diff --git a/pkgs/development/python-modules/generic/builder.sh b/pkgs/development/python-modules/generic/builder.sh
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..52b66aaf6a67
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkgs/development/python-modules/generic/builder.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+source $stdenv/setup
+
+# do not allow distutils to make downloads, whatever install command is used
+export PYTHONPATH="${setuptools}/lib/${python.libPrefix}:$PYTHONPATH"
+export PYTHONPATH="${offlineDistutils}/lib/${python.libPrefix}:$PYTHONPATH"
+
+# enable pth files for dependencies
+export PYTHONPATH="${site}/lib/${python.libPrefix}/site-packages:$PYTHONPATH"
+
+genericBuild
diff --git a/pkgs/development/python-modules/generic/default.nix b/pkgs/development/python-modules/generic/default.nix
index 4e0b61002316..394bfcbc7cd0 100644
--- a/pkgs/development/python-modules/generic/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/development/python-modules/generic/default.nix
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
    (http://pypi.python.org/pypi/setuptools/), which represents a large
    number of Python packages nowadays.  */
 
-{ python, setuptools, wrapPython, lib }:
+{ python, setuptools, wrapPython, lib, offlineDistutils }:
 
 { name, namePrefix ? "python-"
 
@@ -45,6 +45,8 @@ python.stdenv.mkDerivation (attrs // {
 
   buildInputs = [ python wrapPython setuptools ] ++ buildInputs ++ pythonPath;
 
+  builder = ./builder.sh
+
   pythonPath = [ setuptools] ++ pythonPath;
 
   # XXX: Should we run `easy_install --always-unzip'?  It doesn't seem
diff --git a/pkgs/top-level/python-packages.nix b/pkgs/top-level/python-packages.nix
index 318ce39022e2..cc8aea98cf55 100644
--- a/pkgs/top-level/python-packages.nix
+++ b/pkgs/top-level/python-packages.nix
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ let pythonPackages = python.modules // rec {
 
   buildPythonPackage = import ../development/python-modules/generic {
     inherit (pkgs) lib;
-    inherit python wrapPython setuptools;
+    inherit python wrapPython setuptools offlineDistutils;
   };