diff --git a/Makefile.config.in b/Makefile.config.in
index 5c245b8e9..3845b3be0 100644
--- a/Makefile.config.in
+++ b/Makefile.config.in
@@ -41,5 +41,3 @@ sandbox_shell = @sandbox_shell@
 storedir = @storedir@
 sysconfdir = @sysconfdir@
 system = @system@
-xmllint = @xmllint@
-xsltproc = @xsltproc@
diff --git a/doc/manual/local.mk b/doc/manual/local.mk
index a91d497ce..65acd658c 100644
--- a/doc/manual/local.mk
+++ b/doc/manual/local.mk
@@ -25,8 +25,6 @@ clean-files += $(d)/*.1 $(d)/*.5 $(d)/*.8
 dist-files += $(man-pages)
 
 $(d)/nix-copy-closure.1: $(d)/src/command-ref/nix-copy-closure.md
-
-%.1: %.md
 	$(trace-gen) lowdown -sT man $^ -o $@
 
 # Generate the HTML manual.
diff --git a/tests/common.sh.in b/tests/common.sh.in
index 308126094..5e00d64f1 100644
--- a/tests/common.sh.in
+++ b/tests/common.sh.in
@@ -32,7 +32,6 @@ export PATH=@bindir@:$PATH
 coreutils=@coreutils@
 
 export dot=@dot@
-export xmllint="@xmllint@"
 export SHELL="@bash@"
 export PAGER=cat
 export HAVE_SODIUM="@HAVE_SODIUM@"
diff --git a/tests/nix-channel.sh b/tests/nix-channel.sh
index 49c68981a..63c0f97ba 100644
--- a/tests/nix-channel.sh
+++ b/tests/nix-channel.sh
@@ -28,9 +28,6 @@ nix-channel --update
 
 # Do a query.
 nix-env -qa \* --meta --xml --out-path > $TEST_ROOT/meta.xml
-if [ "$xmllint" != false ]; then
-    $xmllint --noout $TEST_ROOT/meta.xml || fail "malformed XML"
-fi
 grep -q 'meta.*description.*Random test package' $TEST_ROOT/meta.xml
 grep -q 'item.*attrPath="foo".*name="dependencies-top"' $TEST_ROOT/meta.xml
 
@@ -47,9 +44,6 @@ nix-channel --update
 
 # Do a query.
 nix-env -qa \* --meta --xml --out-path > $TEST_ROOT/meta.xml
-if [ "$xmllint" != false ]; then
-    $xmllint --noout $TEST_ROOT/meta.xml || fail "malformed XML"
-fi
 grep -q 'meta.*description.*Random test package' $TEST_ROOT/meta.xml
 grep -q 'item.*attrPath="foo".*name="dependencies-top"' $TEST_ROOT/meta.xml