diff --git a/pkgs/by-name/ni/nix-plugin-pijul/package.nix b/pkgs/by-name/ni/nix-plugin-pijul/package.nix
index 52538d48878c..b9b7f62f01ba 100644
--- a/pkgs/by-name/ni/nix-plugin-pijul/package.nix
+++ b/pkgs/by-name/ni/nix-plugin-pijul/package.nix
@@ -11,9 +11,11 @@
   runCommand,
   pijul,
   nixVersions,
+  nixOverride ? null,
   nix-plugin-pijul,
 }:
-stdenv.mkDerivation (finalAttrs: {
+let nix = if nixOverride != null then nixOverride else nixVersions.nix_2_18;
+in stdenv.mkDerivation (finalAttrs: {
   pname = "nix-plugin-pijul";
   version = "0.1.4";
 
@@ -30,12 +32,12 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation (finalAttrs: {
   buildInputs = [
     boost
     howard-hinnant-date
-    nixVersions.nix_2_18
+    nix
   ];
 
   passthru.tests = let
-    localRepoCheck = nix:
-      runCommand "localRepoCheck-${nix.name}"
+    localRepoCheck = nixOverride:
+      runCommand "localRepoCheck-${nixOverride.name}"
       {
         nativeBuildInputs = [
           pijul
@@ -56,7 +58,7 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation (finalAttrs: {
 
         output=$(
           nix \
-            --option plugin-files ${nix-plugin-pijul.override {inherit nix;}}/lib/nix/plugins/pijul.so \
+            --option plugin-files ${nix-plugin-pijul.override {inherit nixOverride;}}/lib/nix/plugins/pijul.so \
             --extra-experimental-features 'nix-command flakes' \
             eval --impure --raw --expr "builtins.readFile ((builtins.fetchTree \"pijul+file://$PWD\") + \"/foo\")"
         )