diff --git a/nixos/maintainers/scripts/lxd/lxd-container-image.nix b/nixos/maintainers/scripts/lxd/lxd-container-image.nix
index 930ab34af3856f..98350fb18e83d7 100644
--- a/nixos/maintainers/scripts/lxd/lxd-container-image.nix
+++ b/nixos/maintainers/scripts/lxd/lxd-container-image.nix
@@ -14,9 +14,9 @@
 
   # copy the config for nixos-rebuild
   system.activationScripts.config = let
-    config = pkgs.substituteAll {
+    config = pkgs.substitute {
       src = ./lxd-container-image-inner.nix;
-      stateVersion = lib.trivial.release;
+      substitutions = [ "--subst-var-by" "stateVersion" lib.trivial.release ];
     };
   in ''
     if [ ! -e /etc/nixos/configuration.nix ]; then
diff --git a/nixos/maintainers/scripts/lxd/lxd-virtual-machine-image.nix b/nixos/maintainers/scripts/lxd/lxd-virtual-machine-image.nix
index bbbdd1f3fa173e..1f02ed71434832 100644
--- a/nixos/maintainers/scripts/lxd/lxd-virtual-machine-image.nix
+++ b/nixos/maintainers/scripts/lxd/lxd-virtual-machine-image.nix
@@ -14,9 +14,9 @@
 
   # copy the config for nixos-rebuild
   system.activationScripts.config = let
-    config = pkgs.substituteAll {
+    config = pkgs.substitute {
       src = ./lxd-virtual-machine-image-inner.nix;
-      stateVersion = lib.trivial.release;
+      substitutions = [ "--subst-var-by" "stateVersion" lib.trivial.release ];
     };
   in ''
     if [ ! -e /etc/nixos/configuration.nix ]; then
diff --git a/nixos/modules/installer/cd-dvd/iso-image.nix b/nixos/modules/installer/cd-dvd/iso-image.nix
index f5b6af3a6b7fff..1bf3d58f12a0f1 100644
--- a/nixos/modules/installer/cd-dvd/iso-image.nix
+++ b/nixos/modules/installer/cd-dvd/iso-image.nix
@@ -828,10 +828,10 @@ in
         { source = config.isoImage.splashImage;
           target = "/isolinux/background.png";
         }
-        { source = pkgs.substituteAll  {
+        { source = pkgs.substitute {
             name = "isolinux.cfg";
             src = pkgs.writeText "isolinux.cfg-in" isolinuxCfg;
-            bootRoot = "/boot";
+            substitutions = [ "--subst-var-by" "bootRoot" "/boot" ];
           };
           target = "/isolinux/isolinux.cfg";
         }
diff --git a/nixos/modules/installer/tools/nixos-enter.sh b/nixos/modules/installer/tools/nixos-enter.sh
index 9141cc2857024f..214ab7dfbda49a 100755
--- a/nixos/modules/installer/tools/nixos-enter.sh
+++ b/nixos/modules/installer/tools/nixos-enter.sh
@@ -3,6 +3,8 @@
 
 set -e
 
+export PATH=@path@:$PATH
+
 # Re-exec ourselves in a private mount namespace so that our bind
 # mounts get cleaned up automatically.
 if [ -z "$NIXOS_ENTER_REEXEC" ]; then
diff --git a/nixos/modules/installer/tools/tools.nix b/nixos/modules/installer/tools/tools.nix
index a7d11370d445eb..40295007a72610 100644
--- a/nixos/modules/installer/tools/tools.nix
+++ b/nixos/modules/installer/tools/tools.nix
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@
 with lib;
 
 let
-  makeProg = args: pkgs.substituteAll (args // {
+  makeProg = args: pkgs.substitute (args // {
     dir = "bin";
     isExecutable = true;
     nativeBuildInputs = [
@@ -20,19 +20,18 @@ let
   nixos-build-vms = makeProg {
     name = "nixos-build-vms";
     src = ./nixos-build-vms/nixos-build-vms.sh;
-    inherit (pkgs) runtimeShell;
+    substitutions = [
+      "--subst-var-by" "runtimeShell" pkgs.runtimeShell
+    ];
     manPage = ./manpages/nixos-build-vms.8;
   };
 
