diff --git a/setup.py b/setup.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..bb22539e3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/setup.py
@@ -0,0 +1,79 @@
+
+from distutils.core import setup, Extension, Distribution
+from distutils.command.build import build
+import glob
+
+# TODO: what is the portable way of finding the path of a 
+def libname_of(mod):
+  return mod + ".cpython-35m-x86_64-linux-gnu.so"
+
+# TODO: what is the portable way of finding the path of a 
+# library
+# ....
+def path_of(mod):
+  return "build/lib.linux-x86_64-3.5/klayout/" + libname_of(mod)
+# ....
+
+# TODO: what is the portable way of getting the RPATH
+def rpath():
+  return ['/usr/local/lib/python3.5/dist-packages/klayout']
+
+# TODO: should be platform specific
+def link_args(mod):
+  return ['-Wl,-soname,' + libname_of(mod)]
+
+# ------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+macros = [ ('HAVE_CURL', 1), ('HAVE_EXPAT', 1) ]
+
+_tl_sources = glob.glob("src/tl/tl/*.cc")
+
+# Exclude sources which are compatible with Qt only
+_tl_sources.remove("src/tl/tl/tlHttpStreamQt.cc")
+_tl_sources.remove("src/tl/tl/tlFileSystemWatcher.cc")
+_tl_sources.remove("src/tl/tl/tlDeferredExecutionQt.cc")
+
+_tl = Extension('klayout._tl', 
+                define_macros = macros + [ ('MAKE_TL_LIBRARY', 1) ],
+                language = 'c++',
+		libraries = [ 'curl', 'expat' ],
+                extra_link_args = link_args('_tl'),
+                sources = _tl_sources)
+
+_gsi_sources = glob.glob("src/gsi/gsi/*.cc")
+
+_gsi = Extension('klayout._gsi', 
+                define_macros = macros + [ ('MAKE_GSI_LIBRARY', 1) ],
+                include_dirs = [ 'src/tl/tl' ],
+                extra_objects = [ path_of('_tl') ],
+                runtime_library_dirs = rpath(),
+                language = 'c++',
+                extra_link_args = link_args('_gsi'),
+                sources = _gsi_sources)
+
+_pya_sources = glob.glob("src/pya/pya/*.cc")
+
+_pya = Extension('klayout._pya', 
+                define_macros = macros + [ ('MAKE_PYA_LIBRARY', 1) ],
+                include_dirs = [ 'src/tl/tl', 'src/gsi/gsi' ],
+                extra_objects = [ path_of('_tl'), path_of('_gsi') ],
+                runtime_library_dirs = rpath(),
+                language = 'c++',
+                extra_link_args = link_args('_pya'),
+                sources = _pya_sources)
+
+tl_sources = glob.glob("src/pymod/tl/*.cc")
+
+tl = Extension('klayout.tl', 
+                define_macros = macros,
+                include_dirs = [ 'src/tl/tl', 'src/gsi/gsi', 'src/pya/pya' ],
+                extra_objects = [ path_of('_tl'), path_of('_gsi'), path_of('_pya') ],
+                runtime_library_dirs = rpath(),
+                sources = tl_sources)
+
+setup (name = 'KLayout',
+       version = '0.26',
+       description = 'KLayout standalone Python package',
+       author = 'Matthias Koefferlein',
+       author_email = 'matthias@klayout.de',
+       ext_modules = [ _tl, _gsi, _pya, tl ])