diff --git a/snapcraft/utils.py b/snapcraft/utils.py
index 999a64ec..4f38b4cd 100644
--- a/snapcraft/utils.py
+++ b/snapcraft/utils.py
@@ -94,7 +94,7 @@ def get_os_platform(
     release = platform.release()
     machine = platform.machine()
 
-    if system == "Linux":
+    if system == "Linux" and "NixOS" not in platform.version():
         try:
             with filepath.open("rt", encoding="utf-8") as release_file:
                 lines = release_file.readlines()