diff --git a/deno.changes b/deno.changes
index e22769d..c838dd8 100644
--- a/deno.changes
+++ b/deno.changes
@@ -1,3 +1,8 @@
+-------------------------------------------------------------------
+Tue Jun 21 17:22:03 UTC 2022 - Avindra Goolcharan <avindra@opensuse.org>
+
+- apply workaround so that /usr/bin/python resolves to python3
+
 -------------------------------------------------------------------
 Sat Jun 18 21:18:04 UTC 2022 - Avindra Goolcharan <avindra@opensuse.org>
 
diff --git a/deno.spec b/deno.spec
index 9209061..fc75e9b 100644
--- a/deno.spec
+++ b/deno.spec
@@ -30,15 +30,15 @@ Source1:        vendor.tar.xz
 Source99:       revendor_source.sh
 # see https://github.com/denoland/chromium_build/pull/197
 Patch0:         fix-cflags.patch
-BuildRequires:  clang
 # gcc-c++ needed to build SPIRV-Cross
+BuildRequires:  clang
 BuildRequires:  gcc-c++
 BuildRequires:  gn
 BuildRequires:  lld
 BuildRequires:  llvm
 BuildRequires:  ninja
 BuildRequires:  pkgconfig
-BuildRequires:  python
+BuildRequires:  python3-base
 BuildRequires:  python3-setuptools
 BuildRequires:  rust >= 1.53.0
 BuildRequires:  rust-packaging
@@ -64,7 +64,15 @@ updated with the --reload flag.
 %define cargo_registry $(pwd)/vendor
 %{cargo_prep}
 
+
 %build
+# workaround to use python3
+# where "python" is invoked
+mkdir -p "$(pwd)/bin"
+ln -sf %{_bindir}/python3 "$(pwd)/bin/python"
+export PATH="$PATH:$(pwd)/bin"
+
+
 export V8_FROM_SOURCE=1
 export CLANG_BASE_PATH=%{_prefix}
 # https://www.chromium.org/developers/gn-build-configuration