diff --git a/easybuild/framework/easyconfig/easyconfig.py b/easybuild/framework/easyconfig/easyconfig.py
index ac4345cc85..7c8e3b8b23 100644
--- a/easybuild/framework/easyconfig/easyconfig.py
+++ b/easybuild/framework/easyconfig/easyconfig.py
@@ -1279,7 +1279,7 @@ def toolchain(self):
                 else:
                     self.log.debug("Found easyconfig for toolchain %s version %s: %s", tcname, tcversion, tc_ecfile)
                     tc_ec = process_easyconfig(tc_ecfile)[0]
-                    tcdeps = tc_ec['ec'].dependencies()
+                    tcdeps = tc_ec['ec'].dependencies(runtime_only=True)
                     self.log.debug("Toolchain dependencies based on easyconfig: %s", tcdeps)
 
             self._toolchain = get_toolchain(self['toolchain'], self['toolchainopts'],
diff --git a/test/framework/easyblock.py b/test/framework/easyblock.py
index 5413c2c5b6..d2347029b0 100644
--- a/test/framework/easyblock.py
+++ b/test/framework/easyblock.py
@@ -3809,6 +3809,26 @@ def test_exts_deps_build_env(self):
                     self.fail(f"Unknown type of environment variable: ${env_var}")
                 self.assertTrue(regex.search(log_txt), f"Pattern '{regex.pattern}' not found in log output")
 
+        # verify fix made in https://github.com/easybuilders/easybuild-framework/pull/5048
+        test_ec_txt = read_file(toy_ec)
+        test_ec_txt += textwrap.dedent("""
+            toolchain = {'name': 'GCCcore', 'version': '12.3.0'}
+        """)
+        write_file(test_ec, test_ec_txt)
+        args = [
+            test_ec,
+            '--rebuild',
+            '--debug',
+        ]
+        with self.mocked_stdout_stderr():
+            with self.log_to_testlogfile():
+                self.eb_main(args, raise_error=True, do_build=True, verbose=True)
+
+        log_txt = read_file(self.logfile)
+
+        regex = re.compile(r"\[SUCCESS\] toy/0.0-GCCcore-12.3.0", re.M)
+        self.assertTrue(regex.search(log_txt), f"Pattern '{regex.pattern}' not found in log output")
+
 
 def suite(loader=None):
     """ return all the tests in this file """
diff --git a/test/framework/easyconfigs/test_ecs/g/GCCcore/GCCcore-12.3.0.eb b/test/framework/easyconfigs/test_ecs/g/GCCcore/GCCcore-12.3.0.eb
index 65c1b9682f..469bd72ab9 100644
--- a/test/framework/easyconfigs/test_ecs/g/GCCcore/GCCcore-12.3.0.eb
+++ b/test/framework/easyconfigs/test_ecs/g/GCCcore/GCCcore-12.3.0.eb
@@ -14,7 +14,11 @@ source_urls = [
     'http://ftpmirror.gnu.org/%(namelower)s/%(namelower)s-%(version)s',  # GCC auto-resolving HTTP mirror
 ]
 
-#gcc_name = 'GCC'
+# only here to verify the fix made in https://github.com/easybuilders/easybuild-framework/pull/5048,
+# see also test_exts_deps_build_env
+builddependencies = [
+    ('gzip', '1.4'),
+]
 
 sources = [
     SOURCELOWER_TAR_BZ2,