diff --git a/pkgs/os-specific/bsd/netbsd/default.nix b/pkgs/os-specific/bsd/netbsd/default.nix
index ab202c275ac..b86891352f0 100644
--- a/pkgs/os-specific/bsd/netbsd/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/os-specific/bsd/netbsd/default.nix
@@ -1,8 +1,8 @@
-{ stdenv, stdenvNoCC, lib, groff, mandoc, zlib, bison, flex
+{ stdenv, stdenvNoCC, fetchcvs, lib, groff, mandoc, zlib, bison, flex
 , writeText, buildPackages, splicePackages, symlinkJoin }:
 
 let
-  fetchNetBSD = path: version: sha256: buildPackages.fetchcvs {
+  fetchNetBSD = path: version: sha256: fetchcvs {
     cvsRoot = ":pserver:anoncvs@anoncvs.NetBSD.org:/cvsroot";
     module = "src/${path}";
     inherit sha256;
diff --git a/pkgs/top-level/all-packages.nix b/pkgs/top-level/all-packages.nix
index 98b92758541..10a37e20438 100644
--- a/pkgs/top-level/all-packages.nix
+++ b/pkgs/top-level/all-packages.nix
@@ -375,7 +375,10 @@ in
 
   fetchbzr = callPackage ../build-support/fetchbzr { };
 
-  fetchcvs = callPackage ../build-support/fetchcvs { };
+  fetchcvs = if stdenv.buildPlatform != stdenv.hostPlatform
+    # hack around splicing being crummy with things that (correctly) don't eval.
+    then buildPackages.fetchcvs
+    else callPackage ../build-support/fetchcvs { };
 
   fetchdarcs = callPackage ../build-support/fetchdarcs { };
 
@@ -427,7 +430,10 @@ in
 
   fetchs3 = callPackage ../build-support/fetchs3 { };
 
-  fetchsvn = callPackage ../build-support/fetchsvn { };
+  fetchsvn = if stdenv.buildPlatform != stdenv.hostPlatform
+    # hack around splicing being crummy with things that (correctly) don't eval.
+    then buildPackages.fetchsvn
+    else callPackage ../build-support/fetchsvn { };
 
   fetchsvnrevision = import ../build-support/fetchsvnrevision runCommand subversion;