diff --git a/packages/hxtorch/package.py b/packages/hxtorch/package.py
index 1af5ac0f95687bbdd87907b11f868cae4861d66d..c8b4dd480366f2e4e6879f1f6d273e0c44825384 100644
--- a/packages/hxtorch/package.py
+++ b/packages/hxtorch/package.py
@@ -59,11 +59,14 @@ class Hxtorch(WafPackage):
 
         include = []
         for dep in self.spec.traverse(deptype='build'):
-            if dep.name == 'pthreadpool':
-                print('skipping {} for headers'.format(dep.name))
-                continue
             query = self.spec[dep.name]
             try:
+                if dep.name == 'pthreadpool':
+                    print('skipping {} for headers'.format(dep.name))
+                    for d in query.headers.directories:
+                        if os.path.exists(d):
+                            env.remove_path('SPACK_INCLUDE_DIRS', d)
+                    continue
                 include.extend(query.headers.directories)
                 print('headers (', dep.name, '):', query.headers.directories, "\n")
             except:
@@ -71,11 +74,15 @@ class Hxtorch(WafPackage):
 
         library = []
         for dep in self.spec.traverse(deptype=('link', 'run')):
-            if dep.name == 'pthreadpool':
-                print('skipping {} for libs'.format(dep.name))
-                continue
             query = self.spec[dep.name]
             try:
+                if dep.name == 'pthreadpool':
+                    print('skipping {} for libs'.format(dep.name))
+                    for d in query.libs.directories:
+                        if os.path.exists(d):
+                            env.remove_path('SPACK_LINK_DIRS', d)
+                            env.remove_path('SPACK_RPATH_DIRS', d)
+                    continue
                 library.extend(query.libs.directories)
                 print('libs (', dep.name, '):', query.libs.directories, "\n")
             except:
diff --git a/spack.yaml b/spack.yaml
index a54cfeffac28103674a1db90700baaf81e2be187..02f0dcb7f194cdb83c36be3b5eba973310ef7853 100644
--- a/spack.yaml
+++ b/spack.yaml
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ spack:
     - py-formencode
     - tvb-framework ^binutils+ld+gold
     - pynn-brainscales@2.0-rc8 ^log4cxx@0.10.0 ^googletest@1.11.0:+gmock
-    #- hxtorch@2.0-rc6 ^log4cxx@0.10.0 ^googletest@1.11.0:+gmock
+    - hxtorch@2.0-rc8 ^log4cxx@0.10.0 ^googletest@1.11.0:+gmock
     - py-neo
     #- py-cerebstats
     #- py-cerebunit