diff --git a/pkgs/development/compilers/gcc/4.8/default.nix b/pkgs/development/compilers/gcc/4.8/default.nix
index 6357e8f6a0c..0664cc0ebd5 100644
--- a/pkgs/development/compilers/gcc/4.8/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/development/compilers/gcc/4.8/default.nix
@@ -309,12 +309,12 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation ({
     export CXXFLAGS_FOR_TARGET="-Wl,-rpath,$prefix/lib/amd64 $CXXFLAGS_FOR_TARGET"
     export CFLAGS_FOR_TARGET="-Wl,-rpath,$prefix/lib/amd64 $CFLAGS_FOR_TARGET"
   '' + stdenv.lib.optionalString stdenv.isDarwin ''
-    if xcodePath=$(/usr/bin/xcrun --show-sdk-path); then
-      configureFlagsArray+=(--with-native-system-header-dir=$xcodePath/usr/include)
+    if SDKROOT=$(/usr/bin/xcrun --show-sdk-path); then
+      configureFlagsArray+=(--with-native-system-header-dir=$SDKROOT/usr/include)
       makeFlagsArray+=( \
-       CFLAGS_FOR_BUILD=-F$xcodePath/System/Library/Frameworks \
-       CFLAGS_FOR_TARGET=-F$xcodePath/System/Library/Frameworks \
-       FLAGS_FOR_TARGET=-F$xcodePath/System/Library/Frameworks \
+       CFLAGS_FOR_BUILD=-F$SDKROOT/System/Library/Frameworks \
+       CFLAGS_FOR_TARGET=-F$SDKROOT/System/Library/Frameworks \
+       FLAGS_FOR_TARGET=-F$SDKROOT/System/Library/Frameworks \
       )
     fi
   '';
diff --git a/pkgs/development/libraries/libsamplerate/default.nix b/pkgs/development/libraries/libsamplerate/default.nix
index 183caefff85..85d51d0ad71 100644
--- a/pkgs/development/libraries/libsamplerate/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/development/libraries/libsamplerate/default.nix
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation rec {
     ''
       # need headers from the Carbon.framework in /System/Library/Frameworks to
       # compile this on darwin -- not sure how to handle
-      NIX_CFLAGS_COMPILE+=" -I$xcodePath/System/Library/Frameworks/Carbon.framework/Versions/A/Headers"
+      NIX_CFLAGS_COMPILE+=" -I$SDKROOT/System/Library/Frameworks/Carbon.framework/Versions/A/Headers"
 
       substituteInPlace examples/Makefile --replace "-fpascal-strings" ""
     '';
diff --git a/pkgs/development/libraries/libsndfile/default.nix b/pkgs/development/libraries/libsndfile/default.nix
index f97bd040a54..74140d5f335 100644
--- a/pkgs/development/libraries/libsndfile/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/development/libraries/libsndfile/default.nix
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation rec {
   # compile this on darwin -- not sure how to handle
   preConfigure = stdenv.lib.optionalString stdenv.isDarwin
     ''
-      NIX_CFLAGS_COMPILE+=" -I$xcodePath/System/Library/Frameworks/Carbon.framework/Versions/A/Headers"
+      NIX_CFLAGS_COMPILE+=" -I$SDKROOT/System/Library/Frameworks/Carbon.framework/Versions/A/Headers"
     '';
 
   # Needed on Darwin.
diff --git a/pkgs/stdenv/nix/default.nix b/pkgs/stdenv/nix/default.nix
index b540456afa4..2301b8b8f2b 100644
--- a/pkgs/stdenv/nix/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/stdenv/nix/default.nix
@@ -15,9 +15,9 @@ import ../generic rec {
       stripAllFlags=" " # the Darwin "strip" command doesn't know "-s"
       xargsFlags=" "
       export MACOSX_DEPLOYMENT_TARGET=10.6
-      xcodePath=$(/usr/bin/xcrun --show-sdk-path 2> /dev/null || true)
-      export NIX_CFLAGS_COMPILE+=" --sysroot=/var/empty -idirafter $xcodePath/usr/include -F$xcodePath/System/Library/Frameworks -Wno-multichar -Wno-deprecated-declarations"
-      export NIX_LDFLAGS_AFTER+=" -L$xcodePath/usr/lib"
+      SDKROOT=$(/usr/bin/xcrun --show-sdk-path 2> /dev/null || true)
+      export NIX_CFLAGS_COMPILE+=" --sysroot=/var/empty -idirafter $SDKROOT/usr/include -F$xcodePath/System/Library/Frameworks -Wno-multichar -Wno-deprecated-declarations"
+      export NIX_LDFLAGS_AFTER+=" -L$SDKROOT/usr/lib"
     '' else "");
 
   initialPath = (import ../common-path.nix) {pkgs = pkgs;};