diff --git a/pkgs/os-specific/linux/fbterm/stdenv.nix b/pkgs/os-specific/linux/fbterm/stdenv.nix
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..e57e528d2e36
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkgs/os-specific/linux/fbterm/stdenv.nix
@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+# Quick version to be able to cross-build fbterm meanwhile builderDefs cannot
+# cross-build with an equivalent to the stdenvCross adapter.
+{ stdenv, fetchurl, gpm, freetype, fontconfig, pkgconfig, ncurses }:
+
+let
+  version="1.5";
+  name="fbterm-1.5";
+  hash="05qzc6g9a79has3cy7dlw70n4pn13r552a2i1g4xy23acnpvvjsb";
+  url="http://fbterm.googlecode.com/files/fbterm-${version}.tar.gz";
+in
+
+stdenv.mkDerivation {
+  inherit name;
+
+  src = fetchurl {
+    inherit url;
+    sha256 = hash;
+  };
+
+  buildNativeInputs = [ ncurses ];
+  buildInputs = [ gpm freetype fontconfig pkgconfig ];
+
+  patchPhase = ''
+    sed -e '/ifdef SYS_signalfd/atypedef long long loff_t;' -i src/fbterm.cpp
+
+    sed -e '/install-exec-hook:/,/^[^\t]/{d}; /.NOEXPORT/iinstall-exec-hook:\
+    ' -i src/Makefile.in
+
+    export HOME=$PWD;
+    export NIX_LDFLAGS="$NIX_LDFLAGS -lfreetype"
+  '';
+}
diff --git a/pkgs/top-level/all-packages.nix b/pkgs/top-level/all-packages.nix
index 9cf46975103a..f7e939ff939b 100644
--- a/pkgs/top-level/all-packages.nix
+++ b/pkgs/top-level/all-packages.nix
@@ -4491,6 +4491,8 @@ let
     inherit fontconfig gpm freetype pkgconfig ncurses;
   };
 
+  fbtermStdenv = callPackage ../os-specific/linux/fbterm/stdenv.nix { };
+
   fuse = callPackage ../os-specific/linux/fuse { };
 
   fxload = callPackage ../os-specific/linux/fxload { };