diff --git a/cmake/CMakeLists.txt b/cmake/CMakeLists.txt
index 2487537f8c..2bfe3ce245 100644
--- a/cmake/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/cmake/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -290,13 +290,13 @@ if(BUILD_MPI)
       target_compile_definitions(lammps PRIVATE -DLAMMPS_LONGLONG_TO_LONG)
     endif()
   endif()
+  target_link_libraries(lammps PUBLIC MPI::MPI_CXX)
 else()
   target_sources(lammps PRIVATE ${LAMMPS_SOURCE_DIR}/STUBS/mpi.cpp)
   add_library(mpi_stubs INTERFACE)
   target_include_directories(mpi_stubs INTERFACE $<BUILD_INTERFACE:${LAMMPS_SOURCE_DIR}/STUBS>)
-  add_library(MPI::MPI_CXX ALIAS mpi_stubs)
+  target_link_libraries(lammps PUBLIC mpi_stubs)
 endif()
-target_link_libraries(lammps PUBLIC MPI::MPI_CXX)
 
 set(LAMMPS_SIZES "smallbig" CACHE STRING "LAMMPS integer sizes (smallsmall: all 32-bit, smallbig: 64-bit #atoms #timesteps, bigbig: also 64-bit imageint, 64-bit atom ids)")
 set(LAMMPS_SIZES_VALUES smallbig bigbig smallsmall)
@@ -577,7 +577,11 @@ if(PKG_ATC)
   if(LAMMPS_SIZES STREQUAL "BIGBIG")
     message(FATAL_ERROR "The ATC Package is not compatible with -DLAMMPS_BIGBIG")
   endif()
-  target_link_libraries(atc PRIVATE ${LAPACK_LIBRARIES} MPI::MPI_CXX)
+  if(BUILD_MPI)
+    target_link_libraries(atc PRIVATE ${LAPACK_LIBRARIES} MPI::MPI_CXX)
+  else()
+    target_link_libraries(atc PRIVATE ${LAPACK_LIBRARIES} mpi_stubs)
+  endif()
   target_include_directories(atc PRIVATE ${LAMMPS_SOURCE_DIR})
   target_compile_definitions(atc PRIVATE -DLAMMPS_${LAMMPS_SIZES})
 endif()
@@ -691,6 +695,9 @@ foreach(_DEF ${LAMMPS_DEFINES})
 endforeach()
 if(BUILD_SHARED_LIBS)
   install(TARGETS lammps EXPORT LAMMPS_Targets LIBRARY DESTINATION ${CMAKE_INSTALL_LIBDIR} ARCHIVE DESTINATION ${CMAKE_INSTALL_LIBDIR})
+  if(NOT BUILD_MPI)
+    install(TARGETS mpi_stubs EXPORT LAMMPS_Targets LIBRARY DESTINATION ${CMAKE_INSTALL_LIBDIR} ARCHIVE DESTINATION ${CMAKE_INSTALL_LIBDIR})
+  endif()
   configure_file(pkgconfig/liblammps.pc.in ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/liblammps${LAMMPS_MACHINE}.pc @ONLY)
   install(FILES ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/liblammps${LAMMPS_MACHINE}.pc DESTINATION ${CMAKE_INSTALL_LIBDIR}/pkgconfig)
   install(EXPORT LAMMPS_Targets FILE LAMMPS_Targets.cmake NAMESPACE LAMMPS:: DESTINATION ${CMAKE_INSTALL_LIBDIR}/cmake/LAMMPS)
diff --git a/cmake/Modules/Packages/GPU.cmake b/cmake/Modules/Packages/GPU.cmake
index ee839e20e1..fe15917f47 100644
--- a/cmake/Modules/Packages/GPU.cmake
+++ b/cmake/Modules/Packages/GPU.cmake
@@ -422,9 +422,13 @@ RegisterStylesExt(${GPU_SOURCES_DIR} gpu GPU_SOURCES)
 RegisterFixStyle(${GPU_SOURCES_DIR}/fix_gpu.h)
 
 get_property(GPU_SOURCES GLOBAL PROPERTY GPU_SOURCES)
+if(BUILD_MPI)
+  target_link_libraries(gpu PRIVATE MPI::MPI_CXX)
+else()
+  target_link_libraries(gpu PRIVATE mpi_stubs)
+endif()
 
 target_compile_definitions(gpu PRIVATE -DLAMMPS_${LAMMPS_SIZES})
 set_target_properties(gpu PROPERTIES OUTPUT_NAME lammps_gpu${LAMMPS_MACHINE})
 target_sources(lammps PRIVATE ${GPU_SOURCES})
 target_include_directories(lammps PRIVATE ${GPU_SOURCES_DIR})
-target_link_libraries(gpu PRIVATE MPI::MPI_CXX)
diff --git a/examples/plugins/LAMMPSInterfaceCXX.cmake b/examples/plugins/LAMMPSInterfaceCXX.cmake
index e910ec2923..d52cf8f4e5 100644
--- a/examples/plugins/LAMMPSInterfaceCXX.cmake
+++ b/examples/plugins/LAMMPSInterfaceCXX.cmake
@@ -42,8 +42,10 @@ if(BUILD_MPI)
   if(LAMMPS_LONGLONG_TO_LONG)
     target_compile_definitions(lammps INTERFACE -DLAMMPS_LONGLONG_TO_LONG)
   endif()
+  target_link_libraries(lammps INTERFACE MPI::MPI_CXX)
+else()
+  target_include_directories(lammps INTERFACE "${LAMMPS_SOURCE_DIR}/STUBS")
 endif()
-target_link_libraries(lammps INTERFACE MPI::MPI_CXX)
 
 set(LAMMPS_SIZES "smallbig" CACHE STRING "LAMMPS integer sizes (smallsmall: all 32-bit, smallbig: 64-bit #atoms #timesteps, bigbig: also 64-bit imageint, 64-bit atom ids)")
 set(LAMMPS_SIZES_VALUES smallbig bigbig smallsmall)