diff --git a/lib/default.nix b/lib/default.nix
index 4ca2e2ea6e37..d608d7094474 100644
--- a/lib/default.nix
+++ b/lib/default.nix
@@ -56,10 +56,10 @@ let
       hasAttr head isAttrs isBool isInt isList isString length
       lessThan listToAttrs pathExists readFile replaceStrings seq
       stringLength sub substring tail;
-    inherit (trivial) id const concat or and boolToString mergeAttrs
-      flip mapNullable inNixShell min max importJSON warn info
-      nixpkgsVersion version mod compare splitByAndCompare
-      functionArgs setFunctionArgs isFunction;
+    inherit (trivial) id const concat or and bitAnd bitOr bitXor
+      boolToString mergeAttrs flip mapNullable inNixShell min max
+      importJSON warn info nixpkgsVersion version mod compare
+      splitByAndCompare functionArgs setFunctionArgs isFunction;
 
     inherit (fixedPoints) fix fix' extends composeExtensions
       makeExtensible makeExtensibleWithCustomName;
diff --git a/lib/trivial.nix b/lib/trivial.nix
index 251cb796db0e..86e3c939dd69 100644
--- a/lib/trivial.nix
+++ b/lib/trivial.nix
@@ -1,4 +1,38 @@
 { lib }:
+let
+  zipIntBits = f: x: y:
+    let
+      # (intToBits 6) -> [ 0 1 1 ]
+      intToBits = x:
+        if x==0 then
+          []
+        else
+          let
+            headbit  = if (x / 2) * 2 != x then 1 else 0;                          # x & 1
+            tailbits = if x < 0 then 9223372036854775807 + ((x+1) / 2) else x / 2; # x >>> 1
+          in
+            [headbit] ++ (intToBits tailbits);
+
+      # (bitsToInt [ 0 1 1 ]) -> 6
+      bitsToInt = l:
+        if l==[] then
+          0
+        else
+          (builtins.head l) + (2 * (bitsToInt (builtins.tail l)));
+
+      zipListsWith' = fst: snd:
+        if fst==[] && snd==[] then
+          []
+        else if fst==[] then
+          [(f 0                   (builtins.head snd))] ++ (zipListsWith' []                  (builtins.tail snd))
+        else if snd==[] then
+          [(f (builtins.head fst) 0                  )] ++ (zipListsWith' (builtins.tail fst) []                 )
+        else
+          [(f (builtins.head fst) (builtins.head snd))] ++ (zipListsWith' (builtins.tail fst) (builtins.tail snd));
+    in
+      assert (builtins.isInt x) && (builtins.isInt y);
+      bitsToInt (zipListsWith' (intToBits x) (intToBits y));
+in
 rec {
 
   /* The identity function
@@ -31,6 +65,15 @@ rec {
   /* boolean “and” */
   and = x: y: x && y;
 
+  /* bitwise “and” */
+  bitAnd = builtins.bitAnd or zipIntBits (a: b: if a==1 && b==1 then 1 else 0);
+
+  /* bitwise “or” */
+  bitOr = builtins.bitOr or zipIntBits (a: b: if a==1 || b==1 then 1 else 0);
+
+  /* bitwise “xor” */
+  bitXor = builtins.bitXor or zipIntBits (a: b: if a!=b then 1 else 0);
+
   /* Convert a boolean to a string.
      Note that toString on a bool returns "1" and "".
   */