diff --git a/pkgs/applications/networking/instant-messengers/chatty/default.nix b/pkgs/applications/networking/instant-messengers/chatty/default.nix
index 586d49cf96f..ef77b7e8fb8 100644
--- a/pkgs/applications/networking/instant-messengers/chatty/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/applications/networking/instant-messengers/chatty/default.nix
@@ -75,7 +75,7 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation rec {
 
   preFixup = ''
     gappsWrapperArgs+=(
-      --prefix PURPLE_PLUGIN_PATH : ${pidgin.makePluginPath plugins}
+      --prefix PURPLE_PLUGIN_PATH : ${lib.escapeShellArg (pidgin.makePluginPath plugins)}
       ${lib.concatMapStringsSep " " (p: p.wrapArgs or "") plugins}
     )
   '';