diff --git a/helpers/utils b/helpers/utils
index 1751a3b1d..e2b5a8494 100644
--- a/helpers/utils
+++ b/helpers/utils
@@ -932,7 +932,7 @@ ynh_compare_current_package_version() {
 _ynh_apply_default_permissions() {
     local target=$1
 
-    local ynh_requirement=$(ynh_read_manifest --manifest_key="requirements.yunohost")
+    local ynh_requirement=$(ynh_read_manifest --manifest_key="requirements.yunohost" | tr -d '<>= ')
 
     if dpkg --compare-versions ${YNH_APP_PACKAGING_FORMAT:-0} ge 2 || [ -z "$ynh_requirement" ] || [ "$ynh_requirement" == "null" ] || dpkg --compare-versions $ynh_requirement ge 4.2; then
         chmod o-rwx $target