diff --git a/doc/manual/rl-next/nix-store-delete-unlink.md b/doc/manual/rl-next/nix-store-delete-unlink.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..76426e93c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/doc/manual/rl-next/nix-store-delete-unlink.md
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+---
+synopsis: nix store delete can now unlink a GC root before deleting its closure
+cls: [4660]
+category: Improvements
+credits: [Qyriad]
+---
+
+Ever build something, and then you want to delete it and whatever dependencies it downloaded?
+Before you had to resolve the `result` symlink and copy it, then delete it, *then* `nix store delete --delete-closure --skip-live` on the path you copied.
+Now you can just pass `--unlink` and the `result` symlink itself.
diff --git a/lix/libcmd/command.hh b/lix/libcmd/command.hh
index 5c2c64436..0482af0cd 100644
--- a/lix/libcmd/command.hh
+++ b/lix/libcmd/command.hh
@@ -171,7 +171,7 @@ struct RawInstallablesCommand : virtual Args, SourceExprCommand
 
     std::vector<FlakeRef> getFlakeRefsForCompletion() override;
 
-private:
+protected:
 
     std::vector<std::string> rawInstallables;
 };
diff --git a/lix/nix/store-delete.cc b/lix/nix/store-delete.cc
index 23151218c..ef3907864 100644
--- a/lix/nix/store-delete.cc
+++ b/lix/nix/store-delete.cc
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@
 #include "lix/libstore/store-api.hh"
 #include "lix/libstore/store-cast.hh"
 #include "lix/libstore/gc-store.hh"
+#include "lix/libutil/file-system.hh"
 #include "store-delete.hh"
 
 namespace nix {
@@ -12,6 +13,7 @@ struct CmdStoreDelete : StorePathsCommand
 {
     GCOptions options { .action = GCOptions::gcDeleteSpecific };
     bool deleteClosure = false;
+    bool unlink = false;
 
     CmdStoreDelete()
     {
@@ -30,6 +32,11 @@ struct CmdStoreDelete : StorePathsCommand
             .description = "Also attempt to delete all paths in the given paths' closures.",
             .handler = {&deleteClosure, true}
         });
+        addFlag({
+            .longName = "unlink",
+            .description = "Unlink specified GC roots before deleting them",
+            .handler = {&unlink, true},
+        });
         realiseMode = Realise::Nothing;
     }
 
@@ -49,7 +56,16 @@ struct CmdStoreDelete : StorePathsCommand
     {
         auto & gcStore = require<GcStore>(*store);
 
-        for (auto & path : storePaths) {
+        // If the user specified --unlink, try to remove any store-pointing symlinks specified
+        // on the command-line.
+        if (this->unlink) {
+            for (auto const & path : parsePathsToUnlink(store)) {
+                printTalkative("unlinking '%s'", path);
+                deletePath(path);
+            }
+        }
+
+        for (auto const & path : storePaths) {
             if (deleteClosure) {
                 aio().blockOn(store->computeFSClosure(path, options.pathsToDelete));
             } else {
@@ -61,6 +77,29 @@ struct CmdStoreDelete : StorePathsCommand
         PrintFreed freed(options.action, results);
         aio().blockOn(gcStore.collectGarbage(options, results));
     }
+
+    std::unordered_set<Path> parsePathsToUnlink(ref<Store> store) const
+    {
+        // Reaching into a distant base class because this C++ inheritance-centric command API can bite me.
+        return this->rawInstallables
+            | std::views::filter([store](std::string const & rawInst) {
+                // Installables are never parsed as paths unless there's a slash.
+                // We also only care about paths that aren't actually in the store...
+                if (!rawInst.contains('/') || !isLink(rawInst) || store->isInStore(rawInst)) {
+                    return false;
+                }
+
+                // ...just paths that *point* to the store.
+                try {
+                    [[maybe_unused]] Path const resolved = store->followLinksToStore(rawInst);
+                    return true;
+                } catch (BadStorePath const &) {
+                    return false;
+                }
+            })
+            | std::ranges::to<std::unordered_set>();
+    }
+
 };
 
