--- ../build2/libbuild2/cc/pkgconfig.cxx	2026-06-07 12:06:23.537183278 +0300
+++ ../build2/libbuild2/cc/pkgconfig.cxx	2026-06-07 12:06:54.433776515 +0300
@@ -627,8 +627,13 @@
         };
 
         if (!binless && self.empty ())
-          fail << "library expected in '" << lflags () << "'" <<
-            info << "while parsing pkg-config --libs " << pc.path;
+        {
+          if (pc.libs (la).empty ())
+            binless = true;
+          else
+            fail << "library expected in '" << lflags () << "'" <<
+              info << "while parsing pkg-config --libs " << pc.path;
+        }
 
         // Resolve -lfoo into the library file path using our import installed
         // machinery (i.e., we are going to call search_library() that will