diff --git a/pkgs/build-support/bintools-wrapper/default.nix b/pkgs/build-support/bintools-wrapper/default.nix
index 7bb96b470687..5ca5bc3f5eb3 100644
--- a/pkgs/build-support/bintools-wrapper/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/build-support/bintools-wrapper/default.nix
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@
 , isGNU ? bintools.isGNU or false
 , isLLVM ? bintools.isLLVM or false
 , isCCTools ? bintools.isCCTools or false
-, buildPackages ? {}
+, expand-response-params
 , targetPackages ? {}
 , useMacosReexportHack ? false
 , wrapGas ? false
@@ -132,10 +132,6 @@ let
     else if hasSuffix "pc-gnu" targetPlatform.config then "ld.so.1"
     else "";
 
-  expand-response-params =
-    optionalString (buildPackages ? stdenv && buildPackages.stdenv.hasCC && buildPackages.stdenv.cc != "/dev/null")
-    (import ../expand-response-params { inherit (buildPackages) stdenv; });
-
 in
 
 stdenvNoCC.mkDerivation {
@@ -419,6 +415,7 @@ stdenvNoCC.mkDerivation {
 
   env = {
     # for substitution in utils.bash
+    # TODO(@sternenseemann): invent something cleaner than passing in "" in case of absence
     expandResponseParams = "${expand-response-params}/bin/expand-response-params";
     # TODO(@sternenseemann): rename env var via stdenv rebuild
     shell = (getBin runtimeShell + runtimeShell.shellPath or "");
diff --git a/pkgs/build-support/cc-wrapper/default.nix b/pkgs/build-support/cc-wrapper/default.nix
index 17aac3170971..4adc1dcb1f8d 100644
--- a/pkgs/build-support/cc-wrapper/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/build-support/cc-wrapper/default.nix
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@
 , extraTools ? [], extraPackages ? [], extraBuildCommands ? ""
 , nixSupport ? {}
 , isGNU ? false, isClang ? cc.isClang or false, isCcache ? cc.isCcache or false, gnugrep ? null
-, buildPackages ? {}
+, expand-response-params
 , libcxx ? null
 
 # Whether or not to add `-B` and `-L` to `nix-support/cc-{c,ld}flags`
@@ -113,9 +113,6 @@ let
   # unstable implementation detail, however.
   suffixSalt = replaceStrings ["-" "."] ["_" "_"] targetPlatform.config;
 
-  expand-response-params =
-    optionalString ((buildPackages.stdenv.hasCC or false) && buildPackages.stdenv.cc != "/dev/null") (import ../expand-response-params { inherit (buildPackages) stdenv; });
-
   useGccForLibs = useCcForLibs
     && libcxx == null
     && !targetPlatform.isDarwin
@@ -298,6 +295,9 @@ stdenvNoCC.mkDerivation {
         '(${concatStringsSep " " (map (pkg: "\"${pkg}\"") pkgs)}))
     '';
 
+    # Expose expand-response-params we are /actually/ using. In stdenv
+    # bootstrapping, expand-response-params usually comes from an earlier stage,
+    # so it is important to expose this for reference checking.
     inherit expand-response-params;
 
     inherit nixSupport;
@@ -739,6 +739,7 @@ stdenvNoCC.mkDerivation {
     inherit isClang;
 
     # for substitution in utils.bash
+    # TODO(@sternenseemann): invent something cleaner than passing in "" in case of absence
     expandResponseParams = "${expand-response-params}/bin/expand-response-params";
     # TODO(@sternenseemann): rename env var via stdenv rebuild
     shell = getBin runtimeShell + runtimeShell.shellPath or "";
diff --git a/pkgs/stdenv/darwin/default.nix b/pkgs/stdenv/darwin/default.nix
index ef5314d92d77..2335a8d18de5 100644
--- a/pkgs/stdenv/darwin/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/stdenv/darwin/default.nix
@@ -76,9 +76,9 @@ let
         nativeTools = false;
         nativeLibc = false;
 
-        buildPackages = lib.optionalAttrs (prevStage ? stdenv) {
-          inherit (prevStage) stdenv;
-        };
+        expand-response-params = lib.optionalString
+          (prevStage.stdenv.hasCC or false && prevStage.stdenv.cc != "/dev/null")
+          prevStage.expand-response-params;
 
         extraPackages = [
           prevStage.llvmPackages.compiler-rt
@@ -254,7 +254,7 @@ in
           nativeTools = false;
           nativeLibc = false;
 
