diff --git a/crate2nix/default.nix b/crate2nix/default.nix
index 5a850653..78fa1dec 100644
--- a/crate2nix/default.nix
+++ b/crate2nix/default.nix
@@ -1,9 +1,6 @@
 # Provided by callPackage or also directly usable via nix-build with defaults.
 { pkgs ? (
-    let
-      flakeLock = builtins.fromJSON (builtins.readFile ../flake.lock);
-    in
-    import "${builtins.fetchTree flakeLock.nodes.nixpkgs.locked}" { }
+    import (builtins.fetchTree (import ../nix/flakeInput.nix "nixpkgs")) { }
   )
 , stdenv ? pkgs.stdenv
 , lib ? pkgs.lib
diff --git a/docs/src/content/docs/00_guides/70_building_fetched_sources.md b/docs/src/content/docs/00_guides/70_building_fetched_sources.md
index 74a8d87d..629d737e 100644
--- a/docs/src/content/docs/00_guides/70_building_fetched_sources.md
+++ b/docs/src/content/docs/00_guides/70_building_fetched_sources.md
@@ -17,14 +17,21 @@ using the [tools.nix](./31_auto_generating) support:
 # nix/nix-test-runner.nix
 let
   # Reuses the locked flake inputs.
-  flakeLock = builtins.fromJSON (builtins.readFile ../flake.lock);
+  flakeInput = import ./flakeInput.nix;
   # Gets the locked sources.
-  src = builtins.fetchTree flakeLock.nodes.nix-test-runner.locked;
+  src = builtins.fetchTree (flakeInput "nix-test-runner");
+
+  # Use last pinned crate2nix packages and corresponding nixpkgs to build the
+  # test runner so that it works even if we have broken stuff!
+  crate2nix_stable = builtins.fetchTree (flakeInput "crate2nix_stable");
+  nixpkgs_stable = builtins.fetchTree (flakeInput "crate2nix_stable.nixpkgs");
 in
-{ pkgs ? import ./nixpkgs.nix { }
-  # Use last pinned crate2nix packages to build the test runner
-  # so that it works even if we have broken stuff!
-, tools ? pkgs.callPackage "${builtins.fetchTree flakeLock.nodes.crate2nix_stable.locked}/tools.nix" { }
+{
+  # A system must be specified if using default value for pkgs and calling this
+  # package from a pure evaluation context, such as from the flake devShell.
+  system ? builtins.currentSystem
+, pkgs ? import nixpkgs_stable { inherit system; }
+, tools ? pkgs.callPackage "${crate2nix_stable}/tools.nix" { }
 }:
 let
   nixTestRunner = tools.appliedCargoNix {
@@ -38,9 +45,9 @@ nixTestRunner.rootCrate.build
 ```nix
 # nix/nixpkgs.nix
 let
-  flakeLock = builtins.fromJSON (builtins.readFile ../flake.lock);
+  flakeInput = import ./flakeInput.nix;
 in
-import "${builtins.fetchTree flakeLock.nodes.nixpkgs.locked}"
+import (builtins.fetchTree (flakeInput "nixpkgs"))
 ```
 
 ```nix
diff --git a/nix/devshell/flake-module.nix b/nix/devshell/flake-module.nix
index e39497f6..87a5b3e3 100644
--- a/nix/devshell/flake-module.nix
+++ b/nix/devshell/flake-module.nix
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@
           { package = nix-prefetch-git; category = "nix"; }
           {
             name = "nix-test";
-            package = (import ../nix-test-runner.nix { inherit pkgs; });
+            package = (import ../nix-test-runner.nix { inherit (pkgs) system; });
             category = "nix";
             help = "nix test runner for unit tests.";
           }
diff --git a/nix/flakeInput.nix b/nix/flakeInput.nix
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..03c47e57
--- /dev/null
+++ b/nix/flakeInput.nix
@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+# Get a locked flake input value that can be given to `builtins.fetchTree` or to
+# `builtins.getFlake`. For example,
+#
+#     pkgs = import (builtins.fetchTree (flakeInput "nixpkgs")) { }
+#
+# This function can also be used to get inputs of inputs using dot-separated
+# paths. For example,
+#
+#     pkgs = import (builtins.fetchTree (flakeInput "crate2nix_stable.nixpkgs")) { }
+#
+# Gets the nixpkgs input of the crate2nix_stable input.
+
+let
+  flakeLock = builtins.fromJSON (builtins.readFile ../flake.lock);
+  flakeInputNodeOf = parentNode: inputName:
+    let
+      inputNodeName = builtins.getAttr inputName parentNode.inputs;
+    in
+    builtins.getAttr inputNodeName flakeLock.nodes;
+  rootNode = let rootName = flakeLock.root; in builtins.getAttr rootName flakeLock.nodes;
+in
+
+name:
+let
+  parts = builtins.split "[.]" name;
+  inputNames = builtins.filter builtins.isString parts;
+  flakeNode = builtins.foldl' flakeInputNodeOf rootNode inputNames;
+in
+flakeNode.locked
+
diff --git a/nix/nix-test-runner.nix b/nix/nix-test-runner.nix
index a366b620..02aeb0d5 100644
--- a/nix/nix-test-runner.nix
+++ b/nix/nix-test-runner.nix
@@ -1,11 +1,36 @@
 let
-  flakeLock = builtins.fromJSON (builtins.readFile ../flake.lock);
-  src = builtins.fetchTree flakeLock.nodes.nix-test-runner.locked;
+  flakeInput = import ./flakeInput.nix;
+  src = builtins.fetchTree (flakeInput "nix-test-runner");
+
+  # Use last pinned crate2nix packages and corresponding nixpkgs to build the
+  # test runner so that it works even if we have broken stuff!
+  crate2nix_stable = builtins.fetchTree (flakeInput "crate2nix_stable");
+
+  # For consistency we should use the locked version of nixpkgs from the
+  # crate2nix_stable release which would be,
+  #
+  #     nixpkgs_stable = builtins.fetchTree (flakeInput "crate2nix_stable.nixpkgs");
+  #
+  # But nix-test-runner fails to build with the crate2nix_stable and the pinned
+  # nixpkgs from the same release. That's because "crate2nix_stable.nixpkgs"
+  # provides cargo v1.78 while "nixpkgs" provides cargo v1.78. Between those two
+  # cargo versions `cargo metadata` changed the format it uses for package ID
+  # strings which breaks checksum lookups in legacy V1 Cargo.toml files in 
+  # crate2nix - and it happens that nix-test-runner uses a V1 Cargo.toml
+  # manifest.
+  #
+  # So for the time being it is necessary to use the current "nixpkgs" here
+  # which ended up on an older revision with an older cargo until there is
+  # a stable release of crate2nix that fixes V1 manifest parsing with the newer
+  # cargo, at which time this whole note may be removed.
+  nixpkgs_stable = builtins.fetchTree (flakeInput "nixpkgs");
 in
-{ pkgs ? import ./nixpkgs.nix { }
-  # Use last pinned crate2nix packages to build the test runner
-  # so that it works even if we have broken stuff!
-, tools ? pkgs.callPackage "${builtins.fetchTree flakeLock.nodes.crate2nix_stable.locked}/tools.nix" { }
+{
+  # A system must be specified if using default value for pkgs and calling this
+  # package from a pure evaluation context, such as from the flake devShell.
+  system ? builtins.currentSystem
+, pkgs ? import nixpkgs_stable { inherit system; }
+, tools ? pkgs.callPackage "${crate2nix_stable}/tools.nix" { }
 }:
 let
   nixTestRunner = tools.appliedCargoNix {