-lklug-sinhala
+xfonts-base ttf-mscorefonts-installer fonts-arphic-bkai00mp fonts-arphic-bsmi00lp fonts-arphic-gbsn00lp fonts-arphic-gkai00mp fonts-arphic-ukai fonts-farsiweb fonts-nafees fonts-sil-abyssinica fonts-sil-ezra fonts-sil-padauk fonts-unfonts-
+extra fonts-unfonts-core ttf-indic-fonts fonts-thai-tlwg fonts-lklug-sinhala
 
 License
 -------
diff --git a/requirements.txt b/requirements.txt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a5b98b9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/requirements.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+argparse
+PyYAML
+git+https://github.com/nlevitt/surt.git@py3
+# youtube_dl
+git+https://github.com/nlevitt/youtube-dl.git@brozzler
+git+https://github.com/seomoz/reppy.git
+requests
+# websocket-client
+git+https://github.com/nlevitt/websocket-client.git@tweaks
+rethinkdb
diff --git a/setup.py b/setup.py
index 25722ab..abface2 100644
--- a/setup.py
+++ b/setup.py
@@ -33,13 +33,6 @@ setuptools.setup(name='brozzler',
         packages=['brozzler'],
         package_data={'brozzler':['behaviors.d/*.js*', 'behaviors.yaml', 'version.txt']},
         scripts=glob.glob('bin/*'),
-        install_requires=["argparse","PyYAML","surt==HEAD","youtube-dl==HEAD","reppy==HEAD","requests","websocket-client==HEAD","rethinkdb"],
-        dependency_links=[
-            "git+https://github.com/nlevitt/youtube-dl.git@brozzler#egg=youtube-dl-HEAD",
-            "git+https://github.com/seomoz/reppy.git#egg=reppy-HEAD",
-            "git+https://github.com/nlevitt/websocket-client.git@tweaks#egg=websocket-client-HEAD",
-            "git+https://github.com/nlevitt/surt.git@py3#egg=surt-HEAD",
-        ],
         zip_safe=False,
         classifiers=[
             'Development Status :: 3 - Alpha',