diff --git a/scripts/download-using-manifests.pl.in b/scripts/download-using-manifests.pl.in
index 5dd5b817af..c5400a901a 100644
--- a/scripts/download-using-manifests.pl.in
+++ b/scripts/download-using-manifests.pl.in
@@ -2,7 +2,8 @@
 
 use strict;
 use readmanifest;
-use POSIX qw(tmpnam strftime);
+use POSIX qw(strftime);
+use File::Temp qw(tempdir);
 
 my $manifestDir = "@localstatedir@/nix/manifests";
 my $logFile = "@localstatedir@/log/nix/downloads";
@@ -12,9 +13,8 @@ open LOGFILE, ">>$logFile" or die "cannot open log file $logFile";
 delete $ENV{"NIX_ROOT"};
 
 # Create a temporary directory.
-my $tmpDir;
-do { $tmpDir = tmpnam(); }
-until mkdir $tmpDir, 0700;
+my $tmpDir = tempdir("nix-download.XXXXXX", CLEANUP => 1, TMPDIR => 1)
+    or die "cannot create a temporary directory";
 
 chdir $tmpDir or die "cannot change to `$tmpDir': $!";
 
diff --git a/scripts/generate-patches.pl.in b/scripts/generate-patches.pl.in
index bdb6d513c2..3a35b8518c 100755
--- a/scripts/generate-patches.pl.in
+++ b/scripts/generate-patches.pl.in
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
->#! @perl@ -w -I@libexecdir@/nix
+#! @perl@ -w -I@libexecdir@/nix
 
 use strict;
-use POSIX qw(tmpnam);
+use File::Temp qw(tempdir);
 use readmanifest;
 
 die unless scalar @ARGV == 5;
@@ -14,13 +14,12 @@ my $patchesURL = $ARGV[2];
 my $srcDir = $ARGV[3];
 my $dstDir = $ARGV[4];
 
-my $tmpdir;
-do { $tmpdir = tmpnam(); }
-until mkdir $tmpdir, 0777;
+my $tmpDir = tempdir("nix-generate-patches.XXXXXX", CLEANUP => 1, TMPDIR => 1)
+    or die "cannot create a temporary directory";
 
-print "TEMP = $tmpdir\n";
+print "TEMP = $tmpDir\n";
 
-#END { rmdir $tmpdir; }
+#END { rmdir $tmpDir; }
 
 my %srcNarFiles;
 my %srcPatches;
@@ -280,35 +279,35 @@ foreach my $p (keys %dstOutPaths) {
 
         my $maxNarSize = 150 * 1024 * 1024;
 
-        system("@bunzip2@ < $srcNarBz2 > $tmpdir/A") == 0
+        system("@bunzip2@ < $srcNarBz2 > $tmpDir/A") == 0
             or die "cannot unpack $srcNarBz2";
 
-        if ((stat "$tmpdir/A")[7] >= $maxNarSize) {
+        if ((stat "$tmpDir/A")[7] >= $maxNarSize) {
             print "    skipping, source is too large\n";
             next;
         }
         
-        system("@bunzip2@ < $dstNarBz2 > $tmpdir/B") == 0
+        system("@bunzip2@ < $dstNarBz2 > $tmpDir/B") == 0
             or die "cannot unpack $dstNarBz2";
 
-        if ((stat "$tmpdir/B")[7] >= $maxNarSize) {
+        if ((stat "$tmpDir/B")[7] >= $maxNarSize) {
             print "    skipping, destination is too large\n";
             next;
         }
         
-        system("@libexecdir@/bsdiff $tmpdir/A $tmpdir/B $tmpdir/DIFF") == 0
+        system("@libexecdir@/bsdiff $tmpDir/A $tmpDir/B $tmpDir/DIFF") == 0
             or die "cannot compute binary diff";
 
-        my $baseHash = `@bindir@/nix-hash --flat --type $hashAlgo --base32 $tmpdir/A` or die;
+        my $baseHash = `@bindir@/nix-hash --flat --type $hashAlgo --base32 $tmpDir/A` or die;
         chomp $baseHash;
 
-        my $narHash = `@bindir@/nix-hash --flat --type $hashAlgo --base32 $tmpdir/B` or die;
+        my $narHash = `@bindir@/nix-hash --flat --type $hashAlgo --base32 $tmpDir/B` or die;
         chomp $narHash;
 
-        my $narDiffHash = `@bindir@/nix-hash --flat --type $hashAlgo --base32 $tmpdir/DIFF` or die;
+        my $narDiffHash = `@bindir@/nix-hash --flat --type $hashAlgo --base32 $tmpDir/DIFF` or die;
         chomp $narDiffHash;
 
-        my $narDiffSize = (stat "$tmpdir/DIFF")[7];
+        my $narDiffSize = (stat "$tmpDir/DIFF")[7];
         my $dstNarBz2Size = (stat $dstNarBz2)[7];
 
         if ($narDiffSize >= $dstNarBz2Size) {
@@ -327,7 +326,7 @@ foreach my $p (keys %dstOutPaths) {
 
         else {
 
-            system("cp '$tmpdir/DIFF' '$patchesDir/$finalName.tmp'") == 0
+            system("cp '$tmpDir/DIFF' '$patchesDir/$finalName.tmp'") == 0
                 or die "cannot copy diff";
             
             rename("$patchesDir/$finalName.tmp", "$patchesDir/$finalName")
diff --git a/scripts/nix-install-package.in b/scripts/nix-install-package.in
index dc46c8cb22..bb72601ebd 100644
--- a/scripts/nix-install-package.in
+++ b/scripts/nix-install-package.in
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 #! @perl@ -w
 
 use strict;
-use POSIX qw(tmpnam);
+use File::Temp qw(tempdir);
 
 
 sub usageError {
@@ -65,10 +65,8 @@ if ($interactive && !defined $ENV{"NIX_HAVE_TERMINAL"}) {
 }
 
