diff --git a/pkgs/applications/graphics/pikopixel/default.nix b/pkgs/applications/graphics/pikopixel/default.nix
index 816d9af62aa3..f8719cc0a4cd 100644
--- a/pkgs/applications/graphics/pikopixel/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/applications/graphics/pikopixel/default.nix
@@ -1,9 +1,10 @@
 { lib
+, clangStdenv
 , fetchurl
 , gnustep
 }:
 
-gnustep.gsmakeDerivation rec {
+clangStdenv.mkDerivation rec {
   pname = "pikopixel";
   version = "1.0-b10";
 
@@ -14,6 +15,11 @@ gnustep.gsmakeDerivation rec {
 
   sourceRoot = "PikoPixel.Sources.${version}/PikoPixel";
 
+  nativeBuildInputs = [
+    gnustep.make
+    gnustep.wrapGNUstepAppsHook
+  ];
+
   buildInputs = [
     gnustep.base
     gnustep.gui
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/window-managers/owl/default.nix b/pkgs/applications/window-managers/owl/default.nix
index fa9ea8e8b6a1..d3f018eb1202 100644
--- a/pkgs/applications/window-managers/owl/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/applications/window-managers/owl/default.nix
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 { lib
-, stdenv
+, clangStdenv
 , fetchFromGitHub
 , gnustep
 , libxkbcommon
@@ -12,9 +12,10 @@
 assert wayland.withLibraries;
 
 let
-  mkDerivation = if stdenv.isDarwin then stdenv.mkDerivation else gnustep.gsmakeDerivation;
+  stdenv = clangStdenv;
 in
-mkDerivation {
+
+stdenv.mkDerivation {
   pname = "owl-compositor";
   version = "unstable-2021-11-10";
 
@@ -43,6 +44,7 @@ mkDerivation {
     darwin.bootstrap_cmds
   ] ++ lib.optionals (!stdenv.isDarwin) [
     gnustep.make
+    gnustep.wrapGNUstepAppsHook
   ];
 
   buildInputs = [
diff --git a/pkgs/desktops/gnustep/back/default.nix b/pkgs/desktops/gnustep/back/default.nix
index 867c82881c1a..370143e1269f 100644
--- a/pkgs/desktops/gnustep/back/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/desktops/gnustep/back/default.nix
@@ -1,7 +1,11 @@
-{ gsmakeDerivation
+{ lib
+, stdenv
+, make
+, wrapGNUstepAppsHook
 , cairo
 , fetchzip
-, base, gui
+, base
+, gui
 , fontconfig
 , freetype
 , pkg-config
@@ -9,18 +13,23 @@
 , libXmu
 }:
 
-gsmakeDerivation rec {
+stdenv.mkDerivation (finalAttrs: {
   pname = "gnustep-back";
   version = "0.30.0";
 
   src = fetchzip {
-    url = "ftp://ftp.gnustep.org/pub/gnustep/core/${pname}-${version}.tar.gz";
+    url = "ftp://ftp.gnustep.org/pub/gnustep/core/gnustep-back-${finalAttrs.version}.tar.gz";
     sha256 = "sha256-HD4PLdkE573nPWqFwffUmcHw8VYIl5rLiPKWrbnwpCI=";
   };
 
-  nativeBuildInputs = [ pkg-config ];
+  nativeBuildInputs = [ make pkg-config wrapGNUstepAppsHook ];
   buildInputs = [ cairo base gui fontconfig freetype libXft libXmu ];
+
   meta = {
     description = "A generic backend for GNUstep";
+    homepage = "https://gnustep.github.io/";
+    license = lib.licenses.lgpl2Plus;
+    maintainers = with lib.maintainers; [ ashalkhakov matthewbauer dblsaiko ];
+    platforms = lib.platforms.linux;
   };
-}
+})
diff --git a/pkgs/desktops/gnustep/base/default.nix b/pkgs/desktops/gnustep/base/default.nix
index 3803a88ce191..acda20c817d6 100644
--- a/pkgs/desktops/gnustep/base/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/desktops/gnustep/base/default.nix
@@ -1,26 +1,40 @@
-{ aspell, audiofile
-, gsmakeDerivation
+{ lib
+, stdenv
+, aspell
+, audiofile
+, make
+, wrapGNUstepAppsHook
 , cups
 , fetchzip
 , fetchpatch
-, gmp, gnutls
-, libffi, binutils-unwrapped
-, libjpeg, libtiff, libpng, giflib
-, libxml2, libxslt, libiconv
-, libobjc, libgcrypt
+, gmp
+, gnutls
+, libffi
+, binutils-unwrapped
+, libjpeg
+, libtiff
+, libpng
+, giflib
+, libxml2
+, libxslt
+, libiconv
+, libobjc
+, libgcrypt
 , icu
-, pkg-config, portaudio
+, pkg-config
+, portaudio
 , libiberty
 }:
-gsmakeDerivation rec {
+
+stdenv.mkDerivation (finalAttrs: {
   pname = "gnustep-base";
   version = "1.29.0";
   src = fetchzip {
-    url = "ftp://ftp.gnustep.org/pub/gnustep/core/${pname}-${version}.tar.gz";
+    url = "ftp://ftp.gnustep.org/pub/gnustep/core/gnustep-base-${finalAttrs.version}.tar.gz";
     hash = "sha256-4fjdsLBsYEDxLOFrq17dKii2sLKvOaFCu0cw3qQtM5U=";
   };
   outputs = [ "out" "dev" "lib" ];
-  nativeBuildInputs = [ pkg-config ];
+  nativeBuildInputs = [ pkg-config make wrapGNUstepAppsHook ];
   propagatedBuildInputs = [
     aspell audiofile
     cups
@@ -55,7 +69,11 @@ gsmakeDerivation rec {
   ];
 