 void registerNixStoreDelete()
diff --git a/tests/functional2/commands/test_store_delete/__init__.py b/tests/functional2/commands/test_store_delete/__init__.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..e69de29bb
diff --git a/tests/functional2/commands/test_store_delete/assets/drv.nix b/tests/functional2/commands/test_store_delete/assets/drv.nix
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..c01a84ac5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/functional2/commands/test_store_delete/assets/drv.nix
@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+with import ./config.nix;
+
+let
+  dependency = mkDerivation {
+    name = "dependency";
+    builder = builtins.toFile "builder.sh"
+    ''
+      #!/usr/bin/env bash
+      echo "beans" > "$out"
+    '';
+  };
+
+in
+mkDerivation {
+  name = "some-package";
+  builder = builtins.toFile "builder.sh"
+  ''
+    #!/usr/bin/env bash
+    mkdir "$out"
+    echo "$dependency" > "$out/toe-kind"
+  '';
+  inherit dependency;
+}
diff --git a/tests/functional2/commands/test_store_delete/test_unlink.py b/tests/functional2/commands/test_store_delete/test_unlink.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..572872901
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/functional2/commands/test_store_delete/test_unlink.py
@@ -0,0 +1,68 @@
+import sys
+
+import pytest
+
+from functional2.testlib.fixtures.file_helper import with_files, CopyFile
+from functional2.testlib.fixtures.nix import Nix
+from functional2.testlib.utils import get_global_asset
+
+_mo_files = {"config.nix": get_global_asset("config.nix"), "drv.nix": CopyFile("assets/drv.nix")}
+
+
+@pytest.fixture(autouse=True)
+def commands(nix: Nix):
+    nix.settings.feature("nix-command")
+
+
+@pytest.mark.skipif(
+    sys.platform == "darwin",
+    reason="installables from symlinks to darwin-fake-redirected store paths are broken",
+)
+@with_files(_mo_files)
+def test_store_delete_unlink(nix: Nix):
+    cmd = nix.nix(["build", "-f", "drv.nix", "-o", "result", "--print-out-paths"])
+    cwd = cmd.cwd
+
+    built = cmd.run().ok().stdout_plain
+    built_path = nix.physical_store_path_for(built)
+    assert built_path.exists()
+
+    result_path = cwd.joinpath("result")
+    assert result_path.exists(follow_symlinks=False)
+    assert result_path.is_symlink()
+
+    # Deleting the "symlink-to-store-path" installable should fail, because the symlink itself
+    # keeps the store path alive.
+    nix.nix(["store", "delete", "./result"]).run().expect(1)
+    assert result_path.exists(follow_symlinks=False)
+    assert built_path.exists()
+
+    # But with --unlink, it'll remove that root and thus actually delete the path.
+    nix.nix(["store", "delete", "--unlink", "./result"]).run().ok()
+    assert not result_path.exists(follow_symlinks=False), "--unlink didn't remove gc root"
+    assert not built_path.exists(), "nix store delete didn't actually delete"
+
+
+@pytest.mark.skipif(
+    sys.platform == "darwin",
+    reason="installables from symlinks to darwin-fake-redirected store paths are broken",
+)
+@with_files(_mo_files)
+def test_store_delete_unlink_closure(nix: Nix):
+    cmd = nix.nix(["build", "-f", "drv.nix", "-o", "result", "--print-out-paths"])
+    cwd = cmd.cwd
+
+    built = cmd.run().ok().stdout_plain
+    result_path = cwd.joinpath("result")
+
+    # We just built some paths; let's make sure they exist now, before we delete them.
+    requisites = nix.nix(["path-info", "--recursive", built]).run().ok().stdout_plain.splitlines()
+    req_paths = [nix.physical_store_path_for(req) for req in requisites]
+    for req in req_paths:
+        assert req.exists()
+
+    nix.nix(["store", "delete", "--unlink", "--delete-closure", "./result"]).run().ok()
+    assert not result_path.exists(follow_symlinks=False)
+
+    for req in req_paths:
+        assert not req.exists(), f"{req} should be deleted but it's still here"