diff --git a/pkgs/development/compilers/sbcl/default.nix b/pkgs/development/compilers/sbcl/default.nix
index 0d78708d7da3..e81b4daf2323 100644
--- a/pkgs/development/compilers/sbcl/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/development/compilers/sbcl/default.nix
@@ -153,15 +153,22 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation (self: {
       # have it block a release.
       "futex-wait.test.sh"
     ];
-  patches = [
+  patches =
     # Support the NIX_SBCL_DYNAMIC_SPACE_SIZE envvar. Upstream SBCL didn’t want
     # to include this (see
     # "https://sourceforge.net/p/sbcl/mailman/sbcl-devel/thread/2cf20df7-01d0-44f2-8551-0df01fe55f1a%400brg.net/"),
     # but for Nix envvars are sufficiently useful that it’s worth maintaining
     # this functionality downstream.
-    ./dynamic-space-size-envvar-feature.patch
-    ./dynamic-space-size-envvar-tests.patch
-  ];
+    if lib.versionOlder "2.5.2" self.version then
+      [
+        ./dynamic-space-size-envvar-2.5.3-feature.patch
+        ./dynamic-space-size-envvar-2.5.3-tests.patch
+      ]
+    else
+      [
+        ./dynamic-space-size-envvar-2.5.2-feature.patch
+        ./dynamic-space-size-envvar-2.5.2-tests.patch
+      ];
   postPatch =
     lib.optionalString (self.disabledTestFiles != [ ]) ''
       (cd tests ; rm -f ${lib.concatStringsSep " " self.disabledTestFiles})
diff --git a/pkgs/development/compilers/sbcl/dynamic-space-size-envvar-feature.patch b/pkgs/development/compilers/sbcl/dynamic-space-size-envvar-2.5.2-feature.patch
similarity index 100%
rename from pkgs/development/compilers/sbcl/dynamic-space-size-envvar-feature.patch
rename to pkgs/development/compilers/sbcl/dynamic-space-size-envvar-2.5.2-feature.patch
diff --git a/pkgs/development/compilers/sbcl/dynamic-space-size-envvar-tests.patch b/pkgs/development/compilers/sbcl/dynamic-space-size-envvar-2.5.2-tests.patch
similarity index 100%
rename from pkgs/development/compilers/sbcl/dynamic-space-size-envvar-tests.patch
rename to pkgs/development/compilers/sbcl/dynamic-space-size-envvar-2.5.2-tests.patch
diff --git a/pkgs/development/compilers/sbcl/dynamic-space-size-envvar-2.5.3-feature.patch b/pkgs/development/compilers/sbcl/dynamic-space-size-envvar-2.5.3-feature.patch
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..3d50e30c49c2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkgs/development/compilers/sbcl/dynamic-space-size-envvar-2.5.3-feature.patch
@@ -0,0 +1,64 @@
+From 9c899f7b8089eee7ce471f237d2046882298c4fc Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
+From: Hraban Luyat <hraban@0brg.net>
+Date: Sat, 13 Apr 2024 14:04:57 -0400
+Subject: [PATCH 1/2] feat: NIX_SBCL_DYNAMIC_SPACE_SIZE envvar
+
+---
+ src/runtime/runtime.c | 27 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++
+ 1 file changed, 27 insertions(+)
+
+diff --git a/src/runtime/runtime.c b/src/runtime/runtime.c
+index 2b1f8b634..4f3f51139 100644
+--- a/src/runtime/runtime.c
++++ b/src/runtime/runtime.c
+@@ -416,6 +416,29 @@ static int is_memsize_arg(char *argv[], int argi, int argc, int *merge_core_page
+     return 0;
+ }
+ 
++/**
++ * Read memory options from the environment, if present.
++ *
++ * Memory settings are read in the following priority:
++ *
++ * 1. command line arguments
++ * 2. environment variable
++ * 3. embedded options in core
++ * 4. default
++ */
++static void
++read_memsize_from_env(void) {
++  const char *val = getenv("NIX_SBCL_DYNAMIC_SPACE_SIZE");
++  // The distinction is blurry between setting an envvar to the empty string and
++  // unsetting it entirely. Depending on the calling environment it can even be
++  // tricky to properly unset an envvar in the first place. An empty envvar is
++  // practically always intended to just mean “unset”, so let’s interpret it
++  // that way.
