diff --git a/pkgs/build-support/setup-hooks/die.sh b/pkgs/build-support/setup-hooks/die.sh
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..0db41e030f4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkgs/build-support/setup-hooks/die.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+# Exit with backtrace and error message
+#
+# Usage: die "Error message"
+die() {
+    # Let us be a little sloppy with errors, because otherwise the final
+    # invocation of `caller` below will cause the script to exit.
+    set +e
+
+    # Print our error message
+    printf "\nBuilder called die: %b\n" "$*"
+    printf "Backtrace:\n"
+
+    # Print a backtrace.
+    local frame=0
+    while caller $frame; do
+        ((frame++));
+    done
+    printf "\n"
+
+    exit 1
+}
diff --git a/pkgs/top-level/all-packages.nix b/pkgs/top-level/all-packages.nix
index 971c939957a..8235f494c6a 100644
--- a/pkgs/top-level/all-packages.nix
+++ b/pkgs/top-level/all-packages.nix
@@ -100,6 +100,8 @@ with pkgs;
 
   diffPlugins = (callPackage ../build-support/plugins.nix {}).diffPlugins;
 
+  dieHook = makeSetupHook {} ../build-support/setup-hooks/die.sh;
+
   dockerTools = callPackage ../build-support/docker { };
 
   docker_compose = pythonPackages.docker_compose;
@@ -287,7 +289,8 @@ with pkgs;
       inherit contents compressor prepend;
     };
 
-  makeWrapper = makeSetupHook { } ../build-support/setup-hooks/make-wrapper.sh;
+  makeWrapper = makeSetupHook { deps = [ dieHook ]; }
+                              ../build-support/setup-hooks/make-wrapper.sh;
 
   makeModulesClosure = { kernel, rootModules, allowMissing ? false }:
     callPackage ../build-support/kernel/modules-closure.nix {