diff --git a/pkgs/applications/editors/neovim/default.nix b/pkgs/applications/editors/neovim/default.nix
index a53c499fe5c..5d623cdfc6d 100644
--- a/pkgs/applications/editors/neovim/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/applications/editors/neovim/default.nix
@@ -80,6 +80,7 @@ in
       "-DGPERF_PRG=${gperf}/bin/gperf"
     ]
     ++ optional doCheck "-DBUSTED_PRG=${neovimLuaEnv}/bin/busted"
+    ++ optional (!lua.pkgs.isLuaJIT) "-DPREFER_LUA=ON"
     ;
 
     # triggers on buffer overflow bug while running tests
@@ -122,8 +123,5 @@ in
       license = with licenses; [ asl20 vim ];
       maintainers = with maintainers; [ manveru garbas rvolosatovs ];
       platforms   = platforms.unix;
-      # `lua: bad light userdata pointer`
-      # https://nix-cache.s3.amazonaws.com/log/9ahcb52905d9d417zsskjpc331iailpq-neovim-unwrapped-0.2.2.drv
-      broken = stdenv.isAarch64;
     };
   }
diff --git a/pkgs/top-level/all-packages.nix b/pkgs/top-level/all-packages.nix
index fd3cc0fe4d2..f0880f66de0 100644
--- a/pkgs/top-level/all-packages.nix
+++ b/pkgs/top-level/all-packages.nix
@@ -20458,7 +20458,10 @@ in
   wrapNeovim = callPackage ../applications/editors/neovim/wrapper.nix { };
 
   neovim-unwrapped = callPackage ../applications/editors/neovim {
-    lua = luajit;
+    lua =
+      # neovim doesn't work with luajit on aarch64: https://github.com/neovim/neovim/issues/7879
+      if stdenv.isAarch64 then lua5_1 else
+      luajit;
   };
 
   neovim = wrapNeovim neovim-unwrapped { };