-          buildPackages = { };
+          expand-response-params = "";
           libc = selfDarwin.Libsystem;
 
           inherit lib;
@@ -841,9 +841,7 @@ in
 
         # Rewrap binutils so it uses the rebuilt Libsystem.
         binutils = superDarwin.binutils.override {
-          buildPackages = {
-            inherit (prevStage) stdenv;
-          };
+          inherit (prevStage) expand-response-params;
           libc = selfDarwin.Libsystem;
         } // {
           passthru = { inherit (prevStage.bintools.passthru) isFromBootstrapFiles; };
@@ -1048,9 +1046,7 @@ in
         };
 
         binutils = superDarwin.binutils.override {
-          buildPackages = {
-            inherit (prevStage) stdenv;
-          };
+          inherit (prevStage) expand-response-params;
 
           bintools = selfDarwin.binutils-unwrapped;
           libc = selfDarwin.Libsystem;
@@ -1087,9 +1083,7 @@ in
               nativeTools = false;
               nativeLibc = false;
 
-              buildPackages = {
-                inherit (prevStage) stdenv;
-              };
+              inherit (prevStage) expand-response-params;
 
               extraPackages = [
                 self.llvmPackages.compiler-rt
diff --git a/pkgs/stdenv/linux/default.nix b/pkgs/stdenv/linux/default.nix
index 4f2e3b3cb0bc..e1801abcb485 100644
--- a/pkgs/stdenv/linux/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/stdenv/linux/default.nix
@@ -185,9 +185,9 @@ let
           name = "${name}-gcc-wrapper";
           nativeTools = false;
           nativeLibc = false;
-          buildPackages = lib.optionalAttrs (prevStage ? stdenv) {
-            inherit (prevStage) stdenv;
-          };
+          expand-response-params = lib.optionalString
+            (prevStage.stdenv.hasCC or false && prevStage.stdenv.cc != "/dev/null")
+            prevStage.expand-response-params;
           cc = prevStage.gcc-unwrapped;
           bintools = prevStage.binutils;
           isGNU = true;
@@ -261,7 +261,7 @@ in
         name = "bootstrap-stage0-binutils-wrapper";
         nativeTools = false;
         nativeLibc = false;
-        buildPackages = { };
+        expand-response-params = "";
         libc = getLibc self;
         inherit lib;
         inherit (self) stdenvNoCC coreutils gnugrep;
@@ -557,9 +557,7 @@ in
       # Since this is the first fresh build of binutils since stage2, our own runtimeShell will be used.
       binutils = super.binutils.override {
         # Build expand-response-params with last stage like below
-        buildPackages = {
-          inherit (prevStage) stdenv;
-        };
+        inherit (prevStage) expand-response-params;
       };
 
       # To allow users' overrides inhibit dependencies too heavy for
@@ -570,9 +568,7 @@ in
         nativeTools = false;
         nativeLibc = false;
         isGNU = true;
-        buildPackages = {
-          inherit (prevStage) stdenv;
-        };
+        inherit (prevStage) expand-response-params;
         cc = prevStage.gcc-unwrapped;
         bintools = self.binutils;
         libc = getLibc self;
@@ -654,7 +650,9 @@ in
         # More complicated cases
         ++ (map (x: getOutput x (getLibc prevStage)) [ "out" "dev" "bin" ] )
         ++  [ linuxHeaders # propagated from .dev
-            binutils gcc gcc.cc gcc.cc.lib gcc.expand-response-params gcc.cc.libgcc glibc.passthru.libgcc
+              binutils gcc gcc.cc gcc.cc.lib
+              gcc.expand-response-params # != (prevStage.)expand-response-params
+              gcc.cc.libgcc glibc.passthru.libgcc
           ]
         ++ lib.optionals (localSystem.libc == "musl") [ fortify-headers ]
         ++ [ prevStage.updateAutotoolsGnuConfigScriptsHook prevStage.gnu-config ]
diff --git a/pkgs/top-level/all-packages.nix b/pkgs/top-level/all-packages.nix
index f07cc19c7b3e..088dd4c389e8 100644
--- a/pkgs/top-level/all-packages.nix
+++ b/pkgs/top-level/all-packages.nix
@@ -656,6 +656,8 @@ with pkgs;
 
   evhz = callPackage ../tools/misc/evhz { };
 
+  expand-response-params = callPackage ../build-support/expand-response-params { };
+
   expressvpn = callPackage ../applications/networking/expressvpn { };
 
   faq = callPackage ../development/tools/faq { };