diff --git a/.github/workflows/test.yml b/.github/workflows/test.yml
index f79929bc..40013d62 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/test.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/test.yml
@@ -31,10 +31,10 @@ jobs:
           PIP_DISABLE_PIP_VERSION_CHECK: 1
       - name: Install Dependencies
         run: |
-          python -m pip install -r dev-requirements.txt
+          python -m pip install nox
       - name: Run Tests
         run: |
-          python setup.py test
+          python -m nox -rs test-${{ matrix.entry.python-version }}
       - name: Upload coverage to Codecov
         uses: codecov/codecov-action@v2
         with:
diff --git a/.github/workflows/unified-release.yml b/.github/workflows/unified-release.yml
index c2e707db..d33bdd98 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/unified-release.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/unified-release.yml
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ jobs:
     strategy:
       fail-fast: false
       matrix:
-        stack_version: ['2.4.0']
+        stack_version: ['2.4.1']
 
     steps:
       - name: Checkout
diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 8e4dd37a..c45cc7da 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -1,6 +1,15 @@
 # CHANGELOG
 Inspired from [Keep a Changelog](https://keepachangelog.com/en/1.0.0/)
 
+## [2.4.1]
+### Added
+### Changed
+### Deprecated
+### Removed
+### Fixed
+- Fix dependency on `aiohttp` ([#594](https://github.com/opensearch-project/opensearch-py/pull/594))
+### Security
+
 ## [2.4.0]
 ### Added
 - Added generating imports and headers to API generator ([#467](https://github.com/opensearch-project/opensearch-py/pull/467))
diff --git a/RELEASING.md b/RELEASING.md
index 324c3d55..fdf80f16 100644
--- a/RELEASING.md
+++ b/RELEASING.md
@@ -37,4 +37,4 @@ The release process is standard across repositories in this org and is run by a
 1. The [release-drafter.yml](.github/workflows/release-drafter.yml) will be automatically kicked off and a draft release will be created.
 1. This draft release triggers the [jenkins release workflow](https://build.ci.opensearch.org/job/opensearch-py-release/) as a result of which opensearch-py client is released on [PyPi](https://pypi.org/project/opensearch-py/).
 1. Once the above release workflow is successful, the drafted release on GitHub is published automatically.
-1. Increment "version" in [_version.py](./opensearchpy/_version.py) to the next patch release, e.g. v2.1.1. See [example](https://github.com/opensearch-project/opensearch-py/pull/167).
\ No newline at end of file
+1. Add an "Unreleased" section to CHANGELOG, and increment version to the next patch release, e.g. v2.1.1. See [example](https://github.com/opensearch-project/opensearch-py/pull/593).
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/benchmarks/poetry.lock b/benchmarks/poetry.lock
index a0178934..145d183d 100644
--- a/benchmarks/poetry.lock
+++ b/benchmarks/poetry.lock
@@ -515,7 +515,7 @@ files = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "opensearch-py"
-version = "2.4.0"
+version = "2.4.1"
 description = "Python client for OpenSearch"
 optional = false
 python-versions = ">=2.7, !=3.0.*, !=3.1.*, !=3.2.*, !=3.3.*, <4"
diff --git a/noxfile.py b/noxfile.py
index 296ea8a4..510d30c7 100644
--- a/noxfile.py
+++ b/noxfile.py
@@ -45,6 +45,14 @@
 @nox.session(python=["3.6", "3.7", "3.8", "3.9", "3.10", "3.11"])  # type: ignore
 def test(session: Any) -> None:
     session.install(".")
+    # ensure client can be imported without aiohttp
+    session.run("python", "-c", "import opensearchpy\nprint(opensearchpy.OpenSearch())")
+    # ensure client can be imported with aiohttp
+    session.install(".[async]")
+    session.run(
+        "python", "-c", "import opensearchpy\nprint(opensearchpy.AsyncOpenSearch())"
+    )
+
     session.install("-r", "dev-requirements.txt")
 
     session.run("python", "setup.py", "test")
diff --git a/opensearchpy/__init__.py b/opensearchpy/__init__.py
index e9ef6485..aa528c98 100644
--- a/opensearchpy/__init__.py
+++ b/opensearchpy/__init__.py
@@ -44,12 +44,8 @@
 logger = logging.getLogger("opensearch")
 logger.addHandler(logging.NullHandler())
 
