diff --git a/pkgs/development/libraries/ntirpc/default.nix b/pkgs/development/libraries/ntirpc/default.nix
index 4526814c378..d1a795bcf9a 100644
--- a/pkgs/development/libraries/ntirpc/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/development/libraries/ntirpc/default.nix
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation rec {
 
   postPatch = ''
     substituteInPlace ntirpc/netconfig.h --replace "/etc/netconfig" "$out/etc/netconfig"
+    sed '1i#include <assert.h>' -i src/work_pool.c
   '';
 
   nativeBuildInputs = [ cmake ];