diff --git a/subprojects/gst-examples/webrtc/meson.build b/subprojects/gst-examples/webrtc/meson.build
index b5f9d89ace..4e182add96 100644
--- a/subprojects/gst-examples/webrtc/meson.build
+++ b/subprojects/gst-examples/webrtc/meson.build
@@ -1,11 +1,11 @@
 gst_req = '>= 1.14.0'
 gstsdp_dep = dependency('gstreamer-sdp-1.0', version : gst_req,
-    fallback : ['gst-plugins-base', 'sdp_dep'])
+    allow_fallback: true)
 
 libsoup_dep = dependency('libsoup-2.4', version : '>=2.48',
-    fallback : ['libsoup', 'libsoup_dep'], required: false)
+    include_type: 'system', allow_fallback: true, required: false)
 json_glib_dep = dependency('json-glib-1.0',
-    fallback : ['json-glib', 'json_glib_dep'], required: false)
+    include_type: 'system', allow_fallback: true, required: false)
 
 if not libsoup_dep.found() or not json_glib_dep.found()
     message('WebRTC examples are disabled because some dependencies are missing.')
diff --git a/subprojects/gst-plugins-bad/tests/check/meson.build b/subprojects/gst-plugins-bad/tests/check/meson.build
index f996fb8ed4..7ea7b7b6b8 100644
--- a/subprojects/gst-plugins-bad/tests/check/meson.build
+++ b/subprojects/gst-plugins-bad/tests/check/meson.build
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ exif_dep = dependency('libexif', version : '>= 0.6.16', required : false)
 nalutils_dep = gstcodecparsers_dep.partial_dependency (compile_args: true, includes: true)
 
 enable_gst_play_tests = get_option('gst_play_tests')
-libsoup_dep = dependency('libsoup-3.0', required : enable_gst_play_tests)
+libsoup_dep = dependency('libsoup-3.0', include_type: 'system', required: enable_gst_play_tests)
 
 # name, condition when to skip the test and extra dependencies
 base_tests = [
diff --git a/subprojects/gst-plugins-base/ext/vorbis/meson.build b/subprojects/gst-plugins-base/ext/vorbis/meson.build
index 332441005d..ccd3c57619 100644
--- a/subprojects/gst-plugins-base/ext/vorbis/meson.build
+++ b/subprojects/gst-plugins-base/ext/vorbis/meson.build
@@ -52,9 +52,12 @@ plugin_sources += {
   'ivorbisdec': pathsep.join(doc_sources)
 }
 
-vorbis_dep = dependency('vorbis', version : '>= 1.3.1', allow_fallback: true, required : get_option('vorbis'))
-vorbisenc_dep = dependency('vorbisenc', version : '>= 1.3.1', allow_fallback: true, required : get_option('vorbis'))
-vorbisidec_dep = dependency('vorbisidec', allow_fallback: true, required : get_option('tremor'))
+vorbis_dep = dependency('vorbis', version : '>= 1.3.1', allow_fallback: true,
+                        include_type: 'system', required : get_option('vorbis'))
+vorbisenc_dep = dependency('vorbisenc', version : '>= 1.3.1', allow_fallback: true,
+                           include_type: 'system', required : get_option('vorbis'))
+vorbisidec_dep = dependency('vorbisidec', allow_fallback: true,
+                            include_type: 'system', required : get_option('tremor'))
 
 if vorbis_dep.found()
   vorbis_deps = [vorbis_dep]
diff --git a/subprojects/gst-plugins-good/ext/lame/meson.build b/subprojects/gst-plugins-good/ext/lame/meson.build
index f95361bd18..fd697d6d28 100644
--- a/subprojects/gst-plugins-good/ext/lame/meson.build
+++ b/subprojects/gst-plugins-good/ext/lame/meson.build
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ if have_lame
   endif
 else
   lame_dep = dependency('mp3lame', allow_fallback: true, required: lame_option,
-      default_options: ['tools=disabled'])
+      include_type: 'system', default_options: ['tools=disabled'])
   have_lame = lame_dep.found()
   lame_extra_c_args += ['-DHAVE_LAME_SET_VBR_QUALITY', '-DGSTLAME_PRESET', '-DLAME_SUBPROJECT']
 endif
diff --git a/subprojects/gst-plugins-good/ext/meson.build b/subprojects/gst-plugins-good/ext/meson.build
index ecd3ea67f9..93e240f7c6 100644
--- a/subprojects/gst-plugins-good/ext/meson.build
+++ b/subprojects/gst-plugins-good/ext/meson.build
@@ -23,12 +23,12 @@ soup_dlopen_target_kwargs = {}
 
 if get_option('soup').allowed() or get_option('adaptivedemux2').allowed()
   if soup_ver_opt in ['auto', '3']
-    libsoup3_dep = dependency('libsoup-3.0', allow_fallback: true,
+    libsoup3_dep = dependency('libsoup-3.0', allow_fallback: true, include_type: 'system',
                               required: soup_ver_opt == '3' and soup_lookup_dep)
   endif
   if soup_ver_opt in ['auto', '2']
-    libsoup2_dep = dependency('libsoup-2.4', version : '>=2.48', allow_fallback: true,
-                              default_options: ['sysprof=disabled'],
+    libsoup2_dep = dependency('libsoup-2.4', version: '>=2.48', allow_fallback: true,
+                              include_type: 'system', default_options: ['sysprof=disabled'],
                               required: soup_ver_opt == '2' and soup_lookup_dep)
   endif