diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index 6543e48003..5e9e2870d8 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -4,8 +4,8 @@ set( CMAKE_ALLOW_LOOSE_LOOP_CONSTRUCTS TRUE )
 
 # Define here the needed parameters
 set (OPENRAVE_VERSION_MAJOR 0)
-set (OPENRAVE_VERSION_MINOR 83)
-set (OPENRAVE_VERSION_PATCH 2)
+set (OPENRAVE_VERSION_MINOR 84)
+set (OPENRAVE_VERSION_PATCH 0)
 set (OPENRAVE_VERSION ${OPENRAVE_VERSION_MAJOR}.${OPENRAVE_VERSION_MINOR}.${OPENRAVE_VERSION_PATCH})
 set (OPENRAVE_SOVERSION ${OPENRAVE_VERSION_MAJOR}.${OPENRAVE_VERSION_MINOR})
 message(STATUS "Compiling OpenRAVE Version ${OPENRAVE_VERSION}, soversion=${OPENRAVE_SOVERSION}")
diff --git a/plugins/configurationcache/CMakeLists.txt b/plugins/configurationcache/CMakeLists.txt
index b1d1c84c2b..0e4b7c40d0 100644
--- a/plugins/configurationcache/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/plugins/configurationcache/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ set_target_properties(configurationcache PROPERTIES COMPILE_FLAGS "${PLUGIN_COMP
 install(TARGETS configurationcache DESTINATION ${OPENRAVE_PLUGINS_INSTALL_DIR} COMPONENT ${PLUGINS_BASE})
 
 # python bindings
-if( HAVE_ALL_PYTHON_HEADERS )
+if( OPT_PYTHON AND HAVE_ALL_PYTHON_HEADERS )
   # include
   include_directories(${PYTHON_INCLUDE_PATH} ${PYTHON_INCLUDE_DIRS}
     ${OPENRAVE_CORE_INCLUDE_LOCAL_DIRS} ${OPENRAVEPY_INCLUDE_LOCAL_DIRS}
diff --git a/python/bindings/include/openravepy/openravepy_int.h b/python/bindings/include/openravepy/openravepy_int.h
index 9d8989e59f..cc31f1bfca 100644
--- a/python/bindings/include/openravepy/openravepy_int.h
+++ b/python/bindings/include/openravepy/openravepy_int.h
@@ -203,6 +203,8 @@ class OPENRAVEPY_API PythonThreadSaver
     PyThreadState *_save;
 };
 
+typedef OPENRAVE_SHARED_PTR<PythonThreadSaver> PythonThreadSaverPtr;
+
 /// \brief release and restore the python GIL... no thread state saved..?
 class OPENRAVEPY_API PythonGILSaver
 {
@@ -215,20 +217,62 @@ class OPENRAVEPY_API PythonGILSaver
     }
 };
 
-class OPENRAVEPY_API AutoPyArrayObjectDereferencer
+template<typename T>
+class OPENRAVEPY_API PyCapsule
 {
 public:
-    AutoPyArrayObjectDereferencer(PyArrayObject* pyarrobj) : _pyarrobj(pyarrobj) {
+    // \brief disables copy constructor to avoid calling Py_DECREF more than once
+    PyCapsule(const PyCapsule<T>&) = delete;
+
+    // \brief the only entrypoint that allows a nullptr. Expects a `reset` call to follow
+    PyCapsule()
+      : _ptr(nullptr)
+    {
+    }
+
+    // \param ptr a not-null pointer
+    PyCapsule(T* ptr)
+      : _ptr(_PreventNullPtr(ptr))
+    {
+    }
+
+    // \param ptr a not-null pointer
+    void reset(T* ptr)
+    {
+        _ptr = _PreventNullPtr(ptr);
+    }
+
+    T* get() const
+    {
+        return _ptr;
+    }
+
+    operator T*() const
+    {
+        return _ptr;
     }
-    ~AutoPyArrayObjectDereferencer() {
-        Py_DECREF(_pyarrobj);
+
+    ~PyCapsule() {
+        if (_ptr != nullptr) {
+            Py_DECREF(_ptr);
+        }
     }
 
 private:
-    PyArrayObject* _pyarrobj;
+    T* _ptr;
+
+    static T* _PreventNullPtr(T* ptr)
+    {
+        if (ptr == nullptr) {
+            throw OPENRAVE_EXCEPTION_FORMAT0(_("Invalid Numpy-array pointer. Failed to get contiguous array?"), ORE_InvalidArguments);
+        }
+        return ptr;
+    }
 };
 
