diff --git a/src/controllers/krate/publish.rs b/src/controllers/krate/publish.rs
index 43b0592e9ae..dd0ea572718 100644
--- a/src/controllers/krate/publish.rs
+++ b/src/controllers/krate/publish.rs
@@ -506,7 +506,15 @@ fn convert_dependency(
     target: Option<&str>,
 ) -> EncodableCrateDependency {
     let details = dep.detail();
-    let req = dep.req();
+
+    // Normalize version requirement with a `parse()` and `to_string()` cycle.
+    //
+    // If the value can't be parsed the `validate_dependency()` fn will return
+    // an error later in the call chain. Parsing the value twice is a bit
+    // wasteful, but we can clean this up later.
+    let req = semver::VersionReq::parse(dep.req())
+        .map(|req| req.to_string())
+        .unwrap_or_else(|_| dep.req().to_string());
 
     let (crate_name, explicit_name_in_toml) = match details.and_then(|it| it.package.clone()) {
         None => (name.to_string(), None),
@@ -522,7 +530,7 @@ fn convert_dependency(
 
     EncodableCrateDependency {
         name: crate_name,
-        version_req: req.to_string(),
+        version_req: req,
         optional,
         default_features,
         features,
diff --git a/src/tests/krate/publish/dependencies.rs b/src/tests/krate/publish/dependencies.rs
index b3bf5a62e05..452031ef472 100644
--- a/src/tests/krate/publish/dependencies.rs
+++ b/src/tests/krate/publish/dependencies.rs
@@ -96,7 +96,10 @@ fn new_krate_with_dependency() {
 
     assert_eq!(dependencies.len(), 1);
     assert_eq!(dependencies[0].crate_id, "foo-dep");
-    assert_eq!(dependencies[0].req, "1.0.0");
+    assert_eq!(dependencies[0].req, "^1.0.0");
+
+    let crates = app.crates_from_index_head("new_dep");
+    assert_json_snapshot!(crates);
 }
 
 #[test]
diff --git a/src/tests/krate/publish/snapshots/all__krate__publish__dependencies__new_krate_sorts_deps.snap b/src/tests/krate/publish/snapshots/all__krate__publish__dependencies__new_krate_sorts_deps.snap
index 55da3a9bdfd..7f40e5435f7 100644
--- a/src/tests/krate/publish/snapshots/all__krate__publish__dependencies__new_krate_sorts_deps.snap
+++ b/src/tests/krate/publish/snapshots/all__krate__publish__dependencies__new_krate_sorts_deps.snap
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ expression: crates
     "deps": [
       {
         "name": "dep-a",
-        "req": "> 0",
+        "req": ">0",
         "features": [],
         "optional": false,
         "default_features": true,
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ expression: crates
       },
       {
         "name": "dep-b",
-        "req": "> 0",
+        "req": ">0",
         "features": [],
         "optional": false,
         "default_features": true,
diff --git a/src/tests/krate/publish/snapshots/all__krate__publish__dependencies__new_krate_with_dependency.snap b/src/tests/krate/publish/snapshots/all__krate__publish__dependencies__new_krate_with_dependency.snap
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..79aea66aba5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/tests/krate/publish/snapshots/all__krate__publish__dependencies__new_krate_with_dependency.snap
@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
+---
+source: src/tests/krate/publish/dependencies.rs
+expression: crates
+---
+[
+  {
+    "name": "new_dep",
+    "vers": "1.0.0",
+    "deps": [
+      {
+        "name": "foo-dep",
+        "req": "^1.0.0",
+        "features": [],
+        "optional": false,
+        "default_features": true,
+        "target": null,
+        "kind": "normal"
+      }
+    ],
+    "cksum": "b1ce14dbe59036a964369747770d2d64695039065384b1ab56f09a59525300a6",
+    "features": {},
+    "yanked": false
+  }
+]
diff --git a/src/tests/krate/publish/snapshots/all__krate__publish__dependencies__new_with_renamed_dependency.snap b/src/tests/krate/publish/snapshots/all__krate__publish__dependencies__new_with_renamed_dependency.snap
index 17c593c5958..8075e4d7ed7 100644
--- a/src/tests/krate/publish/snapshots/all__krate__publish__dependencies__new_with_renamed_dependency.snap
+++ b/src/tests/krate/publish/snapshots/all__krate__publish__dependencies__new_with_renamed_dependency.snap
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ expression: crates
     "deps": [
       {
         "name": "my-name",
-        "req": "> 0",
+        "req": ">0",
         "features": [],
         "optional": false,
         "default_features": true,
diff --git a/src/tests/krate/publish/snapshots/all__krate__publish__dependencies__new_with_underscore_renamed_dependency.snap b/src/tests/krate/publish/snapshots/all__krate__publish__dependencies__new_with_underscore_renamed_dependency.snap
index 503a8c05a0e..2d2a8d19c46 100644
--- a/src/tests/krate/publish/snapshots/all__krate__publish__dependencies__new_with_underscore_renamed_dependency.snap
+++ b/src/tests/krate/publish/snapshots/all__krate__publish__dependencies__new_with_underscore_renamed_dependency.snap
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ expression: crates
     "deps": [
       {
         "name": "_my-name",
-        "req": "> 0",
+        "req": ">0",
         "features": [],
         "optional": false,
         "default_features": true,
diff --git a/src/tests/krate/publish/snapshots/all__krate__publish__features__features_version_2.snap b/src/tests/krate/publish/snapshots/all__krate__publish__features__features_version_2.snap
index ef0df3e995c..90197e8f3dd 100644
--- a/src/tests/krate/publish/snapshots/all__krate__publish__features__features_version_2.snap
+++ b/src/tests/krate/publish/snapshots/all__krate__publish__features__features_version_2.snap
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ expression: crates
     "deps": [
       {
         "name": "bar",
-        "req": "> 0",
+        "req": ">0",
         "features": [],
         "optional": false,
         "default_features": true,