   meta = {
+    changelog = "https://github.com/gnustep/libs-base/releases/tag/base-${builtins.replaceStrings [ "." ] [ "_" ] finalAttrs.version}";
     description = "An implementation of AppKit and Foundation libraries of OPENSTEP and Cocoa";
-    changelog = "https://github.com/gnustep/libs-base/releases/tag/base-${builtins.replaceStrings [ "." ] [ "_" ] version}";
+    homepage = "https://gnustep.github.io/";
+    license = lib.licenses.lgpl2Plus;
+    maintainers = with lib.maintainers; [ ashalkhakov matthewbauer dblsaiko ];
+    platforms = lib.platforms.linux;
   };
-}
+})
diff --git a/pkgs/desktops/gnustep/default.nix b/pkgs/desktops/gnustep/default.nix
index d337512dceca..53040ace672d 100644
--- a/pkgs/desktops/gnustep/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/desktops/gnustep/default.nix
@@ -5,18 +5,21 @@
 let
   callPackage = newScope self;
 
-  self = rec {
+  self = {
     stdenv = llvmPackages.stdenv;
 
-    gsmakeDerivation = callPackage ./make/gsmakeDerivation.nix {};
+    wrapGNUstepAppsHook = callPackage ./wrapGNUstepAppsHook.nix {};
+
+    make = callPackage ./make {};
+
+    libobjc = callPackage ./libobjc2 {};
+    base = callPackage ./base {};
+    back = callPackage ./back {};
+    gui = callPackage ./gui {};
+
     gorm = callPackage ./gorm {};
     projectcenter = callPackage ./projectcenter {};
     system_preferences = callPackage ./systempreferences {};
-    libobjc = callPackage ./libobjc2 {};
-    make = callPackage ./make {};
-    back = callPackage ./back {};
-    base = callPackage ./base { };
-    gui = callPackage ./gui {};
     gworkspace = callPackage ./gworkspace {};
   };
 
diff --git a/pkgs/desktops/gnustep/gorm/default.nix b/pkgs/desktops/gnustep/gorm/default.nix
index 0897ceefdba6..f48600263447 100644
--- a/pkgs/desktops/gnustep/gorm/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/desktops/gnustep/gorm/default.nix
@@ -1,15 +1,31 @@
-{ fetchzip, base, back, gsmakeDerivation, gui }:
-gsmakeDerivation rec {
+{ lib
+, stdenv
+, fetchzip
+, base
+, back
+, make
+, wrapGNUstepAppsHook
+, gui
+}:
+
+stdenv.mkDerivation (finalAttrs: {
   pname = "gorm";
   version = "1.3.1";
 
   src = fetchzip {
-    url = "ftp://ftp.gnustep.org/pub/gnustep/dev-apps/gorm-${version}.tar.gz";
+    url = "ftp://ftp.gnustep.org/pub/gnustep/dev-apps/gorm-${finalAttrs.version}.tar.gz";
     sha256 = "sha256-W+NgbvLjt1PpDiauhzWFaU1/CUhmDACQz+GoyRUyWB8=";
   };
+
+  nativeBuildInputs = [ make wrapGNUstepAppsHook ];
   buildInputs = [ base back gui ];
 
   meta = {
     description = "Graphical Object Relationship Modeller is an easy-to-use interface designer for GNUstep";
+    homepage = "https://gnustep.github.io/";
+    license = lib.licenses.lgpl2Plus;
+    mainProgram = "Gorm";
+    maintainers = with lib.maintainers; [ ashalkhakov matthewbauer dblsaiko ];
+    platforms = lib.platforms.linux;
   };
-}
+})
diff --git a/pkgs/desktops/gnustep/gui/default.nix b/pkgs/desktops/gnustep/gui/default.nix
index 962d6eef7fde..448f4c60136a 100644
--- a/pkgs/desktops/gnustep/gui/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/desktops/gnustep/gui/default.nix
@@ -1,19 +1,32 @@
-{ gsmakeDerivation, fetchzip, base }:
+{ lib
+, stdenv
+, make
+, wrapGNUstepAppsHook
+, fetchzip
+, base
+}:
 
-gsmakeDerivation rec {
+stdenv.mkDerivation (finalAttrs: {
   version = "0.30.0";
   pname = "gnustep-gui";
 
