diff --git a/snapcraft/internal/pluginhandler/__init__.py b/snapcraft/internal/pluginhandler/__init__.py
index dbef71674f..18ac2209c8 100644
--- a/snapcraft/internal/pluginhandler/__init__.py
+++ b/snapcraft/internal/pluginhandler/__init__.py
@@ -571,6 +571,7 @@ def prepare_build(self, force=False):
         # Stage packages are fetched and unpacked in the pull step, but we'll
         # unpack again here just in case the build step has been cleaned.
         self._unpack_stage_packages()
+        self._unpack_stage_snaps()
 
     def build(self, force=False):
         self.makedirs()