diff --git a/pkgs/by-name/mi/mini-httpd/package.nix b/pkgs/by-name/mi/mini-httpd/package.nix
index 7e11a2d32cba..421a434459a5 100644
--- a/pkgs/by-name/mi/mini-httpd/package.nix
+++ b/pkgs/by-name/mi/mini-httpd/package.nix
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
   lib,
   stdenv,
   fetchurl,
+  autoreconfHook,
   boost,
 }:
 
@@ -14,6 +15,12 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation (finalAttrs: {
     sha256 = "0jggmlaywjfbdljzv5hyiz49plnxh0har2bnc9dq4xmj1pmjgs49";
   };
 
+  patches = [
+    ./remove-boost-system.patch
+  ];
+
+  nativeBuildInputs = [ autoreconfHook ];
+
   buildInputs = [ boost ];
 
   enableParallelBuilding = true;
diff --git a/pkgs/by-name/mi/mini-httpd/remove-boost-system.patch b/pkgs/by-name/mi/mini-httpd/remove-boost-system.patch
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..89b1f24f2bb9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkgs/by-name/mi/mini-httpd/remove-boost-system.patch
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
+index fd06d1a..337178c 100644
+--- a/configure.ac
++++ b/configure.ac
+@@ -14,8 +14,6 @@ AC_PROG_RANLIB
+ AC_LANG([C++])
+ AC_CHECK_HEADER(boost/spirit.hpp, :,
+     AC_MSG_ERROR([Cannot find the Boost library headers! See the README for details.]))
+-AC_CHECK_LIB([boost_system], [main], [LIBS="-lboost_system"],
+-    [AC_MSG_ERROR([cannot link required boost.system library])])
+ gl_INIT
+ AC_SYS_LARGEFILE
+