diff --git a/WHATSNEW.rst b/WHATSNEW.rst
index 9bfd63ddc..71e5d70d6 100644
--- a/WHATSNEW.rst
+++ b/WHATSNEW.rst
@@ -272,6 +272,15 @@ Documentation
 * Improve colorbar and legend documentation, expound
   added features more carefully (:commit:`43631840`).
 
+Version 0.9.8 (2024-03-XX)
+==========================
+
+Compatibility
+-------------
+
+* Use more flexible reference to ``_cmap_registry`` to support ``matplotlib>=3.6.0`` (:commit:`15a4439`).
+* Try multiple import routes to reference ``fontconfig_pattern`` to support up to ``matplotlib==3.8.3`` (:commit:`f003419`).
+
 Version 0.9.5 (2021-10-19)
 ==========================
 
diff --git a/proplot/axes/base.py b/proplot/axes/base.py
index ae55d19d4..46bc003e5 100644
--- a/proplot/axes/base.py
+++ b/proplot/axes/base.py
@@ -1140,6 +1140,12 @@ def _add_colorbar(
             elif isinstance(ticker, mticker.TickHelper):
                 ticker.set_axis(axis)
 
+        if _version_mpl >= '3.6':
+            print("minorlocator is None, mpl >= 3.6 fix set it to MultipleLocator")
+            if minorlocator is None:
+                from matplotlib.ticker import AutoLocator
+                minorlocator = AutoLocator()
+
         # Create colorbar and update ticks and axis direction
         # NOTE: This also adds the guides._update_ticks() monkey patch that triggers
         # updates to DiscreteLocator when parent axes is drawn.
diff --git a/proplot/colors.py b/proplot/colors.py
index dfc39bd80..0a22c3ec7 100644
--- a/proplot/colors.py
+++ b/proplot/colors.py
@@ -2758,8 +2758,12 @@ def _init_cmap_database():
     """
     # WARNING: Skip over the matplotlib native duplicate entries
     # with suffixes '_r' and '_shifted'.
-    attr = '_cmap_registry' if hasattr(mcm, '_cmap_registry') else 'cmap_d'
-    database = getattr(mcm, attr)
+    try:
+        database = mcm._gen_cmap_registry()
+        attr = '_cmap_registry'  # Need to set this for legacy support.
+    except AttributeError:  # older versions that don't have getter for registry.
+        attr = '_cmap_registry' if hasattr(mcm, '_cmap_registry') else 'cmap_d'
+        database = getattr(mcm, attr)
     if mcm.get_cmap is not _get_cmap:
         mcm.get_cmap = _get_cmap
     if mcm.register_cmap is not _register_cmap:
diff --git a/proplot/internals/rcsetup.py b/proplot/internals/rcsetup.py
index 105f219f3..851d83bde 100644
--- a/proplot/internals/rcsetup.py
+++ b/proplot/internals/rcsetup.py
@@ -14,7 +14,11 @@
 from matplotlib import rcParamsDefault as _rc_matplotlib_native
 from matplotlib.colors import Colormap
 from matplotlib.font_manager import font_scalings
-from matplotlib.fontconfig_pattern import parse_fontconfig_pattern
+
+try:
+    from matplotlib.fontconfig_pattern import parse_fontconfig_pattern
+except ModuleNotFoundError:  # 3.8.0 and higher got rid of the public module.
+    from matplotlib._fontconfig_pattern import parse_fontconfig_pattern
 
 from . import ic  # noqa: F401
 from . import warnings
@@ -45,7 +49,7 @@
 CYCLE = 'colorblind'
 CMAPCYC = 'twilight'
 CMAPDIV = 'BuRd'
-CMAPSEQ = 'Fire'
+CMAPSEQ = 'Viridis'
 CMAPCAT = 'colorblind10'
 DIVERGING = 'div'
 FRAMEALPHA = 0.8  # legend and colorbar
diff --git a/setup.cfg b/setup.cfg
index 8b422f223..5df96d36a 100644
--- a/setup.cfg
+++ b/setup.cfg
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ project_urls =
 [options]
 packages = proplot
 install_requires =
-    matplotlib>=3.0.0,<3.6.0
+    matplotlib>=3.0.0
     numpy
 include_package_data = True
 python_requires = >=3.6.0