diff --git a/infra/libkookie/overlays/kookie/emacs/kookie-notmuch/default.nix b/infra/libkookie/overlays/kookie/emacs/kookie-notmuch/default.nix
index 67ad383ff46..6663bad5cdf 100644
--- a/infra/libkookie/overlays/kookie/emacs/kookie-notmuch/default.nix
+++ b/infra/libkookie/overlays/kookie/emacs/kookie-notmuch/default.nix
@@ -1,4 +1,16 @@
 { buildModule, epkgs, pkgs }:
 
 with epkgs;
-(buildModule "kookie-notmuch" ./. [ magit notmuch ])
+(buildModule "kookie-notmuch" ./. [ magit notmuch
+
+                                    ## FIXME: installing "f" directly
+                                    ## here is required because it is
+                                    ## a dependency of many other
+                                    ## tools, and installing magit
+                                    ## seems to remove it from the
+                                    ## emacs closure.
+                                    ##
+                                    ## Why? I don't know.  Maybe one
+                                    ## day we will understand.
+                                    f
+                                  ])