diff --git a/java/base.go b/java/base.go
index d8cd6b3..ea5b137 100644
--- a/java/base.go
+++ b/java/base.go
@@ -605,7 +605,12 @@
 		if dep != nil {
 			if component, ok := dep.(SdkLibraryComponentDependency); ok {
 				if lib := component.OptionalSdkLibraryImplementation(); lib != nil {
-					ctx.AddVariationDependencies(nil, usesLibTag, *lib)
+					// Add library as optional if it's one of the optional compatibility libs.
+					tag := usesLibReqTag
+					if android.InList(*lib, dexpreopt.OptionalCompatUsesLibs) {
+						tag = usesLibOptTag
+					}
+					ctx.AddVariationDependencies(nil, tag, *lib)
 				}
 			}
 		}