diff --git a/conda/bootstrap.py b/conda/bootstrap.py
index 617e02a88c..423f22e8f9 100755
--- a/conda/bootstrap.py
+++ b/conda/bootstrap.py
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@
 from mache import MachineInfo
 from mache import discover_machine as mache_discover_machine
 from mache.spack import get_spack_script, make_spack_env
+from packaging import version
 from shared import (
     check_call,
     get_conda_base,
@@ -209,7 +210,9 @@ def get_env_setup(args, config, machine, compiler, mpi, env_type, source_path,
         check_supported('petsc', machine, compiler, mpi, source_path)
 
     if env_type == 'dev':
-        spack_env = f'dev_compass_{compass_version}{env_suffix}'
+        ver = version.parse(compass_version)
+        release_version = '.'.join(str(vr) for vr in ver.release)
+        spack_env = f'dev_compass_{release_version}{env_suffix}'
     elif env_type == 'test_release':
         spack_env = f'test_compass_{compass_version}{env_suffix}'
     else:
diff --git a/conda/configure_compass_env.py b/conda/configure_compass_env.py
index 00d3fb8487..ae4e7516bd 100755
--- a/conda/configure_compass_env.py
+++ b/conda/configure_compass_env.py
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ def setup_install_env(env_name, activate_base, use_local, logger, recreate,
         channels = '--use-local'
     else:
         channels = ''
-    packages = f'progressbar2 jinja2 {mache}'
+    packages = f'jinja2 {mache} packaging progressbar2'
     if recreate or not os.path.exists(env_path):
         print('Setting up a conda environment for installing compass\n')
         commands = f'{activate_base} && ' \
diff --git a/docs/developers_guide/deploying_spack.rst b/docs/developers_guide/deploying_spack.rst
index 1ea685a3e6..1ed947dcec 100644
--- a/docs/developers_guide/deploying_spack.rst
+++ b/docs/developers_guide/deploying_spack.rst
@@ -24,6 +24,10 @@ If system modules change in E3SM, we try to stay in sync:
 
 * mkl (or other linear algebra libs)
 
+When we update the mache version in compass, we also need to bump the compass
+version (typically either the major or the minor version) and then re-deploy
+shared spack environments on each supported machine.
+
 Spack
 -----
 
@@ -39,6 +43,9 @@ Spack is for libraries used by MPAS and tools that need system MPI:
 
 * Netlib LAPACK
 
+When we update the versions of any of these libraries in compass, we also need
+to bump the compass version (typically either the major or the minor version)
+and then re-deploy shared spack environments on each supported machine.
 
 Conda
 -----
@@ -48,6 +55,10 @@ that don’t need system MPI. Conda environments aren’t shared between
 developers because the compass you’re developing is part of the conda
 environment.
 
+When we update the constraints on conda dependencies, we also need to bump the
+compass alpha, beta or rc version.  We do not need to re-deploy spack
+environments on share machines because they remain unaffected.
+
 Mache
 =====
 
@@ -127,14 +138,18 @@ by compass.  Here, we will use ``<fork>`` as a stand-in for the fork of mache
 to use (e.g. ``E3SM-Project/mache``) and ``<branch>`` as the stand-in for a branch on
 that fork (e.g. ``main``).
 
-We also need to make sure there is a spack branch for the version of mache.
-This is a branch off of the develop branch on
+We also need to make sure there is a spack branch for the version of compass.
+The spack branch is a branch off of the develop branch on
 `E3SM’s spack repo <https://github.com/E3SM-Project/spack>`_ that has any
-updates to packages required for this version of mache and compass. The
-spack branch will omit any alpha, beta or rc suffix on the mache version
-because it is intended to be the spack branch we will use once the ``mache``
-release happens.  In this example, we will work with the branch
+updates to packages required for this version of mache.  The remote branch
+is named after the release version of mache (omitting any alpha, beta or rc
+suffix because it is intended to be the spack branch we will use once the
+``mache`` release happens).  In this example, we will work with the branch
 `spack_for_mache_1.12.0 <https://github.com/E3SM-Project/spack/tree/spack_for_mache_1.12.0>`_.
+The local clone is instead named after the compass version (again any omitting
+alpha, beta or rc) plus the compiler and MPI library because we have discovered
+two users cannot make modifications to the same git clone.  Giving each clone
+of the spack branch a unique name ensures that they are independent.
 
 Here's how to get a branch of compass we're testing (``simplify_local_mache``
 in this case) as a local worktree:
@@ -280,7 +295,7 @@ Here is an example:
         --recreate
 
 Troubleshooting spack
-------------------------------
+---------------------
 
 If you encounter an error like:
 .. code-block:: none