diff --git a/pkgs/development/libraries/sqlite/default.nix b/pkgs/development/libraries/sqlite/default.nix
index b245b54d825f..b24525ecf3e1 100644
--- a/pkgs/development/libraries/sqlite/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/development/libraries/sqlite/default.nix
@@ -13,10 +13,14 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation rec {
   buildInputs = [readline];
 
   configureFlags = ''
+    --enable-load-extension
     ${if static then "--disable-shared --enable-static" else ""}
     --with-readline-inc=-I${readline}/include
   '';
 
+  NIX_CFLAGS_COMPILE = "-DSQLITE_ENABLE_COLUMN_METADATA=1";
+  NIX_CFLAGS_LINK = "-ldl"; # needed for --enable-load-extension
+
   meta = {
     homepage = http://www.sqlite.org/;
     description = "A self-contained, serverless, zero-configuration, transactional SQL database engine";