diff --git a/cardboard/meson.build b/cardboard/meson.build
index b236f71..a90f230 100644
--- a/cardboard/meson.build
+++ b/cardboard/meson.build
@@ -4,24 +4,15 @@ xkbcommon = dependency('xkbcommon')
 xcb = dependency('xcb', required: get_option('xwayland'))
 
 wlroots_version = '>=0.10.0'
-wlroots_proj = subproject(
+wlroots = dependency(
   'wlroots',
-  default_options: ['examples=false'],
   required: true,
   version: wlroots_version,
 )
 
-wlroots = wlroots_proj.get_variable('wlroots')
-wlroots_conf = wlroots_proj.get_variable('conf_data')
-wlroots_has_xwayland = wlroots_conf.get('WLR_HAS_XWAYLAND') == 1
+have_xwayland = xcb.found()
 
-if get_option('xwayland').enabled() and not wlroots_has_xwayland
-    error('Cannot enable Xwayland support in cardboard: wlroots has been built without Xwayland support')
-endif
-have_xwayland = xcb.found() and wlroots_has_xwayland
-
-expected_proj = subproject('expected', required: true)
-expected = expected_proj.get_variable('expected_dep')
+expected = dependency('tl-expected', required: true, method: 'cmake', modules: ['tl::expected'])
 
 conf_data = configuration_data()
 conf_data.set10('HAVE_XWAYLAND', have_xwayland)
diff --git a/cutter/meson.build b/cutter/meson.build
index f1260a4..1485f37 100644
--- a/cutter/meson.build
+++ b/cutter/meson.build
@@ -1,6 +1,5 @@
 # SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-3.0-only
-expected_proj = subproject('expected', required: true)
-expected = expected_proj.get_variable('expected_dep')
+expected = dependency('tl-expected', required: true, method: 'cmake', modules: ['tl::expected'])
 
 executable(
     'cutter',
diff --git a/libcardboard/meson.build b/libcardboard/meson.build
index 89698fe..3ac8115 100644
--- a/libcardboard/meson.build
+++ b/libcardboard/meson.build
@@ -1,11 +1,9 @@
 # SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-3.0-only
 libcardboard_inc = include_directories('include')
 
-expected_proj = subproject('expected', required: true)
-expected = expected_proj.get_variable('expected_dep')
+expected = dependency('tl-expected', required: true, method: 'cmake', modules: ['tl::expected'])
 
-cereal_proj = subproject('cereal', required: true)
-cereal = cereal_proj.get_variable('cereal_dep')
+cereal = dependency('cereal', required: true, method: 'cmake')
 
 sources = files(
     'src/command_protocol.cpp',