diff --git a/build.py b/build.py
index ee9bfdbac..47221c1c2 100644
--- a/build.py
+++ b/build.py
@@ -435,6 +435,8 @@ class BuildTarget():
         return self.include_dirs
 
     def add_external_deps(self, deps):
+        if not isinstance(deps, list):
+            deps = [deps]
         for dep in deps:
             if hasattr(dep, 'held_object'):
                 dep = dep.held_object
@@ -443,6 +445,7 @@ class BuildTarget():
                 self.add_include_dirs(dep.include_directories)
                 for l in dep.libraries:
                     self.link(l)
+                self.add_external_deps(dep.ext_deps)
             elif isinstance(dep, dependencies.Dependency):
                 self.external_deps.append(dep)
                 self.process_sourcelist(dep.get_sources())
diff --git a/dependencies.py b/dependencies.py
index d3a82db27..12d8e5ed2 100644
--- a/dependencies.py
+++ b/dependencies.py
@@ -59,11 +59,12 @@ class Dependency():
         return False
 
 class InternalDependency():
-    def __init__(self, incdirs, libraries, sources):
+    def __init__(self, incdirs, libraries, sources, ext_deps):
         super().__init__()
         self.include_directories = incdirs
         self.libraries = libraries
         self.sources = sources
+        self.ext_deps = ext_deps
 
 class PkgConfigDependency(Dependency):
     pkgconfig_found = None
diff --git a/interpreter.py b/interpreter.py
index c78e83d18..999c53ab2 100644
--- a/interpreter.py
+++ b/interpreter.py
@@ -1111,7 +1111,19 @@ class Interpreter():
         if not isinstance(sources, list):
             sources = [sources]
         sources = self.source_strings_to_files(self.flatten(sources))
-        dep = dependencies.InternalDependency(incs, libs, sources)
+        deps = kwargs.get('dependencies', [])
+        if not isinstance(deps, list):
+            deps = [deps]
+        final_deps = []
+        for d in deps:
+            try:
+                d = d.held_object
+            except Exception:
+                pass
+            if not isinstance(d, (dependencies.Dependency, dependencies.ExternalLibrary)):
+                raise InterpreterException('Dependencies must be external deps')
+            final_deps.append(d)
+        dep = dependencies.InternalDependency(incs, libs, sources, deps)
         return InternalDependencyHolder(dep)
 
     @noKwargs
diff --git a/test cases/linuxlike/2 external library/meson.build b/test cases/linuxlike/2 external library/meson.build
index 8be4daac1..3e2c172d0 100644
--- a/test cases/linuxlike/2 external library/meson.build	
+++ b/test cases/linuxlike/2 external library/meson.build	
@@ -22,3 +22,8 @@ assert(not cc.links(nolinkcode, name : 'Failing link'), 'Linking succeeded when
 
 e = executable('zprog', 'prog.c', dependencies : zlib)
 test('libtest', e)
+
+# Test that ext deps work via an internal dep.
+intdep = declare_dependency(dependencies : zlib)
+exe2 = executable('zprog2', 'prog.c', dependencies : intdep)
+test('libtest2', exe2)