diff --git a/pkgs/development/web/nodejs/nodejs.nix b/pkgs/development/web/nodejs/nodejs.nix
index 09d15901ada8..0e52dd5f8040 100644
--- a/pkgs/development/web/nodejs/nodejs.nix
+++ b/pkgs/development/web/nodejs/nodejs.nix
@@ -142,6 +142,7 @@ in
       license = licenses.mit;
       maintainers = with maintainers; [ goibhniu gilligan cko marsam ];
       platforms = platforms.linux ++ platforms.darwin;
+      mainProgram = "node";
     };
 
     passthru.python = python; # to ensure nodeEnv uses the same version