diff --git a/packages/nx/src/project-graph/utils/project-configuration-utils.ts b/packages/nx/src/project-graph/utils/project-configuration-utils.ts
index 9da24d9a492c6..5c1a6996ac032 100644
--- a/packages/nx/src/project-graph/utils/project-configuration-utils.ts
+++ b/packages/nx/src/project-graph/utils/project-configuration-utils.ts
@@ -51,7 +51,7 @@ export function mergeProjectConfigurationIntoRootMap(
     );
   }
 
-  if (project.implicitDependencies && matchingProject.tags) {
+  if (project.implicitDependencies && matchingProject.implicitDependencies) {
     updatedProjectConfiguration.implicitDependencies =
       matchingProject.implicitDependencies.concat(project.implicitDependencies);
   }