diff --git a/.github/workflows/tests.yml b/.github/workflows/tests.yml
index 7a10dea87..b361c829b 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/tests.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/tests.yml
@@ -16,10 +16,10 @@ jobs:
     runs-on: ubuntu-20.04
     steps:
 
-      - name: Set up Go 1.15
+      - name: Set up Go 1.16
         uses: actions/setup-go@v2.1.5
         with:
-          go-version: 1.15
+          go-version: 1.16
         id: go
 
       - name: Check out code into the Go module directory
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 770c8956b..f00a760fa 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -56,7 +56,7 @@ The requirements for this project are:
 
 At build-time, the following software is required:
 
- * `go >= 1.15`
+ * `go >= 1.16`
  * `python-docutils >= 0.13`
 
 ### Build
diff --git a/go.mod b/go.mod
index 982ac83fa..4dbcaad6a 100644
--- a/go.mod
+++ b/go.mod
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 module github.com/osbuild/osbuild-composer
 
-go 1.15
+go 1.16
 
 require (
 	cloud.google.com/go/cloudbuild v0.2.0
@@ -45,7 +45,6 @@ require (
 	github.com/stretchr/testify v1.7.0
 	github.com/ubccr/kerby v0.0.0-20170626144437-201a958fc453
 	github.com/vmware/govmomi v0.26.1
-	golang.org/x/mod v0.5.0 // indirect
 	golang.org/x/oauth2 v0.0.0-20211005180243-6b3c2da341f1
 	golang.org/x/sync v0.0.0-20210220032951-036812b2e83c
 	golang.org/x/sys v0.0.0-20210917161153-d61c044b1678
diff --git a/go.sum b/go.sum
index d060ef732..9329968c7 100644
--- a/go.sum
+++ b/go.sum
@@ -88,7 +88,6 @@ github.com/BurntSushi/toml v0.4.1 h1:GaI7EiDXDRfa8VshkTj7Fym7ha+y8/XxIgD2okUIjLw
 github.com/BurntSushi/toml v0.4.1/go.mod h1:CxXYINrC8qIiEnFrOxCa7Jy5BFHlXnUU2pbicEuybxQ=
 github.com/BurntSushi/xgb v0.0.0-20160522181843-27f122750802/go.mod h1:IVnqGOEym/WlBOVXweHU+Q+/VP0lqqI8lqeDx9IjBqo=
 github.com/Knetic/govaluate v3.0.1-0.20171022003610-9aa49832a739+incompatible/go.mod h1:r7JcOSlj0wfOMncg0iLm8Leh48TZaKVeNIfJntJ2wa0=
-github.com/Masterminds/semver/v3 v3.1.1 h1:hLg3sBzpNErnxhQtUy/mmLR2I9foDujNK030IGemrRc=
 github.com/Masterminds/semver/v3 v3.1.1/go.mod h1:VPu/7SZ7ePZ3QOrcuXROw5FAcLl4a0cBrbBpGY/8hQs=
 github.com/OneOfOne/xxhash v1.2.2/go.mod h1:HSdplMjZKSmBqAxg5vPj2TmRDmfkzw+cTzAElWljhcU=
 github.com/Shopify/sarama v1.19.0/go.mod h1:FVkBWblsNy7DGZRfXLU0O9RCGt5g3g3yEuWXgklEdEo=
@@ -256,7 +255,6 @@ github.com/golang/protobuf v1.5.1/go.mod h1:DopwsBzvsk0Fs44TXzsVbJyPhcCPeIwnvohx
 github.com/golang/protobuf v1.5.2 h1:ROPKBNFfQgOUMifHyP+KYbvpjbdoFNs+aK7DXlji0Tw=
 github.com/golang/protobuf v1.5.2/go.mod h1:XVQd3VNwM+JqD3oG2Ue2ip4fOMUkwXdXDdiuN0vRsmY=
 github.com/golang/snappy v0.0.0-20180518054509-2e65f85255db/go.mod h1:/XxbfmMg8lxefKM7IXC3fBNl/7bRcc72aCRzEWrmP2Q=
-github.com/golang/snappy v0.0.3 h1:fHPg5GQYlCeLIPB9BZqMVR5nR9A+IM5zcgeTdjMYmLA=
 github.com/golang/snappy v0.0.3/go.mod h1:/XxbfmMg8lxefKM7IXC3fBNl/7bRcc72aCRzEWrmP2Q=
 github.com/golangci/lint-1 v0.0.0-20181222135242-d2cdd8c08219 h1:utua3L2IbQJmauC5IXdEA547bcoU5dozgQAfc8Onsg4=
 github.com/golangci/lint-1 v0.0.0-20181222135242-d2cdd8c08219/go.mod h1:/X8TswGSh1pIozq4ZwCfxS0WA5JGXguxk94ar/4c87Y=
@@ -734,8 +732,6 @@ golang.org/x/mod v0.3.0/go.mod h1:s0Qsj1ACt9ePp/hMypM3fl4fZqREWJwdYDEqhRiZZUA=
 golang.org/x/mod v0.4.0/go.mod h1:s0Qsj1ACt9ePp/hMypM3fl4fZqREWJwdYDEqhRiZZUA=
 golang.org/x/mod v0.4.1/go.mod h1:s0Qsj1ACt9ePp/hMypM3fl4fZqREWJwdYDEqhRiZZUA=
 golang.org/x/mod v0.4.2/go.mod h1:s0Qsj1ACt9ePp/hMypM3fl4fZqREWJwdYDEqhRiZZUA=
-golang.org/x/mod v0.5.0 h1:UG21uOlmZabA4fW5i7ZX6bjw1xELEGg/ZLgZq9auk/Q=
-golang.org/x/mod v0.5.0/go.mod h1:5OXOZSfqPIIbmVBIIKWRFfZjPR0E5r58TLhUjH0a2Ro=
 golang.org/x/net v0.0.0-20180724234803-3673e40ba225/go.mod h1:mL1N/T3taQHkDXs73rZJwtUhF3w3ftmwwsq0BUmARs4=
 golang.org/x/net v0.0.0-20180826012351-8a410e7b638d/go.mod h1:mL1N/T3taQHkDXs73rZJwtUhF3w3ftmwwsq0BUmARs4=
 golang.org/x/net v0.0.0-20180906233101-161cd47e91fd/go.mod h1:mL1N/T3taQHkDXs73rZJwtUhF3w3ftmwwsq0BUmARs4=
diff --git a/tools/prepare-source.sh b/tools/prepare-source.sh
index ea89a520b..62cf45a17 100755
--- a/tools/prepare-source.sh
+++ b/tools/prepare-source.sh
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 
 set -eux
 
-GO_VERSION=1.15.13
+GO_VERSION=1.16.12
 GO_BINARY=$(go env GOPATH)/bin/go$GO_VERSION
 
 # this is the official way to get a different version of golang
diff --git a/vendor/modules.txt b/vendor/modules.txt
index b2efb8e7a..a91c72ab6 100644
--- a/vendor/modules.txt
+++ b/vendor/modules.txt
@@ -392,8 +392,6 @@ golang.org/x/crypto/acme/autocert
 golang.org/x/crypto/pbkdf2
 golang.org/x/crypto/pkcs12
 golang.org/x/crypto/pkcs12/internal/rc2
-# golang.org/x/mod v0.5.0
-## explicit
 # golang.org/x/net v0.0.0-20211209124913-491a49abca63
 golang.org/x/net/context
 golang.org/x/net/context/ctxhttp