   src = fetchzip {
-    url = "ftp://ftp.gnustep.org/pub/gnustep/core/${pname}-${version}.tar.gz";
+    url = "ftp://ftp.gnustep.org/pub/gnustep/core/gnustep-gui-${finalAttrs.version}.tar.gz";
     sha256 = "sha256-24hL4TeIY6izlhQUcxKI0nXITysAPfRrncRqsDm2zNk=";
   };
+
+  nativeBuildInputs = [ make wrapGNUstepAppsHook ];
   buildInputs = [ base ];
+
   patches = [
     ./fixup-all.patch
   ];
   meta = {
+    changelog = "https://github.com/gnustep/libs-gui/releases/tag/gui-${builtins.replaceStrings [ "." ] [ "_" ] finalAttrs.version}";
     description = "A GUI class library of GNUstep";
-    changelog = "https://github.com/gnustep/libs-gui/releases/tag/gui-${builtins.replaceStrings [ "." ] [ "_" ] version}";
+    homepage = "https://gnustep.github.io/";
+    license = lib.licenses.lgpl2Plus;
+    maintainers = with lib.maintainers; [ ashalkhakov matthewbauer dblsaiko ];
+    platforms = lib.platforms.linux;
   };
-}
+})
diff --git a/pkgs/desktops/gnustep/gworkspace/default.nix b/pkgs/desktops/gnustep/gworkspace/default.nix
index cdc6612d1c06..d2343dfb0113 100644
--- a/pkgs/desktops/gnustep/gworkspace/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/desktops/gnustep/gworkspace/default.nix
@@ -1,22 +1,36 @@
-{ back, base, gui, gsmakeDerivation
+{ lib
+, stdenv
+, back
+, base
+, gui
+, make
+, wrapGNUstepAppsHook
 , fetchurl
 , system_preferences
 }:
-let
+
+stdenv.mkDerivation (finalAttrs: {
+  pname = "gworkspace";
   version = "1.0.0";
-in
-gsmakeDerivation {
-  name = "gworkspace-${version}";
+
   src = fetchurl {
-    url = "ftp://ftp.gnustep.org/pub/gnustep/usr-apps/gworkspace-${version}.tar.gz";
+    url = "ftp://ftp.gnustep.org/pub/gnustep/usr-apps/gworkspace-${finalAttrs.version}.tar.gz";
     sha256 = "sha256-M7dV7RVatw8gdYHQlRi5wNBd6MGT9GqW04R/DoKNu6I=";
   };
+
   # additional dependencies:
   # - PDFKit framework from http://gap.nongnu.org/
   # - TODO: to --enable-gwmetadata, need libDBKit as well as sqlite!
+  nativeBuildInputs = [ make wrapGNUstepAppsHook ];
   buildInputs = [ back base gui system_preferences ];
   configureFlags = [ "--with-inotify" ];
+
   meta = {
     description = "A workspace manager for GNUstep";
+    homepage = "https://gnustep.github.io/";
+    license = lib.licenses.lgpl2Plus;
+    mainProgram = "GWorkspace";
+    maintainers = with lib.maintainers; [ ashalkhakov matthewbauer dblsaiko ];
+    platforms = lib.platforms.linux;
   };
-}
+})
diff --git a/pkgs/desktops/gnustep/libobjc2/default.nix b/pkgs/desktops/gnustep/libobjc2/default.nix
index b44e60ce233d..2e487fddf431 100644
--- a/pkgs/desktops/gnustep/libobjc2/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/desktops/gnustep/libobjc2/default.nix
@@ -1,13 +1,17 @@
-{ stdenv, lib, fetchFromGitHub, cmake }:
+{ lib
+, stdenv
+, fetchFromGitHub
+, cmake
+}:
 
-stdenv.mkDerivation rec {
+stdenv.mkDerivation (finalAttrs: {
   pname = "libobjc2";
   version = "2.1";
 
