diff --git a/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/emacs/package.py b/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/emacs/package.py
index 0075c397b64..990ffd03cd7 100644
--- a/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/emacs/package.py
+++ b/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/emacs/package.py
@@ -48,6 +48,7 @@ class Emacs(AutotoolsPackage):
     depends_on('gtkplus+X', when='+X toolkit=gtk')
 
     def configure_args(self):
+        spec = self.spec
         args = []
         toolkit = spec.variants['toolkit'].value
         if '+X' in spec:
diff --git a/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/libcerf/package.py b/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/libcerf/package.py
index 3bc8ddbd169..82637431d64 100644
--- a/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/libcerf/package.py
+++ b/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/libcerf/package.py
@@ -38,6 +38,7 @@ class Libcerf(AutotoolsPackage):
     version('1.3', 'b3504c467204df71e62aeccf73a25612')
 
     def configure_args(self):
+        spec = self.spec
         options = []
         # Clang reports unused functions as errors, see
         # http://clang.debian.net/status.php?version=3.8.1&key=UNUSED_FUNCTION
diff --git a/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/libevent/package.py b/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/libevent/package.py
index 86aeddaf20b..415e905c125 100644
--- a/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/libevent/package.py
+++ b/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/libevent/package.py
@@ -53,6 +53,7 @@ class Libevent(AutotoolsPackage):
     depends_on('openssl', when='+openssl')
 
     def configure_args(self):
+        spec = self.spec
         configure_args = []
         if '+openssl' in spec:
             configure_args.append('--enable-openssl')
diff --git a/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/libxml2/package.py b/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/libxml2/package.py
index 29a83ee35e4..470998d8826 100644
--- a/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/libxml2/package.py
+++ b/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/libxml2/package.py
@@ -46,6 +46,7 @@ class Libxml2(AutotoolsPackage):
     depends_on('pkg-config@0.9.0:', type='build')
 
     def configure_args(self):
+        spec = self.spec
         if '+python' in spec:
             python_args = [
                 '--with-python={0}'.format(spec['python'].prefix),