diff --git a/pkgs/development/tools/build-managers/sbt/default.nix b/pkgs/development/tools/build-managers/sbt/default.nix
index 3596f94b61de..7d6f608ad827 100644
--- a/pkgs/development/tools/build-managers/sbt/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/development/tools/build-managers/sbt/default.nix
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@
 , jre
 , autoPatchelfHook
 , zlib
+, ncurses
 }:
 
 stdenv.mkDerivation (finalAttrs: {
@@ -26,6 +27,11 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation (finalAttrs: {
     zlib
   ];
 
+  propagatedBuildInputs = [
+    # for infocmp
+    ncurses
+  ];
+
   installPhase = ''
     runHook preInstall