diff --git a/pkgs/by-name/cm/cmake/000-nixpkgs-cmake-prefix-path.diff b/pkgs/by-name/cm/cmake/000-nixpkgs-cmake-prefix-path.diff
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..4ebdcced055c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkgs/by-name/cm/cmake/000-nixpkgs-cmake-prefix-path.diff
@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+diff --git a/Source/cmFindBase.cxx b/Source/cmFindBase.cxx
+index 8840cdcb..c34b7ee9 100644
+--- a/Source/cmFindBase.cxx
++++ b/Source/cmFindBase.cxx
+@@ -280,6 +280,11 @@ void cmFindBase::FillCMakeEnvironmentPath()
+   // Add CMAKE_*_PATH environment variables
+   std::string var = cmStrCat("CMAKE_", this->CMakePathName, "_PATH");
+   paths.AddEnvPrefixPath("CMAKE_PREFIX_PATH");
++  if (this->CMakePathName != "PROGRAM") {
++    // Like CMAKE_PREFIX_PATH except when searching for programs. Programs need
++    // to be located via PATH
++    paths.AddEnvPrefixPath("NIXPKGS_CMAKE_PREFIX_PATH");
++  }
+   paths.AddEnvPath(var);
+ 
+   if (this->CMakePathName == "PROGRAM") {
+diff --git a/Source/cmFindPackageCommand.cxx b/Source/cmFindPackageCommand.cxx
+index 9b51b1ad..6acc676c 100644
+--- a/Source/cmFindPackageCommand.cxx
++++ b/Source/cmFindPackageCommand.cxx
+@@ -2039,6 +2039,7 @@ void cmFindPackageCommand::FillPrefixesCMakeEnvironment()
+ 
+   // And now the general CMake environment variables
+   paths.AddEnvPath("CMAKE_PREFIX_PATH");
++  paths.AddEnvPath("NIXPKGS_CMAKE_PREFIX_PATH");
+   if (this->DebugMode) {
+     debugBuffer = cmStrCat(debugBuffer,
+                            "CMAKE_PREFIX_PATH env variable "
diff --git a/pkgs/by-name/cm/cmake/package.nix b/pkgs/by-name/cm/cmake/package.nix
index c03c1055f724..ca0f1789a110 100644
--- a/pkgs/by-name/cm/cmake/package.nix
+++ b/pkgs/by-name/cm/cmake/package.nix
@@ -56,6 +56,9 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation (finalAttrs: {
   };
 
   patches = [
+    # Add NIXPKGS_CMAKE_PREFIX_PATH to cmake which is like CMAKE_PREFIX_PATH
+    # except it is not searched for programs
+    ./000-nixpkgs-cmake-prefix-path.diff
     # Don't search in non-Nix locations such as /usr, but do search in our libc.
     ./001-search-path.diff
     # Don't depend on frameworks.
diff --git a/pkgs/by-name/cm/cmake/setup-hook.sh b/pkgs/by-name/cm/cmake/setup-hook.sh
index 29b72ddda435..9ca4a6abeebc 100755
--- a/pkgs/by-name/cm/cmake/setup-hook.sh
+++ b/pkgs/by-name/cm/cmake/setup-hook.sh
@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
 addCMakeParams() {
-    addToSearchPath CMAKE_PREFIX_PATH $1
+    # NIXPKGS_CMAKE_PREFIX_PATH is like CMAKE_PREFIX_PATH except cmake
+    # will not search it for programs
+    addToSearchPath NIXPKGS_CMAKE_PREFIX_PATH $1
 }
 
