diff --git a/package/busybox/busybox.mk b/package/busybox/busybox.mk
index a7823d82ae..b03945ad9c 100644
--- a/package/busybox/busybox.mk
+++ b/package/busybox/busybox.mk
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ BUSYBOX_LDFLAGS = \
 
 # Packages that provide commands that may also be busybox applets:
 BUSYBOX_DEPENDENCIES = \
+	$(if $(BR2_PACKAGE_IFUPDOWN),ifupdown) \
 	$(if $(BR2_PACKAGE_IPROUTE2),iproute2) \
 	$(if $(BR2_PACKAGE_IPUTILS),iputils) \
 	$(if $(BR2_PACKAGE_KMOD),kmod) \
diff --git a/package/ifupdown/ifupdown.mk b/package/ifupdown/ifupdown.mk
index dfc3f3cc11..84d24aedab 100644
--- a/package/ifupdown/ifupdown.mk
+++ b/package/ifupdown/ifupdown.mk
@@ -7,7 +7,6 @@
 IFUPDOWN_VERSION = 0.8.16
 IFUPDOWN_SOURCE = ifupdown_$(IFUPDOWN_VERSION).tar.xz
 IFUPDOWN_SITE = http://snapshot.debian.org/archive/debian/20160922T165503Z/pool/main/i/ifupdown
-IFUPDOWN_DEPENDENCIES = $(if $(BR2_PACKAGE_BUSYBOX),busybox)
 IFUPDOWN_LICENSE = GPL-2.0+
 IFUPDOWN_LICENSE_FILES = COPYING