diff --git a/depends/CMakeLists.txt b/depends/CMakeLists.txt
index 118659b3b..b824cebdc 100644
--- a/depends/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/depends/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -19,10 +19,6 @@ add_subdirectory(clsocket)
 ide_folder(clsocket "Depends")
 
 # assemble environment args to pass on to dependency projects
-if (NOT("${CMAKE_GENERATOR_TOOLSET}" STREQUAL ""))
-  list(APPEND CL_ARGS "-T" "${CMAKE_GENERATOR_TOOLSET}")
-endif()
-
 get_cmake_property(vars CACHE_VARIABLES)
 foreach(var ${vars})
   if(var MATCHES "^CMAKE_"
@@ -54,6 +50,8 @@ ExternalProject_Add(libexpat_project
     SOURCE_DIR  ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/libexpat/expat
     INSTALL_DIR ${LIBEXPAT_INSTALL_DIR}
     BUILD_BYPRODUCTS ${LIBEXPAT_LIB}
+    CMAKE_GENERATOR "${CMAKE_GENERATOR}"
+    CMAKE_GENERATOR_TOOLSET "${CMAKE_GENERATOR_TOOLSET}"
     CMAKE_ARGS  ${CL_ARGS} -DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX=${LIBEXPAT_INSTALL_DIR} -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release -DEXPAT_BUILD_EXAMPLES=OFF -DEXPAT_BUILD_TESTS=OFF -DEXPAT_BUILD_TOOLS=OFF -DEXPAT_SHARED_LIBS=OFF -DCMAKE_INSTALL_LIBDIR=lib -DCMAKE_POSITION_INDEPENDENT_CODE=ON
 )
 
@@ -65,6 +63,8 @@ ExternalProject_Add(libzip_project
     SOURCE_DIR  ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/libzip
     INSTALL_DIR ${LIBZIP_INSTALL_DIR}
     BUILD_BYPRODUCTS ${LIBZIP_LIB}
+    CMAKE_GENERATOR "${CMAKE_GENERATOR}"
+    CMAKE_GENERATOR_TOOLSET "${CMAKE_GENERATOR_TOOLSET}"
     CMAKE_ARGS  ${CL_ARGS} -DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX=${LIBZIP_INSTALL_DIR} -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release -DBUILD_DOC=OFF -DBUILD_EXAMPLES=OFF -DBUILD_REGRESS=OFF -DBUILD_SHARED_LIBS=OFF -DBUILD_TOOLS=OFF -DENABLE_BZIP2=OFF -DENABLE_COMMONCRYPTO=OFF -DENABLE_GNUTLS=OFF -DENABLE_LZMA=OFF -DENABLE_MBEDTLS=OFF -DENABLE_OPENSSL=OFF -DENABLE_WINDOWS_CRYPTO=OFF -DCMAKE_INSTALL_LIBDIR=lib -DCMAKE_POSITION_INDEPENDENT_CODE=ON
 )
 
@@ -78,5 +78,7 @@ ExternalProject_Add(xlsxio_project
     SOURCE_DIR  ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/xlsxio
     INSTALL_DIR ${XLSXIO_INSTALL_DIR}
     BUILD_BYPRODUCTS ${XLSXIO_LIB}
+    CMAKE_GENERATOR "${CMAKE_GENERATOR}"
+    CMAKE_GENERATOR_TOOLSET "${CMAKE_GENERATOR_TOOLSET}"
     CMAKE_ARGS  ${CL_ARGS} -DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX=${XLSXIO_INSTALL_DIR} -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release -DBUILD_STATIC=ON -DBUILD_SHARED=OFF -DCMAKE_POSITION_INDEPENDENT_CODE=ON -DBUILD_TOOLS=OFF -DBUILD_EXAMPLES=OFF -DBUILD_DOCUMENTATION=OFF -DWITH_LIBZIP=ON -DZLIB_DIR=${ZLIB_DIR} -DLIBZIP_DIR=${LIBZIP_INSTALL_DIR} -DEXPAT_DIR=${LIBEXPAT_INSTALL_DIR} -DEXPAT_LIBRARIES=${LIBEXPAT_LIB} -DEXPAT_INCLUDE_DIRS=${LIBEXPAT_INSTALL_DIR}/include -DCMAKE_POSITION_INDEPENDENT_CODE=ON -DCMAKE_C_FLAGS=${XLSXIO_C_FLAGS}
 )