   nixos-install = makeProg {
     name = "nixos-install";
     src = ./nixos-install.sh;
-    inherit (pkgs) runtimeShell;
-    nix = config.nix.package.out;
-    path = makeBinPath [
-      pkgs.jq
-      nixos-enter
-      pkgs.util-linuxMinimal
+    substitutions = [
+      "--subst-var-by" "path" (makeBinPath [ pkgs.jq nixos-enter pkgs.util-linuxMinimal config.nix.package.out ])
+      "--subst-var-by" "runtimeShell" pkgs.runtimeShell
     ];
     manPage = ./manpages/nixos-install.8;
   };
@@ -42,39 +41,53 @@ let
   nixos-generate-config = makeProg {
     name = "nixos-generate-config";
     src = ./nixos-generate-config.pl;
-    perl = "${pkgs.perl.withPackages (p: [ p.FileSlurp ])}/bin/perl";
-    hostPlatformSystem = pkgs.stdenv.hostPlatform.system;
-    detectvirt = "${config.systemd.package}/bin/systemd-detect-virt";
-    btrfs = "${pkgs.btrfs-progs}/bin/btrfs";
-    inherit (config.system.nixos-generate-config) configuration desktopConfiguration;
-    xserverEnabled = config.services.xserver.enable;
+    substitutions = [
+      "--subst-var-by" "perl" "${pkgs.perl.withPackages (p: [ p.FileSlurp ])}/bin/perl"
+      "--subst-var-by" "runtimeShell" pkgs.runtimeShell
+      "--subst-var-by" "btrfs" "${pkgs.btrfs-progs}/bin/btrfs"
+      "--subst-var-by" "hostPlatformSystem" pkgs.stdenv.hostPlatform.system
+      "--subst-var-by" "detectvirt" "${config.systemd.package}/bin/systemd-detect-virt"
+      "--subst-var-by" "configuration" config.system.nixos-generate-config.configuration
+      "--subst-var-by" "desktopConfiguration" config.system.nixos-generate-config.desktopConfiguration
+      "--subst-var-by" "xserverEnabled" config.services.xserver.enable
+    ];
     manPage = ./manpages/nixos-generate-config.8;
   };
 
   inherit (pkgs) nixos-option;
 
-  nixos-version = makeProg {
-    name = "nixos-version";
-    src = ./nixos-version.sh;
-    inherit (pkgs) runtimeShell;
-    inherit (config.system.nixos) version codeName revision;
-    inherit (config.system) configurationRevision;
-    json = builtins.toJSON ({
+  nixos-version-json = builtins.toJSON (
+    {
       nixosVersion = config.system.nixos.version;
-    } // optionalAttrs (config.system.nixos.revision != null) {
+    }
+    // optionalAttrs (config.system.nixos.revision != null) {
       nixpkgsRevision = config.system.nixos.revision;
-    } // optionalAttrs (config.system.configurationRevision != null) {
+    }
+    // optionalAttrs (config.system.configurationRevision != null) {
       configurationRevision = config.system.configurationRevision;
-    });
+    }
+  );
+
+  nixos-version = makeProg {
+    name = "nixos-version";
+    src = ./nixos-version.sh;
+    substitutions = [
+      "--subst-var-by" "version" config.system.nixos.version
+      "--subst-var-by" "codeName" config.system.nixos.codeName
+      "--subst-var-by" "revision" config.system.nixos.revision
+      "--subst-var-by" "configurationRevision" config.system.configurationRevision
+      "--subst-var-by" "runtimeShell" pkgs.runtimeShell
+      "--subst-var-by" "json" nixos-version-json
+    ];
     manPage = ./manpages/nixos-version.8;
   };
 
   nixos-enter = makeProg {
     name = "nixos-enter";
     src = ./nixos-enter.sh;
-    inherit (pkgs) runtimeShell;
-    path = makeBinPath [
-      pkgs.util-linuxMinimal
+    substitutions = [
+      "--subst-var-by" "runtimeShell" pkgs.runtimeShell
+      "--subst-var-by" "path" (makeBinPath [ pkgs.util-linuxMinimal ])
     ];
     manPage = ./manpages/nixos-enter.8;
   };