diff --git a/xCAT-genesis-scripts/xCAT-genesis-scripts.spec b/xCAT-genesis-scripts/xCAT-genesis-scripts.spec
index 0bbb41c50..79c70749a 100644
--- a/xCAT-genesis-scripts/xCAT-genesis-scripts.spec
+++ b/xCAT-genesis-scripts/xCAT-genesis-scripts.spec
@@ -32,13 +32,15 @@ Vendor: IBM Corp.
 Summary: xCAT Genesis netboot image - Core content
 URL:	 https://xcat.org/
 Source1: xCAT-genesis-scripts.tar.bz2
-# Require any same-version (or newer) genesis-base, NOT the exact snap. genesis-base
+# Require a fixed genesis-base floor, NOT the exact snap and NOT %{version}. genesis-base
 # lives in the per-EL xcat-dep repo while this package ships in the flat xcat-core;
 # pinning the exact -%{release} forced the two repos to be republished in lockstep on
-# every core rebuild. >= 2:%{version} (epoch 2, version, no release) lets any 2.18.0
-# genesis-base snap satisfy it, so routine core snaps no longer require a genesis-base
-# re-publish. (RPM ignores release when the dependency omits it.)
-Requires: xCAT-genesis-base-%{tarch} >= 2:%{version}
+# every core rebuild, and pinning >= 2:%{version} did the same on every marketing-version
+# bump (a 2.18.1 core then demanded a 2.18.1 genesis-base). genesis-base changes rarely,
+# so floor it at the 2.18.0 baseline: any 2.18.0-or-newer genesis-base snap satisfies it,
+# and core version bumps no longer force a genesis-base re-publish. (RPM ignores release
+# when the dependency omits it.)
+Requires: xCAT-genesis-base-%{tarch} >= 2:2.18.0
 
 Buildroot: %{_localstatedir}/tmp/xCAT-genesis
 Packager: IBM Corp.