diff --git a/pkgs/os-specific/linux/busybox/default.nix b/pkgs/os-specific/linux/busybox/default.nix
index 4ce47eedba2a..90f92a51ef47 100644
--- a/pkgs/os-specific/linux/busybox/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/os-specific/linux/busybox/default.nix
@@ -190,6 +190,7 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation rec {
     description = "Tiny versions of common UNIX utilities in a single small executable";
     homepage = "https://busybox.net/";
     license = licenses.gpl2Only;
+    mainProgram = "busybox";
     maintainers = with maintainers; [ TethysSvensson qyliss ];
     platforms = platforms.linux;
     priority = 15; # below systemd (halt, init, poweroff, reboot) and coreutils