++  if (val != NULL && (strcmp(val, "") != 0)) {
++    dynamic_space_size = parse_size_arg(val, "NIX_SBCL_DYNAMIC_SPACE_SIZE");
++  }
++}
++
+ static struct cmdline_options
+ parse_argv(struct memsize_options memsize_options,
+            int argc, char *argv[], char *envp[], char *core)
+@@ -457,6 +480,9 @@ parse_argv(struct memsize_options memsize_options,
+         thread_control_stack_size = memsize_options.thread_control_stack_size;
+         dynamic_values_bytes = memsize_options.thread_tls_bytes;
+         if (memsize_options.present_in_core == 2) {
++            /* Only accept environment variable memory options where you would
++             * accept those options as command-line arguments. */
++            read_memsize_from_env();
+             int stop_parsing = 0; // have we seen '--'
+             int output_index = 1;
+ #ifndef LISP_FEATURE_WIN32
+@@ -490,6 +516,7 @@ parse_argv(struct memsize_options memsize_options,
+ #endif
+         }
+     } else {
++        read_memsize_from_env();
+         bool end_runtime_options = 0;
+         /* Parse our any of the command-line options that we handle from C,
+          * stopping at the first one that we don't, and leave the rest */
+-- 
+2.48.1
+
diff --git a/pkgs/development/compilers/sbcl/dynamic-space-size-envvar-2.5.3-tests.patch b/pkgs/development/compilers/sbcl/dynamic-space-size-envvar-2.5.3-tests.patch
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..1282e0c3b036
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkgs/development/compilers/sbcl/dynamic-space-size-envvar-2.5.3-tests.patch
@@ -0,0 +1,130 @@
+From 979a92d10731bae90e611b98d29be8d187f0f1f8 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
+From: Hraban Luyat <hraban@0brg.net>
+Date: Sat, 13 Apr 2024 15:39:58 -0400
+Subject: [PATCH 2/2] test: dynamic space size envvar and precedence
+
+---
+ tests/memory-args.test.sh | 22 ++++++++++++++++++
+ tests/save7.test.sh       | 49 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++-----
+ 2 files changed, 65 insertions(+), 6 deletions(-)
+ create mode 100755 tests/memory-args.test.sh
+
+diff --git a/tests/memory-args.test.sh b/tests/memory-args.test.sh
+new file mode 100755
+index 000000000..72ef0cc79
+--- /dev/null
++++ b/tests/memory-args.test.sh
+@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
++#!/bin/sh
++
++. ./subr.sh
++
++use_test_subdirectory
++
++set -e
++
++# Allow slight shrinkage if heap relocation has to adjust for alignment
++NIX_SBCL_DYNAMIC_SPACE_SIZE=234mb run_sbcl_with_args --script <<EOF
++(assert (<= 0 (- (* 234 1024 1024) (sb-ext:dynamic-space-size)) 65536))
++EOF
++
++NIX_SBCL_DYNAMIC_SPACE_SIZE=555mb run_sbcl_with_args --dynamic-space-size 234mb --script <<EOF
++(assert (<= 0 (- (* 234 1024 1024) (sb-ext:dynamic-space-size)) 65536))
++EOF
++
++run_sbcl_with_args --dynamic-space-size 234mb --script <<EOF
++(assert (<= 0 (- (* 234 1024 1024) (sb-ext:dynamic-space-size)) 65536))
++EOF
++
++exit $EXIT_TEST_WIN
+diff --git a/tests/save7.test.sh b/tests/save7.test.sh
+index dd112f220..d56bddbc2 100644
+--- a/tests/save7.test.sh
++++ b/tests/save7.test.sh
