diff --git a/pkgs/stdenv/cross/default.nix b/pkgs/stdenv/cross/default.nix
index b194c780a319..f2adc91e2bb1 100644
--- a/pkgs/stdenv/cross/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/stdenv/cross/default.nix
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
   crossSystem,
   config,
   overlays,
-  crossOverlays ? [ ],
+  crossOverlays,
 }:
 
 let
diff --git a/pkgs/stdenv/custom/default.nix b/pkgs/stdenv/custom/default.nix
index 4520f0c9905a..b6fefa7c912e 100644
--- a/pkgs/stdenv/custom/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/stdenv/custom/default.nix
@@ -4,7 +4,6 @@
   crossSystem,
   config,
   overlays,
-  crossOverlays ? [ ],
 }:
 
 assert crossSystem == localSystem;
diff --git a/pkgs/stdenv/darwin/default.nix b/pkgs/stdenv/darwin/default.nix
index 48c2db483e4a..d7e0dbf2c6ee 100644
--- a/pkgs/stdenv/darwin/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/stdenv/darwin/default.nix
@@ -13,7 +13,6 @@
   crossSystem,
   config,
   overlays,
-  crossOverlays ? [ ],
   # Allow passing in bootstrap files directly so we can test the stdenv bootstrap process when changing the bootstrap tools
   bootstrapFiles ? (config.replaceBootstrapFiles or lib.id) (
     if localSystem.isAarch64 then
diff --git a/pkgs/stdenv/default.nix b/pkgs/stdenv/default.nix
index 3cbe274a2f0e..9e573477f290 100644
--- a/pkgs/stdenv/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/stdenv/default.nix
@@ -12,32 +12,41 @@
   crossSystem,
   config,
   overlays,
-  crossOverlays ? [ ],
-}@args:
+  crossOverlays,
+}:
 
 let
+  commonArgs = {
+    inherit
+      lib
+      localSystem
+      crossSystem
+      config
+      overlays
+      ;
+  };
   # The native (i.e., impure) build environment.  This one uses the
   # tools installed on the system outside of the Nix environment,
   # i.e., the stuff in /bin, /usr/bin, etc.  This environment should
   # be used with care, since many Nix packages will not build properly
   # with it (e.g., because they require GNU Make).
-  stagesNative = import ./native args;
+  stagesNative = import ./native commonArgs;
 
   # The Nix build environment.
-  stagesNix = import ./nix (args // { bootStages = stagesNative; });
+  stagesNix = import ./nix (commonArgs // { bootStages = stagesNative; });
 
-  stagesFreeBSD = import ./freebsd args;
+  stagesFreeBSD = import ./freebsd commonArgs;
 
   # On Linux systems, the standard build environment consists of Nix-built
   # instances glibc and the `standard' Unix tools, i.e., the Posix utilities,
   # the GNU C compiler, and so on.
-  stagesLinux = import ./linux args;
+  stagesLinux = import ./linux commonArgs;
 
-  stagesDarwin = import ./darwin args;
+  stagesDarwin = import ./darwin commonArgs;
 
-  stagesCross = import ./cross args;
+  stagesCross = import ./cross (commonArgs // { inherit crossOverlays; });
 
-  stagesCustom = import ./custom args;
+  stagesCustom = import ./custom commonArgs;
 
 in
 # Select the appropriate stages for the platform `system'.
diff --git a/pkgs/stdenv/freebsd/default.nix b/pkgs/stdenv/freebsd/default.nix
index 7ede014f80f1..61c386b8437b 100644
--- a/pkgs/stdenv/freebsd/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/stdenv/freebsd/default.nix
@@ -6,7 +6,6 @@
   crossSystem,
   config,
   overlays,
-  crossOverlays ? [ ],
   bootstrapFiles ?
     let
       table = {
diff --git a/pkgs/stdenv/linux/default.nix b/pkgs/stdenv/linux/default.nix
index feb7f90a147f..77fb996d376b 100644
--- a/pkgs/stdenv/linux/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/stdenv/linux/default.nix
@@ -59,8 +59,6 @@
   crossSystem,
   config,
   overlays,
-  crossOverlays ? [ ],
-
   bootstrapFiles ?
     let
       table = {
diff --git a/pkgs/stdenv/native/default.nix b/pkgs/stdenv/native/default.nix
index 697e593e205a..690107af303f 100644
--- a/pkgs/stdenv/native/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/stdenv/native/default.nix
@@ -4,7 +4,6 @@
   crossSystem,
   config,
   overlays,
-  crossOverlays ? [ ],
 }:
 
 assert crossSystem == localSystem;
diff --git a/pkgs/stdenv/nix/default.nix b/pkgs/stdenv/nix/default.nix
index 84998fa52581..f85971479bee 100644
--- a/pkgs/stdenv/nix/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/stdenv/nix/default.nix
@@ -1,11 +1,10 @@
 {
   lib,
-  crossSystem,
   localSystem,
+  crossSystem,
   config,
   overlays,
   bootStages,
-  ...
 }:
 
 assert crossSystem == localSystem;
diff --git a/pkgs/top-level/impure.nix b/pkgs/top-level/impure.nix
index 851ab4282902..b1371e5fef8e 100644
--- a/pkgs/top-level/impure.nix
+++ b/pkgs/top-level/impure.nix
@@ -44,8 +44,6 @@ in
   # fix-point made by Nixpkgs.
   overlays ? import ./impure-overlays.nix,
 
-  crossOverlays ? [ ],
-
   ...
 }@args: