diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index f9bb5154..2adff484 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -6,19 +6,6 @@ project(
   LANGUAGES CXX
   DESCRIPTION "MQT QCEC - A tool for Quantum Circuit Equivalence Checking")
 
-# check whether `modulename` is correctly cloned in the `extern` directory.
-macro(CHECK_SUBMODULE_PRESENT modulename)
-  if(NOT EXISTS "${PROJECT_SOURCE_DIR}/extern/${modulename}/CMakeLists.txt")
-    message(
-      FATAL_ERROR
-        "${modulename} submodule not cloned properly. \
-        Please run `git submodule update --init --recursive` \
-        from the main project directory")
-  endif()
-endmacro()
-
-check_submodule_present(mqt-core)
-
 option(BUILD_MQT_QCEC_TESTS "Also build tests for the MQT QCEC project" ON)
 option(BUILD_MQT_QCEC_BINDINGS "Build the MQT QCEC Python bindings" OFF)
 
diff --git a/cmake/ExternalDependencies.cmake b/cmake/ExternalDependencies.cmake
index a2ef920d..724b287a 100644
--- a/cmake/ExternalDependencies.cmake
+++ b/cmake/ExternalDependencies.cmake
@@ -3,80 +3,88 @@
 include(FetchContent)
 set(FETCH_PACKAGES "")
 
-# A macro to declare a dependency that takes into account the different CMake
-# versions and the features that they make available. In particular: - CMake
-# 3.24 introduced the `FIND_PACKAGE_ARGS` option to `FetchContent` which allows
-# to combine `FetchContent_Declare` and `find_package` in a single call. - CMake
-# 3.25 introduced the `SYSTEM` option to `FetchContent_Declare` which marks the
-# dependency as a system dependency. This is useful to avoid compiler warnings
-# from external header only libraries. - CMake 3.28 introduced the
-# `EXCLUDE_FROM_ALL` option to `FetchContent_Declare` which allows to exclude
-# all targets from the dependency from the `all` target.
-macro(DECLARE_DEPENDENCY)
-  cmake_parse_arguments(DEPENDENCY "SYSTEM;EXCLUDE_FROM_ALL"
-                        "NAME;URL;MD5;MIN_VERSION;ALT_NAME" "" ${ARGN})
-  set(ADDITIONAL_OPTIONS "")
-  if(DEPENDENCY_SYSTEM AND CMAKE_VERSION VERSION_GREATER_EQUAL 3.25)
-    list(APPEND ADDITIONAL_OPTIONS SYSTEM)
-  endif()
-  if(DEPENDENCY_EXCLUDE_FROM_ALL AND CMAKE_VERSION VERSION_GREATER_EQUAL 3.28)
-    list(APPEND ADDITIONAL_OPTIONS EXCLUDE_FROM_ALL)
+if(BUILD_MQT_QCEC_BINDINGS)
+  if(NOT SKBUILD)
+    # Manually detect the installed pybind11 package.
+    execute_process(
+      COMMAND "${Python_EXECUTABLE}" -m pybind11 --cmakedir
+      OUTPUT_STRIP_TRAILING_WHITESPACE
+      OUTPUT_VARIABLE pybind11_DIR)
+
+    # Add the detected directory to the CMake prefix path.
+    list(APPEND CMAKE_PREFIX_PATH "${pybind11_DIR}")
   endif()
-  if(CMAKE_VERSION VERSION_GREATER_EQUAL 3.28)
-    FetchContent_Declare(
-      ${DEPENDENCY_NAME}
-      URL ${DEPENDENCY_URL}
-      URL_MD5 ${DEPENDENCY_MD5}
-      ${ADDITIONAL_OPTIONS} FIND_PACKAGE_ARGS ${DEPENDENCY_MIN_VERSION} NAMES
-      ${DEPENDENCY_ALT_NAME})
-    list(APPEND FETCH_PACKAGES ${DEPENDENCY_NAME})
-  elseif(CMAKE_VERSION VERSION_GREATER_EQUAL 3.25)
-    FetchContent_Declare(
-      ${DEPENDENCY_NAME}
-      URL ${DEPENDENCY_URL}
-      URL_MD5 ${DEPENDENCY_MD5}
-      ${ADDITIONAL_OPTIONS} FIND_PACKAGE_ARGS ${DEPENDENCY_MIN_VERSION} NAMES
-      ${DEPENDENCY_ALT_NAME})
-    list(APPEND FETCH_PACKAGES ${DEPENDENCY_NAME})
-  elseif(CMAKE_VERSION VERSION_GREATER_EQUAL 3.24)
+
+  # add pybind11 library
+  find_package(pybind11 CONFIG REQUIRED)
+endif()
+
+set(FETCHCONTENT_SOURCE_DIR_MQT-CORE
+    ${PROJECT_SOURCE_DIR}/extern/mqt-core
+    CACHE
+      PATH
+      "Path to the source directory of the mqt-core library. This variable is used by FetchContent to download the library if it is not already available."
+)
+set(MQT_CORE_VERSION
+    2.2.2
+    CACHE STRING "MQT Core version")
+if(CMAKE_VERSION VERSION_GREATER_EQUAL 3.24)
+  FetchContent_Declare(
+    mqt-core
+    GIT_REPOSITORY https://github.com/cda-tum/mqt-core.git
+    GIT_TAG v${MQT_CORE_VERSION}
+    FIND_PACKAGE_ARGS ${MQT_CORE_VERSION})
+  list(APPEND FETCH_PACKAGES mqt-core)
+else()
+  find_package(mqt-core ${MQT_CORE_VERSION} QUIET)
+  if(NOT mqt-core_FOUND)
     FetchContent_Declare(
-      ${DEPENDENCY_NAME}
-      URL ${DEPENDENCY_URL}
-      URL_MD5 ${DEPENDENCY_MD5}
-      ${ADDITIONAL_OPTIONS} FIND_PACKAGE_ARGS ${DEPENDENCY_MIN_VERSION} NAMES
-      ${DEPENDENCY_ALT_NAME})
-    list(APPEND FETCH_PACKAGES ${DEPENDENCY_NAME})
-  else()
-    # try to get the system installed version
-    find_package(${DEPENDENCY_NAME} ${DEPENDENCY_MIN_VERSION} QUIET NAMES
-                 ${DEPENDENCY_ALT_NAME})
-    if(NOT ${DEPENDENCY_NAME}_FOUND)
-      FetchContent_Declare(
-        ${DEPENDENCY_NAME}
-        URL ${DEPENDENCY_URL}
-        URL_MD5 ${DEPENDENCY_MD5})
-      list(APPEND FETCH_PACKAGES ${DEPENDENCY_NAME})
-    endif()
+      mqt-core
+      GIT_REPOSITORY https://github.com/cda-tum/mqt-core.git
+      GIT_TAG v${MQT_CORE_VERSION})
+    list(APPEND FETCH_PACKAGES mqt-core)
   endif()
-endmacro()
+endif()
 
