diff --git a/location/tox.ini b/location/tox.ini
index dbb7b77b..c625edbc 100644
--- a/location/tox.ini
+++ b/location/tox.ini
@@ -1,13 +1,17 @@
 [tox]
 minversion = 4.0
 
+[common]
+deps =
+    pytest>=6
+    pytest-cov
+
 [testenv]
 description = run the tests with pytest
 package = wheel
 wheel_build_env = .pkg
 deps =
-    pytest>=6
-    pytest-cov
+    {[common]deps}
     # The packages it depends on come from this checkout rather than a
     # package index, so the tests run with the code they are released with.
     -e../pipeline/fiftyone_pipeline_core/
@@ -21,8 +25,11 @@ pass_env =
     _51DEGREES_LICENSE_KEY
     license_key
 
+# Tests the packages just built, so it takes the test tools from [common]
+# and every package from the requirements file, never the editable copies
+# above, which pip refuses beside a built copy of the same package.
 [testenv:pre-publish]
 package = skip
 deps =
-    {[testenv]deps}
+    {[common]deps}
     -r ../../package/pre-publish-requirements.txt