diff --git a/pkgs/stdenv/cross/default.nix b/pkgs/stdenv/cross/default.nix
index fcf06bcf1da..10e2a766356 100644
--- a/pkgs/stdenv/cross/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/stdenv/cross/default.nix
@@ -1,14 +1,14 @@
-{ system, allPackages, platform, crossSystem, config, ... } @ args:
+{ lib, allPackages
+, system, platform, crossSystem, config
+}:
 
 rec {
-  argClobber = {
+  vanillaStdenv = (import ../. {
+    inherit lib allPackages system platform;
     crossSystem = null;
     # Ignore custom stdenvs when cross compiling for compatability
     config = builtins.removeAttrs config [ "replaceStdenv" ];
-  };
-  vanillaStdenv = (import ../. (args // argClobber // {
-    allPackages = args: allPackages (argClobber // args);
-  })) // {
+  }) // {
     # Needed elsewhere as a hacky way to pass the target
     cross = crossSystem;
   };
diff --git a/pkgs/stdenv/custom/default.nix b/pkgs/stdenv/custom/default.nix
index e8f203d69cf..174b8593c0a 100644
--- a/pkgs/stdenv/custom/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/stdenv/custom/default.nix
@@ -1,10 +1,13 @@
-{ system, allPackages, platform, crossSystem, config, ... } @ args:
+{ lib, allPackages
+, system, platform, crossSystem, config
+}:
 
 rec {
-  vanillaStdenv = import ../. (args // {
+  vanillaStdenv = import ../. {
+    inherit lib allPackages system platform crossSystem;
     # Remove config.replaceStdenv to ensure termination.
     config = builtins.removeAttrs config [ "replaceStdenv" ];
-  });
+  };
 
   buildPackages = allPackages {
     inherit system platform crossSystem config;
diff --git a/pkgs/stdenv/darwin/default.nix b/pkgs/stdenv/darwin/default.nix
index 49c4d9b8b2b..6182c8cc0c7 100644
--- a/pkgs/stdenv/darwin/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/stdenv/darwin/default.nix
@@ -100,7 +100,7 @@ in rec {
       };
 
       thisPkgs = allPackages {
-        inherit system platform;
+        inherit system platform config;
         allowCustomOverrides = false;
         stdenv = thisStdenv;
       };
diff --git a/pkgs/stdenv/default.nix b/pkgs/stdenv/default.nix
index bd515181fc6..246e656f33b 100644
--- a/pkgs/stdenv/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/stdenv/default.nix
@@ -5,12 +5,13 @@
 # Posix utilities, the GNU C compiler, and so on.  On other systems,
 # we use the native C library.
 
-{ system, allPackages ? import ../top-level, platform, config, crossSystem, lib }:
-
+{ # Args just for stdenvs' usage
+  lib, allPackages
+  # Args to pass on to `allPacakges` too
+, system, platform, crossSystem, config
+}:
 
 let
-
-
   # The native (i.e., impure) build environment.  This one uses the
   # tools installed on the system outside of the Nix environment,
   # i.e., the stuff in /bin, /usr/bin, etc.  This environment should
@@ -19,6 +20,7 @@ let
   inherit (import ./native { inherit system allPackages config; }) stdenvNative;
 
   stdenvNativePkgs = allPackages {
+    inherit system platform crossSystem config;
     allowCustomOverrides = false;
     stdenv = stdenvNative;
     noSysDirs = false;
diff --git a/pkgs/stdenv/linux/default.nix b/pkgs/stdenv/linux/default.nix
index e0a68bdca2f..e4bf87c5202 100644
--- a/pkgs/stdenv/linux/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/stdenv/linux/default.nix
@@ -106,7 +106,7 @@ rec {
       };
 
       thisPkgs = allPackages {
-        inherit system platform;
+        inherit system platform config;
         allowCustomOverrides = false;
         stdenv = thisStdenv;
       };
diff --git a/pkgs/stdenv/native/default.nix b/pkgs/stdenv/native/default.nix
index 22b4dc1400f..0f9aee214b3 100644
--- a/pkgs/stdenv/native/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/stdenv/native/default.nix
@@ -126,7 +126,7 @@ rec {
   } // {inherit fetchurl;};
 
   stdenvBoot1Pkgs = allPackages {
-    inherit system;
+    inherit system platform config;
     allowCustomOverrides = false;
     stdenv = stdenvBoot1;
   };
diff --git a/pkgs/top-level/default.nix b/pkgs/top-level/default.nix
index d1e824a8070..9464a8012b3 100644
--- a/pkgs/top-level/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/top-level/default.nix
@@ -69,9 +69,10 @@ in let
   # deterministically inferred the same way.
   nixpkgsFun = newArgs: import ./. (args // newArgs);
 
-  # Partially apply some args for building bootstraping stage pkgs sets
+  # Partially apply some arguments for building bootstraping stage pkgs
+  # sets. Only apply arguments which no stdenv would want to override.
   allPackages = newArgs: import ./stage.nix ({
-    inherit lib nixpkgsFun config;
+    inherit lib nixpkgsFun;
   } // newArgs);
 
   stdenv = import ../stdenv {