diff --git a/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/py-imagecodecs/package.py b/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/py-imagecodecs/package.py
index 86360d53d14..bd425abe9b8 100644
--- a/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/py-imagecodecs/package.py
+++ b/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/py-imagecodecs/package.py
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@ class PyImagecodecs(PythonPackage):
     depends_on("openjpeg@2.4.0:")
     depends_on("snappy@1.1.9:")
     depends_on("zlib-api")
-    depends_on("zlib@1.2.11:", when="^zlib")
+    depends_on("zlib@1.2.11:", when="^[virtuals=zlib-api] zlib")
     depends_on("zopfli@1.0.3: +shared")
     depends_on("zstd@1.5.2:")
 
diff --git a/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/py-py-spy/package.py b/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/py-py-spy/package.py
index 4c588a79bfc..c150d6e9476 100644
--- a/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/py-py-spy/package.py
+++ b/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/py-py-spy/package.py
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ class PyPySpy(Package):
     # CargoPackage base class.
     depends_on("rust", type="build")
     depends_on("unwind")
-    depends_on("libunwind components=ptrace", when="^libunwind")
+    depends_on("libunwind components=ptrace", when="^[virtuals=unwind] libunwind")
 
     def install(self, spec, prefix):
         cargo = which("cargo")
diff --git a/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/py-topiary-asr/package.py b/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/py-topiary-asr/package.py
index 29181dd768f..c56160f9ad0 100644
--- a/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/py-topiary-asr/package.py
+++ b/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/py-topiary-asr/package.py
@@ -47,7 +47,9 @@ class PyTopiaryAsr(PythonPackage):
     depends_on("raxml-ng@1.1:", type="run")
 
     depends_on("mpi", type="run")
-    depends_on("openmpi+legacylaunchers", type="run", when="^openmpi schedulers=slurm")
+    depends_on(
+        "openmpi+legacylaunchers", type="run", when="^[virtuals=mpi] openmpi schedulers=slurm"
+    )
 
     conflicts("^mpich")