diff --git a/pkgs/applications/version-management/git-and-tools/git/default.nix b/pkgs/applications/version-management/git-and-tools/git/default.nix
index fcd3b77889d..dd603e75562 100644
--- a/pkgs/applications/version-management/git-and-tools/git/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/applications/version-management/git-and-tools/git/default.nix
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation {
   # required to support pthread_cancel()
   NIX_LDFLAGS = stdenv.lib.optionalString (!stdenv.isDarwin) "-lgcc_s";
 
-  makeFlags = "prefix=\${out} PERL_PATH=${perl}/bin/perl SHELL_PATH=${stdenv.shell} "
+  makeFlags = "prefix=\${out} sysconfdir=/etc/ PERL_PATH=${perl}/bin/perl SHELL_PATH=${stdenv.shell} "
       + (if pythonSupport then "PYTHON_PATH=${python}/bin/python" else "NO_PYTHON=1");
 
   # FIXME: "make check" requires Sparse; the Makefile must be tweaked