diff --git a/pkgs/tools/graphics/vips/default.nix b/pkgs/tools/graphics/vips/default.nix
index 5166f46aa9bb..774f74951911 100644
--- a/pkgs/tools/graphics/vips/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/tools/graphics/vips/default.nix
@@ -104,9 +104,10 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation rec {
   mesonFlags = [
     "-Dpdfium=disabled"
     "-Dnifti=disabled"
-  ] ++ lib.optionals (!stdenv.isDarwin) [
-    "-Dgtk_doc=true"
-  ];
+  ]
+  ++ lib.optional (!stdenv.isDarwin) "-Dgtk_doc=true"
+  ++ lib.optional (imagemagick == null) "-Dmagick=disabled"
+  ;
 
   meta = with lib; {
     changelog = "https://github.com/libvips/libvips/blob/${src.rev}/ChangeLog";