   src = fetchFromGitHub {
     owner = "gnustep";
     repo = "libobjc2";
-    rev = "v${version}";
+    rev = "v${finalAttrs.version}";
     hash = "sha256-iDOVEDnTAfg9r3/kdHp7hzX2oIjO1ovaqgrlIV7V68M=";
     fetchSubmodules = true;
   };
@@ -19,9 +23,9 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation rec {
   meta = with lib; {
     broken = stdenv.isDarwin;
     description = "Objective-C runtime for use with GNUstep";
-    homepage = "http://gnustep.org/";
+    homepage = "https://gnustep.github.io/";
     license = licenses.mit;
-    maintainers = with maintainers; [ ashalkhakov matthewbauer ];
+    maintainers = with lib.maintainers; [ ashalkhakov matthewbauer dblsaiko ];
     platforms = platforms.unix;
   };
-}
+})
diff --git a/pkgs/desktops/gnustep/make/builder.sh b/pkgs/desktops/gnustep/make/builder.sh
deleted file mode 100644
index 79ead3f7b729..000000000000
--- a/pkgs/desktops/gnustep/make/builder.sh
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,127 +0,0 @@
-if [ -e "$NIX_ATTRS_SH_FILE" ]; then . "$NIX_ATTRS_SH_FILE"; elif [ -f .attrs.sh ]; then . .attrs.sh; fi
-source $stdenv/setup
-
-providedPreConfigure="$preConfigure";
-
-preConfigure() {
-    eval "$providedPreConfigure"
-
-    . $GNUSTEP_MAKEFILES/GNUstep.sh
-}
-
-wrapGSMake() {
-    local program="$1"
-    local config="$2"
-    local wrapped="$(dirname $program)/.$(basename $program)-wrapped"
-
-    mv "$program" "$wrapped"
-
-    cat > "$program"<<EOF
-#! $SHELL -e
-
-export GNUSTEP_CONFIG_FILE="$config"
-
-exec "$wrapped" "\$@"
-EOF
-    chmod +x "$program"
-}
-
-postInstall() {
-    local conf="$out/share/.GNUstep.conf"
-
-    mkdir -p "$out/share"
-    touch $conf
-
-    # add the current package to the paths
-    local tmp="$out/lib/GNUstep/Applications"
-    if [ -d "$tmp" ] && case "$NIX_GNUSTEP_SYSTEM_APPS" in *"${tmp}"*) false;; *) true;; esac; then
-        addToSearchPath NIX_GNUSTEP_SYSTEM_APPS "$tmp"
-    fi
-    tmp="$out/lib/GNUstep/Applications"
-    if [ -d "$tmp" ] && case "$NIX_GNUSTEP_SYSTEM_ADMIN_APPS" in *"${tmp}"*) false;; *) true;; esac; then
-        addToSearchPath NIX_GNUSTEP_SYSTEM_ADMIN_APPS "$tmp"
-    fi
-    tmp="$out/lib/GNUstep/WebApplications"
-    if [ -d "$tmp" ] && case "$NIX_GNUSTEP_SYSTEM_WEB_APPS" in *"${tmp}"*) false;; *) true;; esac; then
-        addToSearchPath NIX_GNUSTEP_SYSTEM_WEB_APPS "$tmp"
-    fi
-    tmp="$out/bin"
-    if [ -d "$tmp" ] && case "$NIX_GNUSTEP_SYSTEM_TOOLS" in *"${tmp}"*) false;; *) true;; esac; then
-        addToSearchPath NIX_GNUSTEP_SYSTEM_TOOLS "$tmp"
-    fi
-    tmp="$out/sbin"
-    if [ -d "$tmp" ] && case "$NIX_GNUSTEP_SYSTEM_ADMIN_TOOLS" in *"${tmp}"*) false;; *) true;; esac; then
-        addToSearchPath NIX_GNUSTEP_SYSTEM_ADMIN_TOOLS "$tmp"
-    fi
-    tmp="$out/lib/GNUstep"
-    if [ -d "$tmp" ] && case "$NIX_GNUSTEP_SYSTEM_LIBRARY" in *"${tmp}"*) false;; *) true;; esac; then
-            addToSearchPath NIX_GNUSTEP_SYSTEM_LIBRARY "$tmp"
-    fi
-    tmp="$out/include"
-    if [ -d "$tmp" ] && case "$NIX_GNUSTEP_SYSTEM_HEADERS" in *"${tmp}"*) false;; *) true;; esac; then
-            if [ -z "$NIX_GNUSTEP_SYSTEM_HEADERS" ]; then
