diff --git a/packages/yarn-plugin/src/handlers/beforeWorkspacePacking.ts b/packages/yarn-plugin/src/handlers/beforeWorkspacePacking.ts
index 41014a55a6..3221400f48 100644
--- a/packages/yarn-plugin/src/handlers/beforeWorkspacePacking.ts
+++ b/packages/yarn-plugin/src/handlers/beforeWorkspacePacking.ts
@@ -16,7 +16,11 @@
 
 import { Descriptor, Workspace, structUtils } from '@yarnpkg/core';
 import { some } from 'lodash';
-import { getCurrentBackstageVersion, getPackageVersion } from '../util';
+import {
+  bindBackstageVersion,
+  getCurrentBackstageVersion,
+  getPackageVersion,
+} from '../util';
 import { PROTOCOL } from '../constants';
 
 const hasBackstageVersion = (range: string) =>
@@ -66,10 +70,7 @@ export const beforeWorkspacePacking = async (
       );
 
       rawManifest[finalDependencyType][ident] = `^${await getPackageVersion(
-        structUtils.makeDescriptor(
-          descriptor,
-          `${PROTOCOL}${backstageVersion}`,
-        ),
+        bindBackstageVersion(descriptor, backstageVersion),
       )}`;
     }
   }
diff --git a/packages/yarn-plugin/src/resolver/BackstageResolver.test.ts b/packages/yarn-plugin/src/resolver/BackstageResolver.test.ts
index d7d9126923..f6369b6cdf 100644
--- a/packages/yarn-plugin/src/resolver/BackstageResolver.test.ts
+++ b/packages/yarn-plugin/src/resolver/BackstageResolver.test.ts
@@ -96,7 +96,7 @@ describe('BackstageResolver', () => {
 
   describe('bindDescriptor', () => {
     describe('with range "backstage:^"', () => {
-      it('returns a descriptor basedwith a version range for the current Backstage version', () => {
+      it('returns a descriptor with a version range for the current Backstage version', () => {
         expect(
           backstageResolver.bindDescriptor(
             structUtils.makeDescriptor(
@@ -107,25 +107,25 @@ describe('BackstageResolver', () => {
         ).toEqual(
           structUtils.makeDescriptor(
             structUtils.makeIdent('backstage', 'core'),
-            'backstage:1.23.45',
+            'backstage:^::v=1.23.45',
           ),
         );
       });
     });
 
-    describe('with range "backstage:1.23.45"', () => {
+    describe('with range "backstage:^::v=1.23.45"', () => {
       it('returns the correct descriptor', () => {
         expect(
           backstageResolver.bindDescriptor(
             structUtils.makeDescriptor(
               structUtils.makeIdent('backstage', 'core'),
-              'backstage:1.23.45',
+              'backstage:^::v=1.23.45',
             ),
           ),
         ).toEqual(
           structUtils.makeDescriptor(
             structUtils.makeIdent('backstage', 'core'),
-            'backstage:1.23.45',
+            'backstage:^::v=1.23.45',
           ),
         );
       });
@@ -136,7 +136,7 @@ describe('BackstageResolver', () => {
     it('returns an npm: descriptor based on the manifest for the appropriate backstage version', async () => {
       const descriptor = structUtils.makeDescriptor(
         structUtils.makeIdent('backstage', 'core'),
-        'backstage:1.23.45',
+        'backstage:^::v=1.23.45',
       );
 
       await expect(
@@ -155,7 +155,7 @@ describe('BackstageResolver', () => {
       ).rejects.toThrow(/unsupported version protocol/i);
     });
 
-    it('rejects backstage: ranges with a ^ shorthand version', async () => {
+    it('rejects backstage: ranges missing a version parameter', async () => {
       await expect(
         backstageResolver.getCandidates(
           structUtils.makeDescriptor(
@@ -163,35 +163,42 @@ describe('BackstageResolver', () => {
             'backstage:^',
           ),
         ),
-      ).rejects.toThrow(/invalid backstage version/i);
+      ).rejects.toThrow(/missing Backstage version/i);
     });
 
-    it('rejects backstage: ranges with a * shorthand version', async () => {
+    it('rejects backstage: ranges with multiple version parameters', async () => {
       await expect(
         backstageResolver.getCandidates(
           structUtils.makeDescriptor(
             structUtils.makeIdent('backstage', 'core'),
-            'backstage:*',
+            'backstage:^::v=1&v=2',
           ),
         ),
-      ).rejects.toThrow(/invalid backstage version/i);
+      ).rejects.toThrow(/multiple Backstage versions/i);
     });
 
-    it('rejects backstage: ranges with an invalid version specified', async () => {
-      await expect(
-        backstageResolver.getCandidates(
-          structUtils.makeDescriptor(
-            structUtils.makeIdent('backstage', 'core'),
-            'backstage:latest',
+    it.each`
+      selector
+      ${'*'}
+      ${'latest'}
+    `(
+      'rejects backstage: ranges with invalid selector "$selector"',
+      async ({ selector }) => {
+        await expect(
+          backstageResolver.getCandidates(
+            structUtils.makeDescriptor(
+              structUtils.makeIdent('backstage', 'core'),
+              `backstage:${selector}`,
+            ),
           ),
-        ),
-      ).rejects.toThrow(/invalid backstage version/i);
-    });
+        ).rejects.toThrow(/unexpected version selector/i);
+      },
+    );
 
