diff --git a/pkgs/build-support/cc-wrapper/ld-wrapper.sh b/pkgs/build-support/cc-wrapper/ld-wrapper.sh
index 6ef06eb70348..449a86459045 100644
--- a/pkgs/build-support/cc-wrapper/ld-wrapper.sh
+++ b/pkgs/build-support/cc-wrapper/ld-wrapper.sh
@@ -146,11 +146,26 @@ if [ "$NIX_DONT_SET_RPATH" != 1 ]; then
 
     # Finally, add `-rpath' switches.
     for i in $rpath; do
-        extra=(${extra[@]} -rpath $i)
+        extra+=(-rpath $i)
     done
 fi
 
 
+# Only add --build-id if this is a final link. FIXME: should build gcc
+# with --enable-linker-build-id instead?
+if [ "$NIX_SET_BUILD_ID" = 1 ]; then
+    for p in "${params[@]}"; do
+        if [ "$p" = "-r" -o "$p" = "--relocatable" -o "$p" = "-i" ]; then
+            relocatable=1
+            break
+        fi
+    done
+    if [ -z "$relocatable" ]; then
+        extra+=(--build-id)
+    fi
+fi
+
+
 # Optionally print debug info.
 if [ -n "$NIX_DEBUG" ]; then
   echo "original flags to @prog@:" >&2
diff --git a/pkgs/build-support/setup-hooks/separate-debug-info.sh b/pkgs/build-support/setup-hooks/separate-debug-info.sh
index d2d8386c92dc..518be9647334 100644
--- a/pkgs/build-support/setup-hooks/separate-debug-info.sh
+++ b/pkgs/build-support/setup-hooks/separate-debug-info.sh
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
-export NIX_LDFLAGS+=" --build-id --compress-debug-sections"
+export NIX_SET_BUILD_ID=1
+export NIX_LDFLAGS+=" --compress-debug-sections=zlib"
 export NIX_CFLAGS_COMPILE+=" -ggdb -Wa,--compress-debug-sections"
 dontStrip=1
 
diff --git a/pkgs/development/libraries/glibc/builder.sh b/pkgs/development/libraries/glibc/builder.sh
index d0684d6194d0..d60b143a1eca 100644
--- a/pkgs/development/libraries/glibc/builder.sh
+++ b/pkgs/development/libraries/glibc/builder.sh
@@ -37,6 +37,10 @@ postInstall() {
 
     # Get rid of more unnecessary stuff.
     rm -rf $out/var $out/sbin/sln
+
+    for i in $out/lib/*.a; do
+        strip -S "$i"
+    done
 }
 
 genericBuild
diff --git a/pkgs/development/libraries/glibc/default.nix b/pkgs/development/libraries/glibc/default.nix
index 5e25c2dc8bc8..2630cdb127f7 100644
--- a/pkgs/development/libraries/glibc/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/development/libraries/glibc/default.nix
@@ -2,7 +2,6 @@
 , installLocales ? true
 , profilingLibraries ? false
 , gccCross ? null
-, debugSymbols ? false
 , withGd ? false, gd ? null, libpng ? null
 }:
 
@@ -13,9 +12,7 @@ let
   cross = if gccCross != null then gccCross.target else null;
 in
   build cross ({
-    name = "glibc"
-      + lib.optionalString debugSymbols "-debug"
-      + lib.optionalString withGd "-gd";
+    name = "glibc" + lib.optionalString withGd "-gd";
 
     inherit lib stdenv fetchurl linuxHeaders installLocales
       profilingLibraries gccCross withGd gd libpng;
@@ -38,23 +35,13 @@ in
       fi
     '';
 
+    separateDebugInfo = true;
+
     meta.description = "The GNU C Library";
   }
 
   //
 
-  (if debugSymbols
-   then {
-     # Build with debugging symbols, but leave optimizations on and don't
-     # attempt to keep the build tree.
-     dontStrip = true;
-     dontCrossStrip = true;
-     NIX_STRIP_DEBUG = 0;
-   }
-   else {})
-
-  //
-
   (if cross != null
    then {
       preConfigure = ''