 
-my $tmpDir;
-do { $tmpDir = tmpnam(); }
-until mkdir $tmpDir, 0777;
-END { if (defined $tmpDir) { my $x = $?; system("@coreutils@/rm", "-rf", $tmpDir); $? = $x; } }
+my $tmpDir = tempdir("nix-install-package.XXXXXX", CLEANUP => 1, TMPDIR => 1)
+    or die "cannot create a temporary directory";
 
 
 sub barf {
diff --git a/scripts/nix-pack-closure.in b/scripts/nix-pack-closure.in
index ebf7164075..6c0e85d2a6 100644
--- a/scripts/nix-pack-closure.in
+++ b/scripts/nix-pack-closure.in
@@ -9,15 +9,14 @@
 # directory.
 
 use strict;
-use POSIX qw(tmpnam);
+use File::Temp qw(tempdir);
 
 my $binDir = $ENV{"NIX_BIN_DIR"};
 $binDir = "@bindir@" unless defined $binDir;
 
-my $tmpDir;
-do { $tmpDir = tmpnam(); }
-until mkdir $tmpDir, 0777;
-END { my $x = $?; system("@coreutils@/rm", "-rf", $tmpDir); $? = $x; }
+my $tmpDir = tempdir("nix-pack-closure.XXXXXX", CLEANUP => 1, TMPDIR => 1)
+    or die "cannot create a temporary directory";
+
 mkdir "$tmpDir/contents", 0777 or die;
 mkdir "$tmpDir/references", 0777 or die;
 mkdir "$tmpDir/derivers", 0777 or die;
diff --git a/scripts/nix-pull.in b/scripts/nix-pull.in
index c7c20fb9b7..c1382b4429 100644
--- a/scripts/nix-pull.in
+++ b/scripts/nix-pull.in
@@ -1,16 +1,13 @@
 #! @perl@ -w -I@libexecdir@/nix
 
 use strict;
-use POSIX qw(tmpnam);
+use File::Temp qw(tempdir);
 use readmanifest;
 
-my $tmpdir;
-do { $tmpdir = tmpnam(); }
-until mkdir $tmpdir, 0777;
+my $tmpDir = tempdir("nix-pull.XXXXXX", CLEANUP => 1, TMPDIR => 1)
+    or die "cannot create a temporary directory";
 
-my $manifest = "$tmpdir/manifest";
-
-END { unlink $manifest; rmdir $tmpdir; }
+my $manifest = "$tmpDir/manifest";
 
 my $binDir = $ENV{"NIX_BIN_DIR"};
 $binDir = "@bindir@" unless defined $binDir;
diff --git a/scripts/nix-push.in b/scripts/nix-push.in
index 02b1dec482..e5bd404a2d 100644
--- a/scripts/nix-push.in
+++ b/scripts/nix-push.in
@@ -1,19 +1,16 @@
 #! @perl@ -w -I@libexecdir@/nix
 
 use strict;
-use POSIX qw(tmpnam);
+use File::Temp qw(tempdir);
 use readmanifest;
 
 my $hashAlgo = "sha256";
 
-my $tmpdir;
-do { $tmpdir = tmpnam(); }
-until mkdir $tmpdir, 0777;
+my $tmpDir = tempdir("nix-push.XXXXXX", CLEANUP => 1, TMPDIR => 1)
+    or die "cannot create a temporary directory";
 
-my $nixfile = "$tmpdir/create-nars.nix";
-my $manifest = "$tmpdir/MANIFEST";
-
-END { unlink $manifest; unlink $nixfile; rmdir $tmpdir; }
+my $nixExpr = "$tmpDir/create-nars.nix";
+my $manifest = "$tmpDir/MANIFEST";
 
 my $curl = "@curl@ --fail --silent";
 my $extraCurlFlags = ${ENV{'CURL_FLAGS'}};
@@ -101,7 +98,7 @@ my @storePaths = keys %storePaths;
 
 # For each path, create a Nix expression that turns the path into
 # a Nix archive.
-open NIX, ">$nixfile";
+open NIX, ">$nixExpr";
 print NIX "[";
 
 foreach my $storePath (@storePaths) {
@@ -122,7 +119,7 @@ close NIX;
 # Instantiate store expressions from the Nix expression.
 my @storeExprs;
 print STDERR "instantiating store expressions...\n";
-my $pid = open(READ, "$binDir/nix-instantiate $nixfile|")
+my $pid = open(READ, "$binDir/nix-instantiate $nixExpr|")
     or die "cannot run nix-instantiate";
 while (<READ>) {
     chomp;
diff --git a/scripts/nix-unpack-closure.in b/scripts/nix-unpack-closure.in
index 20fdef7594..89e7aa24d5 100644
--- a/scripts/nix-unpack-closure.in
+++ b/scripts/nix-unpack-closure.in
@@ -7,15 +7,13 @@
 # directory.
 
 use strict;
-use POSIX qw(tmpnam);
+use File::Temp qw(tempdir);
 
 my $binDir = $ENV{"NIX_BIN_DIR"};
 $binDir = "@bindir@" unless defined $binDir;
 
-my $tmpDir;
-do { $tmpDir = tmpnam(); }
-until mkdir $tmpDir, 0777;
-END { my $x = $?; system("@coreutils@/rm", "-rf", $tmpDir); $? = $x; }
+my $tmpDir = tempdir("nix-unpack-closure.XXXXXX", CLEANUP => 1, TMPDIR => 1)
+    or die "cannot create a temporary directory";
 
 
 # Unpack the NAR archive on standard input.