diff --git a/pkgs/build-support/setup-hooks/patch-shebangs.sh b/pkgs/build-support/setup-hooks/patch-shebangs.sh
index d26bf735d30a..b35c3c876253 100644
--- a/pkgs/build-support/setup-hooks/patch-shebangs.sh
+++ b/pkgs/build-support/setup-hooks/patch-shebangs.sh
@@ -5,10 +5,32 @@
 # rewritten to /nix/store/<hash>/bin/python.  Interpreters that are
 # already in the store are left untouched.
 
-fixupOutputHooks+=('if [ -z "$dontPatchShebangs" -a -e "$prefix" ]; then patchShebangs "$prefix"; fi')
+fixupOutputHooks+=(patchShebangsAuto)
+
+# Run patch shebangs on a directory.
+# patchShebangs [--build | --host] directory
+
+# Flags:
+# --build : Lookup commands available at build-time
+# --host  : Lookup commands available at runtime
+
+# Example use cases,
+# $ patchShebangs --host /nix/store/...-hello-1.0/bin
+# $ patchShebangs --build configure
 
 patchShebangs() {
+    local pathName
+
+    if [ "$1" = "--host" ]; then
+        pathName=HOST_PATH
+        shift
+    elif [ "$1" = "--build" ]; then
+        pathName=PATH
+        shift
+    fi
+
     local dir="$1"
+
     header "patching script interpreter paths in $dir"
     local f
     local oldPath
@@ -27,6 +49,14 @@ patchShebangs() {
         oldInterpreterLine=$(head -1 "$f" | tail -c+3)
         read -r oldPath arg0 args <<< "$oldInterpreterLine"
 
+        if [ -z "$pathName" ]; then
+            if [ -n "$strictDeps" ] && [[ "$f" = "$NIX_STORE"* ]]; then
+                pathName=HOST_PATH
+            else
+                pathName=PATH
+            fi
+        fi
+
         if $(echo "$oldPath" | grep -q "/bin/env$"); then
             # Check for unsupported 'env' functionality:
             # - options: something starting with a '-'
@@ -35,14 +65,17 @@ patchShebangs() {
                 echo "$f: unsupported interpreter directive \"$oldInterpreterLine\" (set dontPatchShebangs=1 and handle shebang patching yourself)"
                 exit 1
             fi
-            newPath="$(command -v "$arg0" || true)"
+
+            newPath="$(PATH="${!pathName}" command -v "$arg0" || true)"
         else
             if [ "$oldPath" = "" ]; then
                 # If no interpreter is specified linux will use /bin/sh. Set
                 # oldpath="/bin/sh" so that we get /nix/store/.../sh.
                 oldPath="/bin/sh"
             fi
-            newPath="$(command -v "$(basename "$oldPath")" || true)"
+
+            newPath="$(PATH="${!pathName}" command -v "$(basename "$oldPath")" || true)"
+
             args="$arg0 $args"
         fi
 
@@ -65,3 +98,19 @@ patchShebangs() {
 
     stopNest
 }
+
+patchShebangsAuto () {
+    if [ -z "$dontPatchShebangs" -a -e "$prefix" ]; then
+
+        if [ -z "${strictDeps-}"]; then
+            patchShebangs --build "$prefix"
+        # Dev output will end up being run on the build platform. An
+        # example case of this is sdl2-config. Otherwise, we can just
+        # use the runtime path (--host).
+        elif [ "$output" != out ] && [ "$output" = "${!outputDev}" ]; then
+            patchShebangs --build "$prefix"
+        else
+            patchShebangs --host "$prefix"
+        fi
+    fi
+}
diff --git a/pkgs/stdenv/darwin/default.nix b/pkgs/stdenv/darwin/default.nix
index 5fb410b64ebd..d9b3c7dd29f0 100644
--- a/pkgs/stdenv/darwin/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/stdenv/darwin/default.nix
@@ -278,8 +278,8 @@ in rec {
     # enables patchShebangs above. Unfortunately, patchShebangs ignores our $SHELL setting
     # and instead goes by $PATH, which happens to contain bootstrapTools. So it goes and
     # patches our shebangs back to point at bootstrapTools. This makes sure bash comes first.
-    extraNativeBuildInputs = with pkgs; [ xz pkgs.bash ];
-    extraBuildInputs = [ pkgs.darwin.CF ];
+    extraNativeBuildInputs = with pkgs; [ xz ];
+    extraBuildInputs = [ pkgs.darwin.CF pkgs.bash ];
     libcxx = pkgs.libcxx;
 
     extraPreHook = ''
@@ -335,8 +335,8 @@ in rec {
     };
   in with prevStage; stageFun 4 prevStage {
     shell = "${pkgs.bash}/bin/bash";
-    extraNativeBuildInputs = with pkgs; [ xz pkgs.bash ];
-    extraBuildInputs = [ pkgs.darwin.CF ];
+    extraNativeBuildInputs = with pkgs; [ xz ];
+    extraBuildInputs = [ pkgs.darwin.CF pkgs.bash ];
     libcxx = pkgs.libcxx;
 
     extraPreHook = ''
diff --git a/pkgs/stdenv/generic/setup.sh b/pkgs/stdenv/generic/setup.sh
index 8af369b1d17d..81c1725f1d19 100644
--- a/pkgs/stdenv/generic/setup.sh
+++ b/pkgs/stdenv/generic/setup.sh
@@ -257,17 +257,9 @@ shopt -s nullglob
 
 # Set up the initial path.
 PATH=
-HOST_PATH=
 for i in $initialPath; do
     if [ "$i" = / ]; then i=; fi
     addToSearchPath PATH "$i/bin"
-
-    # For backward compatibility, we add initial path to HOST_PATH so
-    # it can be used in auto patch-shebangs. Unfortunately this will
-    # not work with cross compilation.
-    if [ -z "${strictDeps-}" ]; then
-        addToSearchPath HOST_PATH "$i/bin"
-    fi
 done
 
 if (( "${NIX_DEBUG:-0}" >= 1 )); then