diff --git a/pkgs/build-support/cc-wrapper/default.nix b/pkgs/build-support/cc-wrapper/default.nix
index fe23d342a0146..07efab5e75c1e 100644
--- a/pkgs/build-support/cc-wrapper/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/build-support/cc-wrapper/default.nix
@@ -603,6 +603,10 @@ stdenvNoCC.mkDerivation {
         if targetPlatform.isCygwin then
           ''
             echo addToSearchPath "LINK_DLL_FOLDERS" "${cc_bin}/lib" >> $out
+            # Work around build failure caused by the gnulib workaround for
+            # https://gcc.gnu.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=114870. remove after
+            # gnulib is updated in core packages (e.g. iconv, gnupatch, gnugrep)
+            echo appendToVar configureFlags gl_cv_clean_version_stddef=yes >> $out
           ''
         else
           ''
diff --git a/pkgs/development/libraries/libidn2/default.nix b/pkgs/development/libraries/libidn2/default.nix
index c131f5afa9021..067eee12bbef7 100644
--- a/pkgs/development/libraries/libidn2/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/development/libraries/libidn2/default.nix
@@ -44,12 +44,6 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation rec {
   buildInputs = [ libunistring ] ++ lib.optional stdenv.hostPlatform.isDarwin libiconv;
   depsBuildBuild = [ buildPackages.stdenv.cc ];
 
-  configureFlags =
-    # Work around build failure caused by the gnulib workaround for
-    # https://gcc.gnu.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=114870.
-    # remove after gnulib is updated
-    lib.optional stdenv.hostPlatform.isCygwin "gl_cv_clean_version_stddef=yes";
-
   meta = {
     homepage = "https://www.gnu.org/software/libidn/#libidn2";
     description = "Free software implementation of IDNA2008 and TR46";
diff --git a/pkgs/tools/text/gnugrep/default.nix b/pkgs/tools/text/gnugrep/default.nix
index aab61444b5242..d22e3434d7389 100644
--- a/pkgs/tools/text/gnugrep/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/tools/text/gnugrep/default.nix
@@ -80,11 +80,6 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation {
     export MKDIR_P="mkdir -p"
   '';
 
-  configureFlags =
-    # Work around build failure caused by the gnulib workaround for
-    # https://gcc.gnu.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=114870. remove after GCC 15
-    lib.optional stdenv.hostPlatform.isCygwin "gl_cv_clean_version_stddef=yes";
-
   enableParallelBuilding = true;
 
   # Fix reference to sh in bootstrap-tools, and invoke grep via