diff --git a/pkgs/development/libraries/glibc/common.nix b/pkgs/development/libraries/glibc/common.nix
index ec9f94d00d8..74fb0050109 100644
--- a/pkgs/development/libraries/glibc/common.nix
+++ b/pkgs/development/libraries/glibc/common.nix
@@ -4,17 +4,20 @@
 cross:
 
 { name, fetchurl, lib, stdenv, installLocales ? false
-, gccCross ? null, linuxHeaders ? null
+, linuxHeaders ? null
 , profilingLibraries ? false, meta
 , withGd ? false, gd ? null, libpng ? null
-, preConfigure ? "", ... }@args:
+, preConfigure ? ""
+, buildPackages ? {}
+, ...
+} @ args:
 
 let
   version = "2.25";
   sha256 = "067bd9bb3390e79aa45911537d13c3721f1d9d3769931a30c2681bfee66f23a0";
 in
 
-assert cross != null -> gccCross != null;
+assert cross != null -> buildPackages.stdenv ? cc;
 
 stdenv.mkDerivation ({
   inherit linuxHeaders installLocales;
@@ -113,8 +116,8 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation ({
 
   outputs = [ "out" "bin" "dev" "static" ];
 
-  buildInputs = lib.optionals (cross != null) [ gccCross ]
-    ++ lib.optionals withGd [ gd libpng ];
+  nativeBuildInputs = lib.optional (cross != null) buildPackages.stdenv.cc;
+  buildInputs = lib.optionals withGd [ gd libpng ];
 
   # Needed to install share/zoneinfo/zone.tab.  Set to impure /bin/sh to
   # prevent a retained dependency on the bootstrap tools in the stdenv-linux
@@ -122,9 +125,7 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation ({
   BASH_SHELL = "/bin/sh";
 }
 
-# Remove the `gccCross' attribute so that the *native* glibc store path
-# doesn't depend on whether `gccCross' is null or not.
-// (removeAttrs args [ "lib" "gccCross" "fetchurl" "withGd" "gd" "libpng" ]) //
+// (removeAttrs args [ "lib" "buildPackages" "fetchurl" "withGd" "gd" "libpng" ]) //
 
 {
   name = name + "-${version}" +
diff --git a/pkgs/development/libraries/glibc/default.nix b/pkgs/development/libraries/glibc/default.nix
index 4f9eb2d0714..7295e4d62f4 100644
--- a/pkgs/development/libraries/glibc/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/development/libraries/glibc/default.nix
@@ -1,21 +1,23 @@
-{ lib, stdenv, fetchurl, linuxHeaders
+{ lib, stdenv, fetchurl
 , installLocales ? true
 , profilingLibraries ? false
-, gccCross ? null
 , withGd ? false, gd ? null, libpng ? null
+, buildPlatform, hostPlatform
+, buildPackages
 }:
 
 assert stdenv.cc.isGNU;
 
 let
   build = import ./common.nix;
-  cross = if gccCross != null then gccCross.target else null;
+  cross = if buildPlatform != hostPlatform then hostPlatform else null;
+  inherit (buildPackages) linuxHeaders;
 in
   build cross ({
     name = "glibc" + lib.optionalString withGd "-gd";
 
-    inherit lib stdenv fetchurl linuxHeaders installLocales
-      profilingLibraries gccCross withGd gd libpng;
+    inherit lib stdenv buildPackages fetchurl linuxHeaders installLocales
+      profilingLibraries withGd gd libpng;
 
     NIX_NO_SELF_RPATH = true;
 
diff --git a/pkgs/stdenv/linux/make-bootstrap-tools-cross.nix b/pkgs/stdenv/linux/make-bootstrap-tools-cross.nix
index 77471e6dfdb..50fd563e7c2 100644
--- a/pkgs/stdenv/linux/make-bootstrap-tools-cross.nix
+++ b/pkgs/stdenv/linux/make-bootstrap-tools-cross.nix
@@ -92,7 +92,7 @@ let
 
   pkgs = pkgsFun ({inherit system;} // selectedCrossSystem);
 
-  glibc = pkgs.buildPackages.libcCross;
+  glibc = pkgs.libcCross;
   bash = pkgs.bash;
   findutils = pkgs.findutils;
   diffutils = pkgs.diffutils;
diff --git a/pkgs/top-level/all-packages.nix b/pkgs/top-level/all-packages.nix
index d2a171a732d..32c4f0f95c6 100644
--- a/pkgs/top-level/all-packages.nix
+++ b/pkgs/top-level/all-packages.nix
@@ -7700,7 +7700,6 @@ with pkgs;
 
   glibc = callPackage ../development/libraries/glibc {
     installLocales = config.glibc.locales or false;
-    gccCross = null;
   };
 
   glibc_memusage = callPackage ../development/libraries/glibc {
@@ -7708,13 +7707,23 @@ with pkgs;
     withGd = true;
   };
 
-  glibcCross = forcedNativePackages.glibc.override {
-    gccCross = gccCrossStageStatic;
-    inherit (forcedNativePackages) linuxHeaders;
+  # Being redundant to avoid cycles on boot. TODO: find a better way
+  glibcCross = callPackage ../development/libraries/glibc {
+    installLocales = config.glibc.locales or false;
+    # Can't just overrideCC, because then the stdenv-cross mkDerivation will be
+    # thrown away. TODO: find a better solution for this.
+    stdenv = buildPackages.makeStdenvCross
+      buildPackages.buildPackages.stdenv
+      buildPackages.targetPlatform
+      buildPackages.binutils
+      buildPackages.gccCrossStageStatic;
   };
 
   # We can choose:
-  libcCrossChooser = name: if name == "glibc" then glibcCross
+  libcCrossChooser = name:
+    # libc is hackily often used from the previous stage. This `or`
+    # hack fixes the hack, *sigh*.
+    /**/ if name == "glibc" then __targetPackages.glibcCross or glibcCross
     else if name == "uclibc" then uclibcCross
     else if name == "msvcrt" then windows.mingw_w64
     else if name == "libSystem" then darwin.xcode