# Optional Dependencies in Rubygems **URL:** \ **Category:** Ruby\ **Created:** [January 19, 2007, 4:31pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/optional-dependencies-in-rubygems/82596 "2007-01-19T16:31:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 2\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![chriscole](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/5fc32e/32.png) [@chriscole](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/chriscole)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2007, 4:31pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/optional-dependencies-in-rubygems/82596/1 "2007-01-19T16:31:33Z")
Ok, so after the long Hoe discussion, I have decided to add optional/developer-time dependencies to ruby-gems. The first implementation will be purely for developer-dependencies, not for optional “This will be faster with blah blah blah” dependencies, for the time being, but I do plan to leave the API addition open enough so other styles of dependencies can be added. I would like to know what kind of behaviour for installing the optional dependencies should be. I believe that when normally installing a gem, it should not prompt you at all to install or warn of the optional dependencies, because they are developer dependencies. Ideas for cmd line flags? ---
**Author:** ![chriscole](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/5fc32e/32.png) [@chriscole](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/chriscole)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2007, 4:31pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/optional-dependencies-in-rubygems/82596/2 "2007-01-19T16:31:36Z")
Chris C. wrote: > installing a gem, it should not prompt you at all to install or warn > of the optional dependencies, because they are developer dependencies. > Ideas for cmd line flags? The obvious one: you’ve already got -y/–include-dependencies, so why not -Y/–include-all-dependencies (or --include-optional-dependencies)? I can’t think of a situation where you’d want the optional but not the required dependencies, but being able to list them prior to installing them would be nice.