diff --git a/python-flit-core.spec b/python-flit-core.spec
index f26c8e3..e63eb08 100644
--- a/python-flit-core.spec
+++ b/python-flit-core.spec
@@ -18,12 +18,8 @@
 
 %define modname flit-core
 %define mypython python
-# this must be hardcoded until obs can read it from a prjconf definition
-%if 0%{suse_version} >= 1550
-%define primary_python python310
-%else
-%define primary_python python3
-%endif
+# fallback if primary_python is not available from the project configuration
+%{?!primary_python:%define primary_python python3%{?!sle_version:10}}
 %global flavor @BUILD_FLAVOR@%{nil}
 %if "%{flavor}" == "primary"
 # this one is built in Ring0
@@ -33,7 +29,7 @@
 %if "%{flavor}" == ""
 # The rest is in Ring1
 %define pprefix python
-%if 0%{suse_version} >= 1550 || 0%{?sle_version} == 150500
+%if 0%{?suse_version} >= 1550 || 0%{?sle_version} == 150500
 %{expand:%%define skip_%{primary_python} 1}
 BuildRequires:  python3-base >= 3.6
 %else
@@ -68,6 +64,7 @@ BuildRequires:  python-rpm-macros
 BuildArch:      noarch
 # SECTION boo#1186870: we are a transitive build dependency of python-packaging which is used by pythondistdeps.py normally creating this entry
 #!BuildIgnore:  python3-packaging
+#!BuildIgnore:  %{primary_python}-packaging
 Provides:       %{mypython}%{python_version}dist(%{modname}) = %{version}
 %if "%{python_flavor}" == "python3" || "%{python_provides}" == "python3"
 Provides:       %{mypython}3dist(%{modname}) = %{version}