diff --git a/pkgs/tools/misc/tmux/default.nix b/pkgs/tools/misc/tmux/default.nix
index 10793753ab59..da54c1854102 100644
--- a/pkgs/tools/misc/tmux/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/tools/misc/tmux/default.nix
@@ -12,6 +12,12 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation rec {
 
   makeFlags = "PREFIX=\${out}";
 
+  crossAttrs = {
+    preBuild = ''
+      makeFlags=" $makeFlags CC=${stdenv.cross.config}-gcc "
+    '';
+  };
+
   buildInputs = [ ncurses libevent ];
 
   meta = {