diff --git a/pkgs/os-specific/linux/systemd/0014-catalog-don-t-update-on-install.patch b/pkgs/os-specific/linux/systemd/0014-catalog-don-t-update-on-install.patch
deleted file mode 100644
index 4f9f08413e2..00000000000
--- a/pkgs/os-specific/linux/systemd/0014-catalog-don-t-update-on-install.patch
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,24 +0,0 @@
-From 8e7aec49a387d8229b85cfc3ea2f2c1c9a45f6d0 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
-From: Franz Pletz <fpletz@fnordicwalking.de>
-Date: Wed, 17 Jan 2018 05:10:36 +0100
-Subject: [PATCH 14/27] catalog: don't update on install
-
----
- catalog/meson.build | 4 ----
- 1 file changed, 4 deletions(-)
-
-diff --git a/catalog/meson.build b/catalog/meson.build
-index 3db8e390f2..7004618750 100644
---- a/catalog/meson.build
-+++ b/catalog/meson.build
-@@ -28,7 +28,3 @@ foreach file : in_files
-                 install : true,
-                 install_dir : catalogdir)
- endforeach
--
--meson.add_install_script('sh', '-c',
--                         'test -n "$DESTDIR" || @0@/journalctl --update-catalog'
--                         .format(rootbindir))
--- 
-2.24.1
-
diff --git a/pkgs/os-specific/linux/systemd/0015-hwdb-don-t-run-update-on-install.patch b/pkgs/os-specific/linux/systemd/0015-hwdb-don-t-run-update-on-install.patch
deleted file mode 100644
index bf416d90d86..00000000000
--- a/pkgs/os-specific/linux/systemd/0015-hwdb-don-t-run-update-on-install.patch
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,27 +0,0 @@
-From 8a383521425d7a59e9b1850d1547d47fa5e8a952 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
-From: Franz Pletz <fpletz@fnordicwalking.de>
-Date: Sun, 11 Feb 2018 04:01:35 +0100
-Subject: [PATCH 15/27] hwdb: don't run update on install
-
----
- hwdb/meson.build | 4 ----
- 1 file changed, 4 deletions(-)
-
-diff --git a/hwdb/meson.build b/hwdb/meson.build
-index 31ee3e7409..badf39f555 100644
---- a/hwdb/meson.build
-+++ b/hwdb/meson.build
-@@ -27,10 +27,6 @@ if conf.get('ENABLE_HWDB') == 1
- 
-         meson.add_install_script('sh', '-c',
-                                  mkdir_p.format(join_paths(sysconfdir, 'udev/hwdb.d')))
--
--        meson.add_install_script('sh', '-c',
--                                 'test -n "$DESTDIR" || @0@/systemd-hwdb update'
--                                 .format(rootbindir))
- endif
- 
- ############################################################
--- 
-2.24.1
-
diff --git a/pkgs/os-specific/linux/systemd/0018-Install-default-configuration-into-out-share-factory.patch b/pkgs/os-specific/linux/systemd/0018-Install-default-configuration-into-out-share-factory.patch
index 980d9f35461..1793f5d1818 100644
--- a/pkgs/os-specific/linux/systemd/0018-Install-default-configuration-into-out-share-factory.patch
+++ b/pkgs/os-specific/linux/systemd/0018-Install-default-configuration-into-out-share-factory.patch
@@ -40,6 +40,10 @@ index badf39f555..8fd9c7639f 100644
          meson.add_install_script('sh', '-c',
 -                                 mkdir_p.format(join_paths(sysconfdir, 'udev/hwdb.d')))
 +                                 mkdir_p.format(join_paths(factoryconfdir, 'udev/hwdb.d')))
+ 
+         meson.add_install_script('sh', '-c',
+                                  'test -n "$DESTDIR" || @0@/systemd-hwdb update'
+                                  .format(rootbindir))
  endif
  
  ############################################################
diff --git a/pkgs/os-specific/linux/systemd/default.nix b/pkgs/os-specific/linux/systemd/default.nix
index b8693678566..82c8af30359 100644
--- a/pkgs/os-specific/linux/systemd/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/os-specific/linux/systemd/default.nix
@@ -55,8 +55,6 @@ in stdenv.mkDerivation {
     ./0011-Fix-hwdb-paths.patch
     ./0012-Change-usr-share-zoneinfo-to-etc-zoneinfo.patch
     ./0013-localectl-use-etc-X11-xkb-for-list-x11.patch
-    ./0014-catalog-don-t-update-on-install.patch
-    ./0015-hwdb-don-t-run-update-on-install.patch
     ./0016-build-don-t-create-statedir-and-don-t-touch-prefixdi.patch
     ./0017-Fix-mount-option-x-initrd.mount-handling-35268-16.patch
     ./0018-Install-default-configuration-into-out-share-factory.patch
@@ -220,6 +218,11 @@ in stdenv.mkDerivation {
 
   doCheck = false; # fails a bunch of tests
 
+  # trigger the test -n "$DESTDIR" || mutate in upstreams build system
+  preInstall = ''
+    export DESTDIR=/
+  '';
+
   postInstall = ''
     # sysinit.target: Don't depend on
     # systemd-tmpfiles-setup.service. This interferes with NixOps's