     it('memoizes manifest retrieval', async () => {
       const descriptor1 = structUtils.makeDescriptor(
         structUtils.makeIdent('backstage', 'core'),
-        'backstage:1.23.45',
+        'backstage:^::v=1.23.45',
       );
 
       for (let i = 0; i < 5; i++) {
@@ -202,7 +209,7 @@ describe('BackstageResolver', () => {
 
       const descriptor2 = structUtils.makeDescriptor(
         structUtils.makeIdent('backstage', 'core'),
-        'backstage:6.78.90',
+        'backstage:^::v=6.78.90',
       );
 
       for (let i = 0; i < 5; i++) {
@@ -219,7 +226,7 @@ describe('BackstageResolver', () => {
         backstageResolver.getSatisfying(
           structUtils.makeDescriptor(
             structUtils.makeIdent('backstage', 'core'),
-            'backstage:1.23.45',
+            'backstage:^::v=1.23.45',
           ),
           {},
           [
@@ -253,7 +260,7 @@ describe('BackstageResolver', () => {
         backstageResolver.getSatisfying(
           structUtils.makeDescriptor(
             structUtils.makeIdent('backstage', 'core'),
-            'backstage:1.23.45',
+            'backstage:^::v=1.23.45',
           ),
           {},
           [
@@ -292,7 +299,7 @@ describe('BackstageResolver', () => {
           {},
           [],
         ),
-      ).rejects.toThrow(/unexpected npm: range/i);
+      ).rejects.toThrow(/unsupported version protocol/i);
     });
   });
 });
diff --git a/packages/yarn-plugin/src/resolver/BackstageResolver.ts b/packages/yarn-plugin/src/resolver/BackstageResolver.ts
index 7e794f5693..0e575cc687 100644
--- a/packages/yarn-plugin/src/resolver/BackstageResolver.ts
+++ b/packages/yarn-plugin/src/resolver/BackstageResolver.ts
@@ -21,9 +21,12 @@ import {
   Package,
   Resolver,
 } from '@yarnpkg/core';
-import semver from 'semver';
 import { PROTOCOL } from '../constants';
-import { getCurrentBackstageVersion, getPackageVersion } from '../util';
+import {
+  bindBackstageVersion,
+  getCurrentBackstageVersion,
+  getPackageVersion,
+} from '../util';
 
 export class BackstageResolver implements Resolver {
   static protocol = PROTOCOL;
@@ -45,10 +48,7 @@ export class BackstageResolver implements Resolver {
    */
   bindDescriptor(descriptor: Descriptor): Descriptor {
     if (descriptor.range === 'backstage:^') {
-      return structUtils.makeDescriptor(
-        descriptor,
-        `${PROTOCOL}${getCurrentBackstageVersion()}`,
-      );
+      return bindBackstageVersion(descriptor, getCurrentBackstageVersion());
     }
 
     return descriptor;
@@ -61,23 +61,6 @@ export class BackstageResolver implements Resolver {
    * backstage release.
    */
   async getCandidates(descriptor: Descriptor): Promise<Locator[]> {
-    const range = structUtils.parseRange(descriptor.range);
-    if (range.protocol !== BackstageResolver.protocol) {
-      throw new Error(
-        `Unsupported version protocol in version range "${
-          descriptor.range
-        }" for package ${structUtils.stringifyIdent(descriptor)}`,
-      );
-    }
-
-    if (!semver.valid(range.selector)) {
-      throw new Error(
-        `Invalid Backstage version string when resolving version for ${structUtils.stringifyIdent(
-          descriptor,
-        )}`,
-      );
-    }
-
     return [
       structUtils.makeLocator(
         descriptor,
diff --git a/packages/yarn-plugin/src/util.ts b/packages/yarn-plugin/src/util.ts
index 0b613a477c..df7ed75e0f 100644
--- a/packages/yarn-plugin/src/util.ts
+++ b/packages/yarn-plugin/src/util.ts
@@ -43,20 +43,43 @@ export const getCurrentBackstageVersion = () => {
   return backstageVersion;
 };
 
+export const bindBackstageVersion = (
+  descriptor: Descriptor,
+  backstageVersion: string,
+) => {
+  return structUtils.bindDescriptor(descriptor, { v: backstageVersion });
+};
+
 export const getPackageVersion = async (descriptor: Descriptor) => {
   const ident = structUtils.stringifyIdent(descriptor);
   const range = structUtils.parseRange(descriptor.range);
 
   if (range.protocol !== PROTOCOL) {
-    throw new Error(`Unexpected ${range.protocol} range when packing`);
+    throw new Error(
+      `Unsupported version protocol in version range "${descriptor.range}" for package ${ident}`,
+    );
   }
 
-  if (!semverValid(range.selector)) {
-    throw new Error(`Missing backstage version in range ${descriptor.range}`);
+  if (range.selector !== '^') {
+    throw new Error(
+      `Unexpected version selector "${range.selector}" for package ${ident}`,
+    );
+  }
+
+  if (!range.params?.v) {
+    throw new Error(
+      `Missing Backstage version parameter in range "${descriptor.range}" for package ${ident}`,
+    );
+  }
+
+  if (Array.isArray(range.params.v)) {
+    throw new Error(
+      `Multiple Backstage versions specified in range "${descriptor.range}" for package ${ident}`,
+    );
   }
 
   const manifest = await getManifestByVersion({
-    version: range.selector,
+    version: range.params.v,
   });
 
   const manifestEntry = manifest.packages.find(