diff --git a/pyproject.toml b/pyproject.toml
index 1ad21a1d4f68..4a2951f65326 100644
--- a/pyproject.toml
+++ b/pyproject.toml
@@ -25,7 +25,6 @@ module = [
     "machine.*",
     "task.*",
     "testvm",
-    "PIL",
 
     # run with bots checked out but its dependencies missing
     "libvirt",
diff --git a/test/common/testlib.py b/test/common/testlib.py
index 6758b2641e53..4e6f9a525406 100644
--- a/test/common/testlib.py
+++ b/test/common/testlib.py
@@ -42,11 +42,7 @@
 from lcov import write_lcov
 from lib.constants import OSTREE_IMAGES
 from machine import testvm
-
-try:
-    from PIL import Image
-except ImportError:
-    Image = None
+from PIL import Image
 
 _T = TypeVar('_T')
 _FT = TypeVar("_FT", bound=Callable[..., Any])
@@ -1203,12 +1199,13 @@ def ignorable_coord(x: int, y: int) -> bool:
             def ignorable_change(a: tuple[int, int, int], b: tuple[int, int, int]) -> bool:
                 return abs(a[0] - b[0]) <= 2 and abs(a[1] - b[1]) <= 2 and abs(a[2] - b[2]) <= 2
 
-            def img_eq(ref: Image, now: Image, delta: Image) -> bool:
+            def img_eq(ref: Image.Image, now: Image.Image, delta: Image.Image) -> bool:
                 # This is slow but exactly what we want.
                 # ImageMath might be able to speed this up.
-                data_ref = ref.load()
-                data_now = now.load()
-                data_delta = delta.load()
+                # no-untyped-call: see https://github.com/python-pillow/Pillow/issues/8029
+                data_ref = ref.load()  # type: ignore[no-untyped-call]
+                data_now = now.load()  # type: ignore[no-untyped-call]
+                data_delta = delta.load()  # type: ignore[no-untyped-call]
                 result = True
                 count = 0
                 width, height = delta.size
@@ -1233,7 +1230,7 @@ def img_eq(ref: Image, now: Image, delta: Image) -> bool:
                     # Preserve alpha channel so that the 'now'
                     # image can be used as the new reference image
                     # without further changes
-                    img_now.putalpha(img_ref.getchannel("A"))
+                    img_now.putalpha(img_ref.getchannel("A"))  # type: ignore[no-untyped-call]
                 img_now.save(filename)
                 attach(filename, move=True)
                 ref_filename_for_attach = base + "-reference.png"