diff --git a/.github/workflows/ci-python-tests.yml b/.github/workflows/ci-python-tests.yml
index 5eeb5d29..10f5a6aa 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/ci-python-tests.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/ci-python-tests.yml
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ jobs:
       - name: Install dependencies
         run: |
           python -m pip install --upgrade pip setuptools wheel
-          pip install -e reme_studio -e ".[dev,core]"
+          pip install -e reme_studio -e ".[dev,core,benchmark-docker]"
           pip install --no-deps -e plugins/auto-fin
           pip install -e plugins/daily_paper
           pip install -e plugins/lme -e plugins/beam
diff --git a/tests/unit/test_benchmark_docker.py b/tests/unit/test_benchmark_docker.py
index 07740e31..0cdb4792 100644
--- a/tests/unit/test_benchmark_docker.py
+++ b/tests/unit/test_benchmark_docker.py
@@ -1299,6 +1299,7 @@ async def test_pool_retries_strict_delete_without_replacing_uncertain_container(
     from types import SimpleNamespace
     from unittest.mock import AsyncMock
 
+    pytest.importorskip("aiodocker")
     from deploy.benchmark_docker.direct_docker_workspace import DirectDockerWorkspace
 
     workspaces = []
@@ -1306,6 +1307,8 @@ async def test_pool_retries_strict_delete_without_replacing_uncertain_container(
     client = SimpleNamespace(close=AsyncMock())
 
     class StrictWorkspace(DirectDockerWorkspace):
+        # Provisioning deliberately populates the inherited Docker handles.
+        # pylint: disable=attribute-defined-outside-init
         async def _provision_backend(self):
             self._container, self._client, self._backend = container, client, TimedOutBackend()
 
diff --git a/tests/unit/test_benchmark_docker_workspace.py b/tests/unit/test_benchmark_docker_workspace.py
index 5817474c..a30521bc 100644
--- a/tests/unit/test_benchmark_docker_workspace.py
+++ b/tests/unit/test_benchmark_docker_workspace.py
@@ -1,15 +1,15 @@
 """Direct workspace lifecycle without a Docker daemon."""
 
-# pylint: disable=missing-function-docstring,protected-access
+# pylint: disable=missing-function-docstring,protected-access,wrong-import-position
 
 import asyncio
 from types import SimpleNamespace
 from unittest.mock import AsyncMock
 
-from aiodocker.exceptions import DockerError
 import pytest
 
-from deploy.benchmark_docker.direct_docker_workspace import DirectDockerWorkspace
+DockerError = pytest.importorskip("aiodocker.exceptions").DockerError
+from deploy.benchmark_docker.direct_docker_workspace import DirectDockerWorkspace  # noqa: E402
 
 
 def make_workspace():