diff --git a/pkgs/stdenv/darwin/make-bootstrap-tools.nix b/pkgs/stdenv/darwin/make-bootstrap-tools.nix
index bd581f71a436..c862eb141a8c 100644
--- a/pkgs/stdenv/darwin/make-bootstrap-tools.nix
+++ b/pkgs/stdenv/darwin/make-bootstrap-tools.nix
@@ -334,7 +334,7 @@ in rec {
   # The ultimate test: bootstrap a whole stdenv from the tools specified above and get a package set out of it
   test-pkgs = import test-pkgspath {
     inherit system;
-    stdenv = args: let
+    stdenvFunc = args: let
         args' = args // { inherit bootstrapFiles; };
       in (import (test-pkgspath + "/pkgs/stdenv/darwin") args').stdenvDarwin;
   };
diff --git a/pkgs/stdenv/linux/bootstrap/armv5tel.nix b/pkgs/stdenv/linux/bootstrap-files/armv5tel.nix
similarity index 100%
rename from pkgs/stdenv/linux/bootstrap/armv5tel.nix
rename to pkgs/stdenv/linux/bootstrap-files/armv5tel.nix
diff --git a/pkgs/stdenv/linux/bootstrap/armv6l.nix b/pkgs/stdenv/linux/bootstrap-files/armv6l.nix
similarity index 100%
rename from pkgs/stdenv/linux/bootstrap/armv6l.nix
rename to pkgs/stdenv/linux/bootstrap-files/armv6l.nix
diff --git a/pkgs/stdenv/linux/bootstrap/armv7l.nix b/pkgs/stdenv/linux/bootstrap-files/armv7l.nix
similarity index 100%
rename from pkgs/stdenv/linux/bootstrap/armv7l.nix
rename to pkgs/stdenv/linux/bootstrap-files/armv7l.nix
diff --git a/pkgs/stdenv/linux/bootstrap/i686.nix b/pkgs/stdenv/linux/bootstrap-files/i686.nix
similarity index 100%
rename from pkgs/stdenv/linux/bootstrap/i686.nix
rename to pkgs/stdenv/linux/bootstrap-files/i686.nix
diff --git a/pkgs/stdenv/linux/bootstrap/loongson2f.nix b/pkgs/stdenv/linux/bootstrap-files/loongson2f.nix
similarity index 100%
rename from pkgs/stdenv/linux/bootstrap/loongson2f.nix
rename to pkgs/stdenv/linux/bootstrap-files/loongson2f.nix
diff --git a/pkgs/stdenv/linux/bootstrap/x86_64.nix b/pkgs/stdenv/linux/bootstrap-files/x86_64.nix
similarity index 100%
rename from pkgs/stdenv/linux/bootstrap/x86_64.nix
rename to pkgs/stdenv/linux/bootstrap-files/x86_64.nix
diff --git a/pkgs/stdenv/linux/bootstrap-tools/default.nix b/pkgs/stdenv/linux/bootstrap-tools/default.nix
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..6118585d545f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkgs/stdenv/linux/bootstrap-tools/default.nix
@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+{ system, bootstrapFiles }:
+
+derivation {
+  name = "bootstrap-tools";
+
+  builder = bootstrapFiles.busybox;
+
+  args = [ "ash" "-e" ./scripts/unpack-bootstrap-tools.sh ];
+
+  tarball = bootstrapFiles.bootstrapTools;
+
+  inherit system;
+
+  # Needed by the GCC wrapper.
+  langC = true;
+  langCC = true;
+  isGNU = true;
+}
diff --git a/pkgs/stdenv/linux/scripts/unpack-bootstrap-tools.sh b/pkgs/stdenv/linux/bootstrap-tools/scripts/unpack-bootstrap-tools.sh
similarity index 100%
rename from pkgs/stdenv/linux/scripts/unpack-bootstrap-tools.sh
rename to pkgs/stdenv/linux/bootstrap-tools/scripts/unpack-bootstrap-tools.sh
diff --git a/pkgs/stdenv/linux/default.nix b/pkgs/stdenv/linux/default.nix
index 34196359f525..9900fc6dd3d5 100644
--- a/pkgs/stdenv/linux/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/stdenv/linux/default.nix
@@ -7,12 +7,12 @@
 , system, platform, crossSystem, config
 
