diff --git a/third_party/acados/acados_template/acados_ocp.py b/third_party/acados/acados_template/acados_ocp.py
index ec02822ce..d6236e1f6 100644
--- a/third_party/acados/acados_template/acados_ocp.py
+++ b/third_party/acados/acados_template/acados_ocp.py
@@ -1,4 +1,3 @@
-# -*- coding: future_fstrings -*-
 #
 # Copyright (c) The acados authors.
 #
diff --git a/third_party/acados/acados_template/acados_ocp_solver.py b/third_party/acados/acados_template/acados_ocp_solver.py
index ffc9cf4b0..229bdf603 100644
--- a/third_party/acados/acados_template/acados_ocp_solver.py
+++ b/third_party/acados/acados_template/acados_ocp_solver.py
@@ -1,4 +1,3 @@
-# -*- coding: future_fstrings -*-
 #
 # Copyright (c) The acados authors.
 #
diff --git a/third_party/acados/acados_template/acados_ocp_solver_pyx.pyx b/third_party/acados/acados_template/acados_ocp_solver_pyx.pyx
index acd7f02d0..bc03ba086 100644
--- a/third_party/acados/acados_template/acados_ocp_solver_pyx.pyx
+++ b/third_party/acados/acados_template/acados_ocp_solver_pyx.pyx
@@ -1,4 +1,3 @@
-# -*- coding: future_fstrings -*-
 #
 # Copyright (c) The acados authors.
 #
diff --git a/third_party/acados/acados_template/acados_sim.py b/third_party/acados/acados_template/acados_sim.py
index c0d6937a4..7faa49fb1 100644
--- a/third_party/acados/acados_template/acados_sim.py
+++ b/third_party/acados/acados_template/acados_sim.py
@@ -1,4 +1,3 @@
-# -*- coding: future_fstrings -*-
 #
 # Copyright (c) The acados authors.
 #
diff --git a/third_party/acados/acados_template/acados_sim_solver.py b/third_party/acados/acados_template/acados_sim_solver.py
index 612f439ea..de5ee1070 100644
--- a/third_party/acados/acados_template/acados_sim_solver.py
+++ b/third_party/acados/acados_template/acados_sim_solver.py
@@ -1,4 +1,3 @@
-# -*- coding: future_fstrings -*-
 #
 # Copyright (c) The acados authors.
 #
diff --git a/third_party/acados/acados_template/acados_sim_solver_common.pxd b/third_party/acados/acados_template/acados_sim_solver_common.pxd
index cc6a58efd..7c20a6d24 100644
--- a/third_party/acados/acados_template/acados_sim_solver_common.pxd
+++ b/third_party/acados/acados_template/acados_sim_solver_common.pxd
@@ -1,4 +1,3 @@
-# -*- coding: future_fstrings -*-
 #
 # Copyright (c) The acados authors.
 #
diff --git a/third_party/acados/acados_template/acados_sim_solver_pyx.pyx b/third_party/acados/acados_template/acados_sim_solver_pyx.pyx
index be400addc..01964fd7a 100644
--- a/third_party/acados/acados_template/acados_sim_solver_pyx.pyx
+++ b/third_party/acados/acados_template/acados_sim_solver_pyx.pyx
@@ -1,4 +1,3 @@
-# -*- coding: future_fstrings -*-
 #
 # Copyright (c) The acados authors.
 #
diff --git a/third_party/acados/acados_template/acados_solver_common.pxd b/third_party/acados/acados_template/acados_solver_common.pxd
index c6d59d40a..75d021626 100644
--- a/third_party/acados/acados_template/acados_solver_common.pxd
+++ b/third_party/acados/acados_template/acados_solver_common.pxd
@@ -1,4 +1,3 @@
-# -*- coding: future_fstrings -*-
 #
 # Copyright (c) The acados authors.
 #
diff --git a/third_party/acados/acados_template/builders.py b/third_party/acados/acados_template/builders.py
index 6f21bfe8c..8acc05b52 100644
--- a/third_party/acados/acados_template/builders.py
+++ b/third_party/acados/acados_template/builders.py
@@ -1,4 +1,3 @@
-# -*- coding: future_fstrings -*-
 #
 # Copyright 2019 Gianluca Frison, Dimitris Kouzoupis, Robin Verschueren,
 # Andrea Zanelli, Niels van Duijkeren, Jonathan Frey, Tommaso Sartor,
diff --git a/third_party/acados/acados_template/gnsf/__init__.py b/third_party/acados/acados_template/gnsf/__init__.py
deleted file mode 100644
index e69de29bb..000000000
diff --git a/third_party/acados/acados_template/utils.py b/third_party/acados/acados_template/utils.py
index d6f6c02f8..f27617fa3 100644
--- a/third_party/acados/acados_template/utils.py
+++ b/third_party/acados/acados_template/utils.py
@@ -1,4 +1,3 @@
-# -*- coding: future_fstrings -*-
 #
 # Copyright (c) The acados authors.
 #
diff --git a/third_party/acados/build.sh b/third_party/acados/build.sh
index b45c167b1..2b803ef6b 100755
--- a/third_party/acados/build.sh
+++ b/third_party/acados/build.sh
@@ -44,6 +44,12 @@ cp -r $DIR/acados_repo/lib $INSTALL_DIR
 cp -r $DIR/acados_repo/interfaces/acados_template/acados_template $DIR/
 #pip3 install -e $DIR/acados/interfaces/acados_template
 
+# skip macOS - sed is different :/
+if [[ "$OSTYPE" != "darwin"* ]]; then
+  # strip future_fstrings to avoid having to install the compatibility package
+  find $DIR/acados_template/ -type f -exec sed -i '/future.fstrings/d' {} +
+fi
+
 # build tera
 cd $DIR/acados_repo/interfaces/acados_template/tera_renderer/
 if [[ "$OSTYPE" == "darwin"* ]]; then