diff --git a/pkgs/development/libraries/gvm-libs/default.nix b/pkgs/development/libraries/gvm-libs/default.nix
index ba08fc61f568..a35a256b5505 100644
--- a/pkgs/development/libraries/gvm-libs/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/development/libraries/gvm-libs/default.nix
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation rec {
   ];
 
   cmakeFlags = [
-    "-DGVM_RUN_DIR=$out/run/gvm"
+    "-DGVM_RUN_DIR=${placeholder "out"}/run/gvm"
   ];
 
   meta = with lib; {