diff --git a/.github/workflows/mac-test.yml b/.github/workflows/mac-test.yml
index 2a26882d7ae..a86d7541ab7 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/mac-test.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/mac-test.yml
@@ -13,16 +13,44 @@ jobs:
       max-parallel: 4
       matrix:
         os: [macos-latest]
-        python-version: ['3.10', '3.11', '3.12']
+        python-version:
+          - '3.10'
+          - '3.11'
+          - '3.12'
+
+    # this is needed for conda environments to activate automatically
+    defaults:
+      run:
+        shell: bash -el {0}
+
     steps:
     - uses: actions/checkout@v1
-    - name: Set up Python ${{ matrix.python-version }}
-      uses: actions/setup-python@v5
+
+    - name: Cache conda packages
+      uses: actions/cache@v4
+      env:
+        # increment to reset cache
+        CACHE_NUMBER: 0
+      with:
+        path: ~/conda_pkgs_dir
+        key: ${{ runner.os }}-conda-${{ matrix.python-version}}-${{ env.CACHE_NUMBER }}
+
+    - name: Configure conda
+      uses: conda-incubator/setup-miniconda@v3
       with:
+        activate-environment: test
+        channels: conda-forge
         python-version: ${{ matrix.python-version }}
+
+    - name: Conda info
+      run: conda info --all
+
     - run: |
-        brew install fftw openssl gsl
-        pip install --upgrade pip setuptools "tox<4.0.0"
+        conda install \
+            pip \
+            setuptools \
+            "tox<4.0.0"
+
     - name: run basic pycbc test suite
       run: |
         tox -e py-unittest
diff --git a/tox.ini b/tox.ini
index d3d96b2039b..8e2ebc3245e 100644
--- a/tox.ini
+++ b/tox.ini
@@ -29,14 +29,9 @@ deps =
     git+https://github.com/titodalcanton/BBHx.git@py39-and-cleanup; sys_platform == 'linux'
     git+https://github.com/gwastro/BBHX-waveform-model.git; sys_platform == 'linux'
 conda_deps=
-    mysqlclient
-    lin: gcc_linux-64>=12.2.0
-    lin: gxx_linux-64>=12.2.0
-    ; mac doesn't work, need fix
-    ; mac: clang_osx-64
-    ; mac: clangxx_osx-64
+    c-compiler
     gsl
-    lapack==3.6.1
+    mysqlclient
 conda_channels=conda-forge
 setenv =
     ; Tell the linker to look for shared libs inside the temporary Conda env.