diff --git a/boot/boot-stage-2-init.sh b/boot/boot-stage-2-init.sh
index 009e9af7c87b..ee18c320c97f 100644
--- a/boot/boot-stage-2-init.sh
+++ b/boot/boot-stage-2-init.sh
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ echo
 
 # Set the PATH.
 export PATH=/empty
-for i in @path@; do
+for i in @startPath@; do
     PATH=$PATH:$i/bin
     if test -e $i/sbin; then
         PATH=$PATH:$i/sbin
@@ -135,12 +135,7 @@ EOF
 
 
 # Additional path for the interactive shell.
-for i in @extraPath@; do
-    PATH=$PATH:$i/bin
-    if test -e $i/sbin; then
-        PATH=$PATH:$i/sbin
-    fi
-done
+PATH=@fullPath@/bin:@fullPath@/sbin
 
 cat > /etc/profile <<EOF
 export PATH=$PATH
diff --git a/boot/boot-stage-2.nix b/boot/boot-stage-2.nix
index 7d73e37cb4fb..9c1640bc455c 100644
--- a/boot/boot-stage-2.nix
+++ b/boot/boot-stage-2.nix
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-{ genericSubstituter, shell, coreutils, findutils
+{ genericSubstituter, buildEnv, shell, coreutils, findutils
 , utillinux, kernel, udev, upstart
 , path ? []
 
@@ -12,16 +12,34 @@
 , hostName
 }:
 
-genericSubstituter {
-  src = ./boot-stage-2-init.sh;
-  isExecutable = true;
-  inherit shell kernel upstart readOnlyRoot upstartJobs hostName;
-  path = [
+let
+
+  startPath = [
     coreutils
     findutils
     utillinux
     udev
     upstart
   ];
+
+in
+
+genericSubstituter {
+  src = ./boot-stage-2-init.sh;
+  isExecutable = true;
+  inherit shell kernel upstart readOnlyRoot upstartJobs hostName;
+  inherit startPath;
+
+  # We don't want to put all of `startPath' and `path' in $PATH, since
+  # then we get an embarrassingly long $PATH.  So use the user
+  # environment builder to make a directory with symlinks to those
+  # packages.
+  fullPath = buildEnv {
+    name = "boot-stage-2-path";
+    paths = startPath ++ path;
+    pathsToLink = ["/bin" "/sbin" "/man/man1" "/share/man/man1"];
+    ignoreCollisions = true;
+  };
+  
   extraPath = path;
 }
diff --git a/configuration/boot-environment.nix b/configuration/boot-environment.nix
index b38c73b00359..885c994eea75 100644
--- a/configuration/boot-environment.nix
+++ b/configuration/boot-environment.nix
@@ -182,7 +182,7 @@ rec {
   # The init script of boot stage 2, which is supposed to do
   # everything else to bring up the system.
   bootStage2 = import ../boot/boot-stage-2.nix {
-    inherit (pkgs) genericSubstituter coreutils findutils
+    inherit (pkgs) genericSubstituter buildEnv coreutils findutils
       utillinux kernel udev upstart;
     inherit upstartJobs;
     shell = pkgs.bash + "/bin/sh";