diff --git a/pkgs/development/libraries/boost/generic.nix b/pkgs/development/libraries/boost/generic.nix
index 6158eb875117..1f9bbe5ffcad 100644
--- a/pkgs/development/libraries/boost/generic.nix
+++ b/pkgs/development/libraries/boost/generic.nix
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-{ lib, stdenv, icu, expat, zlib, bzip2, python, fixDarwinDylibNames, libiconv
+{ lib, stdenv, icu, expat, zlib, bzip2, python ? null, fixDarwinDylibNames, libiconv
 , fetchpatch
 , which
 , buildPackages