diff --git a/pkgs/stdenv/adapters.nix b/pkgs/stdenv/adapters.nix
index 7fd283ca8230..7515a72fcfdf 100644
--- a/pkgs/stdenv/adapters.nix
+++ b/pkgs/stdenv/adapters.nix
@@ -77,6 +77,9 @@ rec {
     mkDerivation =
       { name ? "", buildInputs ? [], nativeBuildInputs ? []
       , propagatedBuildInputs ? [], propagatedNativeBuildInputs ? []
+      , # Disabling the tests by default when cross compiling, as usually the
+        # tests rely on being able to run produced binaries.
+        doCheck ? false
       , configureFlags ? []
       , # Target is not included by default because most programs don't care.
         # Including it then would cause needless massive rebuilds.
@@ -115,6 +118,8 @@ rec {
             ++ stdenv.lib.optional (hostPlatform.config == "aarch64-linux-gnu") pkgs.updateAutotoolsGnuConfigScriptsHook
             ;
 
+          inherit doCheck;
+
           # This parameter is sometimes a string and sometimes a list, yuck
           configureFlags = let inherit (stdenv.lib) optional elem; in
             (if stdenv.lib.isString configureFlags then [configureFlags] else configureFlags)