diff --git a/pkgs/build-support/trivial-builders/default.nix b/pkgs/build-support/trivial-builders/default.nix
index 7491e567260c..96cc43157d38 100644
--- a/pkgs/build-support/trivial-builders/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/build-support/trivial-builders/default.nix
@@ -367,17 +367,14 @@ rec {
         '';
 
       checkPhase =
-        # GHC (=> shellcheck) isn't supported on some platforms (such as risc-v)
-        # but we still want to use writeShellApplication on those platforms
         let
-          shellcheckSupported =
-            lib.meta.availableOn stdenv.buildPlatform shellcheck-minimal.compiler
-            && (builtins.tryEval shellcheck-minimal.compiler.outPath).success;
           excludeFlags = lib.optionals (excludeShellChecks != [ ]) [
             "--exclude"
             (lib.concatStringsSep "," excludeShellChecks)
           ];
-          shellcheckCommand = lib.optionalString shellcheckSupported ''
+          # GHC (=> shellcheck) isn't supported on some platforms (such as risc-v)
+          # but we still want to use writeShellApplication on those platforms
+          shellcheckCommand = lib.optionalString shellcheck-minimal.compiler.bootstrapAvailable ''
             # use shellcheck which does not include docs
             # pandoc takes long to build and documentation isn't needed for just running the cli
             ${lib.getExe shellcheck-minimal} ${
diff --git a/pkgs/by-name/fl/flac/package.nix b/pkgs/by-name/fl/flac/package.nix
index 7e4c6fcaca50..d42ca2a679fa 100644
--- a/pkgs/by-name/fl/flac/package.nix
+++ b/pkgs/by-name/fl/flac/package.nix
@@ -6,11 +6,11 @@
   lib,
   libogg,
   nix-update-script,
-  pandoc,
+  buildPackages,
   pkg-config,
   stdenv,
   versionCheckHook,
-  enableManpages ? !stdenv.buildPlatform.isRiscV64 && !stdenv.buildPlatform.isLoongArch64,
+  enableManpages ? buildPackages.pandoc.compiler.bootstrapAvailable,
 }:
 stdenv.mkDerivation (finalAttrs: {
   pname = "flac";
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation (finalAttrs: {
     doxygen
     graphviz
     pkg-config
-  ] ++ lib.optional enableManpages pandoc;
+  ] ++ lib.optional enableManpages buildPackages.pandoc;
 
   buildInputs = [ libogg ];
 
diff --git a/pkgs/by-name/ni/nixos-firewall-tool/package.nix b/pkgs/by-name/ni/nixos-firewall-tool/package.nix
index b928487c5277..13f27d3b7b25 100644
--- a/pkgs/by-name/ni/nixos-firewall-tool/package.nix
+++ b/pkgs/by-name/ni/nixos-firewall-tool/package.nix
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
   lib,
   bash,
   installShellFiles,
-  shellcheck-minimal,
+  buildPackages,
 }:
 
 stdenvNoCC.mkDerivation {
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ stdenvNoCC.mkDerivation {
   strictDeps = true;
   buildInputs = [ bash ];
   nativeBuildInputs = [ installShellFiles ];
-  nativeCheckInputs = [ shellcheck-minimal ];
+  nativeCheckInputs = [ buildPackages.shellcheck-minimal ];
 
   postPatch = ''
     patchShebangs --host nixos-firewall-tool
@@ -26,10 +26,7 @@ stdenvNoCC.mkDerivation {
     installShellCompletion nixos-firewall-tool.{bash,fish}
   '';
 
-  # Skip shellcheck if GHC is not available, see writeShellApplication.
-  doCheck =
-    lib.meta.availableOn stdenvNoCC.buildPlatform shellcheck-minimal.compiler
-    && (builtins.tryEval shellcheck-minimal.compiler.outPath).success;
+  doCheck = buildPackages.shellcheck-minimal.compiler.bootstrapAvailable;
   checkPhase = ''
     shellcheck nixos-firewall-tool
   '';
diff --git a/pkgs/development/compilers/ghc/8.10.7.nix b/pkgs/development/compilers/ghc/8.10.7.nix
index b794cf656b8a..c972f29289d3 100644
--- a/pkgs/development/compilers/ghc/8.10.7.nix
+++ b/pkgs/development/compilers/ghc/8.10.7.nix
@@ -640,6 +640,8 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation (
 
