diff --git a/pkgs/data/icons/gnome-icon-theme/default.nix b/pkgs/data/icons/gnome-icon-theme/default.nix
index 0c73728d2dec..792519efc15b 100644
--- a/pkgs/data/icons/gnome-icon-theme/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/data/icons/gnome-icon-theme/default.nix
@@ -26,6 +26,8 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation rec {
     rm -r "$out/share/locale"
   '';
 
+  allowedReferences = [ ];
+
   meta = with lib; {
     description = "Collection of icons for the GNOME 2 desktop";
     homepage = "https://download.gnome.org/sources/gnome-icon-theme/";