diff --git a/.travis.yml b/.travis.yml
index cded32338ac..62f6f251405 100644
--- a/.travis.yml
+++ b/.travis.yml
@@ -13,10 +13,12 @@ env:
   - TOX_ENV=py27-lint-imports-include-list
   - TOX_ENV=validate-test-tools
   - TOX_ENV=py27-lint-docstring-include-list
+  - TOX_ENV=check-python-dependencies
 
 matrix:
   allow_failures:
   - env: TOX_ENV=py27-lint-imports
+  - env: TOX_ENV=check-python-dependencies
 
 addons:
   apt:
diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index b03d1f7e149..4c49289d23a 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -30,6 +30,12 @@ docs: ## Generate HTML documentation.
 	$(IN_VENV) $(MAKE) -C doc clean
 	$(IN_VENV) $(MAKE) -C doc html
 
+setup-venv:
+	if [ ! -f $(VENV)/bin/activate ]; then bash scripts/common_startup.sh --dev-wheels; fi
+
+list-dependency-updates: setup-venv
+	$(IN_VENV) pip list --outdated --format=columns
+
 docs-slides-ready:
 	test -f plantuml.jar ||  wget http://jaist.dl.sourceforge.net/project/plantuml/plantuml.jar
 	java -jar plantuml.jar -c $(DOC_SOURCE_DIR)/slideshow/architecture/images/plantuml_options.txt -tsvg $(SLIDESHOW_DIR)/architecture/images/ *.plantuml.txt
diff --git a/tox.ini b/tox.ini
index 837277c44da..1798790aaa6 100644
--- a/tox.ini
+++ b/tox.ini
@@ -92,3 +92,8 @@ deps =
     flake8>=3.4.1
     flake8-docstrings>=1.1.0
     pydocstyle>=2.1.1
+
+[testenv:check-python-dependencies]
+commands = make list-dependency-updates # someday change exit code on this.
+whitelist_externals = make
+skip_install = True