diff --git a/.github/workflows/pylint.yml b/.github/workflows/pylint.yml
index c65003023..5a440cde1 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/pylint.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/pylint.yml
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ jobs:
       run: |
         set -x
         pip install pylint
-        pip install --upgrade -e .
+        pip install --upgrade -e .[full]
         pylint --exit-zero --errors-only pwnlib -f parseable | cut -d ' ' -f2- > current.txt
         git fetch origin
         git checkout origin/"$GITHUB_BASE_REF"
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 7bd8fdf99..2142f2450 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ Python3 is suggested, but Pwntools still works with Python 2.7.  Most of the fun
 sudo apt-get update
 sudo apt-get install python3 python3-pip python3-dev git libssl-dev libffi-dev build-essential
 python3 -m pip install --upgrade pip
-python3 -m pip install --upgrade pwntools
+python3 -m pip install --upgrade pwntools[full]
 ```
 
 
diff --git a/pwn/toplevel.py b/pwn/toplevel.py
index 92b01ad1d..727997330 100644
--- a/pwn/toplevel.py
+++ b/pwn/toplevel.py
@@ -6,7 +6,6 @@
 import os
 import platform
 import re
-import socks
 import signal
 import string
 import struct
@@ -84,6 +83,7 @@
 debug   = log.debug
 success = log.success
 
+# optional deps
 try:
     import colored_traceback
 except ImportError:
@@ -91,5 +91,10 @@
 else:
     colored_traceback.add_hook()
 
+try:
+    import socks
+except ImportError:
+    pass
+
 # Equivalence with the default behavior of "from import *"
 # __all__ = [x for x in tuple(globals()) if not x.startswith('_')]
diff --git a/pwnlib/context/__init__.py b/pwnlib/context/__init__.py
index 0750c7f20..7aaba70d2 100644
--- a/pwnlib/context/__init__.py
+++ b/pwnlib/context/__init__.py
@@ -23,8 +23,6 @@
 import threading
 import time
 
-import socks
-
 from pwnlib.config import register_config
 from pwnlib.device import Device
 from pwnlib.timeout import Timeout
@@ -1281,6 +1279,8 @@ def proxy(self, proxy):
             socket.socket = _original_socket
             return None
 
+        import socks  # keep dependency optional
+
         if isinstance(proxy, str):
             proxy = (socks.SOCKS5, proxy)
 
diff --git a/pwnlib/protocols/adb/__init__.py b/pwnlib/protocols/adb/__init__.py
index bf305c74b..1c7f199a5 100644
--- a/pwnlib/protocols/adb/__init__.py
+++ b/pwnlib/protocols/adb/__init__.py
@@ -23,7 +23,6 @@
 from pwnlib.util.lists import group
 from pwnlib.util.misc import size
 from pwnlib.util.packing import p32
-from pwnlib.util.proc import pidof
 from pwnlib.util.sh_string import sh_string
 
 log = getLogger(__name__)
diff --git a/pwnlib/tubes/remote.py b/pwnlib/tubes/remote.py
index 58008194c..f749c88af 100644
--- a/pwnlib/tubes/remote.py
+++ b/pwnlib/tubes/remote.py
@@ -2,7 +2,6 @@
 from __future__ import division
 
 import socket
-import socks
 
 from pwnlib.log import getLogger
 from pwnlib.timeout import Timeout
@@ -41,7 +40,7 @@ class remote(sock):
         >>> r = remote('127.0.0.1', 1)
         Traceback (most recent call last):
         ...
-        PwnlibException: Could not connect to 127.0.0.1 on port 1
+        ConnectionRefusedError: [Errno 111] Connection refused
 
         You can also use :meth:`.remote.fromsocket` to wrap an existing socket.
 
@@ -97,11 +96,12 @@ def __init__(self, host, port,
                 self.sock = ssl_context.wrap_socket(self.sock,**ssl_args)
 
     def _connect(self, fam, typ):
-        sock    = None
+        err = None
+        sock = None
         timeout = self.timeout
 
         with self.waitfor('Opening connection to %s on port %s' % (self.rhost, self.rport)) as h:
-            for res in socket.getaddrinfo(self.rhost, self.rport, fam, typ, 0, socket.AI_PASSIVE):
+            for res in socket.getaddrinfo(self.rhost, self.rport, fam, typ):
                 self.family, self.type, self.proto, _canonname, sockaddr = res
 
                 if self.type not in [socket.SOCK_STREAM, socket.SOCK_DGRAM]:
@@ -119,11 +119,13 @@ def _connect(self, fam, typ):
 
                 try:
                     sock.connect(sockaddr)
+                    err = None  # break ref cycle
                     return sock
-                except socks.ProxyError:
-                    raise
-                except socket.error:
-                    pass
+                except IOError as e:
+                    if err is None:
+                        err = e
+            if err is not None:
+                raise err
             self.error("Could not connect to %s on port %s", self.rhost, self.rport)
 
     @classmethod
diff --git a/pwnlib/tubes/serialtube.py b/pwnlib/tubes/serialtube.py
index f8d7b72b3..2cb06f931 100644
--- a/pwnlib/tubes/serialtube.py
+++ b/pwnlib/tubes/serialtube.py
@@ -6,8 +6,6 @@
 import sys
 import time
 
-import serial
-
 from pwnlib.log import getLogger
 from pwnlib.tubes import tube
 
@@ -30,6 +28,9 @@ def __init__(
         self.convert_newlines = convert_newlines
         # serial.Serial might throw an exception, which must be handled
         # and propagated accordingly using self.exception
+
+        import serial
+
         try:
             self.conn = serial.Serial(
                 port = port,
diff --git a/pyproject.toml b/pyproject.toml
index ce59233f9..98285bfd7 100644
--- a/pyproject.toml
+++ b/pyproject.toml
@@ -34,31 +34,35 @@ keywords = ["pwntools", "exploit", "ctf", "capture", "the", "flag", "binary", "w
 
 requires-python = ">=2.7"
 dependencies = [
-    "paramiko>=1.15.2",
     "mako>=1.0.0",
     "pyelftools>=0.29, <0.30; python_version < '3'",
     "pyelftools>=0.29; python_version >= '3'",
-    "capstone>=3.0.5rc2",  # see Gallopsled/pwntools#971, Gallopsled/pwntools#1160
     "ropgadget>=5.3",
-    "pyserial>=2.7",
-    "requests>=2.0",
     "pip>=6.0.8",
     "pygments>=2.0",
-    "pysocks",
     "python-dateutil",
     "packaging",
     "psutil>=3.3.0",
     "intervaltree>=3.0",
     "sortedcontainers",
-    "unicorn>=2.0.1",
     "six>=1.12.0",
-    "rpyc",
-    "colored_traceback",
     "pathlib2; python_version < '3.4'",
     "unix-ar; python_version >= '3'",
     "zstandard",
 ]
 
+[project.optional-dependencies]
+full = [
+    "capstone>=3.0.5rc2",  # see Gallopsled/pwntools#971, Gallopsled/pwntools#1160
+    "colored_traceback",
+    "paramiko>=1.15.2",
+    "pyserial>=2.7",
+    "pysocks",
+    "requests>=2.0",
+    "rpyc",
+    "unicorn>=2.0.1",
+]
+
 [project.urls]
 homepage = "https://pwntools.com"
 download = "https://github.com/Gallopsled/pwntools/releases"