diff --git a/configs/common/packages.yaml b/configs/common/packages.yaml
index 358d459b7..89ec4574a 100644
--- a/configs/common/packages.yaml
+++ b/configs/common/packages.yaml
@@ -20,8 +20,9 @@
       version: ['2.4.1']
     bison:
       version: ['3.8.2']
+    # 1.85 incompatible with ecflow@5.11.4
     boost:
-      require: "@1.83: ~atomic +chrono +date_time +exception +filesystem ~graph ~iostreams ~locale ~log ~math ~mpi ~numpy +pic +program_options +python ~random +regex +serialization ~signals +system +test +thread +timer ~wave cxxstd=17 visibility=hidden"
+      require: "@1.83:1:84 ~atomic +chrono +date_time +exception +filesystem ~graph ~iostreams ~locale ~log ~math ~mpi ~numpy +pic +program_options +python ~random +regex +serialization ~signals +system +test +thread +timer ~wave cxxstd=17 visibility=hidden"
     bufr:
       version: ['12.0.1']
       variants: +python