diff --git a/context.go b/context.go
index ff3a6ce..d044947 100644
--- a/context.go
+++ b/context.go
@@ -174,6 +174,17 @@ func (vm variationMap) clone() variationMap {
 	return newVm
 }
 
+// Compare this variationMap to another one.  Returns true if the every entry in this map
+// is either the same in the other map or doesn't exist in the other map.
+func (vm variationMap) subset(other variationMap) bool {
+	for k, v1 := range vm {
+		if v2, ok := other[k]; ok && v1 != v2 {
+			return false
+		}
+	}
+	return true
+}
+
 func (vm variationMap) equal(other variationMap) bool {
 	return reflect.DeepEqual(vm, other)
 }
@@ -1027,7 +1038,7 @@ func (c *Context) addDependency(module *moduleInfo, depName string) []error {
 }
 
 func (c *Context) addVariationDependency(module *moduleInfo, variations []Variation,
-	depName string) []error {
+	depName string, far bool) []error {
 
 	depsPos := module.propertyPos["deps"]
 
@@ -1043,13 +1054,24 @@ func (c *Context) addVariationDependency(module *moduleInfo, variations []Variat
 	// We can't just append variant.Variant to module.dependencyVariants.variantName and
 	// compare the strings because the result won't be in mutator registration order.
 	// Create a new map instead, and then deep compare the maps.
-	newVariant := module.dependencyVariant.clone()
+	var newVariant variationMap
+	if !far {
+		newVariant = module.dependencyVariant.clone()
+	} else {
+		newVariant = make(variationMap)
+	}
 	for _, v := range variations {
 		newVariant[v.Mutator] = v.Variation
 	}
 
 	for _, m := range depInfo.modules {
-		if newVariant.equal(m.variant) {
+		var found bool
+		if far {
+			found = m.variant.subset(newVariant)
+		} else {
+			found = m.variant.equal(newVariant)
+		}
+		if found {
 			// AddVariationDependency allows adding a dependency on itself, but only if
 			// that module is earlier in the module list than this one, since we always
 			// run GenerateBuildActions in order for the variants of a module
diff --git a/module_ctx.go b/module_ctx.go
index 9182c2d..1cdb51c 100644
--- a/module_ctx.go
+++ b/module_ctx.go
@@ -120,6 +120,7 @@ type DynamicDependerModuleContext interface {
 	BaseModuleContext
 
 	AddVariationDependencies([]Variation, ...string)
+	AddFarVariationDependencies([]Variation, ...string)
 }
 
 type ModuleContext interface {
@@ -327,7 +328,25 @@ func (mctx *dynamicDependerModuleContext) AddVariationDependencies(variations []
 	deps ...string) {
 
 	for _, dep := range deps {
-		errs := mctx.context.addVariationDependency(mctx.module, variations, dep)
+		errs := mctx.context.addVariationDependency(mctx.module, variations, dep, false)
+		if len(errs) > 0 {
+			mctx.errs = append(mctx.errs, errs...)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+// AddFarVariationDependencies adds deps as dependencies of the current module, but uses the
+// variations argument to select which variant of the dependency to use.  A variant of the
+// dependency must exist that matches the variations argument, but may also have other variations.
+// For any unspecified variation the first variant will be used.
+//
+// Unlike AddVariationDependencies, the variations of the current module are ignored - the
+// depdendency only needs to match the supplied variations.
+func (mctx *dynamicDependerModuleContext) AddFarVariationDependencies(variations []Variation,
+	deps ...string) {
+
+	for _, dep := range deps {
+		errs := mctx.context.addVariationDependency(mctx.module, variations, dep, true)
 		if len(errs) > 0 {
 			mctx.errs = append(mctx.errs, errs...)
 		}