diff --git a/mesonbuild/build.py b/mesonbuild/build.py
index a7a43b40c..45ff4cc2c 100644
--- a/mesonbuild/build.py
+++ b/mesonbuild/build.py
@@ -137,6 +137,15 @@ def get_target_macos_dylib_install_name(ld) -> str:
     name.append('.dylib')
     return ''.join(name)
 
+
+def extract_targets_as_list(
+        kwargs: T.Dict[str, T.Sequence[LibTypes]],
+        key: T.Literal['link_with', 'link_whole'],
+        self_libs: T.List[LibTypes]) -> T.List[LibTypes]:
+    lib_list = listify(kwargs.get(key, [])) + self_libs
+    return [t.get_default_object() if isinstance(t, BothLibraries) else t for t in lib_list]
+
+
 class InvalidArguments(MesonException):
     pass
 
@@ -782,8 +791,8 @@ class BuildTarget(Target):
         # we have to call process_compilers() first and we need to process libraries
         # from link_with and link_whole first.
         # See https://github.com/mesonbuild/meson/pull/11957#issuecomment-1629243208.
-        link_targets = extract_as_list(kwargs, 'link_with') + self.link_targets
-        link_whole_targets = extract_as_list(kwargs, 'link_whole') + self.link_whole_targets
+        link_targets = extract_targets_as_list(kwargs, 'link_with', self.link_targets)
+        link_whole_targets = extract_targets_as_list(kwargs, 'link_whole', self.link_whole_targets)
         self.link_targets.clear()
         self.link_whole_targets.clear()
         self.link(link_targets)
@@ -2493,6 +2502,9 @@ class BothLibraries(SecondLevelHolder):
             return self.static
         raise MesonBugException(f'self._preferred_library == "{self._preferred_library}" is neither "shared" nor "static".')
 
+    def get_id(self) -> str:
+        return self.get_default_object().get_id()
+
 class CommandBase:
 
     depend_files: T.List[File]
diff --git a/mesonbuild/interpreter/interpreter.py b/mesonbuild/interpreter/interpreter.py
index 9de0f8762..d69f569c2 100644
--- a/mesonbuild/interpreter/interpreter.py
+++ b/mesonbuild/interpreter/interpreter.py
@@ -690,6 +690,7 @@ class Interpreter(InterpreterBase, HoldableObject):
         KwargInfo('version', (str, NoneType)),
         KwargInfo('objects', ContainerTypeInfo(list, build.ExtractedObjects), listify=True, default=[], since='1.1.0'),
     )
+    @noSecondLevelHolderResolving
     def func_declare_dependency(self, node: mparser.BaseNode, args: T.List[TYPE_var],
                                 kwargs: kwtypes.FuncDeclareDependency) -> dependencies.Dependency:
         deps = kwargs['dependencies']