-                export NIX_GNUSTEP_SYSTEM_HEADERS="$tmp"
-            else
-                export NIX_GNUSTEP_SYSTEM_HEADERS+=" $tmp"
-            fi
-    fi
-    tmp="$out/lib"
-    if [ -d "$tmp" ] && case "$NIX_GNUSTEP_SYSTEM_LIBRARIES" in *"${tmp}"*) false;; *) true;; esac; then
-        addToSearchPath NIX_GNUSTEP_SYSTEM_LIBRARIES "$tmp"
-    fi
-    tmp="$out/share/GNUstep/Documentation"
-    if [ -d "$tmp" ] && case "$NIX_GNUSTEP_SYSTEM_DOC" in *"${tmp}"*) false;; *) true;; esac; then
-        addToSearchPath NIX_GNUSTEP_SYSTEM_DOC "$tmp"
-    fi
-    tmp="$out/share/man"
-    if [ -d "$tmp" ] && case "$NIX_GNUSTEP_SYSTEM_DOC_MAN" in *"${tmp}"*) false;; *) true;; esac; then
-        addToSearchPath NIX_GNUSTEP_SYSTEM_DOC_MAN "$tmp"
-    fi
-    tmp="$out/share/info"
-    if [ -d "$tmp" ] && case "$NIX_GNUSTEP_SYSTEM_DOC_INFO" in *"${tmp}"*) false;; *) true;; esac; then
-        addToSearchPath NIX_GNUSTEP_SYSTEM_DOC_INFO "$tmp"
-    fi
-
-    # write the config file
-    echo GNUSTEP_MAKEFILES=$GNUSTEP_MAKEFILES >> $conf
-    if [ -n "$NIX_GNUSTEP_SYSTEM_APPS" ]; then
-        echo NIX_GNUSTEP_SYSTEM_APPS="$NIX_GNUSTEP_SYSTEM_APPS"
-    fi
-    if [ -n "$NIX_GNUSTEP_SYSTEM_ADMIN_APPS" ]; then
-        echo NIX_GNUSTEP_SYSTEM_ADMIN_APPS="$NIX_GNUSTEP_SYSTEM_ADMIN_APPS" >> $conf
-    fi
-    if [ -n "$NIX_GNUSTEP_SYSTEM_WEB_APPS" ]; then
-        echo NIX_GNUSTEP_SYSTEM_WEB_APPS="$NIX_GNUSTEP_SYSTEM_WEB_APPS" >> $conf
-    fi
-    if [ -n "$NIX_GNUSTEP_SYSTEM_TOOLS" ]; then
-        echo NIX_GNUSTEP_SYSTEM_TOOLS="$NIX_GNUSTEP_SYSTEM_TOOLS" >> $conf
-    fi
-    if [ -n "$NIX_GNUSTEP_SYSTEM_ADMIN_TOOLS" ]; then
-        echo NIX_GNUSTEP_SYSTEM_ADMIN_TOOLS="$NIX_GNUSTEP_SYSTEM_ADMIN_TOOLS" >> $conf
-    fi
-    if [ -n "$NIX_GNUSTEP_SYSTEM_LIBRARY" ]; then
-        echo NIX_GNUSTEP_SYSTEM_LIBRARY="$NIX_GNUSTEP_SYSTEM_LIBRARY" >> $conf
-    fi
-    if [ -n "$NIX_GNUSTEP_SYSTEM_HEADERS" ]; then
-        echo NIX_GNUSTEP_SYSTEM_HEADERS="$NIX_GNUSTEP_SYSTEM_HEADERS" >> $conf
-    fi
-    if [ -n "$NIX_GNUSTEP_SYSTEM_LIBRARIES" ]; then
-        echo NIX_GNUSTEP_SYSTEM_LIBRARIES="$NIX_GNUSTEP_SYSTEM_LIBRARIES" >> $conf
-    fi
-    if [ -n "$NIX_GNUSTEP_SYSTEM_DOC" ]; then
-        echo NIX_GNUSTEP_SYSTEM_DOC="$NIX_GNUSTEP_SYSTEM_DOC" >> $conf
-    fi
-    if [ -n "$NIX_GNUSTEP_SYSTEM_DOC_MAN" ]; then
-        echo NIX_GNUSTEP_SYSTEM_DOC_MAN="$NIX_GNUSTEP_SYSTEM_DOC_MAN" >> $conf
-    fi
-    if [ -n "$NIX_GNUSTEP_SYSTEM_DOC_INFO" ]; then
-        echo NIX_GNUSTEP_SYSTEM_DOC_INFO="$NIX_GNUSTEP_SYSTEM_DOC_INFO" >> $conf
-    fi
-
-    for i in $out/bin/*; do
-        echo "wrapping $(basename $i)"
-        wrapGSMake "$i" "$out/share/.GNUstep.conf"
-    done
-}
-
-genericBuild
diff --git a/pkgs/desktops/gnustep/make/default.nix b/pkgs/desktops/gnustep/make/default.nix
index f9b4ae553c85..290e3004497f 100644
--- a/pkgs/desktops/gnustep/make/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/desktops/gnustep/make/default.nix
@@ -1,11 +1,16 @@
-{ lib, stdenv, fetchurl, clang, which, libobjc }:
+{ lib
+, stdenv
+, fetchurl
+, which
+, libobjc
+}:
 
