diff --git a/pkgs/tools/misc/uudeview/default.nix b/pkgs/tools/misc/uudeview/default.nix
index e66580f25ffb..3e8b7d494deb 100644
--- a/pkgs/tools/misc/uudeview/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/tools/misc/uudeview/default.nix
@@ -10,6 +10,9 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation rec {
   buildInputs = [ tcl tk ];
   hardeningDisable = [ "format" ];
   configureFlags = [ "--enable-tk=${tk.dev}" "--enable-tcl=${tcl}" ];
+
+  # https://wiki.tcl.tk/3577
+  patches = [ ./matherr.patch ];
   postPatch = ''
     substituteInPlace tcl/xdeview --replace "exec uuwish" "exec $out/bin/uuwish"
   '';
diff --git a/pkgs/tools/misc/uudeview/matherr.patch b/pkgs/tools/misc/uudeview/matherr.patch
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..a93db7d7858d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkgs/tools/misc/uudeview/matherr.patch
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+diff --git a/tcl/uutcl.c b/tcl/uutcl.c
+index f101f2ce52b..71c24688dc4 100644
+--- a/tcl/uutcl.c
++++ b/tcl/uutcl.c
+@@ -48,14 +48,6 @@
+ #include <tcl.h>
+ #endif
+
+-/*
+- * The following variable is a special hack that is needed in order for
+- * Sun shared libraries to be used for Tcl.
+- */
+-
+-extern int matherr();
+-int *tclDummyMathPtr = (int *) matherr;
+-
+ #include <uudeview.h>
+ #include <uuint.h>
+ #include <fptools.h>