diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 47a8521..d1bdf85 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -8,14 +8,15 @@ A theme, config and collection of plugins for Vim.
 * **Bash**: Required by the _update_ and _gentags_ scripts.
 * **Coreutils**: Required by the _update_ script.
 * **Git**: Required by the _update_ script and git-related plugins.
-* **Python**: Required by the _deoplete_ and _MatchTagAlways_ plugins.
 
 ## Optional Requirements ##
 
 * **Compilers, Linters and Runtimes**: The ale plugin can use compilers, linters and runtimes to provide real-time syntax checking.
 * **CTags**: Required by the _tagbar_ and _deoplete_ plugins as well as the _gentags_ script ([ctags website](http://ctags.sourceforge.net)).
 * **Powerline Fonts**: Required to enable the fancier looking status line ([powerline-fonts repo](https://github.com/Lokaltog/powerline-fonts)).
-* **Neovim Python Module**: Required for _deoplete_ autocompletion
+* **Python**: Required for _deoplete_ autocompletion and _MatchTagAlways_ functionality.
+* **Neovim Python Module**: Required for _deoplete_ autocompletion.
+* **Python Msgpack**: Required for _deoplete_ autocompletion.
 
 ## Distribution Features ##
 
diff --git a/vimrc b/vimrc
index a33d8ac..17fb344 100644
--- a/vimrc
+++ b/vimrc
@@ -38,12 +38,13 @@
     "Initialize Plugins:
     let pathogen_disabled = []
 
-    "configure pythonx and the python_neovim variable to determine whether deoplete should be loaded
     if has('python3')
+        "configure pythonx and check for the python-neovim and python-msgpack libraries if python3 is found
         if !has('nvim')
             set pyxversion=3
         endif
 
+        "check for python-neovim
         redir => python_neovim_check
         silent python3 exec("import pkgutil\nneovim = pkgutil.find_loader('neovim')\nfound = neovim is not None\nprint(found)")
         redir END
@@ -53,29 +54,41 @@
         else
             let g:python_neovim = 0
         endif
+
+        "check for python-msgpack
+        redir => python_msgpack_check
+        silent python3 exec("import pkgutil\nmsgpack = pkgutil.find_loader('msgpack')\nfound = msgpack is not None\nprint(found)")
+        redir END
+
+        if substitute(python_msgpack_check, '^\n*\([^\n]*\)\n*$', '\1', '') == 'True'
+            let g:python_msgpack = 1
+        else
+            let g:python_msgpack = 0
+        endif
     else
-        let g:python_neovim = 0
-    endif
-
-    "disable incompatible/unnecessary plugins
-    if has('nvim')
-        call add(pathogen_disabled, 'vim-fixkey')
-    endif
-
-    if !has('python') && !has('python3')
+        "if python isn't available disable plugins that depend on it and set library variables to false
         call add(pathogen_disabled, 'MatchTagAlways')
+        let g:python_neovim = 0
+        let g:python_msgpack = 0
     endif
 
-    if !g:python_neovim
+    if !g:python_neovim || !g:python_msgpack
+        "don't load deoplete if either of its python dependencies are missing
         call add(pathogen_disabled, 'deoplete.nvim')
         call add(pathogen_disabled, 'neco-syntax')
         call add(pathogen_disabled, 'nvim-yarp')
         call add(pathogen_disabled, 'vim-hug-neovim-rpc')
     elseif has('nvim')
+        "don't load the neovim compatibility plugins required by deoplete if actually running neovim
         call add(pathogen_disabled, 'nvim-yarp')
         call add(pathogen_disabled, 'vim-hug-neovim-rpc')
     endif
 
+    "if neovim is being used we should disable plugins that aren't compatible or necessary
+    if has('nvim')
+        call add(pathogen_disabled, 'vim-fixkey')
+    endif
+
     "use pathogen to load plugins that haven't been disabled
     runtime bundle/vim-pathogen/autoload/pathogen.vim