-stdenv.mkDerivation rec {
+stdenv.mkDerivation (finalAttrs: {
   pname = "gnustep-make";
   version = "2.9.1";
 
   src = fetchurl {
-    url = "ftp://ftp.gnustep.org/pub/gnustep/core/gnustep-make-${version}.tar.gz";
+    url = "ftp://ftp.gnustep.org/pub/gnustep/core/gnustep-make-${finalAttrs.version}.tar.gz";
     sha256 = "sha256-w9bnDPFWsn59HtJQHFffP5bidIjOLzUbk+R5xYwB6uc=";
   };
 
@@ -22,17 +27,19 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation rec {
     "GNUSTEP_INSTALLATION_DOMAIN=SYSTEM"
   ];
 
-  nativeBuildInputs = [ clang which ];
   buildInputs = [ libobjc ];
 
+  propagatedBuildInputs = [ which ];
+
   patches = [ ./fixup-paths.patch ];
   setupHook = ./setup-hook.sh;
+
   meta = {
+    changelog = "https://github.com/gnustep/tools-make/releases/tag/make-${builtins.replaceStrings [ "." ] [ "_" ] finalAttrs.version}";
     description = "A build manager for GNUstep";
-    homepage = "http://gnustep.org/";
-    changelog = "https://github.com/gnustep/tools-make/releases/tag/make-${builtins.replaceStrings [ "." ] [ "_" ] version}";
+    homepage = "https://gnustep.github.io/";
     license = lib.licenses.lgpl2Plus;
-    maintainers = with lib.maintainers; [ ashalkhakov matthewbauer ];
+    maintainers = with lib.maintainers; [ ashalkhakov matthewbauer dblsaiko ];
     platforms = lib.platforms.unix;
   };
-}
+})
diff --git a/pkgs/desktops/gnustep/make/gsmakeDerivation.nix b/pkgs/desktops/gnustep/make/gsmakeDerivation.nix
deleted file mode 100644
index 04cfcc1ca343..000000000000
--- a/pkgs/desktops/gnustep/make/gsmakeDerivation.nix
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,19 +0,0 @@
-{ lib, stdenv, make, makeWrapper, which }:
-{ nativeBuildInputs ? [], ...} @ args:
-stdenv.mkDerivation (args // {
-  nativeBuildInputs = [ makeWrapper make which ] ++ nativeBuildInputs;
-
-  builder = ./builder.sh;
-  setupHook = ./setup-hook.sh;
-
-  GNUSTEP_MAKEFILES = "${make}/share/GNUstep/Makefiles";
-
-  meta = {
-    homepage = "http://gnustep.org/";
-
-    license = lib.licenses.lgpl2Plus;
-
-    maintainers = with lib.maintainers; [ ashalkhakov matthewbauer ];
-    platforms = lib.platforms.linux;
-  } // (lib.optionalAttrs (builtins.hasAttr "meta" args) args.meta);
-})
diff --git a/pkgs/desktops/gnustep/make/setup-hook.sh b/pkgs/desktops/gnustep/make/setup-hook.sh
index 83adfefc10cd..0bfbd35f45f5 100644
--- a/pkgs/desktops/gnustep/make/setup-hook.sh
+++ b/pkgs/desktops/gnustep/make/setup-hook.sh
@@ -20,62 +20,52 @@ addGnustepInstallFlags() {
 
 preInstallPhases+=" addGnustepInstallFlags"
 
