diff --git a/pkgs/development/tools/build-managers/bazel/bazel_6/default.nix b/pkgs/development/tools/build-managers/bazel/bazel_6/default.nix
index 175a642f2c23..d09b0dad82f3 100644
--- a/pkgs/development/tools/build-managers/bazel/bazel_6/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/development/tools/build-managers/bazel/bazel_6/default.nix
@@ -625,6 +625,12 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation rec {
 
     cd ./bazel_src
 
+    # If .bazelversion file is present in dist files and doesn't match `bazel` version
+    # running `bazel` command within bazel_src will fail.
+    # Let's remove .bazelversion within the test, if present it is meant to indicate bazel version
+    # to compile bazel with, not version of bazel to be built and tested.
+    rm -f .bazelversion
+
     # test whether $WORKSPACE_ROOT/tools/bazel works
 
     mkdir -p tools