diff --git a/pkgs/misc/tex/texlive/default.nix b/pkgs/misc/tex/texlive/default.nix
index 7a14ba90887..eadabb9b339 100644
--- a/pkgs/misc/tex/texlive/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/misc/tex/texlive/default.nix
@@ -60,11 +60,9 @@ rec {
     HOME=. PATH=$PATH:$out/bin updmap-sys --syncwithtrees
 
     # Prebuild the format files, as it used to be done with TeXLive 2007.
-    # Note the funny argument parser of `mktexfmt', which wants something
-    # ending in `.fmt' as its first argument.
+    echo "building format files..."
     ensureDir "$out/texmf-var/web2c"
-    PATH="$PATH:$out/bin" mktexfmt does-not-matter.fmt \
-                             --fmtdir="$out/texmf-var/web2c" --all
+    PATH="$PATH:$out/bin" fmtutil-sys --all
 
     PATH=$PATH:$out/bin mktexlsr $out/texmf*
  '') ["minInit" "defEnsureDir" "doUnpack" "doMakeInstall"];