-addEnvVars() {
+addGNUstepEnvVars() {
     local filename
 
+    gsAddToSearchPath() {
+        if [[ -d "$2" && "${!1-}" != *"$2"* ]]; then
+            addToSearchPath "$1" "$2"
+        fi
+    }
+
+    gsAddToIncludeSearchPath() {
+        local -n ref="$1"
+
+        # NOTE: contrary to the one in wrapGNUstepAppsHook, use -e here instead of -d since it's also used for the makefiles
+        if [[ -e "$2" && "${ref-}" != *"$2"* ]]; then
+            if [[ "${ref-}" != "" ]]; then
+                ref+=" "
+            fi
+
+            ref+="$2"
+        fi
+    }
+
     for filename in $1/share/GNUstep/Makefiles/Additional/*.make ; do
-    if case "${NIX_GNUSTEP_MAKEFILES_ADDITIONAL-}" in *"{$filename}"*) false;; *) true;; esac; then
-        export NIX_GNUSTEP_MAKEFILES_ADDITIONAL+=" $filename"
-    fi
+        gsAddToIncludeSearchPath NIX_GNUSTEP_MAKEFILES_ADDITIONAL "$filename"
     done
 
-    local tmp="$1/lib/GNUstep/Applications"
-    if [ -d "$tmp" ] && case "${NIX_GNUSTEP_SYSTEM_APPS-}" in *"${tmp}"*) false;; *) true;; esac; then
-    addToSearchPath NIX_GNUSTEP_SYSTEM_APPS "$tmp"
-    fi
-    tmp="$1/lib/GNUstep/Applications"
-    if [ -d "$tmp" ] && case "${NIX_GNUSTEP_SYSTEM_ADMIN_APPS-}" in *"${tmp}"*) false;; *) true;; esac; then
-    addToSearchPath NIX_GNUSTEP_SYSTEM_ADMIN_APPS "$tmp"
-    fi
-    tmp="$1/lib/GNUstep/WebApplications"
-    if [ -d "$tmp" ] && case "${NIX_GNUSTEP_SYSTEM_WEB_APPS-}" in *"${tmp}"*) false;; *) true;; esac; then
-    addToSearchPath NIX_GNUSTEP_SYSTEM_WEB_APPS "$tmp"
-    fi
-    tmp="$1/bin"
-    if [ -d "$tmp" ] && case "${NIX_GNUSTEP_SYSTEM_TOOLS-}" in *"${tmp}"*) false;; *) true;; esac; then
-    addToSearchPath NIX_GNUSTEP_SYSTEM_TOOLS "$tmp"
-    fi
-    tmp="$1/sbin"
-    if [ -d "$tmp" ] && case "${NIX_GNUSTEP_SYSTEM_ADMIN_TOOLS-}" in *"${tmp}"*) false;; *) true;; esac; then
-    addToSearchPath NIX_GNUSTEP_SYSTEM_ADMIN_TOOLS "$tmp"
-    fi
-    tmp="$1/lib/GNUstep"
-    if [ -d "$tmp" ] && case "${NIX_GNUSTEP_SYSTEM_LIBRARY-}" in *"${tmp}"*) false;; *) true;; esac; then
-        addToSearchPath NIX_GNUSTEP_SYSTEM_LIBRARY "$tmp"
-    fi
-    tmp="$1/include"
-    if [ -d "$tmp" ] && case "${NIX_GNUSTEP_SYSTEM_HEADERS-}" in *"${tmp}"*) false;; *) true;; esac; then
-        if [ -z "${NIX_GNUSTEP_SYSTEM_HEADERS-}" ]; then
-            export NIX_GNUSTEP_SYSTEM_HEADERS="$tmp"
-        else
-            export NIX_GNUSTEP_SYSTEM_HEADERS+=" $tmp"
-        fi
-    fi
-    tmp="$1/lib"
-    if [ -d "$tmp" ] && case "${NIX_GNUSTEP_SYSTEM_LIBRARIES-}" in *"${tmp}"*) false;; *) true;; esac; then
-    addToSearchPath NIX_GNUSTEP_SYSTEM_LIBRARIES "$tmp"
-    fi
-    tmp="$1/share/GNUstep/Documentation"
-    if [ -d "$tmp" ] && case "${NIX_GNUSTEP_SYSTEM_DOC-}" in *"${tmp}"*) false;; *) true;; esac; then
-    addToSearchPath NIX_GNUSTEP_SYSTEM_DOC "$tmp"
-    fi
-    tmp="$1/share/man"
-    if [ -d "$tmp" ] && case "${NIX_GNUSTEP_SYSTEM_DOC_MAN-}" in *"${tmp}"*) false;; *) true;; esac; then
-    addToSearchPath NIX_GNUSTEP_SYSTEM_DOC_MAN "$tmp"
-    fi
-    tmp="$1/share/info"
-    if [ -d "$tmp" ] && case "${NIX_GNUSTEP_SYSTEM_DOC_INFO-}" in *"${tmp}"*) false;; *) true;; esac; then
-    addToSearchPath NIX_GNUSTEP_SYSTEM_DOC_INFO "$tmp"
-    fi
+    export NIX_GNUSTEP_MAKEFILES_ADDITIONAL
+
+    gsAddToSearchPath NIX_GNUSTEP_SYSTEM_APPS "$1/lib/GNUstep/Applications"
+    gsAddToSearchPath NIX_GNUSTEP_SYSTEM_ADMIN_APPS "$1/lib/GNUstep/Applications"
+    gsAddToSearchPath NIX_GNUSTEP_SYSTEM_WEB_APPS "$1/lib/GNUstep/WebApplications"
+    gsAddToSearchPath NIX_GNUSTEP_SYSTEM_TOOLS "$1/bin"
+    gsAddToSearchPath NIX_GNUSTEP_SYSTEM_ADMIN_TOOLS "$1/sbin"
+    gsAddToSearchPath NIX_GNUSTEP_SYSTEM_LIBRARY "$1/lib/GNUstep"
+    gsAddToIncludeSearchPath NIX_GNUSTEP_SYSTEM_HEADERS "$1/include"
+    gsAddToSearchPath NIX_GNUSTEP_SYSTEM_LIBRARIES "$1/lib"
+    gsAddToSearchPath NIX_GNUSTEP_SYSTEM_DOC "$1/share/GNUstep/Documentation"
+    gsAddToSearchPath NIX_GNUSTEP_SYSTEM_DOC_MAN "$1/share/man"
+    gsAddToSearchPath NIX_GNUSTEP_SYSTEM_DOC_INFO "$1/share/info"
 }
-addEnvHooks "$targetOffset" addEnvVars
+addEnvHooks "$targetOffset" addGNUstepEnvVars
+
+gsmakeSetup() {
+    export GNUSTEP_MAKEFILES="$(gnustep-config --variable=GNUSTEP_MAKEFILES)"
+
+    . $GNUSTEP_MAKEFILES/GNUstep.sh
+}
+
+preConfigureHooks+=(gsmakeSetup)
diff --git a/pkgs/desktops/gnustep/make/wrapper.sh b/pkgs/desktops/gnustep/make/wrapper.sh
deleted file mode 100644
index 1bc2e130d88d..000000000000
--- a/pkgs/desktops/gnustep/make/wrapper.sh
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,4 +0,0 @@
-#!/bin/sh
-
-. $GNUSTEP_MAKEFILES/GNUstep.sh
-$1
diff --git a/pkgs/desktops/gnustep/projectcenter/default.nix b/pkgs/desktops/gnustep/projectcenter/default.nix
index b535365b25d9..89f2e769a066 100644
--- a/pkgs/desktops/gnustep/projectcenter/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/desktops/gnustep/projectcenter/default.nix
@@ -1,21 +1,29 @@
-{ lib, fetchFromGitHub
-, base, back, gsmakeDerivation, gui, gorm
-, gnumake, gdb
+{ lib
+, stdenv
+, fetchFromGitHub
+, make
+, wrapGNUstepAppsHook
+, base
+, back
+, gui
+, gorm
+, gnumake
+, gdb
 }:
-let
-  version = "0.7.0";
-in
-gsmakeDerivation {
+
+stdenv.mkDerivation (finalAttrs: {
   pname = "projectcenter";
-  inherit version;
+  version = "0.7.0";
 
