diff --git a/pkgs/misc/drivers/xboxdrv/default.nix b/pkgs/misc/drivers/xboxdrv/default.nix
index 7031f7941305..72c342e7b6a9 100644
--- a/pkgs/misc/drivers/xboxdrv/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/misc/drivers/xboxdrv/default.nix
@@ -10,12 +10,9 @@
 , dbus-glib
 }:
 
-let
-  version = "0.8.8";
-in
-stdenv.mkDerivation {
+stdenv.mkDerivation rec {
   pname = "xboxdrv";
-  inherit version;
+  version = "0.8.8";
 
   src = fetchFromGitHub {
     owner = "xboxdrv";
@@ -36,5 +33,4 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation {
     maintainers = [ ];
     platforms = platforms.linux;
   };
-
 }
diff --git a/pkgs/tools/misc/ccze/default.nix b/pkgs/tools/misc/ccze/default.nix
index 874653c7f6c3..4946fd64d89d 100644
--- a/pkgs/tools/misc/ccze/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/tools/misc/ccze/default.nix
@@ -11,9 +11,14 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation rec {
     hash = "sha256-LVwmbrq78mZcAEuAqjXTqLE5we83H9mcMPtxQx2Tn/c=";
   };
 
-  buildInputs = [ autoconf ncurses pcre ];
+  nativeBuildInputs = [ autoconf ];
 
-  preConfigure = "autoheader && autoconf ";
+  buildInputs = [ ncurses pcre ];
+
+  preConfigure = ''
+    autoheader
+    autoconf
+  '';
 
   meta = with lib; {
     description = "Fast, modular log colorizer";
diff --git a/pkgs/tools/misc/contacts/default.nix b/pkgs/tools/misc/contacts/default.nix
index e0b1613735f8..08ba484f51ee 100644
--- a/pkgs/tools/misc/contacts/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/tools/misc/contacts/default.nix
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation {
     homepage = "http://www.gnufoo.org/contacts/contacts.html";
     license = licenses.gpl2;
     maintainers = with maintainers; [ jwiegley ];
-    platforms = lib.platforms.darwin;
-    hydraPlatforms = lib.platforms.darwin;
+    platforms = platforms.darwin;
+    hydraPlatforms = platforms.darwin;
   };
 }
diff --git a/pkgs/tools/misc/profile-sync-daemon/default.nix b/pkgs/tools/misc/profile-sync-daemon/default.nix
index c14d3b07a37c..4cca88a9b40a 100644
--- a/pkgs/tools/misc/profile-sync-daemon/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/tools/misc/profile-sync-daemon/default.nix
@@ -23,8 +23,6 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation rec {
       --replace "sudo " "/run/wrappers/bin/sudo "
   '';
 
-  preferLocalBuild = true;
-
   meta = with lib; {
     description = "Syncs browser profile dirs to RAM";
     longDescription = ''
diff --git a/pkgs/tools/misc/sdate/default.nix b/pkgs/tools/misc/sdate/default.nix
index 899d3259b261..abc046bb6d02 100644
--- a/pkgs/tools/misc/sdate/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/tools/misc/sdate/default.nix
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 { lib, stdenv, fetchFromGitHub, autoreconfHook }:
+
 stdenv.mkDerivation rec {
   pname = "sdate";
   version = "0.7";
@@ -10,13 +11,13 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation rec {
     hash = "sha256-jkwe+bSBa0p1Xzfetsdpw0RYw/gSRxnY2jBOzC5HtJ8=";
   };
 
-  buildInputs = [ autoreconfHook ];
+  nativeBuildInputs = [ autoreconfHook ];
 
-  meta = {
+  meta = with lib; {
     homepage = "https://www.df7cb.de/projects/sdate";
     description = "Eternal september version of the date program";
-    license = lib.licenses.gpl2Plus;
-    maintainers = with lib.maintainers; [ edef ];
-    platforms = lib.platforms.all;
+    license = licenses.gpl2Plus;
+    maintainers = with maintainers; [ edef ];
+    platforms = platforms.all;
   };
 }
diff --git a/pkgs/tools/misc/txt2man/default.nix b/pkgs/tools/misc/txt2man/default.nix
index b522665e34fa..a6ebcb288216 100644
--- a/pkgs/tools/misc/txt2man/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/tools/misc/txt2man/default.nix
@@ -11,19 +11,19 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation rec {
     hash = "sha256-Aqi5PNNaaM/tr9A/7vKeafYKYIs/kHbwHzE7+R/9r9s=";
   };
 
-  preConfigure = ''
-    makeFlags=prefix="$out"
-  '';
+  makeFlags = [
+    "prefix=${placeholder "out"}"
+  ];
 
-  patchPhase = ''
+  postPatch = ''
     for f in bookman src2man txt2man; do
-        substituteInPlace $f --replace "gawk" "${gawk}/bin/gawk"
-
-        substituteInPlace $f --replace "(date" "(${coreutils}/bin/date"
-        substituteInPlace $f --replace "=cat" "=${coreutils}/bin/cat"
-        substituteInPlace $f --replace "cat <<" "${coreutils}/bin/cat <<"
-        substituteInPlace $f --replace "expand" "${coreutils}/bin/expand"
-        substituteInPlace $f --replace "(uname" "(${coreutils}/bin/uname"
+      substituteInPlace $f \
+        --replace "gawk" "${gawk}/bin/gawk" \
+        --replace "(date" "(${coreutils}/bin/date" \
+        --replace "=cat" "=${coreutils}/bin/cat" \
+        --replace "cat <<" "${coreutils}/bin/cat <<" \
+        --replace "expand" "${coreutils}/bin/expand" \
+        --replace "(uname" "(${coreutils}/bin/uname"
     done
   '';
 
@@ -35,11 +35,11 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation rec {
     sh -c 'unset PATH; printf hello | ./txt2man'
   '';
 
-  meta = {
+  meta = with lib; {
     description = "Convert flat ASCII text to man page format";
     homepage = "http://mvertes.free.fr/";
-    license = lib.licenses.gpl2;
-    platforms = with lib.platforms; linux ++ darwin;
-    maintainers = with lib.maintainers; [ bjornfor ];
+    license = licenses.gpl2;
+    platforms = platforms.unix;
+    maintainers = with maintainers; [ bjornfor ];
   };
 }
diff --git a/pkgs/tools/misc/xtitle/default.nix b/pkgs/tools/misc/xtitle/default.nix
index 975b24103d59..e3454538bf84 100644
--- a/pkgs/tools/misc/xtitle/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/tools/misc/xtitle/default.nix
@@ -11,15 +11,17 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation rec {
     hash = "sha256-SVfM2vCCacgchXj0c0sPk3VR6DUI4R0ofFnxJSY4oDg=";
   };
 
+  postPatch = ''
+    sed -i "s|/usr/local|$out|" Makefile
+  '';
+
   buildInputs = [ libxcb git xcbutil xcbutilwm ];
 
-  prePatch = ''sed -i "s@/usr/local@$out@" Makefile'';
-
-  meta = {
+  meta = with lib; {
     description = "Outputs X window titles";
     homepage = "https://github.com/baskerville/xtitle";
-    maintainers = [ lib.maintainers.meisternu ];
+    maintainers = with maintainers; [ meisternu ];
     license = "Custom";
-    platforms = lib.platforms.linux;
+    platforms = platforms.linux;
   };
 }