diff --git a/pkgs/applications/editors/vim/plugins/default.nix b/pkgs/applications/editors/vim/plugins/default.nix
index 729129901315..0bf9f74f2ede 100644
--- a/pkgs/applications/editors/vim/plugins/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/applications/editors/vim/plugins/default.nix
@@ -55,7 +55,6 @@ let
   # If additional modifications to the build process are required,
   # add to ./overrides.nix.
   overrides = callPackage ./overrides.nix {
-    inherit buildVimPlugin;
     inherit llvmPackages;
   };
 
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/editors/vim/plugins/overrides.nix b/pkgs/applications/editors/vim/plugins/overrides.nix
index e51deb33832d..6baecc1ec162 100644
--- a/pkgs/applications/editors/vim/plugins/overrides.nix
+++ b/pkgs/applications/editors/vim/plugins/overrides.nix
@@ -3,7 +3,6 @@
   stdenv,
   # nixpkgs functions
   buildGoModule,
-  buildVimPlugin,
   callPackage,
   fetchFromGitHub,
   fetchpatch,
@@ -131,6 +130,11 @@
 self: super:
 let
   luaPackages = neovim-unwrapped.lua.pkgs;
+
+  # Ensure the vim plugin builders are not used in this file.
+  # If they are used, these stubs will throw.
+  buildVimPlugin = throw "New plugin definitions should be done outside `overrides.nix`";
+  buildNeoVimPlugin = throw "New plugin definitions should be done outside `overrides.nix`";
 in
 {
   corePlugins = symlinkJoin {