-from ._async.client import AsyncOpenSearch
-from ._async.http_aiohttp import AIOHttpConnection, AsyncConnection
-from ._async.transport import AsyncTransport
 from .client import OpenSearch
 from .connection import (
-    AsyncHttpConnection,
     Connection,
     RequestsHttpConnection,
     Urllib3HttpConnection,
@@ -76,12 +72,7 @@
     UnknownDslObject,
     ValidationException,
 )
-from .helpers import (
-    AWSV4SignerAsyncAuth,
-    AWSV4SignerAuth,
-    RequestsAWSV4SignerAuth,
-    Urllib3AWSV4SignerAuth,
-)
+from .helpers import AWSV4SignerAuth, RequestsAWSV4SignerAuth, Urllib3AWSV4SignerAuth
 from .helpers.aggs import A
 from .helpers.analysis import analyzer, char_filter, normalizer, token_filter, tokenizer
 from .helpers.document import Document, InnerDoc, MetaField
@@ -159,7 +150,6 @@
     "JSONSerializer",
     "Connection",
     "RequestsHttpConnection",
-    "AsyncHttpConnection",
     "Urllib3HttpConnection",
     "ImproperlyConfigured",
     "OpenSearchException",
@@ -178,7 +168,6 @@
     "AWSV4SignerAuth",
     "Urllib3AWSV4SignerAuth",
     "RequestsAWSV4SignerAuth",
-    "AWSV4SignerAsyncAuth",
     "A",
     "AttrDict",
     "AttrList",
@@ -251,10 +240,23 @@
     "normalizer",
     "token_filter",
     "tokenizer",
-    "AIOHttpConnection",
-    "AsyncConnection",
-    "AsyncTransport",
-    "AsyncOpenSearch",
-    "AsyncHttpConnection",
     "__versionstr__",
 ]
+
+try:
+    from ._async.client import AsyncOpenSearch
+    from ._async.http_aiohttp import AIOHttpConnection, AsyncConnection
+    from ._async.transport import AsyncTransport
+    from .connection import AsyncHttpConnection
+    from .helpers import AWSV4SignerAsyncAuth
+
+    __all__ += [
+        "AIOHttpConnection",
+        "AsyncConnection",
+        "AsyncTransport",
+        "AsyncOpenSearch",
+        "AsyncHttpConnection",
+        "AWSV4SignerAsyncAuth",
+    ]
+except (ImportError, SyntaxError):
+    pass
diff --git a/opensearchpy/_version.py b/opensearchpy/_version.py
index 8883d395..371c642d 100644
--- a/opensearchpy/_version.py
+++ b/opensearchpy/_version.py
@@ -25,4 +25,4 @@
 #  specific language governing permissions and limitations
 #  under the License.
 
-__versionstr__: str = "2.4.0"
+__versionstr__: str = "2.4.1"
diff --git a/opensearchpy/connection/__init__.py b/opensearchpy/connection/__init__.py
index 40037859..287b7ecb 100644
--- a/opensearchpy/connection/__init__.py
+++ b/opensearchpy/connection/__init__.py
@@ -27,7 +27,6 @@
 
 
 from .base import Connection
-from .http_async import AsyncHttpConnection
 from .http_requests import RequestsHttpConnection
 from .http_urllib3 import Urllib3HttpConnection, create_ssl_context
 
@@ -36,5 +35,13 @@
     "RequestsHttpConnection",
     "Urllib3HttpConnection",
     "create_ssl_context",
-    "AsyncHttpConnection",
 ]
+
+try:
+    from .http_async import AsyncHttpConnection
+
+    __all__ += [
+        "AsyncHttpConnection",
+    ]
+except (ImportError, SyntaxError):
+    pass