diff --git a/pkgs/applications/version-management/git-and-tools/default.nix b/pkgs/applications/version-management/git-and-tools/default.nix
index 07eab6a68c0..ba5486dc015 100644
--- a/pkgs/applications/version-management/git-and-tools/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/applications/version-management/git-and-tools/default.nix
@@ -130,7 +130,7 @@ let
 
   transcrypt = callPackage ./transcrypt { };
 
-} // lib.optionalAttrs (config.skipAliases or false == false) (with self; {
+} // lib.optionalAttrs (config.allowAliases or true) (with self; {
   # aliases
   gitAnnex = git-annex;
   svn_all_fast_export = svn-all-fast-export;
diff --git a/pkgs/desktops/gnome-3/default.nix b/pkgs/desktops/gnome-3/default.nix
index a6c8db1b886..be962b3e289 100644
--- a/pkgs/desktops/gnome-3/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/desktops/gnome-3/default.nix
@@ -391,7 +391,7 @@ lib.makeScope pkgs.newScope (self: with self; {
 
   gnome-packagekit = callPackage ./misc/gnome-packagekit { };
 
-} // lib.optionalAttrs (config.skipAliases or false == false) {
+} // lib.optionalAttrs (config.allowAliases or true) {
 #### Legacy aliases
 
   evolution_data_server = evolution-data-server; # added 2018-02-25
diff --git a/pkgs/desktops/xfce/default.nix b/pkgs/desktops/xfce/default.nix
index 47d42f4c4a2..abf03d4277b 100644
--- a/pkgs/desktops/xfce/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/desktops/xfce/default.nix
@@ -159,7 +159,7 @@ lib.makeScope pkgs.newScope (self: with self; {
 
   xfce4_power_manager_gtk3 = xfce4-power-manager.override { withGtk3 = true; };
 
-} // lib.optionalAttrs (config.skipAliases or false == false) {
+} // lib.optionalAttrs (config.allowAliases or true) {
   #### ALIASES - added 2018-01
 
   terminal = xfce4-terminal;
diff --git a/pkgs/misc/vim-plugins/default.nix b/pkgs/misc/vim-plugins/default.nix
index 6b626196a1b..0085e9280a9 100644
--- a/pkgs/misc/vim-plugins/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/misc/vim-plugins/default.nix
@@ -3213,7 +3213,7 @@ let
 
   };
 
-} // lib.optionalAttrs (config.skipAliases or false == false) (with self; {
+} // lib.optionalAttrs (config.allowAliases or true) (with self; {
 
   # aliasess
   airline             = vim-airline;
diff --git a/pkgs/top-level/stage.nix b/pkgs/top-level/stage.nix
index cc70950c497..5b802aea075 100644
--- a/pkgs/top-level/stage.nix
+++ b/pkgs/top-level/stage.nix
@@ -97,8 +97,7 @@ let
       res self;
     in res;
 
-  aliases = self: super: if config.skipAliases or false then {}
-                         else import ./aliases.nix lib self super;
+  aliases = self: super: lib.optionalAttrs (config.allowAliases or true) (import ./aliases.nix lib self super);
 
   # stdenvOverrides is used to avoid having multiple of versions
   # of certain dependencies that were used in bootstrapping the