+@@ -25,6 +25,9 @@ echo "::: Success"
+ 
+ run_sbcl_with_args --noinform --control-stack-size 384KB --dynamic-space-size 260MB \
+     --disable-debugger --no-userinit --no-sysinit --noprint <<EOF
++  ; allow slight shrinkage if heap relocation has to adjust for alignment
++  (defun dynamic-space-size-good-p (expected-mb)
++    (<= 0 (- (* expected-mb 1024 1024) (dynamic-space-size)) 65536))
+   (save-lisp-and-die "$tmpcore" :executable t :save-runtime-options :accept-runtime-options)
+ EOF
+ chmod u+x "$tmpcore"
+@@ -57,6 +60,29 @@ if [ $? -ne 0 ]; then
+ fi
+ echo "::: Success"
+ 
++echo "::: Running :DYNAMIC-SPACE-SIZE-ENV-ACCEPT"
++NIX_SBCL_DYNAMIC_SPACE_SIZE=432MB ./"$tmpcore" --no-userinit --no-sysinit --noprint <<EOF
++  (when (dynamic-space-size-good-p 432)
++    (exit :code 42))
++EOF
++if [ $? -ne 42 ]; then
++  exit 1
++fi
++echo "::: Success"
++
++echo "::: Running :DYNAMIC-SPACE-SIZE-PRECEDENCE"
++NIX_SBCL_DYNAMIC_SPACE_SIZE=432MB ./"$tmpcore" --dynamic-space-size 333MB \
++  --no-userinit --no-sysinit --noprint <<EOF
++  (when (dynamic-space-size-good-p 333))
++    (exit :code 42))
++EOF
++status=$?
++if [ $status -ne 42 ]; then
++    echo "saved core should have prioritized memory specification from arg"
++    exit 1
++fi
++echo "::: Success"
++
+ echo "::: Running :DYNAMIC-SPACE-SIZE-ARG"
+ run_sbcl_with_core "$tmpcore" --noinform --control-stack-size 640KB \
+     --tls-limit 5000 \
+@@ -64,10 +90,7 @@ run_sbcl_with_core "$tmpcore" --noinform --control-stack-size 640KB \
+   (assert (eql (extern-alien "thread_control_stack_size" unsigned) (* 640 1024)))
+   (assert (eql (extern-alien "dynamic_values_bytes" (unsigned 32))
+                (* 5000 sb-vm:n-word-bytes)))
+-  ; allow slight shrinkage if heap relocation has to adjust for alignment
+-  (defun dynamic-space-size-good-p ()
+-    (<= 0 (- (* 260 1048576) (dynamic-space-size)) 65536))
+-  (assert (dynamic-space-size-good-p))
++  (assert (dynamic-space-size-good-p 260))
+   (save-lisp-and-die "${tmpcore}2" :executable t :save-runtime-options t)
+ EOF
+ chmod u+x "${tmpcore}2"
+@@ -76,15 +99,29 @@ echo "::: INFO: prepared test core"
+   (when (and (eql (extern-alien "thread_control_stack_size" unsigned) (* 640 1024))
+              (eql (extern-alien "dynamic_values_bytes" (unsigned 32))
+                   (* 5000 sb-vm:n-word-bytes))
+-             (dynamic-space-size-good-p))
++             (dynamic-space-size-good-p 260))
+     (exit :code 42))
+ EOF
+ status=$?
+-rm "$tmpcore" "${tmpcore}2"
+ if [ $status -ne 42 ]; then
+     echo "re-saved executable used wrong memory size options"
+     exit 1
+ fi
+ echo "::: Success"
+ 
++echo "::: Running :DYNAMIC-SPACE-SIZE-ENV-IGNORE"
++NIX_SBCL_DYNAMIC_SPACE_SIZE=432MB ./"${tmpcore}2" --no-userinit --no-sysinit --noprint <<EOF
++  (when (dynamic-space-size-good-p 260)
++    (exit :code 42))
++EOF
++status=$?
++if [ $status -ne 42 ]; then
++    echo "re-saved executable should have ignored memory specification from env"
++    exit 1
++fi
++echo "::: Success"
++rm "$tmpcore" "${tmpcore}2"
++
++
++
+ exit $EXIT_TEST_WIN
+-- 
+2.48.1
+