       # Our Cabal compiler name
       haskellCompilerName = "ghc-${version}";
+
+      bootstrapAvailable = lib.meta.availableOn stdenv.buildPlatform bootPkgs.ghc;
     };
 
     meta = {
diff --git a/pkgs/development/compilers/ghc/common-hadrian.nix b/pkgs/development/compilers/ghc/common-hadrian.nix
index ebc89a87ac2f..f94890b91358 100644
--- a/pkgs/development/compilers/ghc/common-hadrian.nix
+++ b/pkgs/development/compilers/ghc/common-hadrian.nix
@@ -839,6 +839,8 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation (
       # TODO(@sternenseemann): there's no stage0:exe:haddock target by default,
       # so haddock isn't available for GHC cross-compilers. Can we fix that?
       hasHaddock = stdenv.hostPlatform == stdenv.targetPlatform;
+
+      bootstrapAvailable = lib.meta.availableOn stdenv.buildPlatform bootPkgs.ghc;
     };
 
     meta = {
diff --git a/pkgs/development/compilers/ghc/common-make-native-bignum.nix b/pkgs/development/compilers/ghc/common-make-native-bignum.nix
index 3c236bb4c45d..03ad68c392a1 100644
--- a/pkgs/development/compilers/ghc/common-make-native-bignum.nix
+++ b/pkgs/development/compilers/ghc/common-make-native-bignum.nix
@@ -645,6 +645,8 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation (
 
       # Our Cabal compiler name
       haskellCompilerName = "ghc-${version}";
+
+      bootstrapAvailable = lib.meta.availableOn stdenv.buildPlatform bootPkgs.ghc;
     };
 
     meta = {
diff --git a/pkgs/development/libraries/gssdp/1.6.nix b/pkgs/development/libraries/gssdp/1.6.nix
index 04fe20f2d477..caab2b7c865d 100644
--- a/pkgs/development/libraries/gssdp/1.6.nix
+++ b/pkgs/development/libraries/gssdp/1.6.nix
@@ -7,8 +7,8 @@
   pkg-config,
   gobject-introspection,
   vala,
-  enableManpages ? !stdenv.buildPlatform.isLoongArch64 && !stdenv.buildPlatform.isRiscV64,
-  pandoc,
+  buildPackages,
+  enableManpages ? buildPackages.pandoc.compiler.bootstrapAvailable,
   gi-docgen,
   python3,
   libsoup_3,
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation rec {
     vala
     gi-docgen
     python3
-  ] ++ lib.optionals enableManpages [ pandoc ];
+  ] ++ lib.optionals enableManpages [ buildPackages.pandoc ];
 
   buildInputs = [
     libsoup_3
diff --git a/pkgs/development/libraries/nuspell/default.nix b/pkgs/development/libraries/nuspell/default.nix
index a4c5bc0813e7..92a9a6b0e399 100644
--- a/pkgs/development/libraries/nuspell/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/development/libraries/nuspell/default.nix
@@ -3,11 +3,11 @@
   stdenv,
   fetchFromGitHub,
   cmake,
-  pandoc,
+  buildPackages,
   pkg-config,
   icu,
   catch2_3,
-  enableManpages ? !stdenv.buildPlatform.isRiscV64 && !stdenv.buildPlatform.isLoongArch64,
+  enableManpages ? buildPackages.pandoc.compiler.bootstrapAvailable,
 }:
 
 stdenv.mkDerivation rec {
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation rec {
       pkg-config
     ]
     ++ lib.optionals enableManpages [
-      pandoc
+      buildPackages.pandoc
     ];
 
   buildInputs = [ catch2_3 ];