diff --git a/pkgs/top-level/all-packages.nix b/pkgs/top-level/all-packages.nix
index ab58c766f7d0..7fff163119f3 100644
--- a/pkgs/top-level/all-packages.nix
+++ b/pkgs/top-level/all-packages.nix
@@ -15148,22 +15148,35 @@ with pkgs;
 
   # Below, the classic self-bootstrapping process
   cbqn-bootstrap = lib.dontRecurseIntoAttrs {
+    # Use clang to compile CBQN if we aren't already.
+    # CBQN's upstream primarily targets and tests clang which means using gcc
+    # will result in slower binaries and on some platforms failing/broken builds.
+    # See https://github.com/dzaima/CBQN/issues/12.
+    #
+    # Known issues:
+    #
+    # * CBQN using gcc is broken at runtime on i686 due to
+    #   https://gcc.gnu.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=58416,
+    # * CBQN uses some CPP macros gcc doesn't like for aarch64.
+    stdenv = if !stdenv.cc.isClang then clangStdenv else stdenv;
+
     mbqn-source = buildPackages.mbqn.src;
 
     phase0 = callPackage ../development/interpreters/bqn/cbqn {
+      inherit (cbqn-bootstrap) stdenv;
       genBytecode = false;
       bqn-path = null;
       mbqn-source = null;
     };
 
     phase1 = callPackage ../development/interpreters/bqn/cbqn {
-      inherit (cbqn-bootstrap) mbqn-source;
+      inherit (cbqn-bootstrap) mbqn-source stdenv;
       genBytecode = true;
       bqn-path = "${buildPackages.cbqn-bootstrap.phase0}/bin/cbqn";
     };
 
     phase2 = callPackage ../development/interpreters/bqn/cbqn {
-      inherit (cbqn-bootstrap) mbqn-source;
+      inherit (cbqn-bootstrap) mbqn-source stdenv;
       genBytecode = true;
       bqn-path = "${buildPackages.cbqn-bootstrap.phase1}/bin/cbqn";
     };