diff --git a/lix/libstore/globals.cc b/lix/libstore/globals.cc
index e1a4dd9a9..048feaee2 100644
--- a/lix/libstore/globals.cc
+++ b/lix/libstore/globals.cc
@@ -116,7 +116,7 @@ Settings::Settings()
        you'll want to improve `getSelfExe()` to work on your platform.
      */
     std::string nixExePath = nixBinDir + "/nix";
-    if (!pathExists(nixExePath)) {
+    if (!pathAccessible(nixExePath)) {
         nixExePath = getSelfExe().value_or("nix");
     }
     buildHook.setDefault(Strings {