diff --git a/pkgs/by-name/fo/fontforge/package.nix b/pkgs/by-name/fo/fontforge/package.nix
index e52b1ec8c9c1..efe02f87dfcb 100644
--- a/pkgs/by-name/fo/fontforge/package.nix
+++ b/pkgs/by-name/fo/fontforge/package.nix
@@ -3,10 +3,10 @@
   fetchFromGitHub,
   lib,
   fetchpatch,
+  replaceVars,
   cmake,
   uthash,
   pkg-config,
-  makeWrapper,
   python3,
   freetype,
   zlib,
@@ -52,14 +52,31 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation rec {
       url = "https://github.com/fontforge/fontforge/commit/216eb14b558df344b206bf82e2bdaf03a1f2f429.patch";
       hash = "sha256-aRnir09FSQMT50keoB7z6AyhWAVBxjSQsTRvBzeBuHU=";
     })
-    # Fixes translation compatibility with gettext 0.22
+
+    # Replace distutils use in the build script
     (fetchpatch {
-      url = "https://github.com/fontforge/fontforge/commit/55d58f87ab1440f628f2071a6f6cc7ef9626c641.patch";
-      hash = "sha256-rkYnKPXA8Ztvh9g0zjG2yTUCPd3lE1uqwvBuEd8+Oyw=";
+      name = "replace-distutils.patch";
+      url = "https://github.com/fontforge/fontforge/commit/8c75293e924602ed09a9481b0eeb67ba6c623a81.patch";
+      includes = [ "pyhook/CMakeLists.txt" ];
+      hash = "sha256-3CEwC8vygmCztKRmeD45aZIqyoj8yk5CLwxX2SGP7z4=";
     })
 
-    # https://github.com/fontforge/fontforge/pull/5423
-    ./replace-distutils.patch
+    # Fixes translation compatibility with gettext 0.22
+    (fetchpatch {
+      name = "update-translation-compatibility.patch";
+      url = "https://github.com/fontforge/fontforge/commit/642d8a3db6d4bc0e70b429622fdf01ecb09c4c10.patch";
+      hash = "sha256-uO9uEhB64hkVa6O2tJKE8BLFR96m27d8NEN9UikNcvg=";
+    })
+
+    # Updates to new Python initialization API
+    (fetchpatch {
+      name = "modern-python-initialization-api.patch";
+      url = "https://github.com/fontforge/fontforge/commit/2f2ba54c15c5565acbde04eb6608868cbc871e01.patch";
+      hash = "sha256-qF4DqFpiZDbULi9+POPM73HF6pEot8BAFSVaVCNQrMU=";
+    })
+
+    # Provide a Nix-controlled location for the initial `sys.path` entry.
+    (replaceVars ./set-python-sys-path.patch { python = "${py}/${py.sitePackages}"; })
   ];
 
   # use $SOURCE_DATE_EPOCH instead of non-deterministic timestamps
@@ -77,7 +94,6 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation rec {
   nativeBuildInputs = [
     pkg-config
     cmake
-    makeWrapper
   ];
 
   buildInputs =
@@ -117,10 +133,6 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation rec {
     export SOURCE_DATE_EPOCH=$(date -d ${version} +%s)
   '';
 
-  postInstall = lib.optionalString withPython ''
-    wrapProgram $out/bin/fontforge --suffix PYTHONPATH : "${py}/${py.sitePackages}"
-  '';
-
   meta = {
     description = "Font editor";
     homepage = "https://fontforge.github.io";
diff --git a/pkgs/by-name/fo/fontforge/replace-distutils.patch b/pkgs/by-name/fo/fontforge/replace-distutils.patch
deleted file mode 100644
index 99087c649021..000000000000
--- a/pkgs/by-name/fo/fontforge/replace-distutils.patch
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,13 +0,0 @@
-diff --git a/pyhook/CMakeLists.txt b/pyhook/CMakeLists.txt
-index dd48054aa..710728f26 100644
---- a/pyhook/CMakeLists.txt
-+++ b/pyhook/CMakeLists.txt
-@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ target_link_libraries(psMat_pyhook PRIVATE Python3::Module)
- # So do it ourselves, getting the prefix-relative path instead
- if(NOT DEFINED PYHOOK_INSTALL_DIR)
-   execute_process(
--    COMMAND "${Python3_EXECUTABLE}" -c "import distutils.sysconfig as sc; print(sc.get_python_lib(prefix='', plat_specific=True,standard_lib=False))"
-+    COMMAND "${Python3_EXECUTABLE}" -c "import sysconfig; print(sysconfig.get_path('platlib', sysconfig.get_preferred_scheme('user'), vars={'userbase': '.'}))"
-     RESULT_VARIABLE _pyhook_install_dir_result
-     OUTPUT_VARIABLE PYHOOK_INSTALL_DIR
-     OUTPUT_STRIP_TRAILING_WHITESPACE)
diff --git a/pkgs/by-name/fo/fontforge/set-python-sys-path.patch b/pkgs/by-name/fo/fontforge/set-python-sys-path.patch
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..22b7057e9ac3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkgs/by-name/fo/fontforge/set-python-sys-path.patch
@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+Author: Philip Taron <philip.taron@gmail.com>
+Date:   Sat Jan 4 12:22:38 2025 -0800
+
+    fontforge: add an initial value for `sys.path`
+
+diff --git a/fontforge/python.c b/fontforge/python.c
+index e18d77d43..2e312eeb4 100644
+--- a/fontforge/python.c
++++ b/fontforge/python.c
+@@ -19576,6 +19576,11 @@ void FontForge_InitializeEmbeddedPython(void) {
+     PyStatus status;
+     PyConfig_InitPythonConfig(&config);
+ 
++    status = PyConfig_SetBytesString(&config, &config.pythonpath_env, "@python@");
++    if (PyStatus_Exception(status)) {
++        fprintf(stderr, "Failed to set the Python search path: %s\n", status.err_msg);
++    }
++
+     status = PyConfig_SetBytesString(&config, &config.program_name,
+                                      "fontforge");
+     if (PyStatus_Exception(status)) {