diff --git a/pmb/helpers/package.py b/pmb/helpers/package.py
index db648a6b..f3541086 100644
--- a/pmb/helpers/package.py
+++ b/pmb/helpers/package.py
@@ -12,6 +12,14 @@ import pmb.helpers.pmaports
 import pmb.helpers.repo
 
 
+def remove_operators(package):
+    for operator in [">", ">=", "<=", "=", "<", "~"]:
+        if operator in package:
+            package = package.split(operator)[0]
+            break
+    return package
+
+
 def get(args, pkgname, arch, replace_subpkgnames=False, must_exist=True):
     """ Find a package in pmaports, and as fallback in the APKINDEXes of the
         binary packages.
diff --git a/pmb/helpers/pmaports.py b/pmb/helpers/pmaports.py
index 510ec4d0..7cf02eba 100644
--- a/pmb/helpers/pmaports.py
+++ b/pmb/helpers/pmaports.py
@@ -204,6 +204,7 @@ def get(args, pkgname, must_exist=True, subpackages=True):
                     "options": [],
                     ... }
     """
+    pkgname = pmb.helpers.package.remove_operators(pkgname)
     if subpackages:
         aport = find(args, pkgname, must_exist)
         if aport:
diff --git a/pmb/parse/apkindex.py b/pmb/parse/apkindex.py
index 4d23f9c8..3828c268 100644
--- a/pmb/parse/apkindex.py
+++ b/pmb/parse/apkindex.py
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import logging
 import os
 import tarfile
 import pmb.chroot.apk
+import pmb.helpers.package
 import pmb.helpers.repo
 import pmb.parse.version
 
@@ -283,10 +284,7 @@ def providers(args, package, arch=None, must_exist=True, indexes=None):
         arch = arch or pmb.config.arch_native
         indexes = pmb.helpers.repo.apkindex_files(args, arch)
 
-    for operator in [">", ">=", "=", "<=", "<", "~"]:
-        if operator in package:
-            package = package.split(operator)[0]
-            break
+    package = pmb.helpers.package.remove_operators(package)
 
     ret = collections.OrderedDict()
     for path in indexes: