diff --git a/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/autoconf/package.py b/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/autoconf/package.py
index f651fcf4f1c..59c3ff30caf 100644
--- a/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/autoconf/package.py
+++ b/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/autoconf/package.py
@@ -27,7 +27,6 @@ class Autoconf(AutotoolsPackage, GNUMirrorPackage):
 
     # Note: m4 is not a pure build-time dependency of autoconf. m4 is
     # needed when autoconf runs, not only when autoconf is built.
-    depends_on('help2man', type='build')
     depends_on('m4@1.4.6:', type=('build', 'run'))
     depends_on('perl', type=('build', 'run'))
 
diff --git a/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/bison/package.py b/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/bison/package.py
index 0f5a6910c83..47cf66f5182 100644
--- a/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/bison/package.py
+++ b/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/bison/package.py
@@ -48,7 +48,6 @@ class Bison(AutotoolsPackage, GNUMirrorPackage):
     depends_on('diffutils', type='build')
     depends_on('m4', type=('build', 'run'))
     depends_on('perl', type='build')
-    depends_on('help2man', type='build')
 
     patch('pgi.patch', when='@3.0.4')
     # The NVIDIA compilers do not currently support some GNU builtins.