diff --git a/build_library/board_options.sh b/build_library/board_options.sh
index cd3fb6c4bd..e2280ccad1 100644
--- a/build_library/board_options.sh
+++ b/build_library/board_options.sh
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ BOARD_ROOT="/build/${BOARD}"
 ARCH=$(get_board_arch ${BOARD})
 
 # What cross-build are we targeting?
-. "${BOARD_ROOT}/etc/portage/make.conf"
+. "${BOARD_ROOT}/etc/portage/make.conf" || die
 
 # check if any of the given use flags are enabled for a pkg
 pkg_use_enabled() {
@@ -25,12 +25,18 @@ pkg_use_enabled() {
   return $?
 }
 
-# get a package's SONAMEs in soname.provided format
-pkg_soname_provides() {
+# Usage: pkg_version [installed|binary|ebuild] some-pkg/name
+# Prints: some-pkg/name-1.2.3
+# Note: returns 0 even if the package was not found.
+pkg_version() {
+  portageq-"${BOARD}" best_visible "${BOARD_ROOT}" "$1" "$2"
+}
+
+# Usage: pkg_provides [installed|binary] some-pkg/name-1.2.3
+# Prints: x86_32: libfoo.so.2 x86_64: libfoo.so.2
+pkg_provides() {
   local provides p
-  # We could run this command but it ugly and silly slow:
-  # portageq-"${BOARD}" metadata "${BOARD_ROOT}" installed "$1" PROVIDES
-  provides=$(<"${BOARD_ROOT}/var/db/pkg/$1/PROVIDES")
+  provides=$(portageq-"${BOARD}" metadata "${BOARD_ROOT}" "$1" "$2" PROVIDES)
 
   if [[ -z "$provides" ]]; then
     return
diff --git a/build_library/build_image_util.sh b/build_library/build_image_util.sh
index a600fb3755..65b241a4e5 100755
--- a/build_library/build_image_util.sh
+++ b/build_library/build_image_util.sh
@@ -211,7 +211,7 @@ package_provided() {
     for p in "$@"; do
         info "Writing $p to package.provided and soname.provided"
         echo "$p" >> "${profile}/package.provided"
-	pkg_soname_provides "$p" >> "${profile}/soname.provided"
+	pkg_provides binary "$p" >> "${profile}/soname.provided"
     done
 }