diff --git a/pkgs/build-support/setup-hooks/prune-libtool-files.sh b/pkgs/build-support/setup-hooks/prune-libtool-files.sh
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..d75812e05b60
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkgs/build-support/setup-hooks/prune-libtool-files.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+# Clear dependency_libs in libtool files for shared libraries.
+
+# Shared libraries already encode their dependencies with locations.  .la
+# files do not always encode those locations, and sometimes encode the
+# locations in the wrong Nix output. .la files are not needed for shared
+# libraries, but without dependency_libs they do not hurt either.
+
+fixupOutputHooks+=(_pruneLibtoolFiles)
+
+_pruneLibtoolFiles() {
+    if [ "$dontPruneLibtoolFiles" ]; then
+       return
+    fi
+
+    # Libtool uses "dlname" and "library_names" fields for shared libraries and
+    # the "old_library" field for static libraries.  We are processing only
+    # those .la files that do not describe static libraries.
+    find "$prefix" -type f -name '*.la' \
+         -exec grep -q '^# Generated by libtool' {} \; \
+         -exec grep -q "^old_library=''" {} \; \
+         -exec sed -i {} -e "/^dependency_libs='[^']/ c dependency_libs='' #pruned" \;
+}
diff --git a/pkgs/top-level/all-packages.nix b/pkgs/top-level/all-packages.nix
index 4e73f5981577..04c11b8208b1 100644
--- a/pkgs/top-level/all-packages.nix
+++ b/pkgs/top-level/all-packages.nix
@@ -344,6 +344,9 @@ with pkgs;
 
   pathsFromGraph = ../build-support/kernel/paths-from-graph.pl;
 
+  pruneLibtoolFiles = makeSetupHook { name = "prune-libtool-files"; }
+    ../build-support/setup-hooks/prune-libtool-files.sh;
+
   closureInfo = callPackage ../build-support/closure-info.nix { };
 
   setupSystemdUnits = callPackage ../build-support/setup-systemd-units.nix { };