Can you update dependencies with a patch?

[sbeem]

I am patching st-0.9 with the alpha patch by putting the .diff in /etc/portage/patches/x11-terms/st-0.9. The patch introduces x11-libs/libXrender as a dependency.

I know I can pull down the ebuild and modify it myself, and then install st with that ebuild. I'd like to keep using the upstream ebuild if possible though.

I know I can also just install the lib, but I don't want to have a package with a silent dependency.

Is there an easier or better way of handling this?

[logrusx]

No. User patches are applied to the sources, not the ebuild. Better copy the ebuild in a local repo and do it that way.

Best Regards,
Georgi