 if(BUILD_MQT_QCEC_TESTS)
-  set(gtest_force_shared_crt # cmake-lint: disable=C0103
+  set(gtest_force_shared_crt
       ON
       CACHE BOOL "" FORCE)
-  declare_dependency(
-    NAME
-    googletest
-    URL
-    https://github.com/google/googletest/archive/refs/tags/v1.14.0.tar.gz
-    MD5
-    c8340a482851ef6a3fe618a082304cfc
-    MIN_VERSION
-    1.14.0
-    ALT_NAME
-    GTest
-    SYSTEM
-    EXCLUDE_FROM_ALL)
+  set(GTEST_VERSION
+      1.14.0
+      CACHE STRING "Google Test version")
+  set(GTEST_URL
+      https://github.com/google/googletest/archive/refs/tags/v${GTEST_VERSION}.tar.gz
+  )
+  if(CMAKE_VERSION VERSION_GREATER_EQUAL 3.24)
+    FetchContent_Declare(googletest URL ${GTEST_URL} FIND_PACKAGE_ARGS
+                                        ${GTEST_VERSION} NAMES GTest)
+    list(APPEND FETCH_PACKAGES googletest)
+  else()
+    find_package(googletest ${GTEST_VERSION} QUIET NAMES GTest)
+    if(NOT googletest_FOUND)
+      FetchContent_Declare(googletest URL ${GTEST_URL})
+      list(APPEND FETCH_PACKAGES googletest)
+    endif()
+  endif()
+endif()
+
+if(BUILD_MQT_QCEC_BINDINGS)
+  # add pybind11_json library
+  if(CMAKE_VERSION VERSION_GREATER_EQUAL 3.24)
+    FetchContent_Declare(
+      pybind11_json
+      GIT_REPOSITORY https://github.com/pybind/pybind11_json
+      FIND_PACKAGE_ARGS)
+    list(APPEND FETCH_PACKAGES pybind11_json)
+  else()
+    find_package(pybind11_json QUIET)
+    if(NOT pybind11_json_FOUND)
+      FetchContent_Declare(
+        pybind11_json GIT_REPOSITORY https://github.com/pybind/pybind11_json)
+      list(APPEND FETCH_PACKAGES pybind11_json)
+    endif()
+  endif()
 endif()
 
 # Make all declared dependencies available.
diff --git a/src/CMakeLists.txt b/src/CMakeLists.txt
index c3b1be35..c929aedd 100644
--- a/src/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/src/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -1,10 +1,3 @@
-# add MQT::Core target
-set(BUILD_MQT_CORE_TESTS
-    OFF
-    CACHE BOOL "Build MQT Core tests")
-add_subdirectory("${PROJECT_SOURCE_DIR}/extern/mqt-core" "extern/mqt-core"
-                 EXCLUDE_FROM_ALL)
-
 add_library(
   ${PROJECT_NAME}
   ${PROJECT_SOURCE_DIR}/include/checker