diff --git a/pkgs/misc/tmux-plugins/default.nix b/pkgs/misc/tmux-plugins/default.nix
index d733627fd6cd..6529ac4bfbb0 100644
--- a/pkgs/misc/tmux-plugins/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/misc/tmux-plugins/default.nix
@@ -51,6 +51,8 @@ let
 in rec {
   inherit mkTmuxPlugin;
 
+  mkDerivation = throw "tmuxPlugins.mkDerivation is deprecated, use tmuxPlugins.mkTmuxPlugin instead"; # added 2021-03-14
+
   battery = mkTmuxPlugin {
     pluginName = "battery";
     version = "unstable-2019-07-04";