diff --git a/.github/workflows/main.yml b/.github/workflows/main.yml
index e8f21cbc6..7f91bfd26 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/main.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/main.yml
@@ -492,7 +492,7 @@ jobs:
           architecture: x64
       - name: Install Python dependencies
         run: |
-          python -m pip install -U pip 'setuptools>=43.0.0' wheel
+          python -m pip install -U pip setuptools wheel
           python -m pip install scons pypiwin32 numpy ruamel.yaml cython h5py pandas pytest pytest-github-actions-annotate-failures
       - name: Restore Boost cache
         uses: actions/cache@v2
diff --git a/interfaces/cython/SConscript b/interfaces/cython/SConscript
index a6f7dfb74..7b7839e42 100644
--- a/interfaces/cython/SConscript
+++ b/interfaces/cython/SConscript
@@ -102,7 +102,7 @@ ext = localenv.LoadableModule(f"cantera/_cantera{module_ext}",
                               obj, LIBPREFIX="", SHLIBSUFFIX=module_ext,
                               SHLIBPREFIX="", LIBSUFFIXES=[module_ext])
 
-build_cmd = ("$python_cmd_esc -m pip wheel --no-build-isolation --no-deps "
+build_cmd = ("$python_cmd_esc -m pip wheel -v --no-build-isolation --no-deps "
              "--wheel-dir=build/python/dist build/python")
 plat = info['plat'].replace('-', '_').replace('.', '_')
 wheel_name = (f"Cantera-{env['cantera_version']}-cp{py_version_nodot}"
diff --git a/interfaces/cython/setup.py b/interfaces/cython/setup.py
index 667310b86..20d48f54f 100644
--- a/interfaces/cython/setup.py
+++ b/interfaces/cython/setup.py
@@ -1,5 +1,10 @@
-from setuptools import setup, Extension
+from setuptools import setup
+from setuptools.dist import Distribution
 
-extension = Extension("cantera._cantera", sources=[])
+class BinaryDistribution(Distribution):
+    def has_ext_modules(self):
+        return True
 
-setup(ext_modules=[extension])
+setup(
+    distclass=BinaryDistribution,
+)