diff --git a/pkgs/development/libraries/libguestfs/default.nix b/pkgs/development/libraries/libguestfs/default.nix
index d8a037aa5f15..b875b3579037 100644
--- a/pkgs/development/libraries/libguestfs/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/development/libraries/libguestfs/default.nix
@@ -91,5 +91,7 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation rec {
     homepage = "https://libguestfs.org/";
     maintainers = with maintainers; [offline];
     platforms = platforms.linux;
+    # this is to avoid "output size exceeded"
+    hydraPlatforms = if appliance != null then appliance.meta.hydraPlatforms else platforms.linux;
   };
 }