diff --git a/pkgs/development/tools/build-managers/cmake/default.nix b/pkgs/development/tools/build-managers/cmake/default.nix
index fed88561cf9c..7dd97b8a2067 100644
--- a/pkgs/development/tools/build-managers/cmake/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/development/tools/build-managers/cmake/default.nix
@@ -83,11 +83,25 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation rec {
   configureFlags = [ "--docdir=share/doc/${name}" ]
     ++ (if useSharedLibraries then [ "--no-system-jsoncpp" "--system-libs" ] else [ "--no-system-libs" ]) # FIXME: cleanup
     ++ optional (useQt4 || withQt5) "--qt-gui"
-    ++ optionals (!useNcurses) [ "--" "-DBUILD_CursesDialog=OFF" ];
+    ++ ["--"]
+    ++ optionals (!useNcurses) [ "-DBUILD_CursesDialog=OFF" ]
+    ++ optionals (stdenv.buildPlatform != stdenv.hostPlatform) [
+      "-DCMAKE_CXX_COMPILER=${stdenv.cc.targetPrefix}g++"
+      "-DCMAKE_C_COMPILER=${stdenv.cc.targetPrefix}gcc"
+      "-DCMAKE_AR=${getBin stdenv.cc.bintools.bintools}/bin/${stdenv.cc.targetPrefix}ar"
+      "-DCMAKE_RANLIB=${getBin stdenv.cc.bintools.bintools}/bin/${stdenv.cc.targetPrefix}ranlib"
+      "-DCMAKE_STRIP=${getBin stdenv.cc.bintools.bintools}/bin/${stdenv.cc.targetPrefix}strip"
+      # TODO: Why are ar and friends not provided by the bintools wrapper?
+    ];
 
   dontUseCmakeConfigure = true;
   enableParallelBuilding = true;
 
+  # This isn't an autoconf configure script; triples are passed via
+  # CMAKE_SYSTEM_NAME, etc.
+  configurePlatforms = [ ];
+
+
   meta = with stdenv.lib; {
     homepage = http://www.cmake.org/;
     description = "Cross-Platform Makefile Generator";
diff --git a/pkgs/development/tools/build-managers/cmake/setup-hook.sh b/pkgs/development/tools/build-managers/cmake/setup-hook.sh
index a0f1cf00814c..50e9e93b015f 100755
--- a/pkgs/development/tools/build-managers/cmake/setup-hook.sh
+++ b/pkgs/development/tools/build-managers/cmake/setup-hook.sh
@@ -33,7 +33,15 @@ cmakeConfigurePhase() {
         # By now it supports linux builds only. We should set the proper
         # CMAKE_SYSTEM_NAME otherwise.
         # http://www.cmake.org/Wiki/CMake_Cross_Compiling
-        cmakeFlags="-DCMAKE_CXX_COMPILER=$crossConfig-g++ -DCMAKE_C_COMPILER=$crossConfig-gcc $cmakeFlags"
+        #
+        # Unfortunately cmake seems to expect absolute paths for ar, ranlib, and
+        # strip. Otherwise they are taken to be relative to the source root of
+        # the package being built.
+        cmakeFlags="-DCMAKE_CXX_COMPILER=$crossConfig-g++ $cmakeFlags"
+        cmakeFlags="-DCMAKE_C_COMPILER=$crossConfig-gcc $cmakeFlags"
+        cmakeFlags="-DCMAKE_AR=$(command -v $crossConfig-ar) $cmakeFlags"
+        cmakeFlags="-DCMAKE_RANLIB=$(command -v $crossConfig-ranlib) $cmakeFlags"
+        cmakeFlags="-DCMAKE_STRIP=$(command -v $crossConfig-strip) $cmakeFlags"
     fi
 
     # This installs shared libraries with a fully-specified install