 fixCmakeFiles() {
@@ -151,22 +153,22 @@ makeCmakeFindLibs(){
   for flag in ${NIX_CFLAGS_COMPILE-} ${NIX_LDFLAGS-}; do
     if test -n "$isystem_seen" && test -d "$flag"; then
       isystem_seen=
-      export CMAKE_INCLUDE_PATH="${CMAKE_INCLUDE_PATH-}${CMAKE_INCLUDE_PATH:+:}${flag}"
+      addToSearchPath CMAKE_INCLUDE_PATH "${flag}"
     elif test -n "$iframework_seen" && test -d "$flag"; then
       iframework_seen=
-      export CMAKE_FRAMEWORK_PATH="${CMAKE_FRAMEWORK_PATH-}${CMAKE_FRAMEWORK_PATH:+:}${flag}"
+      addToSearchPath CMAKE_FRAMEWORK_PATH "${flag}"
     else
       isystem_seen=
       iframework_seen=
       case $flag in
         -I*)
-          export CMAKE_INCLUDE_PATH="${CMAKE_INCLUDE_PATH-}${CMAKE_INCLUDE_PATH:+:}${flag:2}"
+          addToSearchPath CMAKE_INCLUDE_PATH "${flag:2}"
           ;;
         -L*)
-          export CMAKE_LIBRARY_PATH="${CMAKE_LIBRARY_PATH-}${CMAKE_LIBRARY_PATH:+:}${flag:2}"
+          addToSearchPath CMAKE_LIBRARY_PATH "${flag:2}"
           ;;
         -F*)
-          export CMAKE_FRAMEWORK_PATH="${CMAKE_FRAMEWORK_PATH-}${CMAKE_FRAMEWORK_PATH:+:}${flag:2}"
+          addToSearchPath CMAKE_FRAMEWORK_PATH "${flag:2}"
           ;;
         -isystem)
           isystem_seen=1
diff --git a/pkgs/by-name/me/meson/000-nixpkgs-cmake-prefix-path.patch b/pkgs/by-name/me/meson/000-nixpkgs-cmake-prefix-path.patch
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..c45106c4f9d1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkgs/by-name/me/meson/000-nixpkgs-cmake-prefix-path.patch
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+diff --git a/mesonbuild/dependencies/data/CMakePathInfo.txt b/mesonbuild/dependencies/data/CMakePathInfo.txt
+index 662ec58..4d5f4e4 100644
+--- a/mesonbuild/dependencies/data/CMakePathInfo.txt
++++ b/mesonbuild/dependencies/data/CMakePathInfo.txt
+@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ list(APPEND TMP_PATHS_LIST ${CMAKE_PREFIX_PATH})
+ list(APPEND TMP_PATHS_LIST ${CMAKE_FRAMEWORK_PATH})
+ list(APPEND TMP_PATHS_LIST ${CMAKE_APPBUNDLE_PATH})
+ list(APPEND TMP_PATHS_LIST $ENV{CMAKE_PREFIX_PATH})
++list(APPEND TMP_PATHS_LIST $ENV{NIXPKGS_CMAKE_PREFIX_PATH})
+ list(APPEND TMP_PATHS_LIST $ENV{CMAKE_FRAMEWORK_PATH})
+ list(APPEND TMP_PATHS_LIST $ENV{CMAKE_APPBUNDLE_PATH})
+ list(APPEND TMP_PATHS_LIST ${CMAKE_SYSTEM_PREFIX_PATH})
diff --git a/pkgs/by-name/me/meson/package.nix b/pkgs/by-name/me/meson/package.nix
index 962c80489c66..79ffae36a98f 100644
--- a/pkgs/by-name/me/meson/package.nix
+++ b/pkgs/by-name/me/meson/package.nix
@@ -31,6 +31,9 @@ python3.pkgs.buildPythonApplication rec {
   };
 
   patches = [
+    # Nixpkgs cmake uses NIXPKGS_CMAKE_PREFIX_PATH for the search path
+    ./000-nixpkgs-cmake-prefix-path.patch
+
     # In typical distributions, RPATH is only needed for internal libraries so
     # meson removes everything else. With Nix, the locations of libraries
     # are not as predictable, therefore we need to keep them in the RPATH.