diff --git a/pkgs/development/compilers/dotnet/vmr.nix b/pkgs/development/compilers/dotnet/vmr.nix
index 36b75c40e6c8..cb11f0a3f064 100644
--- a/pkgs/development/compilers/dotnet/vmr.nix
+++ b/pkgs/development/compilers/dotnet/vmr.nix
@@ -311,6 +311,13 @@ in stdenv.mkDerivation rec {
     runHook postInstall
   '';
 
+  # dotnet cli is in the root, so we need to strip from there
+  # TODO: should we install in $out/share/dotnet?
+  stripDebugList = [ "." ];
+  # stripping dlls results in:
+  # Failed to load System.Private.CoreLib.dll (error code 0x8007000B)
+  stripExclude = [ "*.dll" ];
+
   passthru = {
     inherit releaseManifest buildRid targetRid;
     icu = _icu;