diff --git a/mesonbuild/dependencies/base.py b/mesonbuild/dependencies/base.py
index 9664215c0..7a10d694f 100644
--- a/mesonbuild/dependencies/base.py
+++ b/mesonbuild/dependencies/base.py
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ import textwrap
 import platform
 import itertools
 import ctypes
+import typing
 from typing import Any, Dict, List, Tuple
 from enum import Enum
 from pathlib import Path, PurePath
@@ -73,6 +74,8 @@ class Dependency:
     @classmethod
     def _process_method_kw(cls, kwargs):
         method = kwargs.get('method', 'auto')
+        if isinstance(method, DependencyMethods):
+            return method
         if method not in [e.value for e in DependencyMethods]:
             raise DependencyException('method {!r} is invalid'.format(method))
         method = DependencyMethods(method)
@@ -176,6 +179,20 @@ class Dependency:
         """
         raise RuntimeError('Unreachable code in partial_dependency called')
 
+    def _add_sub_dependency(self, dep_type: typing.Type['Dependency'], env: Environment,
+                            kwargs: typing.Dict[str, typing.Any], *,
+                            method: DependencyMethods = DependencyMethods.AUTO) -> None:
+        """Add an internal dependency of of the given type.
+
+        This method is intended to simplify cases of adding a dependency on
+        another dependency type (such as threads). This will by default set
+        the method back to auto, but the 'method' keyword argument can be
+        used to overwrite this behavior.
+        """
+        kwargs = kwargs.copy()
+        kwargs['method'] = method
+        self.ext_deps.append(dep_type(env, kwargs))
+
 
 class InternalDependency(Dependency):
     def __init__(self, version, incdirs, compile_args, link_args, libraries, whole_libraries, sources, ext_deps):
diff --git a/mesonbuild/dependencies/boost.py b/mesonbuild/dependencies/boost.py
index f5b95f5b3..0de137232 100644
--- a/mesonbuild/dependencies/boost.py
+++ b/mesonbuild/dependencies/boost.py
@@ -105,7 +105,7 @@ class BoostDependency(ExternalDependency):
 
         self.requested_modules = self.get_requested(kwargs)
         if 'thread' in self.requested_modules:
-            self.ext_deps.append(ThreadDependency(environment, kwargs))
+            self._add_sub_dependency(ThreadDependency, environment, kwargs)
 
         self.boost_root = None
         self.boost_roots = []
diff --git a/mesonbuild/dependencies/dev.py b/mesonbuild/dependencies/dev.py
index c911cfa56..5ee85bf9c 100644
--- a/mesonbuild/dependencies/dev.py
+++ b/mesonbuild/dependencies/dev.py
@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@ class GTestDependency(ExternalDependency):
         self.main = kwargs.get('main', False)
         self.src_dirs = ['/usr/src/gtest/src', '/usr/src/googletest/googletest/src']
         self.detect()
-        self.ext_deps.append(ThreadDependency(environment, kwargs))
+        self._add_sub_dependency(ThreadDependency, environment, kwargs)
 
     def detect(self):
         gtest_detect = self.clib_compiler.find_library("gtest", self.env, [])
@@ -117,7 +117,7 @@ class GMockDependency(ExternalDependency):
     def __init__(self, environment, kwargs):
         super().__init__('gmock', environment, 'cpp', kwargs)
         self.main = kwargs.get('main', False)
-        self.ext_deps.append(ThreadDependency(environment, kwargs))
+        self._add_sub_dependency(ThreadDependency, environment, kwargs)
 
         # If we are getting main() from GMock, we definitely
         # want to avoid linking in main() from GTest
@@ -256,7 +256,7 @@ class LLVMDependency(ConfigToolDependency):
             self._set_old_link_args()
         self.link_args = strip_system_libdirs(environment, self.link_args)
         self.link_args = self.__fix_bogus_link_args(self.link_args)
-        self.ext_deps.append(ThreadDependency(environment, kwargs))
+        self._add_sub_dependency(ThreadDependency, environment, kwargs)
 
     @staticmethod
     def __fix_bogus_link_args(args):
diff --git a/test cases/frameworks/15 llvm/meson.build b/test cases/frameworks/15 llvm/meson.build
index b43bb8713..fc750842b 100644
--- a/test cases/frameworks/15 llvm/meson.build	
+++ b/test cases/frameworks/15 llvm/meson.build	
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 project('llvmtest', ['c', 'cpp'], default_options : ['c_std=c99'])
 
-d = dependency('llvm', required : false)
+d = dependency('llvm', required : false, method : 'config-tool')
 if not d.found()
   d = dependency('llvm', required : false, static : true)
   if not d.found()
diff --git a/test cases/frameworks/2 gtest/meson.build b/test cases/frameworks/2 gtest/meson.build
index e5418e963..3f30215de 100644
--- a/test cases/frameworks/2 gtest/meson.build	
+++ b/test cases/frameworks/2 gtest/meson.build	
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ gtest = dependency('gtest', main : true, required : false)
 if not gtest.found()
   error('MESON_SKIP_TEST: gtest not installed.')
 endif
-gtest_nomain = dependency('gtest', main : false)
+gtest_nomain = dependency('gtest', main : false, method : 'system')
 
 e = executable('testprog', 'test.cc', dependencies : gtest)
 test('gtest test', e)
diff --git a/test cases/frameworks/3 gmock/meson.build b/test cases/frameworks/3 gmock/meson.build
index 516547fc7..58591aeba 100644
--- a/test cases/frameworks/3 gmock/meson.build	
+++ b/test cases/frameworks/3 gmock/meson.build	
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ project('gmock test', 'cpp')
 # Using gmock without gtest is a pain so just
 # don't support that then.
 
-gtest = dependency('gtest', main : true, required : false)
+gtest = dependency('gtest', main : true, required : false, method : 'system')
 if not gtest.found()
   error('MESON_SKIP_TEST: gtest not installed.')
 endif