diff --git a/packages/cli/src/commands/link/__tests__/android/makeBuildPatch-test.js b/packages/cli/src/commands/link/__tests__/android/makeBuildPatch-test.js
index 44b5ac3fe..2e4fb76a1 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/commands/link/__tests__/android/makeBuildPatch-test.js
+++ b/packages/cli/src/commands/link/__tests__/android/makeBuildPatch-test.js
@@ -10,6 +10,14 @@
 
 import makeBuildPatch from '../../android/patches/makeBuildPatch';
 import normalizeProjectName from '../../android/patches/normalizeProjectName';
+import path from 'path';
+
+const projectConfig = {
+  buildGradlePath: path.join(
+    __dirname,
+    '../../__fixtures__/android/patchedBuild.gradle',
+  ),
+};
 
 const name = 'test';
 const scopedName = '@scoped/test';
@@ -31,6 +39,23 @@ describe('makeBuildPatch', () => {
     const {installPattern} = makeBuildPatch(name);
     expect(installPattern.toString()).toEqual(expect.stringContaining(name));
   });
+
+  test.each([
+    ['test-impl', "    implementation project(':test-impl')\n"],
+    ['test-compile', "    compile project(':test-compile')\n"],
+    ['test-api', "    api project(':test-api')\n"],
+    [
+      'test-not-there-yet',
+      "    implementation project(':test-not-there-yet')\n",
+    ],
+  ])(
+    'properly detects the patch string of project %p in build.gradle',
+    (project, projectPatchString) => {
+      expect(makeBuildPatch(project, projectConfig.buildGradlePath).patch).toBe(
+        projectPatchString,
+      );
+    },
+  );
 });
 
 describe('makeBuildPatchWithScopedPackage', () => {
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/commands/link/android/patches/makeBuildPatch.js b/packages/cli/src/commands/link/android/patches/makeBuildPatch.js
index 9966d0705..8ca0b7453 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/commands/link/android/patches/makeBuildPatch.js
+++ b/packages/cli/src/commands/link/android/patches/makeBuildPatch.js
@@ -7,17 +7,45 @@
  * @format
  */
 
+import fs from 'fs';
 import normalizeProjectName from './normalizeProjectName';
 
-export default function makeBuildPatch(name) {
+const depConfigs = ['compile', 'api', 'implementation'];
+
+export default function makeBuildPatch(name, buildGradlePath) {
   const normalizedProjectName = normalizeProjectName(name);
   const installPattern = new RegExp(
-    `(implementation|api|compile)\\w*\\s*\\(*project\\(['"]:${normalizedProjectName}['"]\\)`,
+    buildDepRegExp(normalizedProjectName, ...depConfigs),
   );
 
   return {
     installPattern,
     pattern: /[^ \t]dependencies {(\r\n|\n)/,
-    patch: `    implementation project(':${normalizedProjectName}')\n`,
+    patch: makePatchString(normalizedProjectName, buildGradlePath),
   };
 }
+
+function makePatchString(normalizedProjectName, buildGradlePath) {
+  const defaultPatchString = `    implementation project(':${normalizedProjectName}')\n`;
+  if (!buildGradlePath) {
+    return defaultPatchString;
+  }
+
+  const buildGradle = fs.readFileSync(buildGradlePath);
+
+  for (const config of depConfigs) {
+    const depPattern = new RegExp(
+      buildDepRegExp(normalizedProjectName, config),
+    );
+    if (depPattern.test(buildGradle)) {
+      return `    ${config} project(':${normalizedProjectName}')\n`;
+    }
+  }
+
+  return defaultPatchString;
+}
+
+function buildDepRegExp(normalizedProjectName, ...configs) {
+  const orConfigs = configs.join('|');
+  return `(${orConfigs})\\w*\\s*\\(*project\\s*\\(['"]:${normalizedProjectName}['"]\\)`;
+}
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/commands/link/android/unregisterNativeModule.js b/packages/cli/src/commands/link/android/unregisterNativeModule.js
index 29680eaae..74098a936 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/commands/link/android/unregisterNativeModule.js
+++ b/packages/cli/src/commands/link/android/unregisterNativeModule.js
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ export default function unregisterNativeAndroidModule(
   androidConfig,
   projectConfig,
 ) {
-  const buildPatch = makeBuildPatch(name);
+  const buildPatch = makeBuildPatch(name, projectConfig.buildGradlePath);
   const strings = fs.readFileSync(projectConfig.stringsPath, 'utf8');
   const params = {};