diff --git a/pkgs/os-specific/linux/minimal-bootstrap/binutils/default.nix b/pkgs/os-specific/linux/minimal-bootstrap/binutils/default.nix
index 23de39257f0a..4ba20f13192e 100644
--- a/pkgs/os-specific/linux/minimal-bootstrap/binutils/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/os-specific/linux/minimal-bootstrap/binutils/default.nix
@@ -113,4 +113,8 @@ bash.runCommand "${pname}-${version}"
 
     # Install
     make -j $NIX_BUILD_CORES install
+
+    # gprof/addr2line/elfedit + man pages are unused downstream.
+    rm -f $out/bin/gprof $out/bin/addr2line $out/bin/elfedit
+    rm -rf $out/share/info $out/share/man
   ''
diff --git a/pkgs/os-specific/linux/minimal-bootstrap/binutils/static.nix b/pkgs/os-specific/linux/minimal-bootstrap/binutils/static.nix
index fe772c8809ea..fd0681ca4d41 100644
--- a/pkgs/os-specific/linux/minimal-bootstrap/binutils/static.nix
+++ b/pkgs/os-specific/linux/minimal-bootstrap/binutils/static.nix
@@ -101,4 +101,8 @@ bash.runCommand "${pname}-${version}"
     # Install
     # strip to remove build dependency store path references
     make -j $NIX_BUILD_CORES install-strip
+
+    # gprof/addr2line/elfedit + man pages are unused downstream.
+    rm -f $out/bin/gprof $out/bin/addr2line $out/bin/elfedit
+    rm -rf $out/share/info $out/share/man
   ''
diff --git a/pkgs/os-specific/linux/minimal-bootstrap/coreutils/musl.nix b/pkgs/os-specific/linux/minimal-bootstrap/coreutils/musl.nix
index 39651cabbac2..1eb87b40cdae 100644
--- a/pkgs/os-specific/linux/minimal-bootstrap/coreutils/musl.nix
+++ b/pkgs/os-specific/linux/minimal-bootstrap/coreutils/musl.nix
@@ -80,4 +80,7 @@ bash.runCommand "${pname}-${version}"
 
     # Install
     make -j $NIX_BUILD_CORES install MAKEINFO="true" SUBDIRS=.
+
+    # Remove documentation not needed in the bootstrap chain.
+    rm -rf $out/share/info $out/share/man
   ''
diff --git a/pkgs/os-specific/linux/minimal-bootstrap/coreutils/static.nix b/pkgs/os-specific/linux/minimal-bootstrap/coreutils/static.nix
index c7ef7770b188..22eca3a3c873 100644
--- a/pkgs/os-specific/linux/minimal-bootstrap/coreutils/static.nix
+++ b/pkgs/os-specific/linux/minimal-bootstrap/coreutils/static.nix
@@ -78,4 +78,7 @@ bash.runCommand "${pname}-${version}"
 
     # Install
     make -j $NIX_BUILD_CORES install-strip
+
+    # Remove documentation not needed in the bootstrap chain.
+    rm -rf $out/share/info $out/share/man
   ''
diff --git a/pkgs/os-specific/linux/minimal-bootstrap/gcc/glibc.nix b/pkgs/os-specific/linux/minimal-bootstrap/gcc/glibc.nix
index e099469357cd..890098aa66b9 100644
--- a/pkgs/os-specific/linux/minimal-bootstrap/gcc/glibc.nix
+++ b/pkgs/os-specific/linux/minimal-bootstrap/gcc/glibc.nix
@@ -155,4 +155,7 @@ bash.runCommand "${pname}-${version}"
 
     # Install
     make -j $NIX_BUILD_CORES install-strip
+
+    # libstdc++ gdb pretty-printers + man pages are unused downstream.
+    rm -rf $out/share/gcc-*/python $out/share/man $out/share/info
   ''
diff --git a/pkgs/os-specific/linux/minimal-bootstrap/gcc/latest.nix b/pkgs/os-specific/linux/minimal-bootstrap/gcc/latest.nix
index 3a4fac6fd138..e55acf5caecd 100644
--- a/pkgs/os-specific/linux/minimal-bootstrap/gcc/latest.nix
+++ b/pkgs/os-specific/linux/minimal-bootstrap/gcc/latest.nix
@@ -155,4 +155,7 @@ bash.runCommand "${pname}-${version}"
 
     # Install
     make -j $NIX_BUILD_CORES install-strip
+
+    # libstdc++ gdb pretty-printers + man pages are unused downstream.
+    rm -rf $out/share/gcc-*/python $out/share/man $out/share/info
   ''
diff --git a/pkgs/os-specific/linux/minimal-bootstrap/glibc/default.nix b/pkgs/os-specific/linux/minimal-bootstrap/glibc/default.nix
index 15680da46757..29b84a488d0d 100644
--- a/pkgs/os-specific/linux/minimal-bootstrap/glibc/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/os-specific/linux/minimal-bootstrap/glibc/default.nix
@@ -112,4 +112,7 @@ bash.runCommand "${pname}-${version}"
     make -j $NIX_BUILD_CORES INSTALL_UNCOMPRESSED=yes install
     ln -s $(ls -d ${linux-headers}/include/* | grep -v scsi\$) $out/include/
     find $out/{bin,sbin,lib,libexec} -type f -exec strip --strip-unneeded {} + || true
+
+    # localedef + iconv() are never invoked downstream of this glibc
+    rm -rf $out/share/i18n $out/lib/gconv $out/share/locale
   ''
diff --git a/pkgs/os-specific/linux/minimal-bootstrap/python/default.nix b/pkgs/os-specific/linux/minimal-bootstrap/python/default.nix
index 15d39dfae116..b09475af37e9 100644
--- a/pkgs/os-specific/linux/minimal-bootstrap/python/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/os-specific/linux/minimal-bootstrap/python/default.nix
@@ -98,4 +98,21 @@ bash.runCommand "${pname}-${version}"
 
     # Install
     make -j $NIX_BUILD_CORES install
+
+    # Remove lib-dynload extension modules not needed for glibc's build scripts.
+    # glibc uses Python only for scripts that import: os, re, subprocess, argparse,
+    # pathlib, collections, tempfile.  Following the import chain:
+    #   subprocess -> selectors -> math, select, fcntl, _posixsubprocess
+    #   pathlib -> grp
+    #   tempfile -> random -> _random, bisect -> _bisect
+    # Everything else in lib-dynload is dead weight in the bootstrap context.
+    find $out/lib/python*/lib-dynload -name '*.so' \
+      ! -name '_bisect*' \
+      ! -name '_posixsubprocess*' \
+      ! -name '_random*' \
+      ! -name 'fcntl*' \
+      ! -name 'grp*' \
+      ! -name 'math*' \
+      ! -name 'select*' \
+      -delete
   ''