Add Firebase remote config dependency to library project

I have a test project here with the modules

• app
• mylibrary

mylibrary obviously is a library project, and the app module uses that module. I want to add the Firebase remote config to the library module (adding it to the app module works all fine).

I added to the top-level build.gradle:

 classpath 'com.google.gms:google-services:3.1.0'

and of course the actual dependency on the library module:

 compile 'com.google.firebase:firebase-config:11.4.0'

Now I've tried two variations:

1. When I apply the google services plugin on the mylibrary module with

apply plugin: 'com.google.gms.google-services'

the project doesn't compile with the following error:

Error:(34, 0) Could not get unknown property 'LibraryVariants' for object of type com.android.build.gradle.LibraryExtension

2. When I apply the plugin to the app module, the project compiles, but at runtime I get the error:

Caused by: java.lang.ClassNotFoundException: Didn't find class "com.google.android.gms.common.internal.safeparcel.AbstractSafeParcelable" on path: DexPathList[[zip file "/data/app/com.example.firebasethrowaway-2/base.apk", zip file (...)

and

Rejecting re-init on previously-failed class java.lang.Class: java.lang.NoClassDefFoundError: Failed resolution of: Lcom/google/android/gms/common/internal/safeparcel/AbstractSafeParcelable;

at com.google.android.gms.measurement.internal.zzx com.google.android.gms.measurement.internal.zzx.zzbd(android.content.Context) ((null):-1)

Any idea how I can add the firebase dependency via my library module?