diff --git a/share/spack/gitlab/cloud_pipelines/stacks/developer-tools-aarch64-linux-gnu/spack.yaml b/share/spack/gitlab/cloud_pipelines/stacks/developer-tools-aarch64-linux-gnu/spack.yaml
index 1c2e7439e0a..9340f545c97 100644
--- a/share/spack/gitlab/cloud_pipelines/stacks/developer-tools-aarch64-linux-gnu/spack.yaml
+++ b/share/spack/gitlab/cloud_pipelines/stacks/developer-tools-aarch64-linux-gnu/spack.yaml
@@ -2,79 +2,75 @@ spack:
   view: false
   packages:
     all:
-      require: target=aarch64
+      require:
+      - target=aarch64
+      prefer:
+      - '%gcc'
+
   concretizer:
     unify: true
     reuse: false
-  definitions:
-  - default_specs:
-      # editors
-    - neovim~no_luajit
-    - py-pynvim
-    - emacs+json+native+treesitter   # note, pulls in gcc
-      # - tree-sitter is a dep, should also have cli but no package
-    - nano   # just in case
-      # tags and scope search helpers
-    - universal-ctags   # only maintained ctags, works better with c++
-    - direnv
-      # runtimes and compilers
-    - python
-    - llvm+link_llvm_dylib~lld~lldb~polly+python build_type=MinSizeRel   # for clangd, clang-format
-    - node-js   # for editor plugins etc., pyright language server
-    - npm
-    - cmake
-    - libtool
-    - go   # to build fzf, gh, hub
-    - rust+dev   # fd, ripgrep, hyperfine, exa, rust-analyzer
-    - binutils+ld+gold+plugins   # support linking with built gcc
-      # styling and lints
-    - astyle
-    - cppcheck
-    - uncrustify
-    - py-fprettify
-    - py-fortran-language-server
-    - py-python-lsp-server
-      # cli dev tools
-    - ripgrep
-    - gh
-    - fd
-    # - bfs # liburing: /usr/include/linux/ipv6.h:19:8: error: redefinition of 'struct in6_pktinfo'
-    - fzf
-    - tree
-    - jq
-    - py-yq
-    - hub
-    - ncdu
-    - eza
-    - lsd
-    - hyperfine
-    - htop
-    - tmux
-    - ccache
-      # ensure we can use a jobserver build and do this fast
-    - gmake
-    - ninja   # should be @kitware, can't be because of meson requirement
-    - openssl certs=system     # must be this, system external does not work
-    - libtree
-    - patchelf
-    - sed
-    - which
-    - elfutils
-    - fontconfig
-    - font-util
-    - gdb
-    - flex
-    - graphviz
-    - doxygen
-    - meson
-
-  - arch:
-    - '%gcc target=aarch64'
 
   specs:
-  - matrix:
-    - - $default_specs
-    - - $arch
+    # editors
+  - neovim~no_luajit
+  - py-pynvim
+  - emacs+json+native+treesitter   # note, pulls in gcc
+    # - tree-sitter is a dep, should also have cli but no package
+  - nano   # just in case
+    # tags and scope search helpers
+  - universal-ctags   # only maintained ctags, works better with c++
+  - direnv
+    # runtimes and compilers
+  - python
+  - llvm+link_llvm_dylib~lld~lldb~polly+python build_type=MinSizeRel   # for clangd, clang-format
+  - node-js   # for editor plugins etc., pyright language server
+  - npm
+  - cmake
+  - libtool
+  - go   # to build fzf, gh, hub
+  - rust+dev   # fd, ripgrep, hyperfine, exa, rust-analyzer
+  - binutils+ld+gold+plugins   # support linking with built gcc
+    # styling and lints
+  - astyle
+  - cppcheck
+  - uncrustify
+  - py-fprettify
+  - py-fortran-language-server
+  - py-python-lsp-server
+    # cli dev tools
+  - ripgrep
+  - gh
+  - fd
+  # - bfs # liburing: /usr/include/linux/ipv6.h:19:8: error: redefinition of 'struct in6_pktinfo'
+  - fzf
+  - tree
+  - jq
+  - py-yq
+  - hub
+  - ncdu
+  - eza
+  - lsd
+  - hyperfine
+  - htop
+  - tmux
+  - ccache
+    # ensure we can use a jobserver build and do this fast
+  - gmake
+  - ninja   # should be @kitware, can't be because of meson requirement
+  - openssl certs=system     # must be this, system external does not work
+  - libtree
+  - patchelf
+  - sed
+  - which
+  - elfutils
+  - fontconfig
+  - font-util
+  - gdb
+  - flex
+  - graphviz
+  - doxygen
+  - meson
 
   ci:
     pipeline-gen:
@@ -82,4 +78,4 @@ spack:
         image: ghcr.io/spack/aarch64-linux-gnu:v2024-12-18
 
   cdash:
-    build-group: Developer Tools aarch64-linux-gnu
\ No newline at end of file
+    build-group: Developer Tools aarch64-linux-gnu