diff --git a/pkgs/applications/misc/et/default.nix b/pkgs/applications/misc/et/default.nix
index 23b2a57ea33..4a77423bea8 100644
--- a/pkgs/applications/misc/et/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/applications/misc/et/default.nix
@@ -14,6 +14,11 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation rec {
   buildInputs = [ libnotify gdk_pixbuf ];
   nativeBuildInputs = [ pkgconfig ];
 
+  prePatch = ''
+    substituteInPlace Makefile \
+        --replace ' = gcc' ' ?= gcc'
+  '';
+
   installPhase = ''
     mkdir -p $out/bin
     cp et $out/bin