diff --git a/middleman-core/middleman-core.gemspec b/middleman-core/middleman-core.gemspec
index f516c88b..33408f7b 100644
--- a/middleman-core/middleman-core.gemspec
+++ b/middleman-core/middleman-core.gemspec
@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@ Gem::Specification.new do |s|
   s.add_dependency("padrino-helpers", ["~> 0.12.1"])
 
   # Watcher
-  s.add_dependency("listen", ["~> 1.1"])
+  s.add_dependency("listen", [">= 2.7.9", "< 3.0"])
 
   # i18n
   s.add_dependency("i18n", ["~> 0.6.9"])