diff --git a/package/python-pymupdf/Config.in b/package/python-pymupdf/Config.in
index ecaa5496b5..3831a25451 100644
--- a/package/python-pymupdf/Config.in
+++ b/package/python-pymupdf/Config.in
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ config BR2_PACKAGE_PYTHON_PYMUPDF
 	select BR2_PACKAGE_HOST_SWIG
 	select BR2_PACKAGE_FREETYPE
 	select BR2_PACKAGE_MUPDF
-	select BR2_PACKAGE_ZLIB
+	select BR2_PACKAGE_PYTHON3_ZLIB # runtime
 	help
 	  Python bindings for the PDF rendering library MuPDF.
 
diff --git a/package/python-pymupdf/python-pymupdf.mk b/package/python-pymupdf/python-pymupdf.mk
index 8825868fb5..8547d4f3fb 100644
--- a/package/python-pymupdf/python-pymupdf.mk
+++ b/package/python-pymupdf/python-pymupdf.mk
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ PYTHON_PYMUPDF_SETUP_TYPE = setuptools
 PYTHON_PYMUPDF_LICENSE = AGPL-3.0+
 PYTHON_PYMUPDF_LICENSE_FILES = COPYING
 # No license file included in pip, but it's present on github
-PYTHON_PYMUPDF_DEPENDENCIES = freetype host-swig mupdf zlib
+PYTHON_PYMUPDF_DEPENDENCIES = freetype host-swig mupdf
 PYTHON_PYMUPDF_BUILD_OPTS = --skip-dependency-check
 
 PYTHON_PYMUPDF_ENV = CFLAGS="-I$(STAGING_DIR)/usr/include/mupdf -I$(STAGING_DIR)/usr/include/freetype2"