diff --git a/pkgs/development/rocm-modules/6/rocm-core/default.nix b/pkgs/development/rocm-modules/6/rocm-core/default.nix
index 55316f4c65d5..08bf9e53fe34 100644
--- a/pkgs/development/rocm-modules/6/rocm-core/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/development/rocm-modules/6/rocm-core/default.nix
@@ -7,6 +7,14 @@
   writeText,
 }:
 
+# rocm-core is used by most distros for a few purposes:
+# - meta package that all rocm packages depend so `apt-get remove rocm-core` removes all rocm packages
+# - provide overall ROCM_PATH
+# - provide rocm version info and path to rocm version headers
+# only the last usage makes sense in nixpkgs
+let
+  padIfSingle = s: if lib.stringLength s == 1 then "0${s}" else s;
+in
 stdenv.mkDerivation (finalAttrs: {
   pname = "rocm-core";
   version = "6.3.3";
@@ -18,23 +26,56 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation (finalAttrs: {
     hash = "sha256-UDnPGvgwzwv49CzF+Kt0v95CsxS33BZeqNcKw1K6jRI=";
   };
 
+  patches = [
+    ./env-rocm-path.patch
+  ];
+
   nativeBuildInputs = [ cmake ];
-  # FIXME: What's the correct way to set this?
-  env.ROCM_LIBPATCH_VERSION = "${lib.versions.major finalAttrs.version}0${lib.versions.minor finalAttrs.version}0${lib.versions.patch finalAttrs.version}";
-  env.BUILD_ID = "nixos-${finalAttrs.env.ROCM_LIBPATCH_VERSION}";
-  env.ROCM_BUILD_ID = "release-${finalAttrs.env.BUILD_ID}";
+  env = {
+    ROCM_LIBPATCH_VERSION = "${lib.versions.major finalAttrs.version}${padIfSingle (lib.versions.minor finalAttrs.version)}${padIfSingle (lib.versions.patch finalAttrs.version)}";
+    BUILD_ID = "nixpkgs-${finalAttrs.env.ROCM_LIBPATCH_VERSION}";
+    ROCM_BUILD_ID = "${finalAttrs.env.BUILD_ID}";
+  };
   cmakeFlags = [
     "-DROCM_LIBPATCH_VERSION=${finalAttrs.env.ROCM_LIBPATCH_VERSION}"
     "-DROCM_VERSION=${finalAttrs.version}"
     "-DBUILD_ID=${finalAttrs.env.BUILD_ID}"
+    "-DCMAKE_INSTALL_LIBDIR=lib"
+    "-DCMAKE_INSTALL_INCLUDEDIR=include"
+    "-DCMAKE_INSTALL_BINDIR=bin"
   ];
 
   setupHook = writeText "setupHook.sh" ''
+    export ROCM_VERSION="${finalAttrs.version}"
     export ROCM_LIBPATCH_VERSION="${finalAttrs.env.ROCM_LIBPATCH_VERSION}"
-    export BUILD_ID="${finalAttrs.env.BUILD_ID}"
     export ROCM_BUILD_ID="${finalAttrs.env.ROCM_BUILD_ID}"
   '';
 
+  doInstallCheck = true;
+  preInstallCheck =
+    # Test that the CMake config file can be included and sets expected vars
+    ''
+      mkdir test_project
+      cd test_project
+
+      echo '
+        cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 3.16)
+        project(test_rocm_core)
+        find_package(rocm-core REQUIRED)
+        if(NOT DEFINED ROCM_CORE_INCLUDE_DIR)
+          message(FATAL_ERROR "ROCM_CORE_INCLUDE_DIR not set")
+        endif()
+        message(STATUS "Found ROCM_CORE_INCLUDE_DIR: ''${ROCM_CORE_INCLUDE_DIR}")
+        message(STATUS "Found ROCM_PATH: ''${ROCM_PATH}")
+      ' > CMakeLists.txt
+
+      CMAKE_PREFIX_PATH="$out" cmake .
+      cd ..
+
+      . $out/nix-support/setup-hook
+      env | grep '^ROCM'
+    '';
+
   passthru.ROCM_LIBPATCH_VERSION = finalAttrs.env.ROCM_LIBPATCH_VERSION;
   passthru.updateScript = rocmUpdateScript {
     name = finalAttrs.pname;
diff --git a/pkgs/development/rocm-modules/6/rocm-core/env-rocm-path.patch b/pkgs/development/rocm-modules/6/rocm-core/env-rocm-path.patch
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..a40fa33b90ce
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkgs/development/rocm-modules/6/rocm-core/env-rocm-path.patch
@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+In FHS distros rocm-core expects to be installed colocated with a full set of ROCM packages.
+In nixpkgs contexts, we don't want rocm-core to be a ROCM_PATH root.
+diff --git a/cmake_modules/rocm-core-config.cmake.in b/cmake_modules/rocm-core-config.cmake.in
+index f5fe07c..9d72c9c 100644
+--- a/cmake_modules/rocm-core-config.cmake.in
++++ b/cmake_modules/rocm-core-config.cmake.in
+@@ -11,7 +11,14 @@ set_and_check(rocm_core_INCLUDE_DIR "@PACKAGE_INCLUDE_INSTALL_DIR@")
+ set_and_check(ROCM_CORE_INCLUDE_DIR "@PACKAGE_INCLUDE_INSTALL_DIR@")
+ set_and_check(rocm_core_LIB_DIR "@PACKAGE_LIB_INSTALL_DIR@")
+ set_and_check(ROCM_CORE_LIB_DIR "@PACKAGE_LIB_INSTALL_DIR@")
+-set_and_check(ROCM_PATH "${PACKAGE_PREFIX_DIR}")
++# Set ROCM_PATH with priority: existing value > environment variable > package prefix
++if(NOT DEFINED ROCM_PATH)
++    if(DEFINED ENV{ROCM_PATH})
++        set(ROCM_PATH "$ENV{ROCM_PATH}")
++    else()
++        set_and_check(ROCM_PATH "${PACKAGE_PREFIX_DIR}")
++    endif()
++endif()
+ 
+ get_filename_component(ROCM_CORE_CMAKE_DIR "${CMAKE_CURRENT_LIST_FILE}" PATH)
+ include("${ROCM_CORE_CMAKE_DIR}/rocmCoreTargets.cmake")