diff --git a/mesonbuild/dependencies/base.py b/mesonbuild/dependencies/base.py
index ec47b4e33..bf560ef8c 100644
--- a/mesonbuild/dependencies/base.py
+++ b/mesonbuild/dependencies/base.py
@@ -278,6 +278,10 @@ class ExternalDependency(Dependency):
             new.link_args = []
         if not sources:
             new.sources = []
+        if not includes:
+            new.include_directories = []
+        if not sources:
+            new.sources = []
 
         return new