diff --git a/pkgs/tools/misc/recutils/default.nix b/pkgs/tools/misc/recutils/default.nix
index 4d6829e99a4..6dd40e8476f 100644
--- a/pkgs/tools/misc/recutils/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/tools/misc/recutils/default.nix
@@ -12,6 +12,8 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation rec {
 
   doCheck = true;
 
+  hardeningDisable = [ "format" ];
+
   buildInputs = [ curl emacs ] ++ (stdenv.lib.optionals doCheck [ check bc ]);
 
   meta = {