diff --git a/pkgs/development/guile-modules/guile-cairo/default.nix b/pkgs/development/guile-modules/guile-cairo/default.nix
index f5e000f3980..32a22566bdb 100644
--- a/pkgs/development/guile-modules/guile-cairo/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/development/guile-modules/guile-cairo/default.nix
@@ -11,8 +11,8 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation rec {
 
   nativeBuildInputs = [ pkgconfig ];
 
-  buildInputs = [ guile cairo expat ]
-    ++ stdenv.lib.optional doCheck guile-lib;
+  buildInputs = [ guile cairo expat ];
+  checkInputs = [ guile-lib ];
 
   doCheck = true;