 , bootstrapFiles ?
-    if system == "i686-linux" then import ./bootstrap/i686.nix
-    else if system == "x86_64-linux" then import ./bootstrap/x86_64.nix
-    else if system == "armv5tel-linux" then import ./bootstrap/armv5tel.nix
-    else if system == "armv6l-linux" then import ./bootstrap/armv6l.nix
-    else if system == "armv7l-linux" then import ./bootstrap/armv7l.nix
-    else if system == "mips64el-linux" then import ./bootstrap/loongson2f.nix
+    if system == "i686-linux" then import ./bootstrap-files/i686.nix
+    else if system == "x86_64-linux" then import ./bootstrap-files/x86_64.nix
+    else if system == "armv5tel-linux" then import ./bootstrap-files/armv5tel.nix
+    else if system == "armv6l-linux" then import ./bootstrap-files/armv6l.nix
+    else if system == "armv7l-linux" then import ./bootstrap-files/armv7l.nix
+    else if system == "mips64el-linux" then import ./bootstrap-files/loongson2f.nix
     else abort "unsupported platform for the pure Linux stdenv"
 }:
 
@@ -37,22 +37,7 @@ rec {
 
 
   # Download and unpack the bootstrap tools (coreutils, GCC, Glibc, ...).
-  bootstrapTools = derivation {
-    name = "bootstrap-tools";
-
-    builder = bootstrapFiles.busybox;
-
-    args = [ "ash" "-e" ./scripts/unpack-bootstrap-tools.sh ];
-
-    tarball = bootstrapFiles.bootstrapTools;
-
-    inherit system;
-
-    # Needed by the GCC wrapper.
-    langC = true;
-    langCC = true;
-    isGNU = true;
-  };
+  bootstrapTools = import ./bootstrap-tools { inherit system bootstrapFiles; };
 
 
   # This function builds the various standard environments used during
diff --git a/pkgs/stdenv/linux/make-bootstrap-tools.nix b/pkgs/stdenv/linux/make-bootstrap-tools.nix
index 7063d7bfcb6a..e13fb88eff0b 100644
--- a/pkgs/stdenv/linux/make-bootstrap-tools.nix
+++ b/pkgs/stdenv/linux/make-bootstrap-tools.nix
@@ -173,16 +173,7 @@ rec {
     bootstrapTools = "${build}/on-server/bootstrap-tools.tar.xz";
   };
 
-  bootstrapTools = (import ./default.nix {
-    inherit system bootstrapFiles;
-
-    lib = assert false; null;
-    allPackages = assert false; null;
-
-    platform = assert false; null;
-    crossSystem = assert false; null;
-    config = assert false; null;
-  }).bootstrapTools;
+  bootstrapTools = import ./bootstrap-tools { inherit system bootstrapFiles; };
 
   test = derivation {
     name = "test-bootstrap-tools";
diff --git a/pkgs/top-level/default.nix b/pkgs/top-level/default.nix
index 31c51215676b..658f149908c7 100644
--- a/pkgs/top-level/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/top-level/default.nix
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@
 
 , # The standard environment for building packages, or rather a function
   # providing it. See below for the arguments given to that function.
-  stdenv ? assert false; null
+  stdenvFunc ? import ../stdenv
 
 , crossSystem ? null
 , platform ? assert false; null
@@ -76,7 +76,7 @@ in let
     inherit lib nixpkgsFun;
   } // newArgs);
 
-  stdenv = (args.stdenv or (import ../stdenv)) {
+  stdenv = stdenvFunc {
     inherit lib allPackages system platform crossSystem config;
   };