   src = fetchFromGitHub {
     owner = "gnustep";
     repo = "apps-projectcenter";
-    rev = "projectcenter-${lib.replaceStrings [ "." ] [ "_" ] version}";
+    rev = "projectcenter-${lib.replaceStrings [ "." ] [ "_" ] finalAttrs.version}";
     hash = "sha256-uXT2UUvMZNc6Fqi2BUXQimbZk8b3IqXzB+A2btBOmms=";
   };
 
+  nativeBuildInputs = [ make wrapGNUstepAppsHook ];
+
   # NOTE: need a patch for ProjectCenter to help it locate some necessary tools:
   # 1. Framework/PCProjectLauncher.m, locate gdb (say among NIX_GNUSTEP_SYSTEM_TOOLS)
   # 2. Framework/PCProjectBuilder.m, locate gmake (similar)
@@ -23,5 +31,10 @@ gsmakeDerivation {
 
   meta = {
     description = "GNUstep's integrated development environment";
+    homepage = "https://gnustep.github.io/";
+    license = lib.licenses.lgpl2Plus;
+    mainProgram = "ProjectCenter";
+    maintainers = with lib.maintainers; [ ashalkhakov matthewbauer dblsaiko ];
+    platforms = lib.platforms.linux;
   };
-}
+})
diff --git a/pkgs/desktops/gnustep/systempreferences/default.nix b/pkgs/desktops/gnustep/systempreferences/default.nix
index 096520f08f36..c08ad0fc8dbc 100644
--- a/pkgs/desktops/gnustep/systempreferences/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/desktops/gnustep/systempreferences/default.nix
@@ -1,17 +1,31 @@
-{ back, base, gui, gsmakeDerivation, fetchurl }:
-let
+{ lib
+, stdenv
+, fetchurl
+, make
+, wrapGNUstepAppsHook
+, back
+, base
+, gui
+}:
+
+stdenv.mkDerivation (finalAttrs: {
+  pname = "system-preferences";
   version = "1.2.0";
-in
-gsmakeDerivation {
-  name = "system_preferences-${version}";
+
   src = fetchurl {
-    url = "ftp://ftp.gnustep.org/pub/gnustep/usr-apps/SystemPreferences-${version}.tar.gz";
+    url = "ftp://ftp.gnustep.org/pub/gnustep/usr-apps/SystemPreferences-${finalAttrs.version}.tar.gz";
     sha256 = "1fg7c3ihfgvl6n21rd17fs9ivx3l8ps874m80vz86n1callgs339";
   };
-#  GNUSTEP_MAKEFILES = "${gnustep_make}/share/GNUstep/Makefiles";
+
+  nativeBuildInputs = [ make wrapGNUstepAppsHook ];
   buildInputs = [ back base gui ];
-#  propagatedBuildInputs = [ gnustep_back gnustep_base gnustep_gui ];
+
   meta = {
     description = "The settings manager for the GNUstep environment and its applications";
+    homepage = "https://gnustep.github.io/";
+    license = lib.licenses.lgpl2Plus;
+    mainProgram = "SystemPreferences";
+    maintainers = with lib.maintainers; [ ashalkhakov matthewbauer dblsaiko ];
+    platforms = lib.platforms.linux;
   };
-}
+})
diff --git a/pkgs/desktops/gnustep/wrapGNUstepAppsHook.nix b/pkgs/desktops/gnustep/wrapGNUstepAppsHook.nix
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..8a2339ddeb52
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkgs/desktops/gnustep/wrapGNUstepAppsHook.nix
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+{makeBinaryWrapper, makeSetupHook}:
+
+makeSetupHook
+  {
+    name = "wrapGNUstepAppsHook";
+    propagatedBuildInputs = [makeBinaryWrapper];
+  }
+  ./wrapGNUstepAppsHook.sh
diff --git a/pkgs/desktops/gnustep/wrapGNUstepAppsHook.sh b/pkgs/desktops/gnustep/wrapGNUstepAppsHook.sh
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..8218ff1e7746
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkgs/desktops/gnustep/wrapGNUstepAppsHook.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,96 @@
+if [[ -z "${__nix_wrapGNUstepAppsHook-}" ]]; then
+    __nix_wrapGNUstepAppsHook=1 # Don't run this hook more than once.
+
+    # Inherit arguments given in mkDerivation
+    gnustepWrapperArgs=(${gnustepWrapperArgs-})
+
+    gnustepConfigVars+=(
+        GNUSTEP_MAKEFILES
+        NIX_GNUSTEP_SYSTEM_APPS
+        NIX_GNUSTEP_SYSTEM_ADMIN_APPS
+        NIX_GNUSTEP_SYSTEM_WEB_APPS
+        NIX_GNUSTEP_SYSTEM_TOOLS
+        NIX_GNUSTEP_SYSTEM_ADMIN_TOOLS
+        NIX_GNUSTEP_SYSTEM_LIBRARY
+        NIX_GNUSTEP_SYSTEM_HEADERS
+        NIX_GNUSTEP_SYSTEM_LIBRARIES
+        NIX_GNUSTEP_SYSTEM_DOC
+        NIX_GNUSTEP_SYSTEM_DOC_MAN
+        NIX_GNUSTEP_SYSTEM_DOC_INFO
+    )
+
+    wrapGNUstepApp() {
+        wrapProgram "$1" \
+            --set GNUSTEP_CONFIG_FILE "$out/GNUstep.conf" \
+            "${gnustepWrapperArgs[@]}"
+    }
+
+    ensureGNUstepConfig() (
+        if [[ -f "$out/GNUstep.conf" ]]; then
+            return
+        fi
+
+        echo "writing GNUstep config file"
+
+        gsAddToSearchPath() {
+            if [[ -d "$2" && "${!1-}" != *"$2"* ]]; then
+                addToSearchPath "$1" "$2"
+            fi
+        }
+
+        gsAddToIncludeSearchPath() {
+            local -n ref="$1"
+
+            if [[ -d "$2" && "${ref-}" != *"$2"* ]]; then
+                if [[ "${ref-}" != "" ]]; then
+                    ref+=" "
+                fi
+
+                ref+="$2"
+            fi
+        }
+
+        gsAddToSearchPath NIX_GNUSTEP_SYSTEM_APPS "$out/lib/GNUstep/Applications"
+        gsAddToSearchPath NIX_GNUSTEP_SYSTEM_ADMIN_APPS "$out/lib/GNUstep/Applications"
+        gsAddToSearchPath NIX_GNUSTEP_SYSTEM_WEB_APPS "$out/lib/GNUstep/WebApplications"
+        gsAddToSearchPath NIX_GNUSTEP_SYSTEM_TOOLS "$out/bin"
+        gsAddToSearchPath NIX_GNUSTEP_SYSTEM_ADMIN_TOOLS "$out/sbin"
+        gsAddToSearchPath NIX_GNUSTEP_SYSTEM_LIBRARY "$out/lib/GNUstep"
+        gsAddToIncludeSearchPath NIX_GNUSTEP_SYSTEM_HEADERS "$out/include"
+        gsAddToSearchPath NIX_GNUSTEP_SYSTEM_LIBRARIES "$out/lib"
+        gsAddToSearchPath NIX_GNUSTEP_SYSTEM_DOC "$out/share/GNUstep/Documentation"
+        gsAddToSearchPath NIX_GNUSTEP_SYSTEM_DOC_MAN "$out/share/man"
+        gsAddToSearchPath NIX_GNUSTEP_SYSTEM_DOC_INFO "$out/share/info"
+
+        for var in "${gnustepConfigVars[@]}"; do
+            if [[ -n "${!var-}" ]]; then
+                printf '%s="%s"\n' "$var" "${!var}"
+            fi
+        done > "$out/GNUstep.conf"
+    )
+
+    # Note: $gnustepWrapperArgs still gets defined even if ${dontWrapGNUstepApps-} is set.
+    wrapGNUstepAppsHook() {
+        # skip this hook when requested
+        [[ -z "${dontWrapGNUstepApps-}" ]] || return 0
+
+        # guard against running multiple times (e.g. due to propagation)
+        [[ -z "$wrapGNUstepAppsHookHasRun" ]] || return 0
+        wrapGNUstepAppsHookHasRun=1
+
+        local targetDirs=("$prefix/bin")
+        echo "wrapping GNUstep applications in ${targetDirs[@]}"
+
+        for targetDir in "${targetDirs[@]}"; do
+            [[ -d "$targetDir" ]] || continue
+
+            while IFS= read -r -d '' file; do
+                ensureGNUstepConfig
+                echo "wrapping $file"
+                wrapGNUstepApp "$file"
+            done < <(find "$targetDir" ! -type d -executable -print0)
+        done
+    }
+
+    fixupOutputHooks+=(wrapGNUstepAppsHook)
+fi