-typedef OPENRAVE_SHARED_PTR<PythonThreadSaver> PythonThreadSaverPtr;
+typedef PyCapsule<PyArrayObject> PyArrayCapsule;
+
+typedef PyArrayCapsule AutoPyArrayObjectDereferencer;  // Backwards compatibility
 
 inline RaveVector<float> ExtractFloat3(const py::object& o)
 {
diff --git a/python/bindings/openravepy_global.cpp b/python/bindings/openravepy_global.cpp
index 87de87cf6f..0dbeccc35d 100644
--- a/python/bindings/openravepy_global.cpp
+++ b/python/bindings/openravepy_global.cpp
@@ -350,8 +350,7 @@ class PyTriMesh
             if (!PyArray_ISFLOAT(pPyVertices)) {
                 throw openrave_exception(_("vertices must be in float"), ORE_InvalidArguments);
             }
-            PyArrayObject* pPyVerticesContiguous = PyArray_GETCONTIGUOUS(reinterpret_cast<PyArrayObject*>(pPyVertices));
-            AutoPyArrayObjectDereferencer pydecref(pPyVerticesContiguous);
+            PyArrayCapsule pPyVerticesContiguous(PyArray_GETCONTIGUOUS(reinterpret_cast<PyArrayObject*>(pPyVertices)));
 
             const size_t typeSize = PyArray_ITEMSIZE(pPyVerticesContiguous);
             const size_t n = PyArray_DIM(pPyVerticesContiguous, 0);
@@ -393,8 +392,7 @@ class PyTriMesh
             if (PyArray_NDIM(pPyIndices) != 2 || PyArray_DIM(pPyIndices, 1) != 3 || !PyArray_ISINTEGER(pPyIndices)) {
                 throw openrave_exception(_("indices must be a Nx3 int array"), ORE_InvalidArguments);
             }
-            PyArrayObject* pPyIndiciesContiguous = PyArray_GETCONTIGUOUS(reinterpret_cast<PyArrayObject*>(pPyIndices));
-            AutoPyArrayObjectDereferencer pydecref(pPyIndiciesContiguous);
+            PyArrayCapsule pPyIndiciesContiguous(PyArray_GETCONTIGUOUS(reinterpret_cast<PyArrayObject*>(pPyIndices)));
 
             const size_t typeSize = PyArray_ITEMSIZE(pPyIndiciesContiguous);
             const bool signedInt = PyArray_ISSIGNED(pPyIndiciesContiguous);
diff --git a/python/bindings/openravepy_int.cpp b/python/bindings/openravepy_int.cpp
index ddd1905bdb..4a0d9855b8 100644
--- a/python/bindings/openravepy_int.cpp
+++ b/python/bindings/openravepy_int.cpp
@@ -300,8 +300,7 @@ void toRapidJSONValue(const object &obj, rapidjson::Value &value, rapidjson::Doc
 #endif // USE_PYBIND11_PYTHON_BINDINGS
     }
     else if (PyArray_Check(obj.ptr()) ) {
-        PyArrayObject* pyarrayvalues = PyArray_GETCONTIGUOUS(reinterpret_cast<PyArrayObject*>(obj.ptr()));
-        AutoPyArrayObjectDereferencer pydecref(pyarrayvalues);
+        PyArrayCapsule pyarrayvalues(PyArray_GETCONTIGUOUS(reinterpret_cast<PyArrayObject*>(obj.ptr())));
 
         int ndims = PyArray_NDIM(pyarrayvalues);
         npy_intp* dims = PyArray_DIMS(pyarrayvalues);
@@ -1586,8 +1585,7 @@ object PyEnvironmentBase::CheckCollisionRays(py::numeric::array rays, PyKinBodyP
     CollisionReport report;
     CollisionReportPtr preport(&report,null_deleter());
 
-    PyArrayObject *pPyRays = PyArray_GETCONTIGUOUS(reinterpret_cast<PyArrayObject*>(rays.ptr()));
-    AutoPyArrayObjectDereferencer pyderef(pPyRays);
+    PyArrayCapsule pPyRays(PyArray_GETCONTIGUOUS(reinterpret_cast<PyArrayObject*>(rays.ptr())));
 
     if( !PyArray_ISFLOAT(pPyRays) ) {
         throw OpenRAVEException(_("rays has to be a float array\n"));