diff --git a/labscript_utils/device_registry/_device_registry.py b/labscript_utils/device_registry/_device_registry.py
index 256d76d..0c64cb2 100644
--- a/labscript_utils/device_registry/_device_registry.py
+++ b/labscript_utils/device_registry/_device_registry.py
@@ -1,12 +1,17 @@
 import os
 import importlib
-import imp
 import warnings
 import traceback
 import inspect
 from labscript_utils import dedent
 from labscript_utils.labconfig import LabConfig
 
+# deal with removal of imp from python 3.12
+try:
+    import _imp as imp
+except ImportError:
+    import imp
+
 """This file contains the machinery for registering and looking up what BLACS tab and
 runviewer parser classes belong to a particular labscript device. "labscript device"
 here means a device that BLACS needs to communicate with. These devices have
diff --git a/labscript_utils/modulewatcher.py b/labscript_utils/modulewatcher.py
index 25df904..d9029dd 100644
--- a/labscript_utils/modulewatcher.py
+++ b/labscript_utils/modulewatcher.py
@@ -14,10 +14,15 @@
 import threading
 import time
 import os
-import imp
 import site
 import sysconfig
 
+# deal with removal of imp from python 3.12
+try:
+    import _imp as imp
+except ImportError:
+    import imp
+
 
 # Directories in which the standard library and installed packages may be located.
 # Modules in these locations will be whitelisted: