diff --git a/CONTRIBUTORS b/CONTRIBUTORS
index 6a765791..4b3b9890 100644
--- a/CONTRIBUTORS
+++ b/CONTRIBUTORS
@@ -10,3 +10,4 @@
 #     Name <email address>
 
 Mathieu Boespflug <m@tweag.io>
+Mateusz Kowalczyk <mateusz.kowalczyk@tweag.io>
diff --git a/WORKSPACE b/WORKSPACE
index 5d06ecc3..5050a51d 100644
--- a/WORKSPACE
+++ b/WORKSPACE
@@ -10,3 +10,22 @@ nixpkgs_git_repository(
 )
 
 nixpkgs_package(name = "hello", repository = "@nixpkgs")
+
+nixpkgs_package(
+  name = "expr-test",
+  expression = "let pkgs = import <nixpkgs> {}; in pkgs.hello",
+  repository = "@nixpkgs"
+)
+
+nixpkgs_package(
+  name = "attribute-test",
+  attribute_path = "hello",
+  repository = "@nixpkgs"
+)
+
+nixpkgs_package(
+  name = "expr-attribute-test",
+  expression = "import <nixpkgs> {}",
+  attribute_path = "hello",
+  repository = "@nixpkgs",
+)
diff --git a/nixpkgs/nixpkgs.bzl b/nixpkgs/nixpkgs.bzl
index 6f850626..b9c682c9 100644
--- a/nixpkgs/nixpkgs.bzl
+++ b/nixpkgs/nixpkgs.bzl
@@ -25,19 +25,27 @@ def _nixpkgs_package_impl(ctx):
   else:
     ctx.template("BUILD", Label("@io_tweag_rules_nixpkgs//nixpkgs:BUILD.pkg"))
 
-  path = '<nixpkgs>'
+  # If neither repository or path are set, leave empty which will use
+  # default value from NIX_PATH.
+  path = []
   if ctx.attr.repository and ctx.attr.path:
     fail("'repository' and 'path' fields are mutually exclusive.")
   if ctx.attr.repository:
     # XXX Another hack: the repository label typically resolves to
     # some top-level package in the external workspace. So we use
     # dirname to get the actual workspace path.
-    path = ctx.path(ctx.attr.repository).dirname
+    path = ["-I", "nixpkgs={0}".format(ctx.path(ctx.attr.repository).dirname)]
   if ctx.attr.path:
-    path = ctx.attr.path
+    path = ["-I", "nixpkgs={0}".format(ctx.attr.path)]
+
+  extraArgs = [
+    "-E", ctx.attr.expression or "import <nixpkgs> {}",
+    "-A", ctx.attr.attribute_path
+          if ctx.attr.expression
+          else ctx.attr.attribute_path or ctx.attr.name,
+  ]
+  buildCmd = ["nix-build"] + path + ["--no-out-link"] + extraArgs
 
-  attr_path = ctx.attr.attribute_path or ctx.name
-  buildCmd = ["nix-build", path, "-A", attr_path, "--no-out-link"]
   res = ctx.execute(buildCmd, quiet = False)
   if res.return_code == 0:
     output_path = res.stdout.splitlines()[-1]
@@ -48,7 +56,12 @@ def _nixpkgs_package_impl(ctx):
 nixpkgs_package = repository_rule(
   implementation = _nixpkgs_package_impl,
   attrs = {
-    "attribute_path": attr.string(),
+    "attribute_path": attr.string(
+      doc="Nix attribute to build. Exclusive to expression."
+    ),
+    "expression": attr.string(
+      doc="Nix expression to build. Rule name used as attribute if not present.",
+    ),
     "path": attr.string(),
     "repository": attr.label(),
     "build_file": attr.label(),
diff --git a/tests/BUILD b/tests/BUILD
index 42e02273..1937ff54 100644
--- a/tests/BUILD
+++ b/tests/BUILD
@@ -1,9 +1,14 @@
 package(default_testonly = 1)
 
-sh_test(
-  name = "run-hello",
+[sh_test(
+  name= "run-{0}".format(test),
   srcs = ["test_bin.sh"],
-  args = ["$(location @hello//:bin)"],
-  data = ["@hello//:bin"],
+  args=["$(location @{0}//:bin)".format(test)],
+  data = ["@{0}//:bin".format(test)],
   timeout = "short",
-)
+) for test in [
+    "hello",
+    "expr-test",
+    "attribute-test",
+    "expr-attribute-test",
+]]